shall be made the praise of the whole Earth then there shall be new Heavens and a new Earth created That is there shall be as great a change of things as if there were new Heavens and new Earth created There shall be a mighty glorious power of God manifested towards his Churches as if God were Creating new Heavens and new Earth again Oh! we do not know but that either you or some of your Children may yet live to see such times as these are And it 's another World indeed It 's not the World that we live in now there shall be a kind of new World And therefore some Scriptures that many times we think are meant concerning the Life in Heaven after the day of Judgment because they are spoken of another World they are rather to be understood of the state of the Church here in this World And to the end that I may shew this for otherwise all that 's said is but in vain It may be you will say that the Prophet mean't that State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven And so the Apostle St. John in his reference to what the Prophet saith he seems to mean it of the glorious state of the Church in Heaven And I verily believe the most of you that have read with Observation the latter end of the Book of the Revelations you have thought it hath been meant of the State of the Church in Heaven but that it cannot be be meant I 'le give you a Reason or two why the 21 of the Revelations cannot be meant of the Church in Heaven First Because the Text saith That Jerusalem shall come down from Heaven after he had described it in the 10 Vers He carryed me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God That is the Glory of Jerusalem shall not come from the Earth nor from any Earthly means Though men ought to do what they can yet it shall be too great a Glory for any earthly means to be able to bring but it shall come down from Heaven there shall be some admirable glorious work of God from Heaven to bring Jerusalem into such Glory as it shall be brought into And that 's one thing That it is not the State of Heaven for it comes down from Heaven And then besides that that is an undeniable Reason is that which you have in the 24 and 26 Verses And the Nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour into it They do not bring their Honour to the State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven The Saints in Heaven shall have no need of any of the Glory of the Kings of the Earth the meanest poorest Servant or Boy that is Godly shall be more glorious than all the Kings of the Earth ever were in this World but this is such a State that the Kings of the Earth shall bring their Glory to it And in the 26 verse They shall bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations into it The meaning is that when this time comes the Lord will make all the Kings of the Earth and all the Nations of the Earth to be some way serviceable to the Glory of his Churches that 's the plain meaning of it that whereas now the Kings of the Earth and the Nations do persecute the Church generally and as in the second Psalm you have it the Kings of the Earth they combine themselves together against Jesus Christ and will none of his Government but yet for all this the Lord saith that he will set his King upon his holy Hill And then here is the Prophecy that there shall be such a work of God upon the Kings and Nations of the Earth as they shall all come in and bring their Glory to Jerusalem to the Church to do the uttermost they can to make the Church to be Glorious This is in General the state of Jerusalem when it shall be made the Praise of the Earth But now that I might come to move Particulars about this The first thing is this When that time shall come all Tears shall be wiped from the Eyes of Saints the People of God shall be delivered from all Enemies they shall never be any further pestered with wicked and ungodly men to be enemies to them but be fully freed from them all We groan under the burden of the Enmity of wicked Men and their Opposition I but let us be content to bear it and to endure Oppositions from wicked and ungodly Men for there is a time a coming that thou shalt be delivered even in this World You will say when we come to Heaven we shall be above the Malice of all the wicked Men in the World Nay there is a time when the Saints shall be above the Malice of wicked men upon this Earth In the 28 of Ezek. A Chapter that speaks so much of the Glorious Condition of the People of God verse 24. There shall be no more a pricking Briar nor any grieving Thorn of all that are round about them that despised them They shall be so far from having any power to do any mischief to the People of God as they shall not be so much as able to prick them no grieving Thorn nor no bryer pricking of the Saints of God as heretofore they have done It will be a blessed time when the Saints shall be delivered from the Curse of the Earth the Bryers and Thorns it brings forth Where are wicked men certainly those are the worst Bryers and Thorns in the World and do the most mischief here in the World Now the Lord hath promised that they shall be delivered wholly from them Rev. 21.4 There is a Scripture leading to that way And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither Sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any more Pain For the former things are passed away This is prophesied of for such times as these are for those that then liv'd the Saints are like to live when Christ shall come in that Glorious state of Judgment and have no pain nor sickness and therefore be delivered from all Enemies and from all evils both from without and within in regard of any pain or misesery and in the 19 of the Revelations we have it there prophesied of Christ that he shall come and have his Vesture dipt in blood in the overcoming all the wicked and ungodly Verse 13. And he was cloathed with a Vesture dipt in blood and his Name is called the Word of God And the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white Horses cloathed in fine Linnen white and clean and out of his Mouth goeth a sharp Sword that with it he should smite the Nations and he shall rule them with a Rod of Iron and he treadeth the Wine-press
