his ways and we will walk in his paths For out of Sion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem Here it is evident that he will then clearly discover his will about his Worship to his people and that his people shall purely worship him A parallel place to this we have Zech. 8. 20 21 22. And there shall come people and the inhabitants of many cities and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts I will go also Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. What is meant by Jerusalem here spoken of Whether it may be mystically or literally taken I will not here dispute but whether it be taken mystically or literally this is cleer that in this time the multitudes of the Saints of God in all Nations shall cleerly know the minde of God about his worship and by the Spirit shall be enabled purely to perform it But here some may question what Ordinances shall be used at that time And how shall Saints then worship God To which in answer I say That what Ordinances there shall then be used is hard to be determined in regard the Scripture speaks not directly and particularly what the Ordinances are that shall then be used but as the practice of some of them is to be referred for those times onely so likewise is the cleer knowledge of them not to be had till those times And for my part I shall not dare not presume to speak any thing about the Ordinances or manner in Worship that shall be in these times but what the Scripture cleerly holdeth forth which is doubtless sufficient for us to know And first to speak of what shall not then be practised I finde it implyed by Paul 1 Cor. 11. 26. * That the Ordinance of the Supper shall then cease that the Ordinance of breaking bread shall not be then practised for he says there that in that Ordinance they do shew forth the Lords death till he come implying that when he cometh and is present with his people it shall not be then practised they shall not need to do that in remembrance of him as now they are commanded to do But whether any other Ordinance shall cease or not the Scripture is silent And the Scripture being silent who dares say that any other shall cease Though on the other hand there be no ground to say that such or such an Ordinance shall continue if the Scripture say it not But secondly This the Scripture cleerly speaks that that part of the worship of God which consisteth in * How God shall then be worshipped in prayer and praises Prayer and Praise shall continue So that it concerns all to beware how they say that it shall cease for that these shall continue is cleer in the forementioned place Zech. 8. 20 21. Where it is said that many people shall go to seek the Lord of hosts and to pray before the Lord. And Isa 12. 1. 45. In that day thou shalt say O Lord I will praise thee and ye shall say Praise the Lord call upon his name declare his doings among the people make mention that his Name is exalted Sing unto the Lord for he hath done excellent things this is known in all the earth Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Sion for great is the holy One of Israel in the midst of thee And Isa 65. 24. In that day it shall be that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear And Jer. 33. 11. In that day there shall be heard the voyce of them that rejoyce and say Praise the Lord of hosts for the Lord is good for his mercy endureth for ever and of them that shall bring the Sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. Thus is it cleer in these Scriptures that this part of the worship of God which consisteth in Prayer and praise shall then continue But thirdly There are some things about the worship of God that shall be in these times which the Scripture speaks of but not cleerly as that there shall be an observation of * That there shall then be an observation of new Moons and Sabbaths and a keeping a feast of tabernacles wherein God shall be worshipped new Moons and of Sabbaths wherein God shall be worshipped and a keeping of a feast of tabernacles As Isa 66. 23. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbathto another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. And Zech. 14. 16. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from yeer to yeer to worship the King the Lord of hosts and to keep the feast of tabernacles Here it is expresly said that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before the Lord. But what Sabbaths these shall be and what worship shall be performed on these Sabbaths the Scripture speaks not cleerly of And here it 's said that there shall be an yeerly keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles wherein they shall worship the King the Lord of hosts but what feast of Tabernacles this shal be and for what particular end it shall be observed is doubtful We know that under the Law the Feast of Tabernacles was kept at the ingathering of all the fruits of the fields wherein they were all to rejoyce before the Lord. But this rejoycing Feast that shall then be kept may be for higher things then these but positively to say this or that we may not for the Scripture is therein silent But fourthly The Scripture cleerly declares That in that time they shall have the Lord himself to be to them * That Saints shall then have no need of a Temple no need to be taught by others the Lord shall be in stead of a Temple to them in stead of a Temple As Revel 21. 22. And I saw no Temple in the new Jerusalem for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it The Temple in this place is to be understood as the place where they were wont to resort for knowledge for in the Temple was the Ark of the Testament there the Will of God and the Laws of God were to be understood And therefore David Psal 73. 16 17. professes his ignorance until he went into the Sanctuary and there received knowledge But in this time there shall be no need of a Temple for this For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it And it follows vers 23. And the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten
THE LITTLE HORNS DOOM DOVVNFALL OR A Scripture-Prophesie OF King James and King Charles and of this present Parliament unfolded Wherein it appeares that the late Tragedies that have bin acted upon the Scene of these three Nations and particularly the late Kings doom and death was so long ago as by Daniel pred-eclared AND What the issue of all will be is also discovered which followes in the second Part. By M. Cary a servant of Jesus Christ AMOS 3. 7 8. Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the Prophets The Lion hath roared who will not feare the Lord God hath spoken who can but Prophesie London Printed for the Author and are to be sold at the sign of the Black-spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1651. TO The Vertuous Heroicall and Honourable Ladies The Lady ELIZABETH CROMVVEL The Lady BRIDGET IRETON and The Lady MARGARET ROLE May it please your Ladiships BEing pressed in spirit to divulge this insuing discourse the maine scope whereof being to make this present age more sensible of the late past and present footsteps of God in the world in order to the setting up of the kingdom of our Lord Iesus and the making of all dominions to serve and obey him And observing how that among the many pious precious prudent and sage Matrons and holy women with which this Common-wealth is adorned as with so many precious jewels and choice gemmes which God having here and there placed in it doe set out the glory and lustre of the * This Nation so farre excels in glory and happinesse all other Nations because of of those numbers of precious Saints that are in it and for severall other respects As it made a Reverend * See Mr. Tho. Goodwins Sermon preached before the Parliament in Feb. 1645. which is in print and intituled The great Interest of States and Kingdomes Which in many other respects is worthy the serious view of the best saints Divine of this Nation thus to expresse himselfe concerning it That if wee had stood at Gods elbow when he bounded out the Nations and appointed the times and seasons that men should live in wee should not have known in what nation or kingdome or age wee should have chosen to have lived in rather then in this kingdom for whom God hath done such great things unlesse when Iesus Christ himselfe was alive and the Apostles in those primitive times unlesse in Iudea it self where all the Apostles were together Nation God hath selected and chosen out your Ladiships and placed you in some of the highest places of honour according to your present capacities in the three Nations wherein you have more then ordinary opportunities to honour him And observing withall how that as God hath placed you in the stations wherein you are so hee hath fitted you for them the tendency of your aimes studies and endeavours as it is well knowne being to the exaltation as far as lies in you of that great King of Saints the Lord Iesus whom you love in sincerity and for the setting up of whose glorious Kingdome in the perfection of it you longingly waite which frame of spirit in you hath not been of yesterday only but for many yeeres together hath shined conspicuously and gloriously in you all demonstrating to all Saints that indwelling presence of the holy spirit which is within you I have therefore chosen being of your own sex to dedicate these Treatises to your Ladiships whom I honour because God hath honoured and under your favourable aspects to publish them to the world being assured both First of your ingenuous and gracious acceptation hereof seeing that these treatises tend to the quickning and refreshing of the hearts of those which waite for and expect the comming and the kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ Knowing that every thing of this nature from how weak an instrument soever it be so it bee with the plaine and cleer demonstrations of the holy Scripture and the holy spirit is very acceptable unto you who are in that waiting and expecting posture And also secondly of your owning and defending and maintaining all the truths which are therein laid down as far as they shall appear in the energie and evidence of the holy spirit unto you who have already so plenarily compared with many other Saints of these present times received of that spirit And now right honourable that as your God hath graciously loaded you both with internall and externall glory under which he keepes you in a sweet meek and humble frame which crownes all the favours which he hath conferred upon you so that you may more and more abound in every grace and blessing of the Lord enjoying yet more full spirituall and sweet communion and fellowship with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ through the spirit that as transplendent stars you may shine gloriously in the severall spheares wherein God hath set you or shall set you while in this world untill you are advanced unto that beatificke vision which is to bee injoyed among the glorified Saints and Angels with Iesus Christ in another world shall be the prayer of My Ladies Your Ladiships devoted unfeignedly to serve you in the Lord MARY RANDE To the READER Courteous Reader I Had written the first of these Treatises intituled The little Horns doom and downfall above seven yeeres since but have bin with-held from publishing of it untill now for ends best known unto divine Majesty but if may so guesse it may bee it was because that men would then generally have been more uncapable of receiving of such things then now they are because now these things are fulfilled and prophesies are then best understood when they are fulfilled But now am I so pressed to publish both this first Treatise and this other which I have but lately written upon this 27 verse of this seventh of Daniel * Having finished it but since the beginning of the moneth of August this present yeer 1651. as that I cannot I dare not with-hold neither of them from publike view any longer but by publishing of them in print I shall expose them to the publike view of all men as far as in me lies And having so done shall leave it to the eternall Jehovah to make it effectuall to those ends to which he hath appointed it which may bee First to convince those of their folly that persist in waies contradictory to or crossing of his present designes to the disturbing of their own soules though they cannot hinder his worke for who can let it for if hee do not convince them none can Or Secondly it may be to confirm others for there are some that are already so far inlightned in their understandings about the present proceedings of God in the world as they do in some competent measure already discerne the footsteps of God in these great present providences and doe discerne also what his designes are in
