God may suffer a false Prophet to withstand him even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses And as Elias shall perswade the Elect to follow the Lamb so this false Prophet shall seduce the Vessels of Wrath and draw them after the Beast And that Elias which shall come may have the gift of working Miracles and then as the Magicians of Egypt did seemingly some Wonders which were done by Moses and Aaron so may this false Prophet do somewhat in appearance like the Miracles of Elias 3. This Beast and false Prophet will have a most remarkable and strange Judgment executed upon them Rev. 19.20 These both were taken and cast alive into the Lake of Fire that is Hell Rev. 20.10 The Devil was cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and the false Prophet are So the Lake of Fire is Hell and these both were cast into it Which doth not only shew that the Antichristian State and Kingdom and so the Antichrist and Man of Sin shall be destroyed but it shews that the particular Person which shall then have Supream Power and Command in the fourth Kingdom and shall stand up against the Prince of Princes and that false Prophet which shall then be so active for the Beast even these two persons shall be cast alive c. Now that we are to take the Beast and false Prophet for two Individual Persons may be gathered from Rev. 20.10 The Devil was cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and false Prophet are This is above one thousand years after the taking of the Beast So that when the Antichristian State and Kingdom shall be wholly abolished the Beast and the false Prophet will be in torment Now this being cleared we may observe farther that they are said to be cast alive into this Lake That is destroyed Body and Soul in Hell For as this will be such a Beast as never was since there was a Beast causing such trouble to the Jews as never was since there was a Nation so he and his false Prophet shall have such Judgment as never was before Korah Dathan and Abiram went down quick into the Pit Numb Chap. 16. ver 30. For the Earth opening swallowed them up and so they were buried alive But this Beast and false Prophet shall be cast alive into Hell For at this time God's fury will come up in his Face Ezek. 38.18 And the anger of the Lord will be so exceeding hot against them for their most daring wickedness in standing up against the Prince of Princes a greater Sin than that of Korah's standing up against Moses and Aaron that he will not respite their full torment till the resurrection of the wicked above one thousand years after but then immediately shall they be cast Body and Soul into Hell and be under full torment in both And as Enoch and Elias persons so eminent for Godliness were translated that they did not see Death and were carried alive to Heaven so this Beast and false Prophet persons so eminent in wickedness shall be cast alive into Hell This sense is somewhat favoured by what follows The remnant were slain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rest therefore these were not slain by a bodily Death but both in Soul and Body were under the power of the Second Death Thus much of these two Beasts 4. The Day of Judgment and the Worlds perishing by fire For the better understanding of what we find in Scripture concerning the Day of Judgment take notice of two things 1. Christ will begin the work of Judgment at his next appearing 2 Tim. 4.1 The Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom When Christ shall appear and the New Jerusalem shall come down and Christ shall take to himself his great Power and Reign then he shall judge the quick and the dead Q. What shall Christ then do as a Judge or what shall be his judging-work at the beginning of the thousand years A. 1. The dead Saints shall be raised and judged at this time which is evident from Rev. 11.15 The seventh Angel sounds his Trumpet and there were Voices saying The Kingdoms of the world are beeome the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ This is at the beginning of the thousand years Now observe what is said verse 18. Thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged And what dead are meant the following words declare And that thou shouldest give reward to thy Servants the Prophets to the Saints and to all that fear thy Name small and great So by dead in this place are meant the dead Saints and all the dead Saints even as many as fear God's Name All these shall be judged by a sentence of Absolution and shall receive he Kingdom which was promised to them 2. Christ's work at this time as a Judge will be to destroy them that destroyed the Earth Rev. 11.18 Whence we may gather that this will not be the time of raising the Wicked but of destroying them not of raising them out of their Graves but of sending them to their Graves Which is also evident from 2 Pet. 3.7 The Heavens and Earth whieh are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto Fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men Here the day of Judgment is mentioned and this will be a day of perdition of ungodly men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of killing not of