a Curse all that time For First all Creatures are subject to vanity and that vanity shall not be taken off nor the bondage till this time Secondly There will be trouble and Wars continually till this time there will be no certainty nor settledness of things till Jerusalem come to be made as the praise of the Earth There will attend affliction to the people of God yea and to others too Yea and there is a Curse upon mens Spirits which will not be taken off till this time comes The truth is when we look upon what is in the Earth we can see little that should make us desire to live in respect of the earthly comforts that are here and for my own part thinking in my thoughts about this point this Meditation came into my mind I wonder why men that live here and are not useful and serviceable to do service for God I wonder why they should desire to live for what pleasure is there in the Earth The Earth is under a curse Now were it not for this one thing that we might live to make our peace with God and to do God service I say it 's a wonder that any should desire to live for the truth is Afflictions and Fears and Troubles will countervail the Comforts of any that do live But indeed that will countervail our affliction if we may live to do service for God but let us give God no rest till this be because till then the Earth is under a curse It is this that brings a glory to the Earth O! it will be worth living in the World when God shall be set up in the World when Jesus Christ shall rule in the World it will be worth the living and not till then And then further give God no rest because that the time is near now howsoever it is near in respect of what it was when this Prophet thus spoke for â—t was above two thousand Years ago â—hat the Prophet spake these words Now the end of the world it 's even up on us and Christ seems to be even at the door Now as it is in nature a heavy thing the nearer it comes to the center the faster it moves so the nearer we are come to this time the more should our hearts be stirred for the time is even at hand and therfore let us pray now mightily as we find in the 9 th of Daniel Daniel did understand by Books that the time of their deliverance was near Mark at the third Vers the Text tells us that Daniel set his face to seek the Lord O then he fasted and prayed indeed My Brethren when you have such things as thâ—se presented to you and some hâ—â—â—â—â—l Arguments presented likewi 〈…〉 are near learn to set your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord and resolve never to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 king till he make this Jerusalem to be the praise of the whole Earth O my Brethren now a praying heart is worth something it is a miserable thing for any Man or Woman not to have a Spirit of Prayer in these times a dangerous sign that such a one shall never be partaker of the glory of this new Jerusalem that hath not a praying Spirit in these times Yea now we find there are mighty stirrings abroad in the world the hearts of men are more raised to expect it than ever they were before I remember it 's observed of the woman of Samaria you may see by her that there was a general expectation raised of the Messias at the time that he came saith she when the Messias comes he will tell us all things and truly there is the greatest expectation of the Saints of God and those that are the most strict and holy the greatest expectation of these times as ever yet was and we find the Lord is so stirring in the world as makes us think that he is bringing about some glorious things and therefore pray pray pray and you that want matter to pray among other things put this into your prayer both in your Closets and Families pray the Lord and cry to him so as to give him no rest every day O Lord make Jerusalem the praise of the Earth O Lord we see abundance of darkness in thy Churches and Godliness is little Honoured in the world but O Lord make thy Churches glorious set up the glory of Godliness in the world pray thus privately and so publickly And a further motive to give God no rest is this That in this your heart doth joyn with the work of God that is most acceptable to God and that his Soul doth take delight in and that 's a comfortable thing And besides give him no rest for God hath appointed Prayer to be a special Engine and a great means to further this In the 102. Psalm saith the Text The Lord will regard the Prayer of the destitute Alas may some say I am a poor weak Christian a poor Body I am able to do but little I may Sigh to God but what are my prayers worth Mark the Text speaking of the glory of these times and of the way to further it The Lord will regard the Prayer of the destitute Though thou beest but as a poor shrub the Lord will regard thy Prayer and mark what the Text saith This