The Sum of a Dispute betwixt a Teacher of the Ana­baptists, and the Minister of Baughton, where by Provi­dence they met August 16. 1654.

THe Anabaptist, as appeared by his heat, being much troubled at a Sermon deli­vered by the Minister, wherein he proved plainly by Scrip­ture, That such as he was, were the Messengers of Satan, and delivered Satans Message, fell upon the Mini­ster with abusive words; afterwards they entred into Disputation, the Question was, Whether there were any such Sin as Original sin; the A­nabaptist denied it; the Minister ur­ged an Argument from the example [Page 2]of David, confessing that hee was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did his Mother conceive him, Psal. 51.5. to prove there was.

The Anabaptist answered, That the meaning of that place was this, not that David himself was corrup­ted, or defiled with sin, but that hee was shapen and conceived in a sinful Woman. Which answer will appear to any man that hath but common sense, to be not only false, but also most ab­surd and ridiculous; for David, as will plainly appear to him that reads that Psalm, speaks only of himself, confesseth his own Sin only, and this Original sin, as the root and fountain of all the rest; there was not so much as a thought of time betwixt his Na­tural being, and his Sinful being, Corruption did accompany the very first degree of his Conception, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my Mother conceive me: And he praies for the forgiveness of this sin among the rest.

After many words past, the Ana­baptist, unsatisfied, objected, That the Minister never read of any Childe [Page 3]that was Damned, therefore no such Sin which deserved eternal Death; his reason was, because eternal Death is only the wages of actual sin; which the Minister denied, and instanced in Esau, reprobated from all eternity, Rom. 9.11, 12, 13.

The Anabaptist answerd, That that was for Esaus actual transgressi­on, and cited Jeremy falsly; but the words named are in Amos 1.3.6.9. For three Transgressions of Damascus, and for Four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; and so the sixth and ninth of Gaza and Tyrus; which text is as farre from the purpose as Baughton is from Rome. It appears plainly from the Apostle, that the words cited by the Minister, Esau have I hated, are concerning Gods purpose in Election and Reprobation, and not for any actual Sin committed by Esau, or good done by Jacob, for the Children not being yet born, mark that, neither having done good or evil, mark that, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, vers. 11. it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. [Page 4]What will the Anabaptists say now? they say it is unjust for God to Damn those that never committed Actual Sin, the Apostle would stop their blasphemous mouthes, vers. 14. What shall we say then, is there unrighte­ousness with God? God forbid, saith he, Hath not the Potter power over the Clay, to make one Vessel for honour, and another for dishonour, ver. 21.

The Anabaptist still obstinate, the Minister urged another Argument to prove some Children were Dam­ned, and not for Actual sin, there­fore for Original, and therefore there was such sin as we call Original; the Argument was taken out of Jude, vers. 7. where it is said, that So­dom and Gomorrah, and the Cities about them, suffered the vengeance of eternal fire; in which Cities, no doubt but there were some Children which never had sinned actually, and these with the rest suffered the vengeance of eternal fire.

The Anabaptist answered, by shew­ing the meaning of Eternal; The word Eternal, saith he, is there to be un­derstood for consuming, which is as [Page 5]ridiculous and absurd as the rest; our ordinary fire is consuming, it consumes the Wood, or other matter that nou­risheth it, and so at last it self is extinguished; but this eternal fire never goeth out, neither doth it con­sume those it burns; the wicked burn eternally, that is, for ever, and are never consumed; so the answer implyes a contradiction.

To make this his Exposition good, he cited a place of St. Mat. 10.15. It shall be more tollerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgement, than for that City, that will not re­ceive the Apostles; more tollerable, that is, saith he, (being holpen by one of his Disciples) Sodom and Gomor­rah shall be excused; but that Ex­position they can never make good; more tollerable, said the Minister, that is, they shall not receive so se­vere a Sentence, they shall receive lesser Damnation, but not be wholly excused. This he proved by reason, for more is the Comparative degree, and is a relative term, and respects the same thing; then strenghened this reason by Scripture, Mat. 23.14. [Page 6]Yee shall receive greater damnation there is Damnation for them because they devoured widows houses, but greater damnation, because they made long prayer their pretence; more tolle­rable, then, doth not imply that they were wholly excused, but received lesser punishment.

The Anabaptist then began to urge an Argument, that no Children were Damned; the Minister perceiving that this was to run round in a circle, not able to indure the cold longer, be­ing not yet fully recovered of sickness, the Anabaptist began to cry Victory, by railing on the Ministers.

Were not those people given over to a reprobate sense, to strong delusions, to beleeve lyes, they could never force such interpretations upon Scripture. The Lord open their eyes, that they may see the truth, and convert, and be healed.

Characters of the false Ministery.

THe next thing that I shall en­ter upon, is to shew the Characters of the false and corrupted Ministery, where­by they that run may read, and know them by their fruits.

First, 1 Chara­cter. you shall know them by their teaching for Doctrines the Commande­ments of men; the Lord in old time did complain against such Persons, as you may see, Jer. 5.30, 31. in these words, A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the Land, the Prophets Prophesy falsly, and the Priests bear rule by their means, and the people love to have it so, and what shall be done in the end thereof? Thus you may see the Prophets of old did prophesie the vision of their own Brain, [Page 56]and the Priests of Old, they must bear rule by their means, that is to say, their false Divinations must go for truth, and it being pleasing to the flesh the people loved to have it so. So it is with the false corrupted Ministery in our days, the Prophets of old, or more properly an­tient Fathers, as they so call them, they in their several Councils have de­termined certain Articles of their own invention, imposing them on mens Consciences as infallible truths (when God never spake any such thing in his Word) the Priests they bear rule by their means, and conclude, they must needs be truths, it being the judge­ment of their reverend Fathers, as Lu­ther, and Calvin, and St. Austin, and the like, and it being grown in custom amongst the people, they love to have it so; like as the people of old, who lusted after the Flesh-pots of Aegypt. I shall only particularize a few of their Traditions, and so pass the first Cha­racter.

The first is, Infants Baptism, which never had a footing in Gods Word, nor their Custom, which is of late by sprinkling.

Another Tradition of Man is, their separating from their antient Churches, (as they so call it) and make a kinde of new Garment with old Cloth; my meaning is this, that many of the best sort of Priests (as they so think them­selves, although I look upon them to be the very worst) separate from their antient Church, for all they own their Fundamentals to be true both in Faith and Practice; will not the old Episco­pals rise up in Judgement and condemn you, O yee wise Presbyters! that have learned to separate from a Church true in Fundamentals (as you say) when Shee fails in no hing but Circum­stance? is this not getting out of one shape into another, and yet still hold correspondency with the Customs of the Limes? would you not fain shape your selves into the likeness of the Gospel Ministery, if you could? No marvel, for Sathan also would trans­form himself into an Angel of Light; and thus by your Traditions, you make voyd the Commandement of Christ, which did not command the Minister of the Church of Pergamus to separate from the aforesaid Church, although [Page 58]some of them held the Doctrin of Ba­laam, and also of the Nicolaitans; but that which he was to do, was to repent, and help reform. Time would bee too short for me to speak of your old Tra­ditions, even the Customs of the Church of England, and your crossings in Baptisms, and such foolish tricks, which you your self are almost asha­med of, although it be part of your Trade, by which you have had your living; or your Traditions, whereby you have deceived Souls for many Ge­nerations.

The second Character by the which 2 Char. you may know a false Minister is, They are such as are Men-pleasers, they will speak as great men will have them speak, that thereby they may keep in favour with them howsoever; this you may see by Ahabs false Pro­phets, in that of 2 Chron. 18.10. and thereby will be a means to imprison the true, if it be possible, as you may see Vers. 23, 24, 25. Chap. 24.20, 21. Also see it pertinent in Jerem. 27.14, 15, 16. So are also our corrupted Mini­sters in the time of the Gospel; the Priest-hood there were the cause of [Page 59]Christs being taken, and the Mini­sters of the Gospel to suffer; and so it is in our days, the Priest-hood get in favour with the great men of the times, and by their means the Ministers of the Gospel, and the rest of their poor afflicted Brethren, suffer, both in Person and Estate, as by that Human Tradition of theirs, as namely Tithes, or forced Maintenance, which never was appoin­ted by God for the maintenance of a Gospel-Minister.

The third Character whereby you 3 Char. may know the false corrupt Ministers. Christ tells you in Matth. 7. They come in sheeps cloathing, but inward­ly they are ravening Wolves (that is to say) they make the people beleeve that they are the Ministers of Christ, and have great care of the Flock, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves; that is, in their hearts they intend to make a prey of the flock; so that their greatest care is for to get the fleece, al­though they pretend great care of the flock; and they may be very well like­ned to the false Prophets of Old, that the Lord complains against, Jer. 13.4. O Israel, thy Prophets are like the [Page 60]Foxes in the Desart, yee have not gone up in the gaps, neither made up the hedges; for the House of Israel, they did not care to come where there was any work for them to do, but eve­ry one looked for gain in his quarter; wherefore the Lord cals those Priests of old greedy Doggs, that will never have enough. Even so it is with the Priesthood in our days, they stand not up in the gap to defend their cause, nei­ther to safe-guard their people (from the Wolves, as they call them) Perad­venture you hear them often rail in their Pulpits, but if they meet any of them that they call Wolves (although many of their flock be there present) they will not stand in the gap to defend that which they call truth; this makes it appear they are but Hirelings, and care not for the flock, but look after the fleece; so that let their flock be where they will, or do what they wil, if they meet with them at Shering time, it is as much as they care for.

The Fourth Character is, 4 Char. You may know a false Prophet by the ignorance of their people, they are such as lead silly women captive, who are ever [Page 61]learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. This wee may see by the poor National people, that go to Church (as they so call it) some forty, fifty years and upwards, and when all is done, they can scarce ren­der an account of the hope that is in them, they know not, as to say, their right hand from their left in the things of God.

Obj. If it be Objected and said, That it cannot be meant the Priests of the Nation, because they that are re­proved there, are of that sort that creep into Houses, which lead silly women captive, which the Priests of the Na­tion think they are not, and so lye not under that reproach.

Ans. To which I answer, That the Scripture doth not reprove such as preach in Houses, but such as creep in­to Houses; but I shall a little shew you what creeping Creatures are, and that I finde are Froggs. Hence it came to pass that the Froggs of Aegypt did not abide in Pharaohs Court only, but also they crope into his Kneading­trougles; and I finde in the sixteenth of the Revelations, that those un­clean [Page 62]spirits like Froggs went creeping unto the Kings of the earth, to gather them together to Battel, which hath been the trade of the Priest-hood all a­long, to beget warre in the Nation, to use the privatest and subtilest way to bring about their enterprise, which may be called ereeping; and further, though they come not much amongst the poor of the flock in their Cottages, yet in the Houses of the rich they will creep often enough.