making them alive again And lastly The Heavens and Earth which now are shall then perish by Fire And here I shall insist a little upon these words and shew what we are to understand by the Heavens and Earth which now are and how they shall perish by fire and by this we shall see farther what the judging work of this day will be Consider then The Heavens and Earth which are now do signifie the World which now is both with respect to that which was before it and perished by Water and also to that which shall be after it and is to come even the new Heavens and the new Earth wherein Righteousness shall dwell And if we consider what World it was that perished by Water we shall the better know what World it is that shall perish by Fire Now the Heavens taken in a proper sense did not perish neither did the Body of the Earth perish but all the Men upon the face of the Earth perished except those in the Ark and all other living Creatures without the Ark in whom was the Breath of Life and also the Fruits of the Earth 2 Pet. 2.5 Bringing in a Flood upon the world of the ungodly This World of the Ungodly perished by water And together herewith there were Analogical Heavens and Earth which also perished by water Analogical Heavens there were which perished and those both Political and Ecclesiastical 1. Political Heavens that is the Superiour Sovereign and Ruling part of that World for as
sixth Seal and lo there was a great Earthquake and the Sun became black and the Moon as Blood and the Stars of Heaven fell and the Hevens departed as a scrole when it is rolled together By Heaven is meant the Roman Empire as heathenish and under the Power of Heathen Emperours 'T is well observed by Mede that Vniversitas Romana hic à spiritu sancto assimilatur systemati mundi c. That great and large Empire of Rome is likned to the frame of the World Heaven Earth and Air are the parts of the World in the Heaven are Sun Moon and Stars and here below Sea and Rivers Now the Roman Empire had its Political Heaven of Power and Sovereignty and Sun and Stars in it and all these were rolled together as a scroll the Heathenish Power did pass away And that Empire which at first was Heathenish is now Antichristian and must pass away as the former did This World must Perish by Fire For 't is observable that the Roman Empire both as Heathenish and Antichristian is called the World in Scripture Luke 2.1 There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the World should be taxed that is the people of the Roman Empire Rev. 13.3 All the World wondered after the Beast Here 's an Antichristian World And this World even the fourth Kingdom as now under Antichrist must pass away The Sun Moon and Stars all the Host of this Heaven must perish by Fire and all the Elements thereof must melt with fervent heat For the Plagues of the Vials shall be poured out upon the Antichristian Earth Sea and Rivers and Fountains of Waters and upon the Sun so that the World wondering after this Beast shall perish And the last Vial being poured into the Air shews the utter destruction of Satan's Kingdom who is Prince of the Power of the Air. And then the great City Babylon falls and with it the Cities of the Nations and every Island must flee away and the Mountains shall be no where found neither Mountains of Pride nor Mountains of Prey Thus we see it manifest that there are Heavens and Elements both Civil and Ecclesiastical which must perish Heavens the Sovereign part of the Antichristian World Earth the Subjected part all are to be burnt up In the next place it is to be considered by what Fire For there is as Natural so Fire in an Analogical sense Now. 1. It 's not to be doubted but that Fire in a proper sense will be made use of to help forward the Judgment of that great day For as the old World perished by Water so the World which now is must by Fire Babylon which is the Seat of the Beast must be utterly burnt with Fire Rev. 18.6 Reward her as she haâ—h rewarded you Giue her blood to drink for she is worthy give her burning for she is worthy Give her blood for blood burning for burning For as she hath destroyed many of the Saints by Fire so therefore let her perish by Fire as she is spiritually called Sodom so let her be consumed by Fire like Sodom And as Elijah called for Fire from Heaven so Fire will be called for from Heaven to destroy those that destroyed the Earth And thus as Analogical Heavens perished by Water so may Heavens and Earth both Political and Ecclesiastical perish by Fire 2. Analogical Fire will be made use of for destroying the Heavens and Earth which are now And so the Fire of the Word and Spirit and judicial Fire First the Fire of the Word and Spirit Of which we read 1 Cor. 3.13 The day shall declare every Mans work of what sort it is and it shall be revealed by Fire The Gold and Silver and precious Stones shall be revealed by Fire and the Wood and Hay and Stubble shall be burnt up Antichristian Doctrine Discipline Ordinances Traditions and Forms of Worship shall be all burnt up The Tares shall be known Hypocrites shall be discovered and gathered out of the Kingdom of God and there shall be neither persons nor things