shall be written for the Generation to come vers 18. This is written for thee Prayer hath done great things hath made a mighty change of things and if ever People were encouraged to pray now they may be encouraged because they have seen so much that Prayer hath done already We have many Scriptures which I had thought to have spoken of for the encouragement of you in Prayer for these things that you might go on and not faint Though you see things seem to go very Cross yet be not troubled at it but still go on give him no rest it may be God will do nothing now yet still give him no rest but be constant till the thing be done for certainly it will be done at length and if it should not come to pass in your life yet this I will conclude withall When you die die in the Faith of it Any of you that have been earnest in prayer for this thing and yet you see little come of it yet die in the Faith of it when you die as it is said of Joseph in the 50. of Gen. 24. Behold I die and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this Land unto the Land which he sware to Abraham c. So you may speak to your Children I die now I must not see this new Jerusalem but there is hope that God will bring you into it though I perhaps shall not see it and close your Eyes with this belief when you are to die I die yet in the Faith that there is a time a coming that the Lord will make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth FINIS The Witnesses not yet slain
JERVSALEMS GLORY Breaking forth into the WORLD BEING A SCRIPTURE-DISCOVERY OF THE New-Testament-Church In the Latter Dayes immediately before the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST LONDON Printed by J. A. and are to be 〈…〉 most Booksellers 168◠TO THE CHRISTIAN READER THIS Precious Treatise of the New Testament Church in the latter Dayes Preached many Years a-go by that Evangelical Prophet Mr. Jeremiah Burroughes was committed to us by a Citizen of Zion to whose ready Pen the World is much engaged for Preserving the Mantles of divers of our late Elijah's which they let fall from their Pulpits before they went to Heaven If thou hast seen and tasted that Gracious and Warm Spirit which runs through His many other VVorkes Published by Himself and His Brethren it will certainly encrease in thee a Spiritful Thirst and Longing after what else he hath received from his LORD and MASTER and hath freely Communicated as His Embassadour to His People which are yet to be printed The Principal Scope of this Small though weighty Book is to give us Scriptural notice that Jesus Christ will usher in His second Coming by making Jerusalem His Church a Praise in the Earth a Glory throughout the World This is plainly demonstrated according to the WORD by this Apollos mighty in the Scriptures and an Interpreter one of a Thousand Therefore seriously peruse every Text without a prejudicate Opinion Judge not rashly lest thou be judged For this Master-Builder hath set before thee nothing but that which is grounded upon the Pillar of Truth and which is according to the Golden Reed of the Sanctuary Here is a singular Collection of several Scriptures of the Old and New Testament looking one the other in the face as the Cherubims of Gold did which Moses made at each end of the Mercy Seat and shaking Hands together for the more evident and firm Demonstration of this Great Gospel-Truth following the Apostles Rule Comparing spiritual things with spiritual things so that you will find this Soul-ravishing Point that Christ's Church shall be the Praise and Glory of all the World as the Light of the Sun breaking forth more and more to a perfect mid-day of Glory Oh! how welcome will that day of Christ's Espousals and Coronation be to His Love-sick Spouse as the Dove with the Olive Leaf was to Noah or the re-appearing of the Star to the Wise Men Let us resolve in the strength of Christ who is the only Supream Head of His Church constantly to make it our solemn business to plead at the Throne of Grace those glorious Prophesies and Promises in his Name in whom they are Yea and Amen even till He Establish and till He make Jerusalem a Praise till He have not only laid the foundations with Saphirs but finished this City of Pearl not only brought forth the Corner stone but the Top Stone of Jerusalem and all the Earth with shouting cry Grace Grace to it 26 th of this 3 d. Month 1675. Less than the Least of Jerusalems Remembrancers William Adderley THE EPISTLE THE Publisher of these Sermons is desirous they might pass with Testimonial into the World that they might pass with the greater Freedom But indeed the Name of the Author so well known may be sufficient Argument for their Reception in every place These Sermons are but some Fragments of the VVorthy Authors Judicious and Pious Labours But Christ gave order to his Disciples that the Fragments should not be lost Faith may here find some food as it takes a prospect of the Glory that is hereafter to be revealed For here you have the Author's Sentiments about the last times and of the Catastrophe of all things at last After the Dragon and the Beast have acted their parts in their opposition to the Lamb and his followers wherein he hath presented to our View the many ancient Prophesies recorded in Scripture that bear witness to these things So far as you see Prophetick Light shine before you take heed to it which is all that is desired of the Reader and by the Publisher Who having this Commodity I mean this Copy lying by him was willing to bring it forth as