The second thing in order to the answe­ring of the Objection is this, That Paul condemned not preaching in Houses, for then he had condemned his own pra­ctice, for he preached from House to House often, and often in his own hired house, as Acts 28.30, 31. And fur­ther he tells them, in Chap. 20. ver. 20. I have kept nothing back, but have shewed you, and taught you publickly, and from house to house. And Chap. eight, and the last, And in every house they ceased not to preach Jesus Christ. So that they are not counted Leaders of silly women, that preach from house to house, or in their hired house, but they are Leaders of sillly Women, [Page 63]that creep into Houses, as I have afore shewed you. This might also serve to reprove another sort of false Prophets, but I pass, and hasten to the Fifth Character.

The Fifth Character to discover the 5 Char. false corrupted Ministery, is this, You shall know them by their Pride and Co­vetousness, the Apostle saith, In the last days there shall be those who will be self-lovers, and not only so, but proud and covetous withall, having a form of godliness without any pow­er. And so are the Priesthood in our time, proud, in that they love the chiefest Seats at the Feast, and greetings in the Market, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi; and their Covetousness appears in this, In that they reap where they never sow, covet the goods of such as are no whit partakers of their Ministery, and yet notwithstanding they will have a form of godliness, and make their people beleeve they leane upon the Lord, and that God is a­mongst them in their worship, like un­to the corrupted Priests of old, Mich. 3.11. The Priests teach for hire, and the Prophets Divine for Mony, yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, [Page 64]Is not the Lord amongst us? no evil shal come unto us. And so much for the Fifth Character.

6 Char. The Sixth is You shall known them by their implacable hatred against the Ministers of the Gospel, and the sim­plicity of the Gospel, they are always crying out to the Magistrate, a Sword, a Sword, that so they may bee found guilty of the bloud of the Saints, and Prophets, they being of the Baby­lonish crew; This was the disposition of the false Prophets, and corrupted Ministery of old, as Lament. 4.3. they are such as cause the bloud of the Just to bee shed in the midst of the street; and so is it with the Priesthood of our times, which nothing will serve their turns, had they the power in their hands, but the Lives or Liberties of the people of God; witness their railing at them in their Pulpits, and backbi­ting them in private, on purpose to set the people at enmity with them, cry­ing, away with them, like unto the malignity of the spirits of their Fathers of old, fearing, that if such continue, their trade and great goods will come to nought.

7 Char. The Seventh Character by which the false corrupted Ministery may be known, is, They are such as take up the Mi­nistery for filthy lucre sake (that is to say) when they come to a people, if they will not give them so much by the year, they will not be their Minister, they leave small Livings to go to grea­ter, and so their great and weighty Call lieth in the heavie Purse; you shall sel­dome (or never) hear them say, Woe be to me if I preach not the Gospel; (although I am in hunger and naked­ness) but woe unto you people, if you pay me not my Tithes, I will get a Summons against you, and so lye un­der that reproof that saith, He that putteth not into their mouth, they pre­pare warre against, so that they feed themselves with the fat, and cloath themselves with the wool, and kill them that are fed, Ezek. 34.2, 3. &c. And so much for the Seventh Cha­racter.

The Eighth Character, 8 Char. whereby you may know the false corrupted Ministers, is, They are such as receive their Mi­nistery by way of Trade, and not by way of Gift; they buy it, on purpose to [Page 66]sell it again; if Simon Magus were in the gall of bitterness, who thought to purchase the gifts of the Holy Spirit for Mony (and yet we cannot finde that he had an intention to sell it again) then how lye such under the gall of bitterness, who would fain buy it, on purpose to sell it again? so that as the Ministers of Christ receive their Gift by vertue of his ascending up on high, Ephes. 4.8. they being under his teaching and guiding; so the false Ministers receive their In­structions and Teachings from Cam­bridge and Oxford by vertue of sums of Mony, and so as I have afore said, they have not the Ministery by vertue of Gifts from God, but by vertue of such Human helps. And so much for the Eighth Character.

9 Char. The Ninth Character whereby you may know the false corrupted Ministers, is, They are such as their covetous pra­ctice, and ill-gotten goods (many times) indureth not to the second Ge­neration; for the Lord hath said, hee will plead both with Fathers and Chil­dren; so that many times misery falls upon the outward man, both to Fa­thers and Children, for such things; you [Page 67]may see what the Lord denounced a­gainst the corrupt Priests and Prophets of old, in Jer. 2.8, 9. The Priests said not where is the Lord, and they that handled the Law knew me not; the Pastors also have transgressed a­gainst me, and the Prophets prophesyed by Baal, and walked after things that did not profit; wherefore I will yet plead with you saith the Lord, and with your Childrens Children will I plead. So it is with the Priests in our times, they ask not whether the Lord be in the place, but whether there be a good Benefice, and yet notwithstan­ding we see often times that the Lord hath so pleaded with them and their Children, that they have been exposed to great want. And so much to the Ninth.

The Tenth and last Character, 10 Char. whereby you may know the false cor­rupted Ministers, is, They will pretend much love to Christ and his Apostles, as though they owned their persons and ways; but the Children of God, (such as walk in Christs ways, which he hath left both by precept and exam­ple) they hate, revile, and persecute, as [Page 68]much as in them lieth; so it was with the corrupt Pharisaical Priests and Scribes of old, as Mat. 23.29, 30. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, Hy­pocrites, because you build the tombs of the Prophets, and garnish the Se­pulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our Fa­thers, we would not have been parta­kers with them in their bloud, where­fore yee are witnesse to your selves, that yee are the Children of them that killed the Prophets, vers. 31. Here you may take notice, that though the Pharisaicall Priests and Scribes of old did pretend great love to the Prophets, and righteous men that were before them, condemning their Fathers for persecuting of them, yet you may see they were the men that owned a Mur­der against Christ, and also persecuted his Disciples. It was the Priests that gave Judas the thirty peeces of Silver to betray his Master, Matth. 26.3. compared with 14, 15. Also they were the men that gave large Mony to the Soul­diers, to say, His Disciples stole him away while we slept. So the Priests of out time, they make as if they were [Page 69]friends to Christ and his Diseiples, and yet they are the greatest Agitators of the reproach and sufferings that is brought upon such as walk in that way which Christ and his Apostles have left by precept and example. And so much for the Tenth and last Character.

Now having briefly shewed you the Characters of the False Ministers, I shall come now to shew you the Cha­racters of the True, the which hath so great a difference from the False, that they that run may discern it; and so briefly to the first.

The first Character of the true Mi­nisters is as followeth. They are not only sent by Jesus Christ to preach, but also Gifted by him, whereby they are inabled to preach at all times instant, in season, and out of season; they do not want a great Library of Books, nei­ther do they want a weeks time to preach a Sermon, neither do they preach other mens Works, and so re­ceive not their Ministery of man, or from man, as the Apostle Paul saith, Gal. 1.1. but receive it as a free Gift, as you may see, Ephes. 3.8. And so much in brief to the first.

2. The Second Character whereby they are known, is, As they are Gifted by him, so they preach his words only, going forth with the words of his Com­mission, preaching Repentance and Faith, and having thereby made Di­sciples they Baptize them, according to the command of Christ, Mat. 28.19. Go teach all Nations, and Baptize them; shewing clearly, that persons must be taught before they are Bapti­zed; it is also pertinent, Mark 16.15, 16. compared with Acts 2.37, 38, 39. Chap. 8.12. vers. 37 with many other Scriptures, which will not only prove it to be a precept of Christ, but also the practise of the Ministers of Christ in the Primitive times; and so in our time; so they Constitute Chur­ches (if it may be so called) not by Generation, but by Regeneration, my meaning is this, That they do not make Church-Members by successi­on (as Beleevers Seed) but by faith, and profession, which doth intitle Per­sons to be Abrahams Seed, and Heirs according to promise. And so much briefly to the second Character.

3. The Third Character whereby they [Page 71]are known, is, As they go forth with his words and Commission, so they are contented with what Wages hee gives them; they take not up the Ministery for filthy Lucres sake, but are willing to suffer hunger and cold, and many such like things, if they are called, thereunto; they do not ask the People to whom they preach, what they will give them, but are willing to labour with their hands to supply their wants; this you may see was the carriage of the Apo­stle Paul, who was a Minister of Christ, and a pattern of good works to the Ministers that should succeed him, as you may see, Acts 20.33. I have coveted no mans Silver, or Gold, or Apparrel, yee your selves know, that these hands of mine have communicated unto my wants, and to them that are with me; so it is with the true Gospel Ministers in our time, they are willing to lay them­selves out to preach the Gospel fre­quently in several places, and yet not­withstanding, are as willing to let their hands communicate to their wants, and to their Family, to the end they may make the Gospel of Christ without [Page 72]charge, and also not to lay a stumb­ling-blocke in the way, to cause them that are weak to fall; and in a word, they seek not the Fleece, but the Flock, as the Apostle Paul saith, not yours but you. And so much to the third Character.

4. The Fourth Character whereby you may know the true Ministers of the Gospel, is, They are men of the lowest rank, and of the weakest capacity, or prudency in Natural things, whereby the Children of this World are wiser in their Generation than they; therefore if you will know the true Ministers of the Gospel, or finde them our, you must not go amongst the wise Rabbies of the times, but you must look a­mongst the weak, despised, rejected people, for in their weakness Christ hath promised to manifest his strength, and hath also said, He will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and destroy the wisdom of the prudent; you shall see these Scriptures in the room of many, first by Prophesie, secondly fulfilled, Psal. 82. in these words, Out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength, Isa. 28.7. [Page 73]Mat. 11.25. there Christ gives thanks, that God had begun to make good his Promises, saying, I thank thee O Lord, Father of Heaven and Earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast re­vealed them unto babes; therefore the Apostle saith in 1 Corinth. 1.20. Where is the wise? where is the Scribe? where is the disputer of this World? Compared with Verse 26. which saith, For you know, your calling Brethren, that not many wise men after the flesh, nor many mighty, nor many no­ble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to con­found the wise, that no flesh should glory in his presence, vers. 29. &c. ac­cording as it is written, that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord. As if he should have said, That forasmuch as Persons are ready to set up the Crea­ture, and look so little at the Creator, I will now give Strength, and Wis­dom, and Gifts to men of the least account, (as in reference to Human Part) that Persons may not attribute praise to the Creature, as to his Wis­dom, or Learning, or such like things, [Page 74]but may attribute praise only to me the Creator, for the less fleshly parts, or Human Wisdom is seen in the Crea­ture, the more the gifts of Gods Spirit is magnified. And so much of the Fourth Character.