Scotland were all three fallen and the late King was he that came in the roome of these three and entirely possessed the Kingdomes of all three So that this part of this Prophesie is exactly fulfilled in that King and not in any other of the Kings nor in any other person can these things be said to be so exactly fulfilled as in him So that if the Spirit of God here had no further described this little horne it would have been evident that this Prophesie had been fulfilled in this King these three Kingdomes being thus subjected to one King or Prince that formerly were governed by three before whom three were plucked up c. But it is made more apparent that this Prophesie was fulfilled in him by that further description which the Spirit of God in this Scripture gives of the dispositions actions and end or death of this King which we have as it followes Vers 25. And hee shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the Saints of the most High c. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ John 15. tels his Disciples that whosoever despised them despised him and whosoever despised him despised him that sent him Whereby its clear that that person that speaks great words against the Saints of the most High doth therein speak great words against the most High That this King did speak great words against the Saints of the most High threatning the ruine and destruction of all Puritans and Round heads as hee termed the saints of God is so well known as there needs nothing to be further spoken to make it appear nor need I mention the the persons which long before the wars which meerely for their being servants of God were persecuted imprisoned fined banished and otherwise threatned and as he spake great words against the most High in his saints so hee spake great words against the Lawes and Ordinances of God prohibiting of them requiring godly and faithfull Ministers to refrain from the worshipping of God from publike praying and preaching of the Word of God upon the first day of the Week Whereas many a poor soul might have been converted to and confirmed in the waies of God in those ordinances but hee constraind as it were the people of the Kingdom to a prophane loose life to dishonour God by inviting and requiring of them to practice prophane and wicked sports upon that day which was appointed for a holy worshipping of God Whereas many poore soules needed rather to haue been encouraged and call'd upon to have more frequently attended upon the Ordinances of God for they perished for want of knowledge And as he thus spake great words against the ordinances of the most High so he nourished and supported many wicked and abominable Priests when many holy and faithfull Ministers of Christ were rejected who did most profanely abuse the Scriptures and despise the very spirit of God and that publikely of which sort there were many among those Centuries of scandalous Ministers that were in the beginning of this Parliament sequestred for their delinquencies Thus in that this King spake great words against the saints and ordinances and spirit of God and had pleasure in such as so did he therein did as here is said of him speake great words against the most high And shall wear out the Saints of the most High Was it not long before the sitting of this Parliament given out by this King that hee would not leave untill hee had left no more Puritans in England then there were Protestants in Rome and is it not generally known what meanes and waies were used to wear them out and to make them weary of living in the Kingdom insomuch as many godly and faithfull people being weary of the impositions upon their consciences of those things which were evill and the prohibitions of them from that which was good as their meetings to call upon the name of the Lord and to confer one with another of the things of God and the repetitions of Sermons did being thus wearied leave their native Kingdom though in all outward respects to their great disadvantage and those that remained how did they groan under their burthens and complain to heaven day and night against the insufferable and wearying proceedings of that unworthy King Thus did hee wear out the Saints of the most high And shall think to change times and lawes and they shall be given into his hand untill c. Therein also he is more exactly characterized and described for it is well known that hee did think and intend to change times and lawes he thought to have made sad times for all circumspect and holy Christians whom he called Puritans and times of joy and rejoycing for all popish and prophane persons And hee thought to have changed those Lawes which had been by preceeding Princes made for the priviledges of the people in civil and spirituall respects and to have imposed lawes destructive to the peoples freedom and liberty and to have ruled all by his own will and made the people slaves thereunto And they shall bee given into his hand untill c. As hee thought to change Lawes and times so he did they were given into his hand for a while he had times and lawes in his hand to change them at his pleasure and he thought to have done so alwaies And to this end consulted with wicked Bishops Popish Lords and profane Judges and to this end also he raised Armies first against the Scots and afterward against all well-affected people in Ireland and also in England Thus this Horn that came up in the room of three did in all things answer this description of him which is given in these 24 and 25 verses and hee comes in no tittle short of it There is but one thing more spoken of him in this Chapter whereby he is any further described then as in these three verses and that is in the 21 verse which I will here take in before I proceed to what followes It is in these words And I beheld and the same horne made war with the Saints and prevailed against them untill c. And herein also did this Horne or King most exactly act according to this which the Spirit of God by Daniel so long since predeclared of him For he did make War against the Saints and that in such a manner as no King Prince or Potentate ever yet did For no History can declare nor in any age or time can it be said that ever armies were raised more properly to fight against and to make war with the Saints as being Saints then these late Armies raised by him and by authority from him have been Many combustions have been in the World and many wars in this and severall other Kingdoms but was ever the quarrell so exactly against Saints and saintship in any War as in this For it was against Saints in a more especiall manner that this horn made War
and their deliverance as he gives them to overcome him and his complices that thought to overcome them And in this worke hee hath thousand thousands ministring unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him hee hath all his Saints all men else and all his holy Angels at his beck to execute his will and doe his pleasure And as once the stars in their courses fought against Sisera so God in doing this great work for his Saints deliverance and making way for the setting up of the Kingdom of his beloved Sonne hath multitudes multitudes both of Celestiall and terrestiall creatures to attend him And certainly such great things could never have been done if the Ancient of daies had not most gloriously and wonderfully appeared for the help and support of his people How could they which are so few in number and in the eies of the world despised and despicable creatures have carried on that work so effectually as to have cut off the late King though it was verily beleeved and it is very probable there was at that very time twenty to one in this Nation of England that were against it had not the Lord assisted them with thousands of Angels and evidently manifested himselfe to bee with them Thus it is evident that by the appearing of the Ancient of daies mentioned in this Chapter is meant his appearing in his people in that spirit of judgement and justice that he gives unto them and his appearing for his people to own and defend and deliver them and to lay their enemies in the dust while hee raises them up and makes them sit in high places Secondly whereas I said that this position was likewise the sense of this verse together with those other verses which I compared with it viz. That a certain number of Saints should be convened together and have a spirit of judgement given unto them by the most High together with power and authority whereby they should take away the dominion of the little horn to consume and to destroy it unto the end I shall illustrate that thus In the 10 verse its said that thousands thousands ministred unto the Ancient of daies and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the judgement was set and the bookes were opened and because of the voice of the great words which the Horn spake the Beast was slaine Here it is evident that the beast or horne was slaine by some that did sit in judgement before whom the books of his evill deeds were opened because of which his evill deeds and sayings he was adjudged to be slaine And at the 22 verse it is plainely declared who they were that did sit in judgement That they were not Angels but Saints the Saints of the most High for there it s said that the horne made war with the Saints and prevailed against them untill the Ancient of daies came and judgement was given to the Saints of the most high and then was his power taken off for then the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome And that those Saints that have judgement given to them and that are said to sit in judgement that they are the instruments by whom the beast was to be judged and slaine is further cleare in this 26 verse where it having been declared in the former verse how evilly the horne should deale with the Saints it s said But the judgement shall sit and THEY shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end Thus it is also evidently the sense of these verses compared together that by the judgment sitting is meant a certaine number of Saints that by the wisdome providence and power of the most High were convened together and invested with power and authority and a Spirit of Judgement for this end to judge this little Horne and do justice upon him and to take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end And this need not seem strange that the Saints should thus sit in judgement and do such things as these for do ye not know saies the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 2. that the Saints shall judge the World And verse 3. Know ye not saies he that we shall judge Angels This being a known truth it is no wonder among those that know truth that God should put such power and authority and such a spirit of judgement upon Saints whereby they should be enabled to do these things And to this purpose that passage of the Psalmist is also very considerable Psa 149. 4 5 6 7 8. The Lord taketh pleasure in his people he will beautifie the meek with salvation Let the Saints be joyfull in glory let them sing aloud upon their beds Let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings with chaines and their Nobles with fetters of Iron to execute upon them the judgement written this honour have all his Saints praise yee the Lord. Now I say since it is certaine that the Saints shall one day judge not only the world but the wicked Angels the Devils also and it being most certaine that this Prophesie of the Psalmist wherein he speaks of a time when God will beautifie the meek of the earth with salvation and put his high praises in their mouths and a two edged sword into their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings and Nobles in Chaines and Fetters of Iron and to execute upon them the judgement written Marke it the judgement written these things being so it is no wonder that this written judgement should be thus executed upon this horne or King Thus it is cleare that a company of Saints convened together by the wise providence of the most high and invested with power and authority and a spirit of judgement were to do this work upon the horne And what particularly they are is by providence now made very conspicuous the things that are here spoken of being now in a great measure accomplished for all prophesies are best understood in the fulfilling of them Namely that they are those precious and gracious ones that by the wise and gracious disposall of the most high have been called to sit in Parliament and the high Court of Justice which they erected who have had a spirit of wisdome of judgement and faithfulnesse put upon them whereby they have acted faithfully and zealously for the glory of God and the peace and welfare of all their brethren I say it is the Parliament and those imployed by their Authority who have hazarded all that was deare unto them rather than to suffer the free people of this Kingdome and amongst them the Saints and people of God to be betrayed or given up to the power of those that would have ruled tyranically and cruelly over them But here let me not
away his Dominion and destroy him unto the end And what the issue of all this will be is discovered in the following verse but of that in its place But now it may bee some may slight this interpretation saying that it is not to be regarded seeing severall have given severall Interpretations of Scriptures and most of them have been besides the truth and so may this will they say But to those I have but this to say first that upon this account they may continually sleight all that shall bee said in opening the Scriptures though it be never so consonant unto the Truth and minde of the Spirit of God the Author of the Scriptures And so God with such sleight spirits will not have the glory of his pre-decreeing of the things he will have to come to passe many hundred yeeres after and of his exact bringing things to passe according to the counsels of his own will so many hundred yeeres before resolved upon And secondly they in so doing doe give lesse honour to God then the heathens did to their Devilish Oracles which would pretend to foreshew things to come and lesse then they doe to Astronomers who from the stars do pretend to foretell things whereas God oftentimes frustrateth the tokens of those lyars and maketh those diviners mad Isa 44. 25. and they cannot foreshew any thing infallibly though possibly from the stars they may give some uncertain hints of things but it is that which is proper to God alone infallibly to fore-tell things to come As appeares Isa 48. 3 4 5. and Isa 46. 9 10. and which hee doth from time to time do by his servants the Prophets and therefore what they have declared from God hath been done for our observation Rom. 15. 4 Psa 107. 43. Deut. 29. 29. Wherein we may see that what God hath done from age to age hath all along bin the fulfilling of his word of which we are to give him the glory And thirdly though some Interpreters have failed of truth which it may bee hath been the hardening of the hearts of some yet this will not be a sufficient discharge for any from their duty of observing these things that when the truth appeares God may have the glory But fourthly it is true things have often been ancertainely hit at by some men before they came to passe but these things are come to passe and all prophecies are best understood when they are fulfilled or neer to be fulfilled not but that oftentimes prophecies have been cleerely understood long beforehand by many precious Saints But fifthly this is certaine that when the very minde of God in Prophecies is unerringly laid open being cleerly and convincingly discovered to his Saints and servants that desire to pry into and observe these things according to their dutie that even then some will not receive them neither the wise of the world nor the wicked of the world as appeares Mat. 11 25. and Dan. 12. 