men bring Corn and other necessaries to Market for publick Use and benefit only remember that it was not in the Author's Intention for to have it so Had his own hand been upon the Frame you should have seen the Lines drawn with more Accuracy and the Truth more fully searched into And if any hath thoughts different from the Author 's in these ensuing Sermons let him shew however that Respect to so Reverend a Man as to reject nothing Rashly that is Asserted by him and if he doth not Receive let him Consider And let us all be waiting and preparing for the Bride-groom's coming Amen Even so come Lord Jesus ISA. 62. v. 7. And give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth SERMON I. IN the former Chapter there are many Promises of an excellent and Glorious state that God would bring his Church into in his time with those Promises the heart of this Prophet Isaiah was much taken and therefore in the beginning of this Chapter saith he For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until the Righteousness thereof go forth as brightness and the Salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth And as he himself would not rest nor hold his peace so he would that all the Watchmen that were set upon the Walls of Jerusalem and so after all the Ministers of the Church that they should not rest yea he would that they should give God no rest until he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth Give God no rest he speaks here after the manner of Men to note what importunity there should be among the people of God in seeking of God to make good all those glorious Promises that he hath made to his Church for the raising of it up to a glorious state as a man that is importunate of any business he is not satisfied if he doth Petition and nothing comes of it he falls to it again and again and seeks to get by importunity and resolves that he will be at no rest And so God speaks after this manner not that his rest or not rest doth depend upon us But that we should be as importunate with him for so great a mercy as this is as with any man in the world that we were resolved that till he had given us an answer we would give him no rest and give him no rest until he hath established and made Jerusalem a praise in the Earth Till he establish Till he makes good his word till the Church be brought to a settled way of mercy and into a safe and sure condition For sometimes as if the Prophet should say we find the Promises beginning to work and God is doing good for us but at other times things seem
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God But this is observable why it 's said that the Garments of Christ were dipt in blood and the Robes of the Saints were white the meaning is this That it is to note that when this time comes to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole World that Jesus Christ he shall come to be avenged of his Enemies of all the wicked and ungodly upon the Earth and so he shall come in an Hostile way against them But those that follow him they shall have their Robes white the Saints shall triumph they shall do nothing but take the Triumph Christ shall go before and endure all the difficulty and hardship and they shall come after in a triumphing way Thus the Scripture speaks of deliverance from wicked men And in the 12 Zech. verse 3. there you have a place likewise observable for this And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all People all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the Earth be gathered together against it I 'le make Jerusalem a burdensom stone will they fight against it it shall be a burdensom stone to them and whosoever set themselves against Jerusalem in that day shall not prevail but shall be cut in pieces Why that day hath not been yet But there shall be a day when whosoever throughout the World shall set himself against the Church shall not prevail but shall be cut in pieces And so we find in the 11 of Exod. the 7 verse That when the People of Israel went out of Aegypt the Text saith there was not a Dog that did move his Tongue against them We know the Deliverance from Aegypt was typical It notes the deliverance of the People of this new Jerusalem from the Tyranny of Anti-Christ And therefore in the 15 of the Revel you find that Moses Song it is sung again In the 15 of Exod. after their Deliverance from Pharaoh Moses sings a Song of Thanksgiving and in the 15 Rev. they sing it over again verse 2 3. after their deliverance from their Captivity The Dogs of the World they do move their Tongues against the Saints of God now but there is a time coming that no Dog shall move his Tongue They shall be so convinc'd of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem that God is with them that they shall not be able to move their Tongues against them And I remember Lactantius that I spake of before that did speak so much in his time so many hundred Years agoe that there was such a time a coming he hath this expression among others At that time it shall be with wicked men as it was with the People of Aegypt When God saith he did deliver Israel from the Aegyptian Bondage he brought most dreadful Judgments upon the Aegyptians at that time so saith he whenever the time shall come that God shall set up Jerusalem as the Praise of the whole World then shall be most fearful Judgments upon the ungodly Now indeed Judgment begins at the House of God and the Saints in many places suffer most but then Judgment shall fall upon the Aegyptians