The Fifth Character, 5. You shall know them by their being rejected of the Wise and Learned men of the Times, whereby they bee often in Tumults; nay you shall know them by their re­joycing in those things which others count shame, as you shall find by the carriage of the true Ministers of old, Acts 5.40, 41. When they had called the Apostles, and beaten them, they commanded them that they should preach no more in the Name of Jesus, and they departed from the presence of the Council, rejoycing, that they were counted worthy to suf­fer shame for his name, also in 2 Cor. 6.4. You may see there how persons prove themselves to be Ministers of Christ, in these words, But in all things appro­ving our selves the Ministers of God, in much patience and afflictions, ne­cessity and distress, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours. [Page 75]So the Apostle, though he were in fa­vour with the chief Priest when hee went to Damascus, yet no sooner did he turn to be a Preacher of Christ in simplicity, and forsook the old Jewish form, but he was fain to escape out of their hands in a Basket out of a Win­dow, being afterwards taken, was smote by the High Priest (who once owned him) So it is with the Ministers of our time, no sooner do they forsake the Ceremonies of the Nation, but presently they become a prey (especi­ally of the Priesthood of the Nation) so that he that runneth may read the true Minister from the false. And so much to the Fifth Character.

The Sixth Character, 6. is, They are always counted Broachers of new Do­ctrine, Hereticks, and turners of the World upside down, their Doctrin called Heresie, and they Ring-leaders of the Sectaries; so it was in the Pri­mitive age, and so it is now; that it is so now the continual out-cries of the Priesthood of the Nation against the Ministers of Christ doubtless sounds forth, or otherwise I shall willingly be corrected by the Christian Reader; and [Page 76]that it was so in the Primitive time, I shall prove clearly, as from two or three instances of Scripture, in the room of many more, Acts 24.5. which saith, We have found this man a pestilent fellow, a mover of sediti­ons amongst all the Jews throughout the World, and a Ring-leader of the Sects of the Nazarens, this was spo­ken by Paul, Acts 17.6. the last clause, in these words, Those that have turned the world upside down are come hither also, Acts 28.22. Con­cerning this Sect we know, That it is every where spoken against, Chapter 22.22. Then they lift up their voices and said, Away with such a fellow, it is not fit that he should live, chap. 25.24. And Festus said, King A­grippa, and all men that are here pre­sent with us, yee see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me about at Jerusa­lem, and also here, crying, that hee ought not to live any longer.

So that you may see plainly, that as the Ministers of the Gospel then were looked upon as pestilent Fellows, and the Ring-leaders of the Sectaries in that [Page 77]time, by the wise learned Jews; so are the Ministers of the Gospel looked upon in our days, by the blinde formal people of this Nation. And so much to the Sixth Character.

The Seventh Character of the true Ministers, 7. is, they are not ashamed of the meanest ways or Ordinances of Christ, though they are contemptible to the Wise men of our times, Rom. 1.16. 2 Tim. 2.11. the Gospel Ministers do not pick out those for such Doctrines as please the fancies of men, as the A­postle saith, If I yet please men I am not the Servant of Christ. They preach the Gospel in the plain mean way of it, for the which they suffer reproach, nevertheless they are not a­shamed, for they know whom they have beleeved, even their Lord and Ma­ster who went before them, leaving them an example, Who turned not a­way his face from shame and spitting, Isa. 50 4, 5, 6. Heb. 12.2, 3. Phil. 2.6. 2 Cor. 8.9. So that you may know the Ministers of the Truth by their boldness for the Truth, being not ashamed to preach Christ in his low despised ways, at all places, where the [Page 78]Lord sets a door open unto them. And so much for the Seventh Character.

8. The Eighth Character whereby you may know a true Minister, is, They ne­ver call for a Magistrate, or Temporal Lord, to incounter with their Enemies, (or more properly Christs Enemies) Christ hath prohibited them, teaching them another Lesson, That he that taketh the Sword shall perish by the Sword; so that the Weapons of their Warfare are not Carnal, but Spiritual; so that when they meet with Truths Ene­mies they take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and that is the Weapon by the which they put the enemies to the worst, and by that Sword at the last Christs enemies shall be de­stroyed, Revel. 2.16. Chap. 19.15. and this is the Magistrates Sword, or Champion that the Ministers of the Gospel (in case of opposition) fly to. And so much for the Eighth Cha­racter.

9. The Ninth Character whereby you may know a true Minister, is, They are not Lords over Gods heritage, that is to say, they will not Lord it over their fellow Brethren, neither do they desire [Page 79]the preheminence over the inferiorest Member in the Church; they are in­deed the Churches Servants, and not their Lords, they can bee content to suffer want, when happily the Church, or some of them, are fed to the full; they can be contented to bee abased when the Church doth abound, they make not a prey of their Flocks, they labour not to be rich; nay they can cease from their own wisdom, they can willingly be counted fools for Christs sake, they seek not the goods of the Church, but their good; not yours but you, as the Apostle saith, 2 Cor. 12.14. Much more might be said as con­cerning the Self-denial of the true Mi­nisters of the Gospel, but I shall pass to the Tenth and last Character.

The Tenth Character of a true Mi­nister is as followeth; 10. They may bee known by the hardship that will follow them, by reviling, by scoffing, by buffe­tings, by tumults, they shall be a by­word in the mouth both of men, wo­men, and children; for Signs and Won­ders in the Nation where they live, as it hath been prophesied of them, Isa. 8.18. I and the Children that thou [Page 80] hast given me, are for Signs and Won­ders. The Phrases of Carnalmen are as followeth; What, such a Fellow a Mi­nister? a Cobler, Tailor, or Tincker, and such like Mechanicks, are they fit for Ministers? Where had such Fel­lows their Learning? Are they not blind leaders of the blind, say the wise Carna­lists of our time? and by such like terms they set the World in an uproar a­gainst them; Was it not so with Christ, and the true Ministers in the Primitive time? Did not the wise Jews, and Scribes, and Pharisaical Priests deride Christ, and call him the Carpenter, and Carpenters Son, and wondered from whence he had his Doctrins? Did not the Wise learned men of the Jews call his Disciples ignorant and unlear­ned men, which knew not the Law, and were accursed, and yet notwith­standing Christ did chuse Mechanicks, as Fisher-men, and the like, and did reject the wise and learned, and yet that was a hard thing to be received in those days, and so it is in ours; and you may see that Christ was a poor Christ in Carnal mens account; His face was more marred than the [Page 81] Sons of men, he had no form nor com­linesse, when any lookt upon him, that they should desire him, Isa. 53.1, 2, 3, 4. so are his Ordinances and his ways mean, that if men look upon them with a Natural eye, there is no form or comliness; and so it is with the Mini­sters of the Gospel, as I have shewed you; hee calleth not the rich but the poor, not the wise but babes, not the learned but the ignorant, that hee may make such to know Doctrin; that the wise men may stumble, and fall, and bee taken, but as it is written, He that glo­rieth let him glory in the Lord; and so much briefly to discover the false Mini­stery, and the true; so that hee that will view this with an impartial eye, or single heart, may clearly discern who are the true Ministers, and who are the false, to that end they may not be mis­led, but may be followers of the Lamb wheresoever he goeth, that thereby they may have him to be their refuge when all falshood shall be discovered, and the refuge of lies swept away.

Sions Redemption Discovered.
The last and general return of the Jews out of their Captivity, and of the building of the City and Temple.

THe Lord hath promised that the Jews shall return and injoy their own Land, and build and repair the former Desolations, of which the Scriptures are full: For thus saith the Lord, behold, I will bring again the Captivity of Ja­cobs Tents, and will have mercy on their dwelling places, and the City shall be built upon her own heap, and the place shall remain after the manner [Page 90]thereof, That the Cities of Judah shal be built as in the former days. Jerem. 30.18. Moreover, that you may see that this is a Pro­phecy of the last and general return of the Jews, the Lord doth declare that he wil not only bring those that were carried in the Northern parts, being subdued by the Roman, or Persian, or Turk, but speaks also of all coasts of the Earth, meaning also all those that were carried away by Salmanaser out of Samaria, so that there might bee one sheep-fold together upon the Mountains of Israel: Behold, A Prophe­cie of the return of the Ten Tribes, that there may bee one sheep­fold on the Mountains of Israel. I will bring them from the North Countries, and from the coast of the earth, for God will save Sion, and build the Cities of Judah, that they may dwell there, and have it in posses­sion; the seed also of his Servants shall inherit it, and they that love his name shall dwell therein; the Towns and Cities of Judah, and Jerusalem shall be re-edified, and shall bee no more de­stroyed by the hands of men, Ezek. 36, 10 11. Jerem. 31.40. compare verse 8.9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 17, 18. 1 Chron. 17 9. Amos 9.11, 12, 13, 14, 15. So that hence we may see here is a glorious time for the Jews to injoy at the appointed time, at the [Page 91]accomplishment of these Prophecies; then shall that saying bee made good, Ten men shall lay hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, and say, we will go with thee, for we have heard that God is with you, Zech. 8.22. Then the ha­tred of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversary of Judah be cut off, Ephraim shall not envie Judah, neither shall Ju­dah vex Ephraim, Isa. 11.13. Arise and shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee; Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall bee seen upon thee, the Gentiles shall come unto thy light, and the King to the brightness of thy ri­sing; Lift up thine eyes round about, and see, all they gather themselves to­gether, they shall come to thee, thy Sons shall come from farre, and thy Daughters shall bee nourished at thy side, then shalt thou see, and flow to­gether, and thine heart shall fear, and be inlarged, because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shal come unto thee, the multitude of Camels shal cover thee, the Dromidaries, or Middian, [Page 92]and Epha, Meaning that their Children and riches shall bee brought back from the Land of their e­nemies as aforetime. all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring Gold, and In­cense, and they shall shew forth the praise of the Lord; and the Sons of them that afflicted thee shall come and bow unto thee, and all that despise thee shall fall down at thy feet, and they shall call thee the City of the Lord, the Sion of the Holy one of Israel; whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed by thee, I will make thee an eternal glory and joy from Generation to Generation, Isa. 60.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Compare vers. 14, 15. cha 66.20, 21, 22. Jerem. 31.24. verse 31, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40. 2 Sam. 7.10. Ezek. 37.20, 21, 22. Zeph. 3.13. compare 19, 20. Zech. 14.11. Ezek. 36.10, 11. from these Scrip­tures it is very clear, That at the last and general return of the Jews, their Cities shall be built, and although they may meet with some difficulties after the building thereof (as I shall shew you) yet in the time of their return and buil­ding they shall have great assistance from God, as is clear from the current of Scripture. Moreover, although the Man of Sin shall trouble them after their re­turn, [Page 93]yet it shall not be as afore-time, but they shall bee nourished by God from the fierce wrath of the Dragon, and they shall be a Crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal Dia­dem in the hand of their God, Isa. 62.3. And they shall call them the Holy Peo­ple, the redeemed of the Lord, and thou shalt be called Sought out, a City not forsaken, vers. 12. So having shew­ed you by these Scriptures that the Jews shall return and build their City upon her own heap, I shall now also shew you that there shall be a Temple built at the last and general return of the Jews, from these three Reasons as fol­loweth.