10. But though the worldly-wise do not yet they that have wisdome from above shall have these things revealed to them and shall understand them as appeares in the same Scriptures for when truth is revealed the children of truth having one and the same spirit shall see it with the same eye and rejoyce with the same joy in seeing of it My Sheepe know my voice John 10. 27. They know that it is my voice and not anothers voice and indeed it is chiefly for their sakes who know his voice who have his spirit that all truths are revealed But all these are generall answers but for this particular Interpretation I have onely this to say That I do not pretend to be any more exempted from uncertainty then any other of the deare servants of God have been to whom God hath very often revealed his secrets though sometimes some things of their owne suppositions have slipt from them and therefore I shall not presse any to believe these things because I have said them unlesse they do therein hear the voice of Christ and his spirit setting them home upon them For this I know that truth is powerfull enough to to prevaile with Saints and for the truth of these things of which I have spoken or of whatever is laid down in the following discourse I leave them to the great God who hath put me upon the publishing of them to make them prevalent with as many as hee intends good unto by them And further this I must professe that it hath not been a few daies only or since the last Kings death onely that I have thus been made to understand this Scripture But I thus understood it for above nine yeeres ago and to this the Lord is witnesse and severall godly people whom I have made acquainted with it at severall times so that when the late King was in his height I declared my confidence that the Parliament should prevaile over him and at last destroy him But seeing as I have said that all Prophesies are best understood in the fulfilling of them the truth of these things will therefore doubtlesse now be the more prevailing with Saints But one word more and that is this That though it is true that usually Saints know the voice of Christ and are able to say certainly this is or this is not the voice of Christ I say though it be thus usually with them yet there are some cases in which they are uncertaine and some truths about which they can neither say that it is truth or that it is not truth And now if this be the case of any about these things I have spoken of I have onely this to say to them that though they cannot receive them presently yet let them beware how they sleight them and this I must tell them that if the Lord had not all along hitherto in the workes of his providence which in many particulars were very observable evidenced the truth hereof and if hee doe not demonstrate it more and more it might bee the more tollerable for them thus to sleight it but considering how wonderfully from day to day this is cleared and will be cleared Oh let them beware how they wilfully shut their eyes against the light of it for any private interest whatsoever lest in shutting their eyes against light they be shut up in Babylonian darknesse and consequently partake with Babylon both in her sins and in her plagues And now I should here proceed to the 27 verse but because it treateth of the glorious Kingdom which Jesus Christ shall have in the world and that being a subject which my spirit is drawn out to treat more largely and amply of it then any yet have done I shall therefore handle it in an intire book by it selfe closing up this discourse with those expressions of the Psalmist Psal 92. 5 6 7. O Lord how great are thy workes thy thoughts are very deep A bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a foole understand this when the wicked
holy one and the Just and kil'd the Prince of Life whom God had raised from the dead by faith in whose Name the lame man was healed hee addes Now brethren I wot that through ignorance yee did it as did also your Rulers but these things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his Prophets that Christ should suffer he hath so fulfilled repent you therefore and be converted that your sins may bee blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord and he shall send Jesus Christ which was before preached unto you whom the heavens must receive untill the time of restitution of all things which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began Peter here preaching to those that had been the actors of that most unjust and most unrighteous act that ever was acted by the most wretched and most sinfull of the sons of men he charges it home upon them ver 12 13 14 and 15. and having done so he is guided by the wisdome of the Spirit lest they should in the sense hereof be driven to despaire to mitigate the terrour of of it though the sin was so hainous by these two considerations First their ignorance verse 17. sutable to which is that passage of Paul 1 Cor. 2. 8. Secondly by the determinate counsell of God which he then fulfilled in that act of theirs which was in it selfe so hainously sinfull as it came from them And having thus done he presses them to repentance and to an embracing of the Lord Jesus Christ from whom he preaches peace notwithstanding their great sin against him telling them that upon their being converted unto him their sins should be blotted out and tels them withall that though they had crucified him and he according to the counsell of God had suffered death of which all the Prophets had spoken that yet there was a time comming when that Jesus Christ which had been crucified who was gone to heaven and must there remaine untill that appointed time even that Jesus Christ should come again and v. 21. restore * Restore all things that is to restore to his Saints a comfortable and free enjoyment of all the comforts of the Spirit of grace and of all the comforts of the whole Creation and when the Apostle here saies he shall restore all these things he meanes he shall restore them to those that are converted to his Saints only and not to all men as some would have it for that is directly contradictory to other Scriptures that speake of this same time as Isa 65. 13 14. 15 20. Isa 51. 22 23. Jer. 30. 23 24. Rev. 21. 8. Chap. 22. 15. besides many others to this purpose that are as cleare for if this were true then may it be said in this case as Paul in another said if so c. Saints are of all men most miserable in that they suffer sharpe afflictious and drinke many a bitter cup from the hands of wicked men because they will not do as they do and say as they say because they are more righteous and for righteousnesse sake but they it suffer because they know that the righteous Judge of all the earth will quickly come and reward every one as his work shall be Rev. 22. 12. even to them who patiently continue in well doing eternall life but unto the ungodly workers of iniquity indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soule of man that doth evill of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Rom. 2. 6 7 8 9. all things and pardon their sins and refresh v. 19. comfort them and this is that time saies Peter which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy Prophets which have been since the world began and this doubtless is that which is spoken of by the Prophet Daniel in this passage we are treating of And this is that which Paul also speakes of Rom. 8. 18 19 c. in these words The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the Creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God for the Creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope because the Creature its selfe also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God for we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth together in paine untill now and not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the spirit even we our selves groane within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies Here the Apostle speaking of this exalted condition of the Saints in these latter daies doth illustrate it in these 5 particulars by which he sets out what the condition of saints shall be and by six particulars in which he speaks to the condition of the whole Creation The particulars wherein he speakes to the condition of the Saints are these First That the condition of the Saints untill that time come whatever their enjoyments are and how comfortable soever it shall be yet in comparison of that it shall be a sighing a groaning a sorrowing condition for so he saies even we our selves we that are Saints and have the first fruits of the spirit which are exceeding precious to us and in which we have so much joy and peace as Rom. 5. 1 2 3 4 5 11. we groan within our selves are in a sighing sorrowing condition waiting for the Adoption or Redemption of our bodies untill when we shall sigh and indeed so it must needs be for besides outward troubles we meet with from wicked men we the best Pauls Cephas's and Primitive Saints which are indued with the most eminent gifts are also troubled with sin that dwels in us so that when we would do good evill is present with us But Secondly He tels us that at that time the condition of Saints shall be such as that their bodies shall be redeemed from the servitude and slavery in which they have been subjected to men in that over their bodies other Lords have had dominion for that must needs be his meaning in those words Waiting for the redemption of our bodies What shall our bodies have redemption from else but that And that is also the meaning of those words The glorious liberty of the children of God They have not been in their bodies free nor in liberty but in bondage and subjection but then comes the redemption of their bodies and they shall be at liberty And Thirdly They shall also be freed from the power of corruption within as well as from the outward slavery and subjection of wicked men and this is exprest in these words The glory which shall be revealed in us present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the
but then this adversary of theirs shall have no power to oppose them for this thousand yeers but he shall be bound up for so says the holy Spirit Rev. 20. 1 2 3. And I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold on the dragon that old serpent which is the devil and Satan and bound him a thousand yeers and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand yeers should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed for a little season Here we see that for this thousand yeers after the destruction of the Beast and False Prophet and the Kings of the earth and all other enemies of the Saints that grand enemy of the Saints is laid lowe also even that roaring lion And that ye may be sure 't is he that is thus clapt under hatches he is here set out under those several denominations that the Scripture in several places gives him And first he is stiled the Dragon but lest it should be doubtful what the dragon is it follows that he is that old Serpent and lest this be not plain enough it is further said Which is the devil and Satan Thus this enemy of the Saints is we see to be bound up also and therefore it is said that an angel having a great chain in his hand laid hold of him and bound him for a thousand yeers and he did not onely binde him but cast him into the bottomless pit nay and not onely so but he shut him up in the pit and set a seal upon him importing the doing of it to purpose the doing of it securely that so he might deceive the Nations no more until the thousand yeers were finished Thus is it clear that in this thousand yeers this great enemy of the Saints shall have no power to molest them And this is that which Paul also speaks of Rom. 16. 20. The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly In that the Apostle speaks of the doing of it in the future time as that it shall be done shortly it is clear that he means not that treading down of Satan which was then already done even that which Christ had done upon the Cross when he conquered sin and Satan and so in a sence trod Satan under the feet of his Saints but of a further treading of him under feet which was to be done in future times But yet we have not seen Satan troden any more under feet then he was in the Apostles times for greater was his prevalencie in the midnight of Popery then in the Apostles time it was Therefore this treading under foot of Satan of which Paul speaks is yet to come and doubtless the Apostle speaks of this time when Satan shall be bound up and shut up in the bottomless pit and sealed And when this time is come will this prophecie of Paul be made good The God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly And now having thus far described this new world shewing how it shall be setled in peace by the God of peace and that Satan shall be troden under the feet of his Saints I shall now proceed to declare the great and glorious priviledges that shall then and in this kingdom be conferred upon the Saints And they may be referred to two Heads 1. Spiritual and internal 2. Outward and external Of the spiritual priviledges and prerogatives that Saints shall then enjoy And first I shall speak of the spiritual priviledges and blessings which the Saints shall then enjoy for therein shall be their greatest joy and glory and without which the other sort of blessings would be rather hurtful then profitable to them Now the fountain of all their spiritual advantages and priviledges will consist in the abundant pouring out of the Spirit upon them of which I shall first speak and then of the particular effects and benefits of it And of this abundant pouring out of the Spirit the Scripture speaks plentifully in several places as Isa 44. 3. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring Thus abundantly will the Spirit be poured out as he here promises that he will pour it out by floods it shall not be by drops or by small streams but by floods shall it be poured out upon those that are dry and thirsty But how do some Saints now thirst after these waters of life being as dry and parched ground for want of it But alas they have but now and then some drops or at most some small streams of it that doth a little refresh them and quicken them But where is the soul that hath those floods of the Spirit yet poured upon it How do the best of Saints complain for want hereof But the time is coming when they shall have no cause to complain for they shall have floods of the Spirit poured out upon them And this is the time which is also spoken of Isai 32. 15. when the Spirit shall be poured out from on high and the wilderness shall be a fruitful field and the fruitful field be counted for a forest Here the holy Ghost says that at this time the Spirit shall be so abundantly poured out upon the Saints as that those that were lookt upon as a wilderness for barrenness shall now become a fruitful field and those that were formerly a fruitful field should be accounted as a forest in comparison of the fruitful fields that shall then be Again Joel 2. 28. And it shall come to pass that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit This prophecie is clearly a prophecie of this time for it is expresly said that this shall come to pass in that time when the Lord will plead with all Nations for the controversies which his Sion hath against them which now he will do in these later days and which never yet hath been so fully done as he then will do And he says that when he doth this his people shall never be ashamed any more which time is yet to come therefore this promise hath not yet been fulfilled Besides it 's clear that this promise was never yet fulfilled for when was ever this promise in the fulness in the altitude and latitude fulfilled When was the Spirit poured upon all flesh When was the Spirit generally poured out Was it ever poured out upon all flesh The greater number of people may indeed receive the denomination of All the people but the least number of people as one of an hundred or