and God will destroy wicked men or at least subdue them so far as they shall not be able to do any hurt to the Saints And that 's the first thing that shall be when Jerusalem shall be made the Praise of the whole Earth the People of God shall be delivered from wicked men and all Oppression and much less shall they be oppressed by one another It is that that darkens Jerusalem now that it 's under oppression from evil Men and that the Saints do oppress one another so much But for the Union of the Saints that we shall speak of afterwards But for the second thing and that 's this Then shall all the Expressions of the Churches Glory that we have in the Old Testament in a Typical way be fully made good and that visibly it shall be visibly and apparently to the World made good You will say What are those There are very many the Lord speaks very much of the Glory of his Church when he had his Church but among the Jews but certainly the wayes of God towards his Church then were typical and God intended by his high Expressions of the Glory of his Church then some other thing that should be afterwards made good in a more apparent and visible way As thus now you have these things said of the Church of God in the Old Testament First That it is the Portion of God Yea it is his Pleasant Portion Jer. 12.10 verse By that that hath outwardly appeared who would think that a few People that were contemptible to the World were God's pleasant Portion All that we read of the State of the Church in the Old Testament will appear one day before all the World that indeed God did not say in vain of his Church that it was his pleasant Portion Secondly We find that God saith that his Church is his Inheritance Isa 19.25 It is his own Inheritance Yet how do the wicked break into the Inheritance of God for the present But there is a time a coming that the Lord will make it appear to all the World that his People are his Inheritance Thirdly The Church is called the Dearly Beloved of Gods Soul Jer. 12.7 It is a very high Expression the Dearly Beloved of his Soul And yet at that time the Lord saith there that he will give the dearly Beloved of his Soul into the hand of their Enemies Oh! but how doth it appear then that the Church is the dearly Beloved of Gods Soul Well though it doth not so appear now to the World God hath a time to make it appear before all the World that his Church is the dearly Beloved of his Soul A fourth Expression is That it is the Peculiar Treasure of God in the 19 of Exod. v. 5. Ye shall be a peculiar Treasure unto me above all People Men make much of their Treasure but especially Treasures that are Peculiar Now the Lord hath another Treasure besides the Church the Blessings of God in Nature are God's Treasure therefore in the 28 of Deut. 12. verse the Scripture saith that God did bring out of his good treasure when he speaks of the outward blessings of his People when God gives us of the good things of nature he gives us out of his good treasure I but that 's a Common Treasure the treasure of nature But God hath a Peculiar Treasure and that 's his Church there 's the Riches of God Just as if a Merchant should be trading for divers sorts of Commodities perhaps he trades for Cloaths or Lumber stuff there is some treasure there I but he trades for Jewels and Pearls besides and he hath them lockt up under divers Locks and there he accounts all his treasure to be Now I may compare all the good things of this world
Judah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim Now ordinarily in Scripture Ephraim and Judah is made Typical of the Churches there was a great deal of contention between Ephraim and Judah one envying another Now this Prophecy is not yet fulfill'd for we never Read of Ephraim that is the ten Tribes and Judah were joyned in that near League and Union one with another as yet For the ten Tribes were carried Captive and never returned Judah indeed was carried Captive and they did return but not the ten Tribes Therefore it is spoken of an Estate of the Church afterwards Though my Church shall be in after times the times of the Gospel like Ephraim and Judah one envying another I 'le take away their envy they shall not envy but they shall love one another and joyn one with another Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim And then another Prophecy is in the 14. Zech. vers 9. And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his Name one It 's true all of us that are Christians we acknowledge but one Lord but we call him by divers Names and one saith This is his mind and another faith the other is his mind but saith he In that day as there shall be but one Lord so his Name shall be but one There shall not be those different apprehensions of Christ as now there are but Christians shall generally joyn together in one There shall not be such opinions to divide Christians one from another as now there are there shall be but one Lord and his Name shall be but one And a further Prophecy which is very remarkable is in the third of Zeph. v. 