in it any way offensive to any of the sincere Servants of God Secondly Judicial Fire The great Judgments of that day will be a consuming fire to the Enemies of Christ the Light of Israel shall be for a fire and his Holy one for a flame and shall consume the Bryers and Thorns fury and fiery Indignation shall then devour the Adversaries Heb. 12.29 Our God is a consuming fire In that great Day of Judgment he will so appear And then Angels as Instruments in executing Wrath will be as fire to burn up the wicked Psa 104.4 He maketh his Angels Spirits his Ministers a flame of Fire These flames of fire will be at work to burn up as the wicked ones of the Earth so their works in the Earth at that day Thus Fire in each of these kinds will help to dissolve the Heavens which are now and to burn up the works of the Earth So that we are not to restrain or limit the Fire here mentioned to any one sort but to take it in the largest and most comprehensive sense For as there will be work for Fire in each of these kinds so all will be at work in that Day of Perdition of ungodly Men. And when the Heavens and Earth which now are shall be dissolved then will new be created wherein pure Religion and Righteousness shall dwell which will constitute that World to come which is ordained for Christ to reign in And what shall be done with these Material Heavens and Earth after the thousand years and the finishing of Christ's Judging-work none is able to determine I shall conclude this particular of the Worlds perishing by Fire with some thoughts which I have had upon Rev. 15.2 3. I saw as it were a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire and them that had gotten the Victory over the Beast c. stand upon the Sea of Glass having the Harps of God and they sing the Song of Moses c. As the Plagues of the Vials are foretold in the general verse 1. So in the next place is shewn what great Joy will be amongst the People of God because of the great and marvellous works of God in destroying their Enemies by these Plagues and delivering them from the greatest trouble and danger that ever they were in And then follows a particular description of the Plagues of the Vials and the order in which they are to be poured out Now the second and third Verses shew that the Saints were represented to John in this Vision as being in the like condition with the Israelites when they beheld the Egyptians dead upon the Sea-shore and rejoyced over them For when the conquering Saints are said to stand upon the Sea of Glass and to sing the Song of Moses what doth this singing the Song of Moses intimate but that such a wonderful deliverance will be wrought at last for the People of God as that of the Israelites
Translation of many out of the Nations into the Church who shall have Inheritances among the Tribes of Israel and also of many from among the Tribes in the Land into the New Jerusalem as also from among the saved Nations 1. Out of the Nations into the Church for this see Ezek. 47.22 The strangers that sojourn among you which shall beget children shall be as born in the countrey and they shall have inheritance among the Tribes of Israel So that in the Land there will be Propagation and the mention of Children may be to hint that the strangers and their children with them shall have Inheritance in Israel and be of the Church Which shews that there will be conversion-Conversion-work at that time which also as before was hinted appears from the Fishers standing by the River and by the healing of the Waters the mirey places not being healed by which may be meant the Nations not converted out of which Gog and Magog shall at last arise 2. From amongst the Tribes of Israel in the Land into the New Jerusalem for this see chap. 48.19 The increase of that over against the holy portion is to be for food for those that serve the city and they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the Tribes of Israel For the understanding of this place let it be considered what this City wants and hath need to be served with 1. It doth not want Food and Raiment for all in it will be as the Angels they need no Candle neither light of the Sun much less then Corn Wine and Oyl 2. This City wants nothing but more Citizens nothing but more Saints and these it will want till all the Elect shall be called and come up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Thus doth Heaven now want the Saints upon Earth and so will the New Ierusalem till all the Mansions there shall have those in them for whom they are prepared Compare this of serving the City with Luke 14.17 there is an Invitation to a Supper Come for all things are ready the Servants are sent to invite more verse 22. Yet there is room and the Lord said Compel them to come in that my house may be full Whence may be gathered that there is no want in this City but of more Guests and Citizens This City then is served more remotely by those that shall be Instruments in bringing in strangers among the Tribes of Israel and more nearly by fitting Saints for the New Ierusalem And here by the way let it be observed what a glorious Work that of the Ministery is it being now to serve