one of a thousand cannot be said to be All. But when was the Spirit poured out so much as upon one of a thousand Again when was the Spirit so abundantly upon all ages degrees and sexes as that all might prophesie that is in the lowest sence be able to speak to edification exhortation and comfort How few of those that are Saints have the spirit of Prophecie in this sence to any purpose upon them carrying of them forth to publish the Gospel for the edifying comforting or conversion of others The number of those is very small witness the complaints of many Country-towns and Parishes even within this Kingdom which they make for the want of faithful able men to preach the Gospel among them And if there be very few men that are thus furnished with this gift of the Spirit how few are the women Not but that there are many godly women many who have indeed received the Spirit but in how small a measure is it how weak are they and how unable to prophesie for it is that that I am speaking of which this text says they shall do which yet we see not fulfilled Indeed they have tasted of the sweetness of the Spirit and having tasted are longing for more and are ready to receive from those few that are in any measure furnished with the gifts of the Spirit for prophesying but they are generally very unable to communicate to others though they would do it many times in their families among their children and servants and when they would be communicating to others into whose company they come though sometimes some sprinklings come from them yet at other times they finde themselves dry and barren But the time is coming when this promise shall be fulfilled and the * That all ages sexes degrees shall have the spirit of Prophecie in these later days Saints shall be abundantly filled with the Spirit and not onely men but women shall prophesie not onely aged men but young men not onely superious but inferiours not onely those that have University-learning but those that have it not even servants and handmaids For this by the way let me say There is nothing absolutely necessary to the making of a convert and of a convert a publisher of the Gospel which a soul that is but furnished onely with Understanding and Reason is not capable of if the Spirit be poured out upon it whether it be a Heathen so called for distinction sake or one brought up in the profession of Christianity or whether it be learned or unlearned or whether it be male or female I say a soul indued with Understanding and Reason is capable of Religion and all religious performances if it be indued with the Spirit and there is no other thing absolutely necessary thereunto And when the Spirit shall be more abundantly poured out upon Saints this shall be made evident so that according to this gracious promise sons and daughters servants and handmaids old men and young men shall prophesie But some may say This promise was fulfilled in the Apostles times and the Apostle Peter expresly cites it Acts 2. 18. when the Spirit was theu poured out upon them But to that I answer It is true the Apostle Peter cites it there but it doth not therefore follow that this promise was then fulfilled neither was it but the Apostle cites it upon this occasion The twelve Apostles having then received the promise of the pouring out of the Spirit it carried them forth powerfully and wonderfully and in an extraordinary manner to speak forth the things of God which when those that were in Jerusalem both strangers and others saw and heard they began to marvel at it and to say that they were full of new wine But the Apostle Peter understanding this stands up and tells them that they were not drunken as they supposed but cites to them this Scripture whereby he would have them to understand that this need not be so strange to them which they then saw and heard in them if they considered what was promised long ago in the Prophet Joel That the Spirit should be abundantly poured out upon all flesh and considering this they need not wonder thus to see the Spirit now poured out upon a few men But though the Apostle thus to this end there cites this Scripture yet was it not then in the largeness of it fulfilled For in those times though some men young and old and some women some of their sons and daughters did prophesie yet were it very few in comparison of those that did not and therefore it could not be said that the Spirit was then poured upon All flesh but that time is to come and is to be in that day we are speaking of wherein indeed the Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh in an abundant manner and come no whit short of what this Scripture imports So that though for the time which hath been ever since the Apostles days to this present time it may be said of the Church of the Saints of God that they have lien among the pots that I may allude to that of the Psalmist Psal 78. 13. in respect of that obscurity and deformity in which they have been for want of that spiritual glory which the abundant pourings out of the Spirit will put upon them yet at this time to use the Psalmists expression they shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold that soil filthiness corruption and deformity that hath appeared in them wherein in many respects they have seemed to be as worldlings are covered over with earth and sullyed with the blackness of corruption as having lien among the pots all this shall be done away and as innocent doves they shall mount up and and shine in splendor and purity when more abundantly the Spirit shall be poured out upon them And this time it is that is spoken of Isa 52. 1 2. Where the Lord is speaking thus to the Church Awake awake put on thy strength O Sion put on thy beautiful garments O Jerusalem the holy city for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircucised and the unclean Shake thy self from the dust arise and sit down O Jerusalem and loose thy self from the bands of thy neck O captive daughter of Sion It 's the presence of the Spirit in the fulness of it that beautifies the Saints and cloaths them with beautiful garments and is their strength and by it they arise and mount up above the world and shake themselves from the dust and are losed from all their bonds and are made free This time is also spoken of Isa 60. 1 2. Where the Lord speaks thus to his Church Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee for behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory
while yet it was but for their time and after that they should be no more And in vers 13. that though the wicked plot against the just yet the Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is coming In all which he speaks of a time and a day when the wicked shall be wholly cut off but saith he the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace And vers 18. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever So that it 's clear that those that shall inherit the earth at that time and be delighted in the abundance of peace shall be of meek and sweet spirits And again ninthly When the Spirit shall be thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints in these times there shall be then no such complaining among Saints as there hath been formerly and yet is That Oh they are weak * Saints shall then have no cause to complain of weaknesses and they are ignorant and they are foolish and they are dull and slowe and lame in duties and many times they are dumb or at least stammerers when they come to pray or prophesie but the Spirit then shall be so abundantly poured out upon them as it shall remove all these impediments from them as appears Isai 35. 1. The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad and the desart shall rejoyce and blossom as a rose This is spoken of the pouring out of the Spirit upon those that were as a barren wilderness which shall make them thus to blossom as a rose Well but what follows Vers 5. Then the eyes of the blinde shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped then shall the lame man leap as an hart and the tongue of the dumb shall sing Here then we see that all these complaints shall be removed They that complained of ignorance their complaint shall be removed the eyes of the blinde shall see They that complained of deadness and dulness their complaint shall be removed the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped They that complained of weakness and lameness in duties their complaint shall be removed then shall the lame man leap as an hart A hart is a swift creature they shall have more then ordinary abilities and strength and activity which before were lame and weak The lame man shall leap as an hart And answerable to this is that passage Isa 32. 3 4. And the eys of them that see shal not be dim and the ears of them that hear shall hearken The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly Thus all these weaknesses and infirmities shall be removed and Saints shall be compleatly furnished with abilities whereby they shall be enabled to serve and worship the Lord and they shall no more do it stammeringly and brokenly as formerly they did And this is to be done as appears vers 1. at that time when a King shall reign in righteousness and Princes shall rule in judgement When the Lord Jesus Christ shall be King and of his Saints he shall make * Ps 45. 16. Princes in all the earth Then then it is that all these infirmities shall be removed from all his people This likewise is that which is spoken of Zech. 12. 8. In that day he that is feeble among the Saints shall be as David and the house of David as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Such strength and power will he put upon all his people Tenthly When the Spirit shall be thus abundantly poured out upon his people they shall all speak * They shall speak a pure language a pure language a spiritual language having a holy heavenly stile For as in their actions and doings there will be a glorious reformation so also in their words and therefore Zeph. 3. 9. the Lord saith That in that great day when all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of his jealousie that then He will turn to the people a pure language or a pure lip as the word is which implyeth pure speech There shall be no foolish defiled speech coming from them No they shall have a pure lip and call upon the Lord and this pure language or this pure lip is that which is called The language of Canaan Isa 19. 18. Where it is said That the Egyptians being converted unto the Lord they that are in the Land of Egypt shall also speak the language of Canaan or the lip of Canaan or with this pure lip or this pure speech which the Lord shall give to his people And that by a pure lip is meant a pure speech is cleer Prov. 22. 11. Where Solomon hath this expression He that loveth pureness of heart for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend Implying that from a pure heart proceedeth gracious language such a man hath grace in his lips a pure lip Thus in an eminent manner shall Saints then have grace in their lip have a pure language when the Spirit shall be so gloriously poured out upon them Eleventhly When the Spirit shall be thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints their mindes and affections shall be raised and put into a * The Saints shall be in a rais'd high and heavenly frame heavenly posture It will be much below them to have their mindes set upon vanitie and though it be certain that they shall injoy all outward injoyments to the full yet they shall not manifest that vanity in the use of them as now appears in most people as to observe the fickle nice phantastical and foolish customs or fashions of the time in their cloathing househould furniture and deportments towards each other wherein much vanity and foolery oft-times appears No these things will be far below them * It will be fabelow the Saints to minde vain fashions and fooleries to have such unsetledness and such vanity in these respects appearing in them But they being filled with the Spirit will manifest more gravity sobriety and composedness of Spirit and will not minde such vanity Not that the wearing rich apparel or having rich furniture and utensiis in the house is a sin or unbecoming a Christian for riches they shall then plentifully injoy But deforming apparel and the fickleness of the minde and fancie about these things is I fear the sin of I am sure it is very unbecoming to Saints For Saints to be thus light and vain and every day to be minding the new fashion and altering their apparel several times before it is worn out How uncomely is it And how unsuitable to their high calling as if they had not things of a higher nature to minde Not that in speaking thus I do commend those that keep themselves in such fashions as wherein they appear ridiculous to all others being altogether out of use nor do I say that it