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure Language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent In the Original it is with one Shoulder now how do Christians shoulder one another and push one another by the shoulder as it were opposing one another what they can but then they shall joyn their shoulders together and all shall be but as one shoulder they shall serve the Lord with one shoulder with one consent their hearts shall joyn in one and then their strength shall joyn together Now this is that that shall be done when the Lord shall make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth you that mind the Lord and the things of his glory give him no rest untill he do establish this that he hath promised and make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth In the tenth place there shall be a great change of things in the world at that time a great change in the whole frame of the creation of Heaven and Earth And I think verily that place in the eighth of the Romans and there is ground for it why we should think so is meant of this time Vers 20 21. 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 it self 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 in pain together until now And not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit Even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our Bodies Now that this should be then in such an Estate of the Church in this World this is the Reason Either you must grant it to be so or otherwise you must grant that after the day of Judgment in the state of glory that the Saints shall have which Divines generally say shall be in Heaven you must grant that then there shall be the continuance of all the Creatures as now they are and that the Saints must live here Now that is hardly granted by any Divines But this speaks of the whole Creation to be delivered from their bondage and to come to partake of the benefit of the Adoption of the Sons of God That is at that time when the Adoption of the Sons of God shall appear gloriously that there shall be such a change in all the Creatures that they shall be restored to the first perfection that they had in the state of Innocency They groan to be delivered from the bondage surely they do not groan to be Annihilated and turned into nothing Therefore there is a time for the Heavens and Earth and Sea and Plants and Beasts to be in another condition than now they are And to say that this shall be at the day of Judgment or after few Divines have thought But this is spoken of a time when all the Creatures in this world shall have a mighty change put upon them And to that end the Scripture likewise in the 2 of Peter the 3 d. Chap. though one would think in the Reading of it if you did not mark it throughly that it should be meant at the day of Judgment but if you observe it throughly it seems to be spoken of a great change that there shall be when the creatures shall be delivered from bondage In the 10. vers But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up and now observe the 13. vers Nevertheless we according to his promise look for new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness There shall be a mighty change in the world by Fire or some other way and so as all things shall seem as if they were brought into nothing but saith the Apostle by the Holy-Ghost We according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness Now suppose all the world were dissolved how new Heavens and a new Earth then shall the Saints after the day of Judgment have a new Earth and live upon the Earth here This I suppose you would think to be but a very strange Doctrine But now this is such a change of things as shall have New Earth as well as New Heavens and this is according to the promise now what promise have we in all the Book of God that this hath reference to I find all Divines referr it to the 65. of Isa For you have no other Scripture that you can refer this promise to in the 17. vers For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind But be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy So
of Antichrist's Reign it must be And how long Antichrist shall reign that we know certainly only the difficulty is to reckon the very time of the beginning of his Reign I say how long his Reign shall last we have certain knowledge of that that Antichrist shall reign for 1260 Years And we have such Parallel Scriptures for this that there is nothing more evident than it is and generally Divines agree upon it Those two Scriptures in the Book of the Revelations are sufficient especially compared with some in Daniel Rev. 11.2 3. The Court which is without the Temple leave out and measure it not for it is given unto the Gentiles and the Holy City which is the Church shall they tread under feet forty two Months And I will give power unto my two Witnesses and they shall Prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes cloathed in Sackcloath Now these forty two Months and one thousand two hundred and threescore dayes will come to the same that is a day for a year wherein the Church should be under the power of Antichrist And he saith two Witnesses not as if he meant only two men but because by two or three witnesses every thing is established But the Spirit of God means by the witnesses whatever they are those that shall witness to his Truth in the true Church of God in all places of the World those that witness to his truth They shall prophesie in Sack-cloath that is in a mourning condition they shall go on in their witness for 1260 dayes 1260 years And so in the 12 of the Revelations there we read of the womâ—n by which the Church is set out that fled into the Wilderness where she had her place prepared of God that they should feed her there even 1260 dayes The Holy Ghost falls upon this number which is 1260 years Now all the difficulty is about the beginning of this 1260 dayes that is when Antichrist did prevail and when the