Heaven with the Saints it needs and at last the New Ierusalem with the Citizens it will want The Ministers of Christ are like those Officers which provided Victual for King Solomon and for all that came to his Table 1 Kings 4.27 The Saints brought in shall be as Victual for Christ and all that come to his Table and with these the City is served Hence may be gathered thus much 1. When the New Ierusalem shall come down there will be Saints in two different states some in the City where Christs Throne shall be some without in the Land for they serve the City out of all the Tribes of Israel that is with Saints taken thence 2. Amongst the Tribes in the Land there will be a Ministery serving the City Q. Whether any Saints of the Tribes in the Land or saved Nations shall die in that time or whether they shall be changed and translated into the City A. Against the death of any Saint in that state and for their change it may be thus argued 1. It 's said Rev. 21.4 God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death This is spoken of the People of God verse 3. No death to such as shall have the Lord for their God 2. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15.51 52. Behold I shew you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed There will be at last a change instead of death and when the time of changing comes no Saints shall after that die and this change will begin at the Resurrection of the dead Saints The dead shall be raised and we shall be changed that is at and after this each Saint shall in the time appointed for it be changed Of this change Enoch and Elias were Types And 't is said further verse 54. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory O Death I will be thy plagues O Grave I will be thy destruction If after this destruction of the Grave Death shall happen to any Saints how shall it be swallowed up in victory God will then be the death of Death and the destruction of the Grave and therefore Death and the Grave shall not be the destruction of any of the Saints Bodies 1 Thes 4.16 17. The dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive shall be caught up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afterwards that is all in their order some at some after the coming of Christ in the time of the one thousand years some at his coming even all then alive which before were called And at this time a new Generation of Saints will be brought forth and converted by means of the appearing of Christ For now will be a through conversion of all the Iews many of them not being effectually called till this time as after will appear And now also will the fulness of the Gentiles come in which will be the Nations of them which shall be saved Q How doth this agree with Isa 65.20 The child shall die an hundred years old but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed the child being set in opposition to the sinner is one born of God and that is in the time of the new Heavens and the new Earth verse 17 A. Death is sometimes put for a Change in Scripture and why then may it not be so taken here Heb. 9.27 It 's appointed to men once to die But 1 Cor. 15.51 We shall not all die How shall these two places be reconciled Beza thus reconciles them In iis qui immutabuntur illa immutatio species mortis erit Change will be a kind of Death Heb. 11.13 These all died in faith but Enoch being one of them verse 5. did not die but was translated that he did not see death How shall this seeming contradiction be reconciled but as Ribera doth Nomine mortis translatio comprehenditur c. Under the name of Death a Translation is comprehended in that Enoch's Translation was a Death in relation to those that remained alive in the world because by it he ceased to be amongst them It 's said of him He was not which elsewhere signifies death as when Jacob said One is not that is dead in his thoughts Consid 8. The Name of this City shall be Iehovah Shammah The
yield a Juice like Honey and he after saith we may call that part of the Earth divine where whatsoever Fruit is most dear and precious is in most abundance Also in all other Fruits it surpasses all Countreys in the World for it multiplieth all things and increaseth them sooner there the cause whereof I judge to be the pleasant waters and warm nourishing Air which inviteth all things to spring and then increaseth them and the moisture causeth all things to take firm root and defendeth them from drought In Summer the Air of that place is so temperate that when it snoweth in other parts of Judea and is extream cold the Inhabitants in this place do onely wear a Linnen Garment Thus he declares the Fertility of Jericho caused by that Miracle and certainly a greater Miracle than this here will be wrought for there are promises in Scripture of a great Fertility that shall be after the Calling of the Jews Ezek. 36.30 I will multiply the Fruit of the Tree and the Increase of the Field so that ye shall receive no more reproach of Famine Verse 35. The Land that was desolate shall become like the Garden of Eden What a great Change will there be in the Earth when desolate and barren Land shall be like Eden And