c. Here is mention of four several employments for several men 1. the Plow-man 2. the Reapers 3. the treader of grapes 4. the Sower of seed And Jer. 33. 12 13. In that day in the place where it had been desolate there shall be habitations of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down and the flock shall again pass under the hand of him that telleth them And Isa 61. 5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks and the sons of the alien shall be your plow-men and vine-dressers Thus in these words is it clear that men shall then follow several employments Again Isa 62. 8 9. I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies and the sons of the stranger shall no more drink thy wine for which thou hast laboured but they that have gathered it shall eat it and praise the Lord and they that have gathered it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness Here it is clear that labour they shall and each man shall enjoy the fruit of his own labours they shall not be unjustly deprived of it as now many be And so again Isa 65. 21 22. They shall build houses and plant vineyards and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands Mark this They shall long enjoy the work of their hands By the work of their hands they shall purchase estates and they shall be long enjoyed by them and their children no strangers shall deprive them of them But now by these several Scriptures it is clear that several employments men shall follow as plowing sowing and planting and reaping and treading the vines keeping and feeding flocks and herds and building houses c. But now though the Scripture mention not expresly the following other employments as Handy-craft-employments working in gold and silver and brass and iron and silk and linen and woollen c. yet is it clearly implied that they shall use such employments in those Scriptures that speak of their building houses in those times and of having gold and silver and apparel in great abundance c. So that it is clear that Saints shall labour in several employments in those times But whatever the lawful employments be in which they labour whether in Husbandry or Handy-craft-employments strangers shall not drink the wine nor eat the food nor inhabit the houses nor wear the apparel for which they have laboured but they and their children shall comfortably enjoy the work of their hands So that all of them by their labours and employments not toylsom and burdensome employments but by their employments which shall be as recreation to them as some employments are to ingenious men now for it is irksome to them to be always idle I say All of them by their pleasant easie and well-regulated employments shall get a plentiful * If the diligent hand by the blessing of the Lord do now make rich much more shall it then store of all those outward things which shall tend to the comfortable subsistence of them and theirs with which they shall have no grief nor vexation at all but sorrow and sighing shall flee away and everlasting joy shall be unto them And so much for answer to this Querie A Querie But thirdly Another Querie may be How the raised Saints that shall come to reign with Christ on earth shall walk and act here in the world An Answer to the Query To which I have no other answer to make but this having already shown that they shall be raised spiritual bodies that they shall not act with respect to their bodies as those other Saints that shall live and shall be born in those times who have not laid down their mortal bodies and been raised again for as our Saviour speaks expresly that in the Resurrection They shall neither marry nor be given in marriage but they shall be as the Angels of God so it shall be with them So that the actings and walkings of the raised Saints here on earth may be much like the actings of the Angels of God But to declare how they shall act more particularly and how and in what manner they shall reign on earth with Christ I dare not undertake to describe any further the Scripture being silent as to particulars and I think that enough for us to know in these matters which the Spirit of God thinks enough to declare of them in Scripture But so much as the Scripture declares we may not onely safely but as our * Deut. 29. 29. duty search into Rom. 15. 4. Therefore so much as I finde the Scriptures declaring thereof do I here exhibit and shall no more A Query But fourthly Some may be apt to enquire Whether all creatures shall be made use of by us then the sensitive creatures as well as the vegetive This Querie is occasioned by that saying of the Apostle which we have Rom. 8. 21. which hath been already mentioned where the Apostle says that in that day of the manifestation of the sons of God that then the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption Now will some say Is it not a bondage to the sensitive creatures to be killed for the use of man And we do not finde that Adam in innocency made use of any of the sensitive creatures but of herbs and fruits of the trees and of the ground for food And is it not therefore probable that the Saints shall do so in the new Jerusalem-times An Answer to the Query To all which I answer first It is cleer by what I have already said that the Saints shall then be blessed with the enjoyment of all sorts of creatures in abundance as with corn and Wine and Oyl and all the fruits of the earth so also with flocks and herds and Camels and Asses from whence also it is cleer that they shall make use of these sensitive creatures as well as the vegetive for why else should they be promised as outward blessings to them if they should not make use of them And what should they keep flocks and herds for if they did not use them for food But it is not to be doubted but their flocks and herds are to be for food unto them and so likewise are their Camels and Asses and other creatures of that kinde to be for other uses to man kind as for labouring in the ground and carrying burthens and journying and all other things wherein men have occasion to make use of them As appears Isa 30. 23. Thine oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender c. And Isa 66. 20. And they shall bring your brethren out of all Nations upon Horses and in Chariots and in Litters and upon swift beasts c. And by this in mans making use of all these creatures it will be manifested that man is Lord of them all in that they shall be all subject to him and be useful for him
first is in the 9. 10 11. verses of this Chapter where Daniel speaking briefly of this Vision and the manner how he saw it before the more cleare interpretation was given to him he speakes of this Judgement thus That the Ancient of daies came whose garment was white as snow c. and the judgment was set And further he saies that the Ancient of daies being come and the Judgement being set that then because of the voice of the great words which the Horne spake the beast was slaine and his body destroyed c. Againe in the 21 22. verses where Daniel desires further to know the meaning of what he saw before he speakes thus of it I beheld and the same Horne made war with the Saints and prevailed against them untill the Ancient of daies came and judgement was given unto the Saints of the most High and the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome And in the 26 verse after it had been said that the Horne should do so and so as in the two former verses it s here said that the judgement should sit and should take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end Now these passages being compared together the result of them all will be clearely thus First That because this little Horne should speake great words against the most High and think to change Times and Laws and weare out the Saints of the most High and make war against them that therefore the most high should appeare for to own and deliver his own people And secondly that a certaine number of Saints should be convened together and have a spirit of Judgement by the most High given unto them and power and authority whereby they should take away the Dominion of this Horne to consume and to destroy it unto the end This in briefe is the sense of these verses which I shall more fully illustrate thus I say first that because this little horne should speake great words c. That therefore the most high should appear for to own and deliver his own people Now by this appearing of the most high is meant First his appearing in Secondly his appearing for his people First I say that by the appearing or comming of the most High spoken of in this Chapter is meant his appearing in and among his people and this shall by and by be made evident for though at the first view of the 9 10 11. verses it might seem to bee a description of that visible and glorious appearance of the most high at the great day of Judgement For thus it runs I beheld till the Thrones were cast down and the Ancient of daies did sit whose garment was white as snow and the hair of his head like the pure wool his Throne like the fiery flame and 〈◊〉 wheels as burning fire a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the Judgement was set and the bookes were opened I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horne spake I beheld even till the Beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame as concerning the rest of the Beasts they had their Dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time I say though at the first view of these words they seem to be a description of the last and great day of Judgement mentioned Rev. 20. 11 12 13 14 15. Yet in observing the last of these verses viz. ver 12 it will cleerly appear that this is not nor cannot bee the meaning of the Spirit of God in this place for there it is said that though by this appearance of God the Beast or little Horne was slain and his body destroyed because of the voice of the great words which the little Horne spake that yet the rest of the Beasts or of the hornes had their lives prolonged for a little season Which could not have been if that had been the generall day of Judgement and this is undeniable But now that this glorious appearance of the most High in garments as white as snow and hair of his head as pure * That is in pure and unspotted righteousness Wool upon a Throne like the fiery flame and wheeles as burning fire with a * That is impartiall and zealous justice fiery stream issuing before him and thousand thousands ministring unto him c. is his appearing in and among his Saints is very clear by observing these passages ver 10. it s said the Judgement was set and the Books were opened and ver 11. that the Beast because of the voice of his great words was adjudged to be slain and was slaine Now the 22 verse explaines the meaning of the judgement here spoken of and saies expresly that Judgement was given to the Saints of the most high So that this appearing of the most high is his appearing in and among his people in giving a spirit of judgement and righteousnesse unto them whereby they shall act so purely and righteously and withall so justly and impartially as that those actions of theirs in themselves shall bee as white as snow as pure wooll and withall to the enemies of Christ as fiery flames and burning fire This is the appearance of God in his people so that when the judgement was set and the books were opened that is all the horrid cruelties and cruell cursed practises of the Beast were declared that then not unjustly or without just cause but saies the Spirit of God because of the voice of the great words which the horne spake the Beast was slaine and his body destroyed Thus God appeares in his Saints Judgement was given to the Saints of the most high and the Judgement shall sit and they that is a company of Saints they shall take away his Dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end So that God giving judgement to his saints he brings to passe the great designes he hath in the world by them as his instruments so that he does it and they do it and they must doe it and are alwaies ready and shall be so For he hath thousand thousands ministring unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him ready to execute his will and do his pleasure But secondly as by this appearance of God is to be understood his appearance in his people so it is also to be understood of his appearing for his people viz. in manifesting evidently manifesting his power and wisdome and faithfulnesse in delivering of them from the tyranny fury and cruelty of their oppressors and owning of them for his own people So that though the Beast seemed to be and was very potent and very great and spake great words and thought not onely to wear out but utterly to root out the Saints in his making War against them Yet God so appears for their help