Church was driven into the Wilderness I find generally those that make a computaiton of the Reign of Anti-Christ they pitch it upon two Periods either upon such a time as will be ended within a very few years as Mr. Brightman and others he thinks it will be ended so as that the beginning of these dayes will be a matter of five or six years hence And others in the year 1666. But there is another computation of those that think Anti-Christ did not begin to reign so soon and they conceive it will be a matter of two hundred or more years before the beginning of these times But I think God hath not left it fully clear to determine about the time only this God by his strange kind of workings among us doth seem as if he were hastening of the time as if it were near at hand Wherefore then we leave all uncertainties and come to shew you what use you are to make of what hath been said about this time of Jerusalems being made the praise of the whole Earth Vse The first is the consideration of this that God hath his time to bring his Church to be in such a glorious condition here in this World this should be a great incitement to us all to come in and embrace Jesus Christ to be Godly Why because the Lord intends to glorifie himself so much in the Church and though I dare not tell you the time yet there 's nothing to the contrary but that it 's possible it may be in your dayes that you may live to see these times or if you should not live yet in the 12 of Daniel we read of a Resurrection that should be at that time However when we do but think that there is a time that Jesus Christ shall be honoured in the World and Godliness shall be had in high esteem in the World it 's a mighty Argument to cause man and woman to come in and imbrace Religion But if it should prove to be in your days as nothing appears to the contrary but many probabilities there are for it it would go very hard with you if so be these times should come upon you unawares and you not found to be Godly For the Scripture speaks most dreadfully against those that have liv'd in the places where Christian Religion hath been known and yet have been naught and ungodly and these times found them so After these times were described to John in the Book of the Revelations then saith he in the 21 Chap. 8. vers But the fearful and Vnbelieving and the Abominable and Murderers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Lyars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second Death Mark The very Fearful and Vnbelieving and I take it the Reason why the Fearful and Vnbelieving are here placed among these notorious Sinners it is because that in the time that Anti-Christ shall prevail many out of fear of trouble and danger shall deny the truth and cleave to the Antichristian Party and because they see things go very hardly with the Godly Party they will forsake them through their Unbelief and therefore they are reckoned in among the notorious vile sinners and the rather because that a little before this time shall come ☞ There will be a great tryal and hour of Temptation Men will be put to it to be tryed what they are whether they have faith in the Word or not or whether they have courage for God or not Now therefore because God intends to put men to the tryal a little before these times come therefore he saith The fearful and unbelieving he reckons up them among the notorious Sinners as if the Lord should say When I am about to set up this new Jerusalem there will come a time of tryal and abundance of you that made fair Professions while you met with some evils and troubles through your fear and unbelief you will forsake my cause and will rather cleave to them But know you shall have your Portion in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone which is the second death And so in the 22 Revelations there the Holy Ghost speaks of men that are unjust when this time shall come and saith he He that is unjust let him be unjust still he which is filthy let him be filthy still If men will go on in their Injustice and Filthiness let them go saith God I intend not now to work further upon them but as these times shall meet with them so it shall be with them to all Eternity The nearer the approaching of these times the less will wicked men be wrought upon Therefore now let us come in and embrace the truth for this truth that is preached to you and the works of God that you are put upon they will be honoured one day we love to be of the strongest side the side that will prevail we love to joyn unto it Certainly the side of Godliness and the truths of
see the nearer we grow unto these times the more clearer is the point of Justification revealed to us O what strange conceits in times of Popery had People of Justification and I verily believe that many of your Consciences may tell you that a very few years since you had very strange thoughts about that point and understood but little of it but it begins to be clear more and more and we should study that point more for surely it is that point of Religion that will take up the heart of the People of God most in such times as these are It is called the fine Linnen of the Saints which is the Righteousness of the Saints That that 's Translated in your Books Righteousness it is the Righteousnesses of the Saints that 's this Not only the knowledge of the Righteousness of Christ applyed by Faith But Righteousness before Men too is the fine Linnen of the Saints they shall appear Righteous before men and Righteous being cloathed