The First is from the Vision that the Lord shewed Ezekiel in the time of Israels Captivity, 1 Three Reasons why the Temple shall be built a­gain. for it is usual with the Lord to follow his people with Mer­cy, so that in the valley of Achor there may bee a door of hope; so the Lord dealt with John, when he was driven in­to the Isle of Pathmos. But to pass to Ezekiels Vision, Wee may take notice that in the fortieth of Ezekiel, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Verses, that the Lord brought E­zekiel in a Vision into the Land of [Page 94] Israel, and setting him upon an high Mount shewed him the frame of a Ci­ty, in the which City also he saw a man whose countenance was like Brasse, and hee had also a measuring reed in his hand. Moreover, that this was a Pro­phecy of the last and general return, see chap. 37.38. and that also without con­troversie, Ezekiel did see a Temple built as well as a City, as you may see proved already from Chap. 41.1. and vers. 4. from which we may see clearly there was a Temple, and so as I said be­fore, so I say now, read and consider well the three precedent Chapters, and you shall see that it was the last and general return out of Captivity that there was Prophesied of; from the same account it is clear, That there is to be a Temple as well as a City.

Obj. If it be objected and said, That there were Priests and Sacrifices mentio­ned in that Prophecie, to that I answer, and say, It is true, but after the Jews return out of their Captivity, they shall wait for their Messiah in their Sacrifices, untill such time as the Man of Sin shall spoyl them, and take it away, and place up abomination in the room, for I [Page 95]cannot finde from Scripture that the Jews shall be converted by a Gospel­preaching, although I know the two Witnesses shall prophecy one thousand two hundred and sixty days. Now that these two Witnesses shal preach Gospel-Ordinances, or a Crucified Christ, Re­pentance, and faith to the Jews, in such a manner and way as he was, The Jews shall not be converted by a Gos­pel prea­ching. or is preached to the Gentiles, that I much question, for as much as I see not the Scripture making good such a thing, but in many places doth crosse such an Opi­nion as to my understanding, for the Lord Christ said, They should see him no more till they said, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; as for the Gospel they are enemies for your sake, but as touching Election they are beloved for the Fathers sake, for the Gifts and Callings of God are with­out repentance; So that when they see the Lord come in the Clouds, even the great King that they lookt for, then they shall know that it was he that they and their Fathers have rejected, as well as Peter knew Moses and Elias, which he never saw before; so that at that time the Spirit of Prayer and Sup­plication [Page 96]shall be poured out, and they shall mourn. So when the Redeemer cometh to Sion, at that time shall trans­gression be turned from Iacob, Matth. 23.39. Rom. 11.25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33. verses, Isa. 27, 6. com­pare vers. 9. chap. 25.7, 8, 9. Zech. 12.10. Moreover if it should be deman­ded of me, What shall be the work of the two Witnesses? I answer, That their work will bee to esta­blish the Iews against the slights of the Man of Sin, that shall affirm him­self to be the Christ, and disswade the Iews from beleeving in him, reviving those old Prophecies which have been in obscurity by reason of the mis-under­standing of the people to whom they were made, The work of the Witnesses to prove the Man of Sin to be the An­tichrist, and not the Mes­siah that they look for. for doubtlesse the Iews at this time do earnestly expect their King, and should they not have some to in­struct them, and to expound the Pro­phecies, or Prophesie of them, It is very like they might do ill enough, espe­cially because of that great appearance of the Man of Sin, what by his great Ar­mies, and the false Signs that shall bee wrought by his false Prophets, that shall cause Fire to come down from Heaven [Page 97]in the sight of men, to deceive them that dwell upon the earth, so that their work will not be to preach Ordinances, but to prove that the great person that then shall be exalted amongst them, is not the Christ that they look for, but the Anti­christ, or the vile Person, or the first Gog, or the Man of Sin, though he have se­veral Names, yet is he but one Person, which was fore-told by Enoch the se­venth from Adam, and also by Eze­kiel and Daniel, Esay and Joel, and al­so by Peter and John, which was to stand up in the last days, and also fall upon the Mountains of Israel; and so I shall passe both from the Answer to the Objection, and the first Reason, and come to a Second, to shew you why there is to be a Temple built, as well as a City.

A second Reason is, because Iohn in his Revelation saw a Temple, and was to measure it, Revel. 11.1, 2, 3. in these words, And there was given to me a Reed like unto a Red, and the Angel that stood by said, Arise, and go measure the Tem­ple of God, and the Altar, and those that worship therein, but the Court which is without the Temple leave out, [Page 98]and measure it not, for it is given into the hands of the Gentiles, and the Ho­ly City shall be trod under foot forty two Months. Hence you may also see there was a Temple, which Temple Iohn was to measure; now, that this was a Prophecie of the last times, is clear from verse 18. and as the text reads it, the Court without leave out and measure not; the antient Translations read it, the inner Court, or the Court within the Temple, leave out, and measure it not, for it is given into the hands of the Gen­tiles, and the Holy City shall they tread under foot forty and two Months, the which if so, it may appear to us clearly, That before the Iews have finished their inward Court, which is the Holiest of Holiest, the Man of Sin will take it out of their hands, and spoyl them of the injoyment of it, for the term of forty two Months, which is three years and a half, upon the account of thirty days to a Month, the which time and times, and half a time, the travelling Woman will be drove into the Wilderness, and the remnant of her seed persecuted, and this vile Person shall then set up his Image, which shall by the power of the Devil, [Page 99] speak, and cause as many as will not worship the Image of the Beast to bee killed, Revel. 13.13, 14, 15. chap. 16.14. but some have expounded this place thus, and have said, The outward Court is the Ordinances that were not to be measured, that is to say, not to be accounted of, so as to be practised, and the Holy City was the Church which was to be trod under foot; to which Exposition, I say, That I never could finde God in Scripture comparing the Gospel-Ordinances to an outward Court, it is well if they can finde it who do affirm it; neither do I find in the New Testament where the Gospel-Church is compared to a Holy City; Christ hath compared it to a City, but the word Holy is not used in that place; but doubtless this Holy City spoken of here, Revel. 11. is meant Jerusalem, which in Scripture is frequently called a Holy City, as you may see if you peruse these Scriptures following, Psal. 24.3. Isa. 27.13. Chap. 48.2. Dan. 9.24. Joel 2.1. Chap. 3.17. Obadiah 6. Zephany 3.11. Mat. 4.5. Chap. 27.53. So that it will appear, that the Tem­ple spoken of in Revel. 11.1. was the [Page 100]Temple of that beloved City, or Holy City Jerusalem, which is also as clear that it was a Prophecie of the last times, if we compare Ezekiel with it; so that both Ezekiel and John in their Dis­coveries of the Prophecie of the last times, do shew, that there was a Temple as well as a City; and so I shall pass to the third and last Reason.

The Third Reason why there is to be a Temple at the last and general return of the Iews, is from the words of the Apostle Paul unto the Thessalonians, where the Apostle saith, That the Man of Sin shall sit in the Temple of God, which Temple is the glorious holy Mountain before mentioned, even the Temple Jerusalem, as Dan. 11.45. and that this Temple, and the Man of Sin, is to be in the laft Age, is clear, for the Man of Sin is to be destroyed, saith the Apostle, by the brightness of his coming, 2 Thess. 2.8. Dan. 7.9, 10, 11, 12. until the which time of Christs coming he shall assume to make the Temple the Throne of his Glory; and so these are the three Reasons in brief why there shall bee a Temple built as well as a City; First, because the Lord [Page 101]shewed Ezekiel a Temple after the Vi­sion of the dry Bones, which was the last return of the Captives.

Secondly, He shewed John one, and appointed him to measure it in his Visi­on. And,

Thirdly, By the revelation of the Holy Spirit saith, the Man of Sin shall make his Seat there, and hold it till Christ comes. Moreover, the Prophet Malachy saith, That the Lord that was looked for shall suddenly come into his Temple. And so much briefly, to prove that the Jews shall return again to build their City and Temple.

The manner of the Rise of the Man of Sin, called the Vile Penson, or the Antichrist, proved not to be the Romish Babylon.