as we have ground to conclude that many of God's Works wrought among the Jews of old were typical of greater Works which shall be wrought for them at last for which see Jer. 23.8 So why may we not gather something from that work of God in giving them Water out of the Rock And that which I would especially hint is from Deut. 32.13 He gave them Honey out of the Rock and Oyl out of the flinty Rock The Water is called Honey and Oyl And why First Because it was a Supply flowing from special Grace and Mercy special Grace adds a great deal of Sweetness to common Mercies Secondly It was an extraordinary Supply in time of great need Water in that extremity was as Honey and Oyl Thirdly It was a Type of Christ for They drunk of that Rock which followed them and that Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 An Eye of Faith looking unto Christ would make it sweeter and more pleasant than Honey and Oyl Fourthly It being Water given them by a Miracle might have sweetness and vertue beyond ordinary water For as the Bread given them by a Miracle has the taste of Honey and fresh Oyl so might this mirhculous Water When Christ turned Water into Wine that was far better than ordinary Wine the Governour of the Feast said Thou hast kept the good Wine until now The other in comparison with this did not deserve to be called good Wine Doubtless that miraculous Wine was the best Wine that ever was drunk and why may we not conceive the like of this miraculous Water which might be typical in relation to the times of Restitution in which even Water the most common mercy shall have much more vertue and pleasantess in it than now it hath 'T is said of Fire and Water that they are good Servants but bad Masters and theâ— have often been bad Masters in these times of the Old Heavens and Old Earth but in the time of the New they shall be good Servants alone and no more bad Masters to the Saints The Air also will be sweet wholesom and fructifying and what hath a spiritual meaning Cant. 4.16 will be then true in a natural sense also The North-wind shall awake and the South-wind blow that the Spices may flow forth No blasting-wind or that which will hinder the flowings forth of Fruits but that which shall farther their flowing forth and then the rough wind shall be stayed in the day of the East-wind 3. The Creatures shall be delivered from all their usurping and oppressing Lords Satan shall not Lord it over them neither the Man of Sin they shall be together in the Bottomless Pit and all Christ's Enemies will be made his Footstool whereby the Creature shall have its so-much longed-for Liberty and shall be in Subjection to him who is to be the desire of all Nations and of the whole Creation of whom 't is said Psa 8.4 What is man that thou art so mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him thou madest him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands and hast put all things in subjection under his feet Which must be fulfilled in that World which is to come as is evident Heb. 2.5 6. For as to the present state of things in the World as now it is the Apostle saith v. 8. We see not yet all things put under him 4. The Liberty of the Creature consists in the lawful Use of it 1 Cor. 7.31 They that use the world as not abusing it Here two things may be observed First The Creature is to be used and not enjoyed Life and Happiness doth not consist in it carnal men enjoy the Creatures the covetous man enjoyes his Wealth as Dives did Son remember that thou in thy life-time hadst thy good things Worldly men have their portion in this life and say 'T is good to be here Now such an enjoying of the Creature holds it in bondage its Liberty is to be used well insist Psa 110.7 't is said of Christ He shall drink of the Brook in the way and then men should lift up the head and heart to him in whose favour is their life Secondly The Creature should be used lawfully and not abused a lawful Use is its liberty There is a natural Use of Creatures which is for Food and Rayment and somewhat for Delight for Gen. 2.9 Out of the Ground God made every Tree to grow which was good for Food and pleasant to the eye In the times of Restitution it will be so Fruits both profitable and pleasant will be made to grow Hos 2.21 It shall come to pass in that day that is when the Jews shall be betrothed to the Lord I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the Heavens and the Heavens shall hear the Earth and the Earth shall hear the Corn and the Wine and the Oyl and they shall hear Jezreel When the Jews shall be Jezreel the Seed of God all the Creatures shall with one consent serve that Jezreel What is the reason that now 't is otherwise for many times the Heavens hear not the Earth the Earth hears not the Corn the Corn hears not men 'T is because for the most part instead of being a Jezreel they serve a Jezabel There is a Spiritual Use also to be made of Creatures and so in them as in a Glass we should behold the Glory of the Lord and we should praise him as the Creator of them and honour him with them The great Whore glorifies her self with what she hath this is the Creature 's bondage but when the Promise