with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ And I would therefore commend that to those that speak much of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ know they must have Righteousnesses in the Plural Number that is not only be careful to have Righteousness before God through Christ but Righteousness before Men and that 's the second thing that is to be done for preparation of us for Christs coming to have our Lamps burning Holiness shining in our conversations before Men to live convincing conversations to make the ways of Godliness amiable And then let 's watch O take heed of slumbering And let us be constant in our holy profession take heed our Lamps do not go out And let us humble our selves for our former defilement we have defiled our selves by superstitious vanities in former times O let us humble our souls for them thereby shall we be fitted for this glorious time If new Jerusalem should come and you not humbled for your former defilements you would be unfit for this time Sixthly Seeing there is such a time for this new Jerusalem why then let us labour to further what we can the cause of God in his Church to make the Church as near to Jerusalem as we can now For though it 's true it shall be brought to pass by the Almighty power of Jesus Christ yet he requires that his Saints should put their hands to it and indeed this should be the care of all that make profession of Godliness to do what they can to make Jerusalem to be the praise of the world now O 't is a blessed thing to live to see the glory of God as it shines in this new Jerusalem But if it be blessed to See it it is more blessed to have a hand in it O let us be willing to consecrate all that we are or have for the furtherance of the glory of this new Jerusalem let us labour to draw all that we can to Godliness and be Godly our selves That should be the work of all those that profess Godliness to labour now to walk so as to make every body in Love with Godliness and to labour to wipe off all the aspersions that are cast upon the ways of Godliness there are strange errors and miscarriages of men why now those that are faithful should labour to wipe off all those things But on the other side let them know that make profession of Religion now and walk scandalously and are abominably erroneous in their Opinions they do what they can to hinder the glory of this Jerusalem though it 's true God will bring it about but thou dost what thou canst to hinder it O wo to thee that thou wert born to such a time as this is It 's ill that thou shouldest live in such a time as this is to cast any stain upon Religion that Religion should suffer any thing for thee Now every one that makes but any profession of Religion O they should labour to walk exactly and humbly and faithfully and conscionably that they may win others and so others being won by their conversation why then the People of the Land might joyn together and say Well verily it is these are the servants of the living God and we will joyn with them and set up their ways for we see them to be the ways of God I this were very hopeful that Jerusalem were lifting up indeed if so be we would convince men by our holy conversation But now when there appears so much folly and baseness of Spirit in those that are Professors why it makes men hate Religion more than ever they did and indeed but that we know God can bring the greatest good out of the greatest Evil one would think that there were as great a stop to the glory of the Church in these times as ever there was but wo to those that are the stoppers And howsoever some cry out such men stop it and such men stop it but the Lord I hope will come e're long and will make it appear who hinders the glory of his Churches whether it be those that in the sincerity of their hearts labour to raise up Godliness to the strictest form of all or those that will content themselves with a form Certainly those that give up themselves to promote the most strict way of Godliness and the most pure Ordinances they are not those that hinder the Reformation but Christ will own them to be those that further the Glory of this Reformation The Scripture speaking of this Jerusalem saith that no impure thing should enter into it that is Men should be as careful as possibly they can to keep out all things that are impure and so to raise up the ways of Godliness to the strictest and highest rule that possibly they can these are they that further the glory of this Jerusalem The Last thing is that we have in the Text Give God no rest till this be We might make it a several point of Doctrin but I only bring it in here by way of Use The truth is when Christ taught us to pray Thy Kingdom come he had an Eye at this for the Kingdom of Christ is not fully come till this time be come and as in that 36. of Ezek. 37. When the Lord had promised there such glorious things to his People saith he I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel to do it for them So though God doth intend to raise up Jerusalem thus yet the Lord will be sought unto for it must be furthered by Prayer All Gods People should cry out Come Lord Jesus come quickly how long how long holy and true will it be before thou dost this before these things come to pass my precious Lord God loves importunity especially in such things as these are Divers motives I had thought of to have put you on to this to be mighty in Prayer First Till this time till Jerusalem be thus raised the truth is the Earth is under a Curse