Secondly, The manner of the arising of the Man of Sin, hee shall arise out of the Fourth and last Monarchy, the which Fourth Monarchy shall consist of seven Heads, that is, the whole Mo­narchy shall bee ruled by seven unani­mously, by Royal authority, but in this [Page 102]unanimous agreement, or seventh Head, shall continue but a little space, but one of the Seven shall make himself the Eighth, and yet of the Seventh, and shall go into perdition; and this is that which was set forth in that Image that Daniel saw, Dan. 2. but more plainly laid down in the lowest part of the I­mage, as in the Feet and Toes, ver. 41.42, 43. and in the midst of those Kings (that is) while those Kings are a stri­ving for their Dignity, the God of Hea­ven will set up a Kingdom, The man­ner of the Man of Sins ari­sing. which shall break and destroy that great King Gog, which shall be the Eighth and last. Moreover, this vile Person, or Man of Sins rise, is with all deceiveableness, and unrighteousness, fair words, and feigned speeches, deceiving the hearts of the simple; and before hee cometh to bee this Eighth and last King, he is but a Lit­tle Horn, full of eyes, Dan. 7.7, 8. pro­fessing Knowledge and Light in the My­stery of God, and yet at last he hath a mouth given him to speak great words against the God of Heaven. The very manner of his arising doth declare him to be a great Person at the last, for at his first arising three of the Ten Horns were [Page 103]plucked up by the root, that is, three Kingdoms do fall before him, or are re­signed up into his hands, and so grow­eth great, and by that means he cometh to be one of the Seven that shall rule the whole Monarchy, and shall not be con­tented with that, as I have shewed you, but by his power shall take away the o­ther Six parts, and so changing the Go­vernment from the hands of seven into one, he is called the Eighth, and of the Seventh, and so shall remain till the Son of Righteousness shall dismiss his Reign, by casting him off into the Lake of fire, Dan. 7.8. compare verse 24. ch. 8.25. Revel. 17.11. He shall succeed in time the raiser of Taxes, but they shall not give him the power or honour of the Kingdom, but by flattery shall he obtain it, not by a joynt consent of the people of the Province, but shall re­ceive his Power and Authority by a smal number of people. And when hee hath entred into the fattest place of the Pro­vince he shall break League, Covenant, and Protestation, and work deceitfully; yet to carry on his design hee shall do that which his Father hath not done, nor his Fathers Father; for by stirring [Page 104]up of his courage and valour, hee shall take much riches out of the Southern Country, and to get the affections of those people of the Province where hee liveth, he will scatter the Prey amongst them, to the end that his Army may grow great, that thereby he may take strong Holds, and senced Cities; and this is the very way whereby hee shall grow great, and be helped forward, and ex­alted into the Throne, even in the holy Mountain, Dan. 11.24, 25. ver. 43.45. and so by his Victories hee shall grow great, and exalt himself, and at last exalt himself above God, and shall ho­nour the god of Forces, that is, look upon the power of his Army, to be the great Power, that is to say, by his own strength he hath obtained that which hee doth injoy, and so shall puff out great swelling words of vanity against the God of gods, acknowledging no other God but himself, and shall place his Throne above the Stars of Heaven; for the proof of it, see these Scriptures as followeth, Isa. 14.12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Dan. 11.36, 37, 38, 39. 2 Thess. 2.4. Revel. 17.11. compare fourteen, Also to carry on his design, hee [Page 105]shall have a false Prophet that shall work great Signs and Wonders to de­ceive those that have not narrowly looked into the Scriptures, and are not wel groun­ded therein, for it is the great Hour of temptation to try all them that dwell up­on the face of the earth, Revel. 3.10, 11. Great Pharaoh was a lively Type of this last and great Enemy of Israel, for we may finde that hee had many Magicians which did many lying Signs and Won­ders to harden the hearts of his People, Exod. 7.11, 12. So hath the Man of Sin a false Prophet, as I have shewed you before, and also in his Province many that can work by Magick Art, which love to be in Kings Courts, as Pha­raohs Magicians did; and that there shall be lying Signs or Wonders in that time, see these few Scriptures in the room of more, Dan. 8.25. Mat. 24.24. Revel. 13.14, 15, 16. Chap. 16.14. So by these signs and lying Wonders he shall make the World beleeve that he is the Christ, until both hee and his false Prophets shall be taken alive, and cast into the Lake that burneth with fire and brimston.

If it should bee Objected and said, [Page 106]That this is meant of the Romish Baby­lon, I shall give you three Reasons by the which you may see that the Man of Sin, or the last Antichrist before men­tioned, is not the Romish Babylon.

First is, The Man of Sin pro­ved not to be the Romish Babylon; by Rea­sons fol­lowfng. because in Scripture the Lord gives the Romish Babylon the name of a Woman, but in all places of Scrip­ture he calleth the last and great Anti­christ by the name of a Man; and I will prove these two in order, the which will make good the first Reason. Come down and sit in the dust, O Virgin daughter of Babylon, thy nakedness shall be uncovered, thy shame shall be seen, I will take vengeance, and will not meet thee as a man, Isa. 47.1, 2, 3. See more vers. 9. Jer. 51.8. Prov. 2.16, 17, 18. Chap. 3.4, 5. See more, Revel. 17.4. And the Woman was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet, upon her fore-head was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mo­ther of Harlots, and abominations of the earth, vers. 5. And I saw the Wo­man drunken with the bloud of the Saints, and Martyrs of Jesus, vers. 6. See more, Chap. 18.3, 4. Isa. 51.18, 19. And the next thing to prove is, That [Page 107]the Antichrist is called by the name of Man, as you may see, Isa. 14.12. com­pare 16. How art thou fallen from Heaven, thou Lucifer, Son of the Morning? how art thou cut down to the ground, thou that didst weaken Kingdoms? They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is not this the man that made the Earth to tremble, that did shake Kingdoms? And so as the Scrip­tures did fore-see that he would assume to himself such a Power, was pleased to stile him by the name Man, as you may see in the Scriptures following, Ezek. 38.17. Dan. 11.24. 2 Thes. 2.3. From these Scriptures you may see, that the last Beast, which is the Antichrist, is called by the name Man, and that the Romish Babylon is called by the name Woman. And so I pass to the second Reason.

Secondly, The great and last Anti­christ, or the Man of Sin, cannot be ta­ken for the Romish Babylon, because the Romish Babylon did, and doth ac­knowledge God, and his Son Christ, al­though they worship him in a false man­ner; but the great and last Antichrist [Page 108]acknowledgeth no God, neither will he Worship any, but exalt himself above every god & acknowledgeth no God but himself, who shall bee then the God of Forces, and as the Prophet Daniel saith of him, The King shall do what hee list, hee shall exalt himself against all that is God, and shall speak marvel­lous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath be ac­complished, for the determination is made, Dan. 11.36, 37. 2 Thes. 2.4. Dan. 7.8. Jude 5. From hence you may see, that this last and great Antichrist shall advance himself above every god, not acknowledging the God of Heaven; but the Romish Babylon as aforesaid, doth acknowledge a God, and Worship him, though in a false manner. And so much briefly to the second Reason.

The Third and last Reason why the great and last Antichrist may not be took for the Romish Babylon, is, because the Romish Babylon shall be destroyed by the ten Horns of the last Beast, that is to say, by Ten Kings that have supported her; or in a word thus, That the Ro­mish Babylon shall be destroyed before the appearance of Jesus Christ, but the [Page 109]great and last Antichrist shall not be de­stroyed until the Lord Jesus come and destroy him upon the Mountains of Is­rael, as I shall shew you in his time, and place. And now to prove that the Romish Babylon shall be destroyed be­fore the coming of Christ, you shall see it out of Revel. 17.16. And the Ten Horns that thou sawest upon the Beast, shall hate the Whore, and make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, for God hath put it into their hearts to fulfil his will, and agree, and give their Kingdom unto the Beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled, vers. 17. And the Woman that thou sawest is that great City that reigneth over the Kings of the earth. And you may also see more from Revel. 18.9. and more might be added, but this to prove brief­ly, That the Romish Babylon shall bee destroyed before the coming of Christ, by the Ten Horns that support the Beast, for which cause the Romish Merchants, (viz.) her Clergy, and the Kings of the Earth, shall weep for her, and lust after her, although the Beast shall over­power them, and make them destroy [Page 101]her; but the Heavens shall rejoyce over her, and the Holy Apostles (that is the Churches then in being, and the Gospel-Messengers) shewing clearly, That the Romish Babylon shall be destroyed be­fore the appearance of Christ, Reve­lations 18.19, 20.

The next thing to prove is, That the Man of Sin, or that great and last Anti­christ, is to remain until the coming of Christ; so saith the Apostle, That the Lord shall destroy him with the bright­ness of his coming. And so saith Dan. 7.9, 10, 11. Chap. 11.41. compare Chap. 12.1, 2. Revel. 19.19, 20. so from these Scriptures you may see plain­ly, That the Man of Sin shall remain till the very time that Christ shall take his great Power and Reign; so that neither of these Opinions can bee true, that saith, That the Romish Babylon is the Antichrist, or that saith, That the last and great Antichrist is risen, and al­ready past. So thus I have proved the last Antichrist not to be Babylon. A word or two to prove him to bee called the King of Babylon, or the King of Assy­ria, and that you may see, the Prophet Esay hath the title of both in the four­teenth [Page 111]Chapter, and verse fourth, in these words, Thou shalt take up this Pro­verb against the King of Babylon, and say, How hath the Oppressor ceased? how hath the golden City ceased? the Lord hath broken the staffe of the wicked, and the scepter of the Ruler, vers. 5. He who smote the people with a continual stroak, he that ruled the Nations in anger, is per secuted, and none hindereth, vers. 6. So here we see he is called the King of Babylon; and in verse 24, 25, 26. in these words, The Lord of Host hath sworn saying, Sure­ly as I have thought so shall it come to passe, and as I have purposed it shall stand, that I wil break the Assyrian in my Land, and upon my Mountains tread him under foot, then shall his yoke depart from them, and his bur­den depart from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed up­on the whole Earth. Hence you may see, that he is also called the Assyrian, and that you may see it is meant the last An­tichrist before spoken of, from the four­teenth Verse of the same Chapter, and fifteenth. And see more, vers. 32. in these words, What shall one then answer [Page 112]the Messengers of the Nations, for the Lord hath founded Sion, and the poor of the people shall trust in it. And that foundation in Sion, or Sion so founded, so as it may bee an object for the people to trust in, which will not bee until the Lord Jesus is laid as a foundati­on, or set as a King upon the Holy Hill of Sion; and then the poor of the peo­ple shall trust in him, and lye down un­der the shadow of his wings in peace, and none make them afraid; and somuch brief­ly as to the discovery of the manner of the rise of the Man of Sin, and also for the proving of him not to be the Romish Babylon, and so pass briefly to the Third, which is the discovery of the taking of the City and Temple from the Jews for a small time.

The spoyling of the Jews for a swall time, and the taking of their City and Temple.