be understood as though I hereby asserted that every individuall person that hath been or is in Parliament is a Saint because I say that by the judgement sitting here spoken of is meant a company of Saints that by the wisdome and goodnesse of the most high were convened together and have a spirit of judgement given to them and that the Parliament are this company of Saints who have had this spirit of Judgement and have acted faithfully c. But this I affirme that those Saints that have been and are in Parliament and have been and are imployed in counsels and otherwise by their Authority are the judgement here spoken of Now that there have been and are among these a choice and precious company of Gods deare Saints there is none that truly knowes what it is to be a Saint will or can deny And these are they that chiefly and principally have carried on these great and glorious designes that have been so acceptable to God and to his Saints though it may be they have been many times if not alwaies lesse in number than those others that have been among them that have not been reall Saints and it is they to whom God hath afforded his presence in their counsels and undertakings and they whom God hath blessed and whom none can curse and the rest have fared the better for their sakes they sitting in Parliament held all together from being broken in peeces even from the beginning of their sitting and admirable is that goodness and wisdome of God that knew what his own determinations concerning them were that so brought it to passe as to cause the late King so contrary to his own intentions and his own ends and purposes to passe an act for the continuation of this Parliament so as though he would yet he had not that power which once he had to dissolve this Parliament as he had done all others at his own pleasure But this Parliament must not this Parliament could not possibly be dissolved by him for God had reserved this Parliament for further worke Now it was not possible for the adverse party by all their struglings to dissolve it for the judgement must sit But the judgement shall sit and they shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end In these words having seen what is meant by the Judgement here is now to be declared what the work was which they had to do and the manner in which it was to be done The worke which they had to do is exprest in these words And they shall take away his Dominion And the manner of doing it in these words To consume and to destroy it unto the end Their work then was to take away the Dominion of that little Horne that spake great words against the most high and made war against the Saints that whereas he had had Dominion and great power and authority whereby he persecuted and grieved and afflicted the Saints and endeavoured to weare them out This Judgement being set this Parliament being assembled they were to take away his Dominion even his authority and power of ruling and governing according to his own will yea all his strength of Armes and Ammunition of Forts and Castles and places of strength his Crown Throne and seat of Honour all and whatsoever appertaines to his Dominion That 's the worke they were to do Now the manner in which they were to doe it was to consume and to destroy it unto the end I say to consume it it was not to be done by them in a short time not at an instant but they were to bee long in doing of it and to doe it by degrees for so the word consume implyeth for when a thing is said to consume that thing is wasted away by degrees and in continuance of time it comes to nothing So this dominion and greatnesse and power and authority and strength which this horn had was to consume away by little and little and in the end wholly to be destroyed And thus exactly it came to passe When the Parliament first began to oppose the late King he had great power and strength and authority whereby hee made war and prevailed for a while but at last by degrees and as it were insensibly they prevail'd against him and began to take away his strength and power and greatnesse from him so that by degrees he lost City after City and Towne after Towne and County after County untill he came to have dominion over none at all but his dominion was wholly taken away and consumed and destroyed unto the end And as here his dominion was said to be consumed and destroyed so in the 11 verse the beast or the horne or King himselfe was said to be slaine and his body destroyed so it came to passe that his blood was also justly required at his hands having caused so much innocent blood to bee shed both of old men young men and babes in France England Scotland and Ireland God suffered not such a man to die in his bed but as he was a man of blood so gave hee him blood to drink For as the Parliament God having given him up into their hands took away his dominion so they also did justice upon his person and executed upon him THE JUDGEMENT WRITTEN For so it was written verse 11 that he should be slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame of justice And thus this part of this prophecie being thus opened and explained It is made evident that the late King of these three Nations that is by some called the None-such Charles for his desperate impiety and hypocrisie was long ago Prophesied of as well as he that was by him stiled his holy Father the Pope to whom hee was as firm a son as any King ever was though he played the greatest hypocrite in professing the contrary as ever any King did I say it is evident that the late King was long ago prophesied of as well as the Pope and that as the Pope was fore-prophesied of as being the beast that should be desperately wicked and maliciously cruell against the Saints So is this King fore prophesied of as being of the ten hornes of the beast and more stout then his fellows as exceeding them for wretched wicked dealing with the Saints and cruelty to them Whereby the proceedings of the Parliament with and against him is cleared from having the lest stain or spot of injustice or unrighteousnesse in it which some would fasten upon them For it is here evident that as the afflicted condition of the Church for twelve hundred yeeres and more under the Pope was long ago prophesied of so this Parliament which were to be the instruments of the Churches deliverance in their measure were also long ago prophesied of In which prophesie it was so long ago declared that to them judgment should be given and that they should do justice upon that wicked King take
authority of Scripture and such demonstration of the spirit and power going along with them and these great voyces shall have a double effect first they shall minister joy and gladnesse to the Saints and secondly they shall minister terrour to the Popish party for it speakes and works their ruine and third woe that comes upon them The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever The Kingdoms of this world are become so why were they not so before this seventh Angell sounded or this seventh dispensation Is not the earth the Lords and the fulnesse thereof whose were the Kingdomes of this world but our Lords and his Christs Answer Though it is true they were his yet they were not so visibly the Kingdoms of God and of Christ as they shall then be For they seemed rather to be the Kingdomes of the evill one they were so universally inslaved to the Devill among the Indians and Heathens that professed not Christ and they seemed rather to be inslaved to that man of sin that wicked one that sate in the Temple of God and blasphemed among such as professed Christianity But at this time they shall in a most visible and glorious manner become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ for he shall break down the power of other Kings even of all that will not stoope to him and cast their Crowns at his feet yea he will breake them in peeces as a Potters vessell and that great Papall Beast shall be destroyed with the fire of his wrath and his glory shall be manifested to all people and nations and languages who casting off all other Lords shall willingly be subjected to him and rejoyce in his glorious reign according to that of the Psalmist The Lord * Psal 97. 1. and 96. 10 11 12 13. reigneth and let the earth rejoyce and let the great “ England is one of the great Isles Isles be glad thereof Yea the Kingdomes of this world shall be universally so subjected to our Lord Jesus Christ as they shall all serve and obey him only and other Lords shall not have Dominion over them but they shall have one Lord and his name one in all the earth Thus in a most visible manner shall the Kingdomes of this world become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ * Zach. 14. 9. And he shall reign for ever and ever He having once subjected the Kingdomes of this world unto the obedience of himselfe it shall not be with him as it hath been with all the great and potent Monarchs that have formerly ruled the world that one of them have thrust out and destroyed another and one hath taken the Dominion from another No none shall take the Dominion from him But as Daniel saies His Kingdome shall be an everlasting Kingdom and all Rulers shall serve and obey him So John here saies He shall reigne for ever and ever And the foure and twenty Elders which sate before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty c. What those foure and twenty Elders are will appeare in the fourth and fifth Chapters of this Prophesie They are first mentioned Chap. 4. 4. where they are thus described And round about the throne were foure and twenty seats and upon the seats I saw foure and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white rayment and upon their heads were Crownes of Gold Now that we may know what these be we must observe what the Angell saies to John in the first verse of that Chapter in these words Come and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter whence it appeares that these Elders as well as the other things which John saw were representatives of some things that were to be after that time Now Chapter 5. we may see what they were that were to be hereafter which these foure and twenty Elders did represent and that is that they were Saints that were redeemed to God by the bloud of the Lamb out of every kindred and Nation and people as appeares in the 8 9 10. verses of that Chapter Now here in this 11 Chapter these foure and twenty Elders that is these Saints and redeemed ones of Christ do upon the sounding of these voyces that the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ fall upon their faces that is they lay themselves low before God and worship him being exceedingly affected with this great work of God and with his great grace toward them in bringing them out of their suffering condition to reign with Christ They fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned The Saints whatever others do herein yet they if their eyes be open to see it they cannot but give thanks yea solemnly lay themselves low before God in thanksgiving for the great and signall manifestations of the Lord God Almighty and eternall his taking to him his great power in ruling and raigning and laying of such as are indeed his enemies in the dust and yet withall at the same time their hearts may be very much affected with this that any godly men should be so deeply engaged with Gods enemies and consequently do partake of their punishments Because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned Because thou hast not suffered thine enemies alwaies to boast and to triumph but hast begun to lay them low before thee and now hast taken to thee thy great power which thou seemedst to have laid aside when thou sufferedst so long the rod of the wicked to rest upon the lot of thy righteous ones but now dost thou take to thee and shew forth thy great power in punishing and bringing down the power of thine enemies for these things we give thee thanks and because that now more generally universally and evidently thou appearest to reign over men in thy just and righteous deciding of Controversies and in justifying them that in the integrity of their hearts give up themselves to glorifie thy great name and to do that which may be for the good of all thy Saints even of every one that feares thy name small and great laying aside all by and selfe respects yea we give thee thanks for that thou now so evidently appearest to reigne over men in condemning and blasting those that pretending other things force themselves against their judgements to contend for some things which are but a seeming ground of that quarrell against others which was primarily occasioned by their selfe ends which selfe-love hath so blinded them as they could not or would not see but shall see and be made to acknowledge them to thee and to thy Saints by thy righteous judgements This and
and having salvation and he shall speak peace unto the heathen and his dominion shall be even from sea to sea and from the river even to the ends of the earth And Zech. 8. 21 22 23. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts I will go also Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and pray before the Lord. And in those days men shall take hold out of all languages in the nations even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you Thus the Spirit of God in Scripture hath cleerly set forth the conversion of the Gentiles together with the Jews in these several Scriptures that I have mentioned And as it is cleer in these Scriptures so there are several other Scriptures wherein it is as cleer but I shall adde onely one more and it 's a Scripture that speaks of the conversion and turning to God of two particular Nations which at this day are yet Idolaters as well as many others and in the state of gross darkness and unbelief and they are the Egyptians and Assyrians Isa 19. the Prophecy hereof begins at vers 18. In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of hosts one shall be called the city of Heres or of the Sun or of shining glory In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord and it shall be for a signe and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors and he shall send them a Saviour and a great one and he shall deliver them and the Lord shall be known to Egypt and the Egyptians shall know the Lord at that day Yea they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and shall perform it and the Lord shall smite Egypt he shall smite and heal it and they shall return unto the Lord and he shall be entreated of them and shall heal them In that day there shall be a high-way out of Egypt to Assyria and the Assyrians shall come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria even a blessing in the midst of the land whom the Lord of hosts shall bless saying Blessed be Egypt my people and Assyria the work of mine hands and Israel mine inheritance In this Prophecy it is very cleer that there is a time to come wherein the Jews shall again be the beloved people of God for never yet was there a time when Israel Egypt and Assyria were all together at one time acknowledged to be the people of God but the time is coming when it shall be so when not onely the Gentiles alone but the Jews also and not onely the Jews alone but the Gentiles also shall be the people of God and when in particular the Egyptians and the Assyrians which are now so deeply involved in darkness and blindness and have no knowledge of God shall be a people blessed of the Lord. For there are in these verses such expressions as do very plainly and cleerly speak the conversion of these Nations As that the Lord shall be known to the Egyptians and the Egyptians shall know the Lord and that they shall engage themselves to the Lord which is expressed under the terms of swearing to the Lord and vowing to the Lord which do cleerly hold forth the engaging of their hearts to the Lord. And again it is said that the Egyptians being oppressed shall cry unto the Lord but they shall not cry in vain for in answer unto their crying he shall send them a Saviour and a great one and he shall deliver them And besides it is said that the Egyptians being smitten of the Lord shall return even to the Lord and he shall be intreated of them and heal them and that the Egyptians being thus converted they shall then and therein be in fellowship with the Assyrians and the Assyrians with them and they both with Israel And thus now is it cleer in these several Scriptures as well as in many others which I forbear to mention to avoid prolixity that the Gentiles shall be plentifully and abundantly brought in to the obedience of Christ whose dominion must be from sea to sea from the rivers unto the ends of the earth and that not onely some Nations but all Nations shall seek after the Lord And that not onely the mean and inferiour sort of the people of the Nations but some of their Kings and Queens and the greatest among them shall come and see the glory of the Lord and become his servants and be supports under him to his people Kings shall be their nursing fathers and Queens their nursing mothers and bring their forces to their support and they not weak ones but many people and strong Nations saith Zechariah in the place forementioned shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts And now having shown that the preaching of the Gospel to all Nations is to follow upon the Lamb his overcoming the ten Kings and that this will probably be the time of the bringing in of Jews and Gentiles because that by the Lord Jesus his so gloriously appearing for his own people and against that scarlet whore Rome and the beast and all that crew way will be made for the coming in of Jews and Gentiles But this by the way I desire may be taken notice of That as many of the Nations as the preaching of the Gospel shall not prevail with to bring them in to the obedience of Christ for multitudes as I have made it evident must come in that way them shall the sword of Justice subdue both before and at and after the ruine of Rome Those whom the grace of the Gospel the tenders of love and the offers of peace win not them vengeance and wrath shall overtake If they will not listen to that voice of the Spirit that says to the Kings of the earth Be wise now therefore O ye Kings and be instructed ye Judges of the earth kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish c. then shall he speak unto them in wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure and he shall break them with a rod of Iron and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel Thus he will do with the ten kings and thus he will afterwards do with the other Nations But if any of these ten kings that yet stand out shall be overcome by his love and by receiving the cleer light of the Gospel for there is no question but those his called
the text expresly says that the rest of the dead were not raised until this thousand yeers were finished and therefore this resurrection which shall be when Christ and his Saints must reign on earth is called The first resurrection and it 's said that no wicked one shall have part herein but onely they that are holy and blessed and who shall never die the second death but shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand yeers and others are not to be raised till the end of the thousand yeers What can be more clearly asserted or what is more clearly asserted in Scripture then this truth is in these three verses It is so clear as I must profess that for my part had I no other Scripture to back it yet having no Scripture contradicting I am perswaded that I should not dare to deny it But we have besides this several other Scriptures to this same purpose The next I shall mention shall be that Rev. 5. 9 10. where we finde that the four Beasts and the Elders which were the representatives of the Churches of the Saints and which were redeemed unto God by the blood of the Lamb out of every kindred and tongue and nation and people that they singing to the Lamb praise him saying For thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth This is spoken in the future tense as being to come We shall reign on the earth which that they may do they must be raised from the dead as it is clearly said in the fore-mentioned place they shall And it is likewise as clear Dan. 12. 2. where it is said that when Jesus Christ shall stand up to save his people and to perplex and destroy his enemies it is said that at that time many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake Observe this is a time when many of them shall be raised but not all But whereas it follows that some of them shall be raised to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt whereas there is no such thing mentioned Rev. 20. that any shall be raised to shame and contempt but it 's said Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power the truth in both these Scriptures may very well consist together For though John there mention onely the resurrection of Saints yet doth he not say that others are not raised to shame to be sent into shame and confusion presently as doubtless they shall For some particular persons may be raised to be judged and condemned for their wickednesses and cruelties and outrages against Saints and sent presently into the place of torment as the Beast and the False Prophet are said to be though there be no mention of it Rev. 20. but the Saints onely are said to live They lived and reigned with Christ c. And whereas it is said that blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection that crosses not this in Daniel for if some of the wicked be then raised to be judged yet have they no part in the first resurrection for the dead in Christ shall be raised first and it 's they onely being blessed and holy that shall then live and reign with Christ but none others shall and so have not others any part in this resurrection And another clear place that speaks both of the personal appearing of Christ to reign on earth and to judge those that shall then be raised is that in 2 Tim. 4. 1. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom Here the Apostle speaks expresly of a time coming wherein Jesus Christ must appear and take his kingdom Now he always hath his kingdom in the hearts of his people and appears to them always in the Spirit but this is another manner of appear and another manner of taking his kingdom which Paul here speaks of for at this appearing and at this kingdom he must judge the quick and the dead Those his enemies that are then alive he will judge and some of those that were then dead he shall judge but the rest shall not live again until the thousand yeers are finished and his Saints that were dead he shall raise and give them everlasting life and grant them to reign with him a thousand yeers Again Zech. 14. 5. The Prophet in that Chapter speaking of that time when the Lord shall be King over all the earth and there shall be one Lord and his Name one says he there And the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee This is to be at that time when all the Nations must yeeld obedience to Christ and whosoever of all Nations refuses to worship him shall be plagued with a fearful plague as appears in that Chapter Thus is the Position that I have laid down in these Scriptures clear That Jesus Christ shall come with his Saints to reign on earth But again we have Paul speaking of it 1 Thess 3. 13. where he prays that the Thessalonians may be established in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints Here the Apostle expresly speaks of the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his Sains which confirms what is said That there is a time to come for it is not yet come wherein Jesus Christ will come on earth and bring his Saints with him And this is that which is also hinted at Isa 26. 19. Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust for thy dew is the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead This is brought in as a comfortable promise to the Saints who are complaining in the former part of the Chapter that though they have laboured yet have they not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither have the inhabitants of the earth fallen which seems to look like the times that were before the yeer 1645 when Jesus Christ began to set his people at liberty from their enemies then they laboured but all in vain to free themselves from being under the power of the Beast they laboured but they had not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither were the inhabitants of the world fallen but now this is brought in as a comfortable promise to the Church who are complaining of these things Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust c. implying that though these were their complaints for a time that yet it should not be so always there should a time come when their dead men should live and together with the body of Christ should be raised he being the first-fruits of
is an evil to come into a fashion after it hath been some time used if it be sober No I say not so for I know no Scripture that so says But I say that it becometh Saints to be more composed then others and not to be so forward as others in minding such vanities and not to put themselves into immodest habits but to do what in them lies to restrain the exorbitances of the times in such things And this I say That they do discover that they have very little of the Spirit that are not able to deny themselves not sometimes in very fooleries in this kinde Not but that rich apparel may be worn and comely ornaments may be used Holy women * Gen. 24. 22 30 47. have been and may be adorned with Bracelets and Rings and Jewels But fooleries and immodest apparel c. must be avoided and when the Spirit is more abundantly poured out it will be so And they will be very regardless of these vanities and be more grave composed and discreet in their carriages For then in all their clothing furniture and necessary utensils shall appear not vanity but Holiness to the Lord. They shall be so clothed and have such furniture as shall manifest that they are not a vain people but a holy people As appears Zech. 14. 20 21. For they shall make an holy use of all the blessings which God shall multiply upon them They shall no more abuse them but they shall be sanctified to their uses so as all shall have this inscription upon them in respect of their holy use of them HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD Thus Saints shall not minde vanity in these times But shall have their Spirits raised and lifted up into an heavenly and holy frame Again twelfthly Another effect of this more abundant pouring out of the Spirit upon the Saints will be this that they shall be more fully centred in the will of God and it shall be their resting place his * How Saints shall will the will of God Will will be their Will and be the satisfaction of their spirits This the Spirit always works in the hearts of the Saints where he comes and the more of the Spirit a Saint hath the more of this appears in him But in those times we are speaking of when the Spirit shall be thus gloriously seen upon the Saints then in a most eminent and full manner shall this appear in them all the will of God shall be sweet unto them And this is intimated in that excellent pattern of Prayer which our Lord and Saviour hath communicated unto his people in these words Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Where our Lord would have us to pray for the coming of this his Kingdom and for the doing of his will on earth as it is done in heaven which will be when that his Kingdom cometh For though now many know their Lords will and do it not yet it shall not be so then but knowing his will they shall do it and delight in the doing of it for his will is their will and theirs it is because it his so that they shall all pray and say Thy will be done and shall have strength to do it His will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven in that day Again in the thirteenth place The Saints in this time being filled with the Spirit shall * Saints shall then walk in the integriâ—y and singleness of heart all walk in the uprightness of their hearts Integrity and singleness of heart shall appear in them and hypocrisie and double-mindedness shall be loathsome to them and be utterly contrary to their natures They are children that will not lye and none but such shall be inheritors of this kingdom as appears Psal 24. 4. where the Psalmist says that none shall enter into this holy hill but he that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully And so also Psal 15. 2. the Psalmist again saith that he that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesses and speaketh the truth in his heart shall dwell in it So that such and none but such shall possess this Kingdom And Psal 37. 18. this is again confirmed The Lord knoweth saith the Psalmist the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever they shall possess this inheritance And of the upright ones is it said Isai 33. 15. that they shall dwell on high and shall see the King in his beauty This is their Character They that walk in righteousnesses and speak uprightnesses v. 15. And in the fourteenth place The Spirit being thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints they shall thereby be enabled to mortifie all corruption so that it shall not at * Corruption shall not at all break out in the Saints then all break out in them for though it be true that all that is born of the flesh is flesh and those that are in the state of mortality shall carry flesh about them yet they being all new born shall be then so filled with the Spirit as that they shall mortifie all the deeds of the body and the Spirit alone shall live and act and sway and bear rule in them and they being born of God shall not sin but shall hate every false way and not suffer the least evil motion to take place for indeed it is not possible it should they being so full of the Spirit for Saints do experiment this now that when the Spirit in the power and life and glory of it doth abide in them as some tastes of it some Saints sometimes have O then not the least evil motion will take place in their hearts there is an utter antipathy in their spirits at that time to every thing that is not pure But when this is withdrawn then they are often foiled with temptations and vanity hath too much place with them until a fresh supply of the Spirit come and mortifie it But when the Spirit shall be so abundantly poured out upon the Saints as the Scripture declares What a wide difference will there be between their condition now and their estates then Then shall they always walk up and down in the strength and power of the Spirit and never want its presence and then it shall be their continual delight to walk in the paths of holiness and nothing will be more irksome and more loathsome to them then any sin or sinful thought And though by the first Adam sin came into the world so that all are born sinners yet being new born the second Adam shall save them from all sin and that not onely from the guilt of sin but sprinkle clean water upon them pour out the waters of the holy Spirit upon them and they shall be clean from all the filth of sin in a more eminent and glorious manner then ever they have been so that corruption