Now when the Jews are returned in­to their own Land, and have brought their substance with them, and having no King amongst them, the Man of Sin shall have this evil thought come into [Page 113]his minde for to take from them their substance, and to make Jerusalem the throne of his glory, professing himself to be the King they wait for, but through their knowledge they will not beleeve him to be their King, for the which cause he shall spoyl them, and take away by force their City, setting up his Seat in the glorious holy Mount. I shall give you some lively Prophecies that shall make good this Particular, as brief as may be, In that day, saith the Lord, I will assemble her that halteth, and her that was driven out, and her that was afflicted, now why dost thou cry out aloud, is there no Knig in thee? Is thy Counsellour perished? for pains have taken thee, as a woman in travel. Be in pain and labour to bring forth, O Daughter of Sion, like a Woman in travel, for now thou shalt go forth out of the City and dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon, there shalt thou be delivered, there shall the Lord deliver thee from the hands of the ene­mies; now therefore are many Nations gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eyes look unto Sion, but they know not the [Page 114]thoughts of the Lord, neither under­stand they his counsel, for he shall ga­ther them as sheaves into the floor; arise and thresh O daughter of Sion, for I will make thy Horn Iron, and thy hoofes Brass, and thou shalt beat in peeces many people, and I will conse­crate thy gain unto the Lord, and thy substance unto the Lord of the whole earth, Micha 4.6, 7. compare verses 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. You may see also from Ezekiel 38.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. in these words, Be thou prepared, and prepare for thy self, thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, be thou a guard unto them, after many days thou shalt be visited, in the lat­ter years thou shalt come into the Land, that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out from many people against the Mountains of Israel, which have been always wast, but it is brought forth out of the Nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them, thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a Cloud to cover the Land, thou and all thy bands, and many people with thee; thus saith the Lord, It shall come to passe, that at the [Page 115]same time shall things come into thy minde, and thou shalt think an evil thought, and thou shalt say, I will go up into the Land of unwalled Villages, I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling with­out wals, having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoyl, to take a prey, to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the Na­tions, which have gotten Cattel, and Gods, and that dwell in the midst of the Land.

Hence we may see, that after Israels last and general return, and their bring­ing their riches with them, as they once did out of the Land of Aegypt, that this Gog, which is the great and last Anti­christ, as you may see, for he saith it is in the latter days, even in the very last before the coming of Christ, as you may see, Ezek. 38.16, 17, 18, 19, 20. And that he shall take the prey, and spoyl Israel for a small time, even until Christ deliver them, is clear from the Prophet Zecharies words, Zech. 14.1, 2, 3, 4. Behold the day of the Lord cemeth, and thy spoyl shall be divided [Page 116]in the midst of thee, and I will gather all Nations against Jerusalem to bat­tel, and the Cities shall be taken, and the Houses rifled, and the Women ra­vished, and half of the City shall goe into Captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the Ci­ty, then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those Nations, as when he fought in the day of Battel, and his feet in that day shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, which is over against Ierusalem; From these Prophecies you may see that the Man, that great and last Antichrist shall spoyl the Iews for a small time, and take from them their City, and place his Tabernacle in the glorious holy Mountain, Dan. 11.45. which the Apostle Paul saith shall bee the Temple, for that will be the place of his Seat or Tabernacle, 2 Thess. 2.4. Much more might be said to this Parti­cular, but I hasten to the Fourth Parti­cular, in the which I shall discover the manner of the rising of the Sun of Righ­teousness, and the gathering together of his Army; and shall also prove that he is a man, and so hee shall come and reign. But to passe that, and to the [Page 117]thing in hand, which is the manner of his arising, and the gathering of his Army.

The manner of the Sun of Righteous­ness arising, and the gathering together of his Army.

When the full appointed time of the Father shall approach, and the measure of Sin is full, or Iniquity at the height, (as now it is getting up a great pace, by reason of a generation of ungodly men, that deny that there is any God or Devil, and so take liberty to prophane­ness) then the Lord shall send his Son, even the anoynted man (or the Man Christ Jesus) for so he may be proper­ly called, for as man he did rise from the Dead, and as man he did eat and drink with his Disciples; as man hee ascended, and sate at the right hand of the Father, and as man shall descend and Judge the World, and reign; and as man he shall deliver up the Mediator­ship unto the Father, and be in subje­ction to the Father, when he hath so deli­vered it up, Luke 24.39 compare vers. 42, 43. Acts 3.20. Chap. 17.31. [Page 118]1 Cor. 15.24, 25, 26, 27, 28. from hence you may see if you wel perusethese Scriptures, that the Lord Jesus our King, as he was a man, and is, so hee shall reign as a Man, although the Man of men, as wee may so say, being the first born from the dead; for consider him as God, he cannot be sent, nor ap­pointed by any, neither be in subjection unto any, but being a man, in whom the God-head is compleated in, he is in a capacity to be sent by the Supream and Almighty Father; but now to the manner of his coming to redeem Israel, and re­store them into their Kingdom, when he is risen, from the right hand of the Father, he shall appear in the Clouds, and shall cause the Angel to sound the Trump, even the last and great Trump, at the which sound all the godly that are asleep in the dust shall forth-with arise, (and no more, for the rest of the Dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished, Rev 20.5,) and then all the li­ving (even such as are godly) shal forth­with be changed, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air; but the ungodly Dead shall lye in the dust, & the ungodly Quick shall remain upon earth, which [Page 119]makes good the words of our blessed Saviour, Two shall be in a bed, the one taken, and the other left; two in a field, the one taken, and the other left, Matth. 24.31. Compare verse 40, 41. 1 Thess. 4.14, 15, 16, 17. Rev. 1.7. chap. 20.5. So when Christ hath thus raised the dead Saints, and changed the living into a glorious immortal state, then shall they forth-with be caught up into the Clouds, and meet with the glorious Angels, and so shall become that glorious Army that John saw, Revel. 19.11. in these words, And I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white Horse, and he that sate upon him was called faithful and true, in Righte­ousness doth he judge, and make war, and the Armies which were in Hea­ven followed him upon white Horses, cloathed in fine Linnen, white and clean, verse 14. Thus shall hee ride in great glory triumphantly in the air, till he cometh over against the Mount of Olives, and there shall he descend with his glorious innumerable Army that fol­low him, and there shall he be the great King, or Prince Royal of the whole World, agreeing to the Prophecie of [Page 120]Scriptures that Prophecy concerning him, Behold, the Lord my God shall come, and all his Saints with him, and his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, Zech. 14.4, 5. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, with all his holy Angels, then shall he sit in the throne of his glory, Matth. 25.31. Also Enoch the seventh from Adam, prophecied saying, The Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints, Jude 14. and when the Iews shall see him come in this excellent glory, then shall that saying written concerning the Iews come to pass, Loe this is our God, we have waited for him, he will save us, this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we wilbe glad and rejoyce in his Salvation, Esa. 25.9. so that this wil be the voyce of them that remain in the City, and as for those that are Captivated by the Man of sin, they shal be redeemed out of the Land of their enemies by the Lord Jesus him­self; at that time shall that saying bee fulfilled that is written, The redeemed of the Lord shall come to Sion, with Songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, they shall obtain joy, and glad­ness, and sorrow and sighing shall fly [Page 121]away, Isa. 35.10. Chap. 51.11. So much briefly as touching the manner of the Son of Righteousness arising, and the gathering of his Army, and so pass to the Fifth Particular, which is the ingage­ment of the two Armies, namely, the Son of Righteousness, and the Man of Sin, with the total overthrow of the Man of Sin upon the Mountains of Is­rael, and the restoration of the Kingdom into Israels hands.

The great Warre upon the Mountains of Israel, and the destruction of the last Antichrist.

Now as to the ingagement of the two Armies, And I saw the Beast, and the Kings of the earth, and their Armies gathered together to make Warre a­gainst him that sate on the Horse, and against his Army, and the Beast was taken, and with him the false Prophet that wrought Miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his Image; these both were cast alive into a Lake of fire burning with brimston, Rev. 19.20, 21. From hence we may see, the Lord Jesus [Page 122]Christ comes full of fury and wrath, as the Prophet saith of him, Behold the name of the Lord cometh from far, his face is burning, and the burden thereof is heavie, his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire, his breath as an over-flowing stream shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the Nation with the five of vanity, and put a bridle in their jaws, causing them to erre, Isa. 30.27, 28. Again you see, Isa. 63.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Who is hee that cometh from Edom in dyed Gar­ments from Bozra, that is glorious in his apparrel, travelling in the great­ness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save; where­fore art thou red in thine apparrel, and thy garments like him that treadeth the Wine-press? I have trodden the Wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me; for I will tread them in mine anger, and tram­ple them in my fury, and their bloud shall stain all my raiment, for the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my Redeemed is come; I look­ed but there was none to help, and I wondered that there was none to up­hold, [Page 123]therefore my own arm brought Salvation, and my fury it upheld me; for he put on Righteousness as a Brest­plate, and as a Helmet of Salvation upon his head, and he put on the gar­ment of Vengeance for cloathing, and was clad with Zeal as a Cloke; accor­ding to their deeds, accordingly hee will repay fury to his Adversaries, re­compence to his Enemies, to the Islands he will repay recompence, for it is the year of the Lords vengeance, and the year of recompence for the controversie of Sion; I beheld till the Thrones were cast down, and the antient of days did sit, whose garment was white as Snow, and the hair of his head like unto pure Wool, his Throne was like the fiery flame, and his Wheels like burning fire; a fiery flame 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 Books were opened. I beheld then because of the noyse and great words which the Horn spake, I beheld even until the Beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning [Page 124]flame; let the Heathen be awaked and come down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to judge all the Hea­then round about; put you in the Sickle, for the Harvest is ripe, come get you down, for the Press is full, the fat over-floweth, for the wickedness is great, multitudes in the valley of De­cision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of Decision; and the An­gel thrust in his Sickle into the earth, and gathered the Vine of the earth and cast it into the great Wine-press of the Wrath of God, and the Wine-press was trodden without the City, and bloud came out of the Wine-press even to the Horse bridles, by the space of a thou­sand and six hundred furlongs, Isa. 59.16, 17, 18. Chap. 34.8. Dan. 7.9, 10, 11. Joel 3.11, 12, 13, 14. Rev. 14.19, 20. From hence you may see what great slaughter the Lord will make with that great Antichrist and his Army, when hee comes to try Sions Contro­versie. Moreover, see from the Prophet Ezekiel, Therefore thou Son of Man Prophesie against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord, behold I am against thee O Gog, the chief Prince of [Page 125] Mesheck and Tubal, I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the North parts, and will bring thee upon the Mountains of Israel, and I will smite thy how out of thy left hand, and cause thine Arrow to fall out of thy right hand; thou shalt fall upon the Mountains of Israel, thou and all thy Bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous Birds of every sort, and un­to the Beast of the field to be devoured, thou shalt fall upon the open field, for I have spoken it saith the Lord. And thou Son of Man, thus saith the Lord speak unto every fethered Fowl, and to every Beast of the Field, assemble your selves, and come gather your selves on every side to my Sacrifice, that I do Sacri­fice to you, even a great Sacrifice upon the Mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh, and drink bloud; yee shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the bloud of the Princes of the earth, of Rams, of Lambs, and of Goats, of Bullocks, all of them the fat­lings of Bashan, and yee shall eat fat till yee be filled, and drink bloud till [Page 126] yee be drunken of my Sacrifice which I have Sacrificed for you, Ezek. 39.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Compare verse 17, 18, 19. Isa. 34.5, 6. all which Scriptures, and many more, do shew that great destru­ction, and total fall that the last and great Antichrist shall have upon the Mountains of Israel. A word or two to shew that the Jesus the King shall re­store their Kingdom into their hands, e­ven the Jews; He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the Majesty of the name of his God, and they shall abide, for now shall he hee great unto the ends of the earth, and this man shall be our peace, when the Assyrians shall come into our Land, and when he shall tread in our Palaces; the Lord of Hoast hath sworn saying, Surely so shall it come to pass, as I have purposed so shall it stand, that I will break the Assyrian in my Land, and up­on my Mountaines tread him under foot, then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders, for the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet chuse Israel, and set them into their own Land, and the strangers shall bee [Page 127]joyned with them, and they shall cleave to the House of Jacob, and the people shall take them and bring them to their place, and the House of Israel shall possesse them in the Land of the Lord, for, Servants and Hand-maids, and they shall take them Captives whose Captives they were, and they shall rule over their Oppressors, Isa. 14.1, 2, 3. compare 24, 25. verses. So we may see, that it was no Childish question that Christs Disciples asked him, whether he would at that time restore the King­dom to Israel, though it were a matter too inquisitive for them to ask such a question, for to know the Times and Seasons; but here you may see, that there is an appointed time of the Father in the which it should be accomplished; and indeed David was a lively Type of Christ, which had no sooner dispaced the Jebusites, and cast them out of Si­on, but he made it his own Seat, and the place for his Family. So likewise it will be with the Lord Jesus, that no soo­ner shall he appear upon the Mountains of Israel, but he shall destroy that last and great Jebusite, or the Man of Sin, or the great and last Amichrist, more [Page 128]properly called, and give it unto the Jews for a Possession, that they may dwell there and have it in possession; The seed also of his Servants shall in­herite it, and they that love his name shall dwell therein, Psal. 69.35, 36. so that hence I have discovered briefly that great Warre upon the Mountains of Is­rael, with the total ruine of the last and great Antichrist, and the restoration of the Kingdom into the hands of Israel; and leaving of these few Scriptures for the further proof of this thing, I shall passe to the Sixth Particular. Isa. 33.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Ezek. 38.18, 19, 20, 21, 22. Rev. 11.10. chap. 6.15.

The glorious Reign of Christ and his Saints upon Earth a thou­sand years.

The Discovery of the glorious Reign of Christ the great King, and the Saints upon the Earth, and the great peace that shall be in his day.

Christian Friend, here is that, the consideration whereof is sufficient to bear up thy spirit in the worst of times, it was that which made the Apostle Paul not [Page 129]count his life dear to him that he might finish his course with joy, so that hee was contented to suffer with him, be­cause he knew he should reign with him; but for the better understanding of this glorious reign, I shall divide this subject into several parts.

The first is, That Christ shall reign as King on the Earth, even in Jeru­salem.

Secondly, That the Saints shall have an high Prerogative, so as to reign on earth, even as Christ. And

Thirdly, I shall put these two toge­ther, with some other considerable par­ticulars, shewing you that Christ and the Saints Dominion shall be alike, and that they shall reign alike, they being joynt Heirs of one and the same King­dom alike, only hee in all things shall have the preheminence; and so I passe to the first, That Christ shall have a King­dom on earth, and in Jerusalem. This we may see the Angel did declare, or make known unto the Virgin, saying, For loe, thou shalt conceive in thy Wombe, and bear a Son, and thou shalt call his name Iesus, he shall hee great, and he called the Son of the [Page 130] most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David, and hee shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever, and of his Kingdom shall be no end, Luke 1.31, 32, 33. From hence you may see, that the Lord Jesus Christ shall injoy Da­vids Throne, which was not Spiritual, and in Heaven, but on earth, and in Ie­rusalem; even so the Lord Jesus Christ in the same place shall reign Spiritually and Temporally over the very same peo­ple; the Prophet also affirming the very same thing saith, Then shall the Sun be ashamed, and the Moon confounded, when the Lord of Host shall reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem, before his antients gloriously, for behold the day cometh saith the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth, in his day shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is the name whereby they shall call him, the Lord our righteousnesse. Isa. 24.23. Jer. 23.5, 6. Thus you may see plainly, that the Lord Jesus which is cal­led the Son of David, shall possesse the [Page 131]Throne of David. Moreover, you may see what the Prophet Micha also saith to the proof of this truth, In that day saith the Lord I will assemble her that halteth, and gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted, and I will make her that halteth a remnant, and her that was cast off, a strong Nation, and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Sion, for hense­forth and for ever, and there was gi­ven him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People, Nations, and Languages should serve him; a­greeing with the Psalmist which saith, Yet will I set my King upon my holy Hill of Sion, I will declare the Decree, the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee; ask of me, and I will give thee the Hea­then for thine inheritance, and the out­most parts of the earth for thy possession; thou shalt break them with a rod of I­ron, and dash them in peeces like a Potters vessel, Psal. 2.6, 7, 8, 9. Dan. 7.14. Micha 4.6, 7. For behold, I create new Heavens, and a new Earth, and the former shall not be remembred, nor come into minde, but be you glad [Page 132] and rejoyce in the thing 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 voyce of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voyce of crying, and he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the Majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and they shall abide, for now shall he be great to the ends of the earth, Isa. 65.17, 18, 19. Psal. 67.4. Jerem. 3.17. Isa. 62.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. These Scriptures, and many more that might be added to the proof of the first Particular, That the Lord Jesus Christ shall reign on the earth in Ierusalem.