shall not then break out and uncleanness shall not then appear in them and this appears Isa 62. 12. And they shall say to the daughter of Zion Behold thy salvation cometh behold his reward is with him and his reward before him and they shall call them THE HOLY PEOPLE the redeemed of the Lord and thou shalt be called Sought out a citie not forsaken And Joel 3. 21. For I will â—…eanse their blood that I have not cleansed for the Lord dwelleth in Zion And Isai 1. 25. And I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy dross and take away all thy tin And in Isa 60. 21. and Jer. 21. 23. places already mentioned Again in the fifteenth place the Spirit being thus abundantly poured out upon them it shall make them appear very * Great spiritual glory will then appear in Saints glorious in the eyes of all for herein will their greatest glory then consist this is that which will make Sion the praise of the whole earth That she shall be thus gloriously adorned with the Spirit which is that glorious apparel which maketh the Kings daughter all glorious within as well as without Psal 45. 13. The Kings daughter is all glorious within her clothing is of wrought gold And therefore it is that Rev. 21. this New Jerusalem is thus described The building of the wall of this beloved City which vers 2. is said to be prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband I say the building of the wall of this City is said to be of Jasper and the City is said to be of pure gold like unto clear Glass and the foundation of the wall of the City to be garnished with all manner of precious stones the first Jasper the second Saphir the third a Chalcedony the fourth an Emerauld the fifth Sardonix the sixth Sardius the seventh Chrysolite the eighth Beryl the ninth a Topaz the tenth a Chrysoprasus the eleventh a Jacinct the twelfth an Amethyst And the twelve gates are said to be twelve Pearls every several gate of one Pearl and the street of the City to be of pure Gold as it were transparent Glass All which serves to set out that lustre and glory which shall appear in the Saints the beloved City of God by reason of that abundant measure of the Spirit which they shall enjoy in that day And expressions to the same purpose we have Isa 54. 11 12. O thou afflicted and tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours and lay thy foundations with Saphirs and I will make thy windows of Agates and thy gates of Carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stones The Saints of God which for a long time have been afflicted and tossed with tempest and not comforted both by reason of enemies from without and corruptions from within so that no beauty nor comeliness hath appeared in them shall then be so freed both from outward afflictions and by the plentiful enjoyment of the Spirit from inward corruptions as they shall appear very glorious all fair and richly garnished and adorned with the choicest spiritual jewels And therefore not without cause doth David say Psal 87. 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee O city of God Again in the sixteenth place The Spirit being thus abundantly enjoyed by the Saints in these times they shall thereby be enabled to make a holy use of all the creatures which * Saints shall not sin at all in the use of the creatures they shall then enjoy And that which was said of those holy men of old shall be then truly said of them they shall visit their †Job tabernacles and not sin and they shall walk within * Psal 101. 2. their house with a perfect heart They shall indeed build houses and inhabit them and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them but they shall not defile their houses by sinning in them nor shall they sin in using the creatures which they shall enjoy their corn and wine and oyl and flocks and herds and fruits of the trees and of the field which they shall enjoy shall in no sort be abused by them for the Spirit shall guide them to use all the creatures in a holy manner enabling of them to receive them with prayer and thanksgiving as Joel 2. 26. And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the Name of the Lord your God And Isa 62. 8 9. Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine for the which thou hast laboured but they that have gathered shall eat it and praise the Lord and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness And as they shall thus praise the Lord for all his mercies so doubtless shall they pray unto him for a holy use of them though the Scripture do not particularly speak of it for at this time though they shall be assured of all mercies of all sorts yet shall it be no * A full assurance of having mercies is no hinderance to a real Saints praying for mercy hinderance to their praying for them as to make them argue thus Why I am sure I shall have these and these mercies whether I pray for them or not and therefore what need have I to pray for them No but as now those that have most true and real assurance of mercies are most in prayer as the Lord Jesus himself was and as Paul was so shall it be in these times when the spirit of grace and supplication shall be most a bundantly poured out so that all creatures shall be sanctified to them being received with prayer and thanksgiving They shall eat and be satisfied and praise the Lord. And in the seventeenth place The Spirit being then thus abundantly showred down upon the Saints it shall fill them with holy * Saints shall be filled with joy joy without any mixtures of sorrow at all joy and gladness of heart for it is the very nature of the Spirit to be a Comforter and therefore where much of the Spirit is there must needs be much joy and so indeed there shall be and therefore it is said Isai 65. 18 19. Be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy And I will rejoyce in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying It 's true that to compleat this joy they shall have many external or outward mercies but the pouring out of the Spirit is the main ingredient of their joy and without it their joy in all other enjoyments could be no joy no true joy The voice of weeping nor the voice of crying shall be no more heard among them and it is true that in respect of outwards
administration wherein God commits all things to be done by the Son And then when the time of Christs kingdom on earth is expired God shall be all in all after this last general Resurrection when death it self shall be destroyed And the Apostle gives a further description of that general Resurrection at vers 51 52 c. Behold I shew you a mystery we shall not all die but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed for this corruption must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory In these verses the Apostle cleerly speaks of the last general judgement for he says that the Saints shall not all Die but shall all in a moment be changed and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and this he says shall be at the last trump and that demonstrates it to be the last day that the Apostle is speaking of because he says it shall be at the last trump for there is a trump which must sound before this of which the Apostle speaks 1 Thes 4. 16. where he speaks of the raising of the dead in Christ who must rise first even of the first Resurrection when the Saints must rise to reign with Christ Now the Apostle calling this the last trump it is cleer he speaks here of the last Resurrection and again its cleer by this also because he says that at this time Death shall be swallowed up in victory And that then shall be brought to pass that saying O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory That is then the victory shall be gotten over death death shall be no more an overcomer it shall destroy no more but be destroyed it self And this is the last enemy that shall be destroyed As Rev. 20. 14. and 1 Cor. 15. 26. Thus is it cleer that in these verses Paul speaks of the last general Resurrection I have the rather mentioned and opened these Scriptures that speak of the last general Resurrection that there might not be a confounding of the first Resurrection with the last and that the one might not be taken for the other as is very common And thus have I briefly shewn as far as from the Scripture appears to me what is to be done upon earth after the finishing of the thousand yeers of the reign of Jesus Christ and his Saints on earth And now having laid down this general description or discovery of the new Jerusalem both in the internal and external glory of it and of what things are to precede it and to succeed it I shall conclude all with that saying of the Psalmist Psal 111. 2 3. The works of the Lord are great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honourable and glorious and his righteousness endureth for ever And now might I come to a large Application of all which is applicable several ways but desiring to be brief therein I have included all in these following Verses Vnto the Court of Parliament who are Supreme in England Ireland and elsewhere These Poems humbly are addrest Which placed are before the rest WHo knew Grave Senators when first of all In Parliament to sit you had a Call What great designes you were appointed to What world-amazing acts you had to do None but Jebovah doubtless then could tell Who knew his own holy Decree full well And therefore did betimes to you appear And fill you with his holy Spirit and fear And then his Purposes to bring to pass The Bill for non-dissolving of you was Confirmed so as not to be repeal'd To bring about his holy Will reveal'd So long ago to Daniel when he writ That to ' stroy the Horn the Judgement should sit And now you see you were the Instruments To bring about JEHOVAH'S high Intents Which were his People to defend and save From all their foes and therefore pow'r he gave You then and strength his enemies to withstand That did oppress the Saints with a high hand But they are overcome and shall no more O'ercome the Saints as they did heretofore For now the Judgement hath the Horn destroy'd And all that Crew that were by him employ'd And now the time 's expir'd wherein the Beast Should overcome the Saints his wo's increast Now Jesus Christ doth on Mount Sion stand And there his Saints do wait on his Command So that henceforth overcome all they shall That up against them rise and make them fall And now ye that in Parliament have bin The happie Instruments of this great King What cause have you in him for to rejoyce That guided were to make so good a choice To cleave unto this Cause and to forsake The other Party not for to partake With them in sins or punishments but to Wait on the Lord his blessed Will to do But now know this If any of you did Aim at yout selves and walk in paths crooked And in that place of Judicature sitting Pretending one did mean another thing And if your labour care and onely aim Have been to serve your selves and get a name The fruit's but temporary that y 'ave had And soon will moulder perish quail and fade And when you come to die what good will 't do When that your Consciences shall accuse you That you unfaithful and deceitful do Prove to the Trust that is repos'd in you For though accounts to man you never make Yet unto God you shall who them will take And then though all your heaps of gold you would Give up to clear your selves yet never should You be releas'd when Death doth once you call Before the great JEHOVAH'S Tribunal Your wisdom it would be betimes therefore For peace to seek and for to clear your score For now 's the time if ever it be done Before your life 's expir'd and glass is run You know the way Zacheus took That 's written in the blessed Book But now I 've done with you within this Court Whose ways have not been of a good report If that among you any such there be For I can none accuse all may be free For any thing that I can prove or lay Unto the charge of any there this day And yet there may be many Though I do not know any NOw of the Wise this will be accepted For why such counsel never breaks the head And as for you who in that Senate fit Whose consciences before the Lord acquit You fully do from ill reports abroad And clear you from deceitfulness and fraud Who walked have in the sincerity Of your own hearts and have in equity And