The second thing is to prove, That the Saints also shall receive a Kingdom, and reign on earth. Unto the proof of this I shall begin with the words of our blessed Saviour, which saith, Yee are they that have continued with me in my temptations, I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, that yee may eate and drink at my Table in my Kingdom, and sit upon Thrones judging the twelve [Page 133] Tribes of Israel. Whereunto he adds also another sentence in the Apocalyps, very pertinent to the proof of this, saying, He that overcometh, and keepeth my works to the end, I will give him power over the Nations, and hee shall rule them with a rod of Iron, and shall break them like a Potters Vessel, even as I have received of my Father, Luke 22.28, 29, 30. Revel. 2.26, 27, 28. From hence wee may see, that as the Lord gave unto his Son Jesus, a King­dom in reference to his Sufferings, and his obedience unto him; even so Jesus the Christ will give his people a King­dom, in reference to their sufferings, and obedience to his will; and that this is to be on Eatth I shall give you a plain text, even as saith the Spirit of Christ in these words, And they sung a new Song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the Book, and to open the Seals thereof, because thou wast killed, and hast redeemed us to God, by thy bloud, out of every Kindred, and Tongue, and People, and Nation, and hast made us to our God Kings and Priests, and we shall reign on the earth. Moreover, they shall injoy that Sovereignty so long [Page 134]as the Sun and Moon indures, for so saith the Lord, by his Prophet, in these words, And in the days of those King­doms shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroy­ed, and this Kingdom shall not be gi­ven to another people, but it shall break and destroy all these Kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever, and the Kingdom, and Dominion, and Great­ness of the Kingdom under the whole Heavens shall be given to the Saints of the most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all people shall serve and obey him, Dan. 2.44. Cap. 7.27, 28. Revel. 5.10. from these Scriptures we may see, that the Saints shall injoy a Kingdom, in the which they shall reign, and rule the Nations with a rod of Iron; so that the wicked shall be as ashes under the soals of their feet. And this Kingdom also we see is to be held on earth, neither can there be any other interpretations given upon these Scriptures without great a­buse to the plaine meaning of the Spirit in these Scriptures. If it be objected and said, That these Scriptures bespeak, or fore-shew the flourishing condition of [Page 135]the people of God, while they live in this corrupt Tabernacle of flesh, I shall deny, and make this answer, That it is the portion of the Saints (nay all of them) to suffer in this Life, and the nigher the appearance of Jesus Christ, the greater shall the suffering be, so that through many tribulations they shall en­ter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Dan. 7.21. 2 Thess. 1.9. Acts 14.22. 2 Tim. 3.12. Rev: 6.9, 10, 11. and many more Scriptures I might give as to the proof of this, for there shall bee such Trials for the godly, that should not the days be shortened, no flesh would be saved, but the Lord shall cut the work short in righteousness, so that when his people are in great trouble, then he shall stand up as a Deliverer, Dan. 11.1. Matth. 24.21.22. View well these Scriptures, and you shal see that that opi­nion is false, that affirmeth, That the Saints shall flourish in such a condition before mentioned, while they live in this corrupted Tabernacle of flesh; and so I pass to the Third Particular, shewing you how Christ and the Saints, shall reign together in the Kingdom, and shall be­gin with the words of the Apostle, which [Page 136]saith, that the Saints are joynt-heirs with Jesus Christ, in these words, If Sons then Heirs, Heirs of God, and Joynt-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may bee glorified together, Rom. 8.16, 17. Now we know a Joynt-heir is an e­qual sharer, or when two are made alike in the injoyment of one thing, for so faith the Apostle, Now are we the Sons of God, but it doth not appear what we shall be, but when he shall appear wee shall be made like him, 1 Joh. 3.1, 2, 3, 4. they shall be like him in Glory, in Majesty, in Honour; in a word, every way like him, only he in all things shall have the preheminence. Moreover, I shall adde a plain text of Scripture, in the which we shall see that the Saints and Christ shall reign together, in these words, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection, for on such the second Death shall have no power, but they shall be the Priests of God, and of Christ, and reign with him a thousand years. The which also agreeth with the words of the Prophet, that saith, A King shall reign in Righ­teousness, and Princes shall decree [Page 137]Judgement, and Saviours shall come up of Mount Sion, and judge the Mount of Esau, and the Kingdoms shall be the Lords, Revel. 20.6. Isa. 32.1. Obadiah 21. therefore let the Saints be joyful in glory, let them sing aloud upon their beds, let the high praise of God be in their mouthes, and a two­edged sword in their hands, to execute vengeance upon the Heathen, and pu­nishment upon the people, to bind the Kings in chains, and the Nobles in fetters of Iron, that they may execute upon them the Indgement that is writ­ten, this honour have all the Saints, praise yee the Lord; so that it is a faithful saying, if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him, Psal. 149.5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 2 Tim. 2, 12. So having shewed that Christ and the Saints shall reign together unanimously; I shall also shew you that excellent peace that there shall be in the time of his reign through­out the Earth, as saith the Prophet, The whole Earth is at rest and quiet, they shall break forth into singing, the Mountains and Hills shall bring peace unto the people, by Justice hee shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall [Page 138]save the Children of the needy, and subdue the Oppressors, they shall fear thee so long as the Sun and Moon in­dureth, from generation to generation; he shall come down like the raine upon the new-mowen Grasse, and as the showers that water the earth, in his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the Moon indureth; his Dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth, and they that dwell in the Wilderness shall kneel before him, and his enemies shall lick up the dust; in that day it shall be said, wee have a strong City, salvation hath the Lord appointed for Walls and Bul­works; open yee the Gate that the righ­teous Nation that keepeth the truth may enter in; thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee, Isa. 14.7. Psal. 72.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Isa. 26.1, 2, 3. From hence wee may see, what great peace there shall be in the term of Christs reign; there is good rea­son why there shall be such great peace, upon these two accounts; the first is, Be­cause the Devil shall be bound, and shall [Page 139]not stirre up Nations to Warre, which is his practise when he is loose. The second Reason is, Because that at the great destruction of God, (the Great Antichrist) all the Weapons of Warre shall be burnt, and those that remain which were not brought up to Warre upon the Mountains of Israel, shall bee converted into other service; namely, Their Swords shall be beat into Plow­shares, and their Spears into pru­ning-hooks, for Nation shall not rise up against Nation, neither shall they learn warre any more, Ezek. 39.9, 10. Isa. 2.4. Mich. 4.3. Revel. 20.3. From hence it comes to pass, that the people in that day shall be led forth in peace, and the Mountains shall break forth before them into singing, then shall the Law go forth out of Sion, and the Word of the Lord out of thy Jeru­salem; then shall the saying be made good that is written, All thy Children shall be taught of God, and great shall be the peace of thy Children. So that be will extend peace to her like a Ri­ver, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream, Isa. 2.3. cap. 54.13. cap. 55.12. Isa. 66.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. [Page 140]Psal. 127.7. and. 125.5. Nah. 1.15. and so I shall leave these Scriptures, and the Fourth, and pass to the Fifth thing in order, which is to shew you the people whom Christ and the Saints shall thus rule with a rod of Iron, and that is the ungodly, even such as have afflicted the people of God, and the Sons of them who have afflicted the people of God, for so saith the Prophet, The Sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee, and all they that despised thee shall fall down at the soals of thy feet, and they shall call thee the City of the Lord, the Sion of the holy one of Israel. Agreeing with that of Malachy, To you that fear my Name shall, the Sun of righ­teousness arise with healing under his wings, and yee shall grow forth like Calves in the shall, and yee shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be like dust under the soals of your feet, for thus saith the Lord, after this glory hath he sent me unto the Nations which spoyled you, for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye, for be­hold, I will lift up my hands upon them, and they shall be a spoyl to their [Page 141]Servants, and yee shall know that the Lord of Host hath sent me. Sing and rejoyce, O Daughter of Sion, for I will come and dwell in the midst of thee, faith the Lord, Mal. 4.2, 3, 4. Zech. 2.8, 9, 10. Hence you may see, that the enemies of God and his people shall be subdued by Christ, and the Saints, like as the Aegyptians of old were spoy­led by the Israelites when they came out of Aegypt, so shall all the ungodly Aegyptians be spoyled at the last, as you may see, Exod. 3.22. Cap. 11.2. Isa. 33.1, 2, 3. When Israel was to go out of the Land of Aegypt, the Lord commanded them to ask every one of his Neighbour jewels of Silver and jewels of Gold, and the Lord gave them favour in the sight of the AEgyp­tians, so that they did obtain what they demanded; by the which the Israe­lites were inriched by the spoyl of the Aegyptians; and so it shall be at that day, with the people of God, they shall injoy the spoyl of their enemies, for they are the true Heirs to the riches of the World present, and that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4.8. 1 Corinth. 3.22. Math. 19, 29. So that they shall eate [Page 142]the riches of the Gentiles, as also saith the Scriptures, Yee shall be named the Priests of the Lord, and men shall call you the Ministers of our God, yee shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and be exalted with their glory, Isa. 61.6. Here we see, that the Lord is pleased to give them the riches of the Gentiles, (that is to say, the riches of Sinners) that although they heap up Silver like the dust, and raiment like the clay, yet the just shall put it on, and the in­nocent shall divide the Silver, so that their gain shall be consecrated to the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth; therefore shall thy Gates be open continually, nei­ther day nor night shall they be shut, that men may bring unto thee the riches of the Gentiles, that thy Kings may be brought for the Nations, and Kingdoms that will not serve thee shall parish, and those Nations shall utterly be destroyed, Job 27.16, Isa. 60, 11, 12. Cap. 66.11. Zech. 14.14. Revel. 21.24. From hence we may see, that riches, and glory, and honour, and a Kingdom, nay and Crowns also, shall be cast down before [Page 143]Christ, and the Saints which shall be at their steps. King Solomon in his glorious Reign was a lively Type of King Jesus in his glorious Reign, and we know in King Solomons Reign there was great plenty of riches and glory, such as was not in Jerusalem before or since; and that there shall be so in Christs Reign, was set out by those who came from the East to Ierusalem to worship Christ, which when they had found him, opened their Treasures and presented Gifts, Gold, Myrrhe, Matth. 2.11. which shews to us, That when the Lord is King in Ierusalem, how persons shall come from the utmost parts of the Earth, to submit to Christs and the Saints royal Dignity, and present unto them the choycest of riches, which agreeth to the Scriptures before mentio­ned; so having discovered that Christ and his Saints shall reign in Ierusalem, and of that excellent peace and sove­reignty that they shall injoy in their time, with riches, and the glory of the Gentiles. I pass now unto the Seventh Particular, which is the description of the New Jerusalem.

A clear description of New Jerusalem, not built by the Jews at their return out of Captivity.

The very consideration of this New Jerusalem is sufficient to ravish the hearts of all such as are heavenly-mind­ed, it was that which did stay and sup­port the mindes of the suffering Saints of old, and indeed it is sufficient, because it is of such an excellent situation that it is to be admired, as the Psalmist faith, Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Sion, on the side of the North is the City of the great King, God is known in her Palace for a refuge; which City in the Mystery is no more but that New Ierusalem, which shall be the City of the great King, Psal. 48.2. compare Psal. 47.8. even so New Ierusalem shall come down from God out of Heaven, and be­ing situated about Sion, it is Metaphori­cally called mount Sion, because Sion of old did represent it, which was Davids Throne, the which David and his Throne was a lively type of Christ, and [Page 145]his Throne, and as David placed him­self in Sion, with his Family, so Jesus Christ will place himself in that New Jerusalem, with his Family, the which Family consisteth of risen saved glorified Saints; the which agreeth with the Word of the Lord that faith, The peo­ple that are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour unto it, and there shall in no wise enter into it any that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lye, but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life, Rev l. 21.24, 25, 26, 27. but now I shall pass brief­ly to a review of that glorious City New Jerusalem, the which is treated of, Revel. 21. beginning at the tenth verse, And he carried me away in the Spirit unto a great and high Mountain, and shewed me that great City, the holy Je­rusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God, and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a Jasper stone, clear as Chrystal, and had a wall great and high and had twelve Gates, and at the Gates twelve Angels, and names [Page 146]written thereon, which are the names of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel; on the East three Gates, on the North three Gates, on the South three Gates, and on the West three Gates; and the wall of the City had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe, and he that talked with me had a golden reed to meajure the City and the Gates thereof, and the wall thereof, and the City lyeth four square, and the length is as large as the breadth, and he measured the City with the reed twelve thousand Fur­longs, and the length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal, and he measured the wall thereof an hundred forty and four Cubits, according to the measure of man, that is of the Angel, and the building of the wall of it was of Jasper, and the City pure Gold, like unto clear Glass, and the foundations of the wall of the City were garnished with all manner of precious Stones; the first foundation was Jasper, the second Saphir, the third Chalcedonie, the fourth an Emerauld, the fifth Sardo­nix, the sixth Sardins, the seventh [Page 147]Chrysolite, the eighth Beryl, the ninth Topas, the tenth Chrysophrasus, the eleventh a Jacinth, the twelfth an Amethyst; and the twelve Gates were twelve Pearls, every severall Gate of one Pearl, the streets of the City were pure Gold, as it were trans­parent Glass; and I saw no Temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lambe were the Temple of it; and the City had no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lambe was the light thereof, and the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the Kings of the North shall bring their glory and honour into it, and the Gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, and there shall be no night there, and they shall bring the glory and henour of the Nations into it; there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a Lye, but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life, Rev. 21.10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. From hence we may take notice of [Page 148]the splendency of this glorious City, and the excellency of the foundations; and doubtless this was the City that our blessed Father Abraham looked for, when he did so dis-regard his native Country, and Fathers house, that he for­sook it, and was a Sojourner in the Land of Promise, a strange Land, as he is recorded of in the Epistle to the He­brews in these words, By faith he abode in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country, as one that dwelt in Tents with Isaac and Jacob, as heirs of the same Promises, for he looked for a City having a foundation, whose ma­ker and builder is God, Heb. 11.9, 10. From hence we may see, that God did shew Abraham that glorious City, New Jerusalem, that afterwards hee and all the faithful should inherit for their Possession, the which he did see by faith, for faith is the evidence of things not seen, and the ground of things ho­ped for; so that his hope being so firm in that Inheritance that he should injoy, it made him set light of all earthly inhe­ritances, And they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a Coun­try, wherefore God is not ashamed to [Page 149]be their God, for he hath prepared for them a City, Hebr. 11.14. Compare sixteen. And certainly that City that hath foundations whose maker and builder is God, the which also God hath said he hath prepared, is the very City that Iohn saw come out of Heaven from God, which shall be the place of Christ, and the risen Saints residence, which doth agree with the words of the Spirit of Christ, that faith, Hee that over­cometh I will make a Pillar in the House of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the City of my God, which is New Je­rusalem, which cometh down out of Heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name, Revel. 3.12. So that hence we may see, that as God gave his earthly Son (which is Adam) at the first an earthly Paradisical Inheri­tance, or Situation, so he gave his se­cond Son, that heavenly Man, a heaven­ly Paradisical inheritance, or situation, which is no other than the New Jeru­salem, situated upon the new Earth; and that this New Jerusalem is not Heaven it self, as some do conceive, (al­though [Page 150]it be heavenly) is clear, for Christ faith, it shall come out of Heaven from his God, and it is the dwelling place of Christ, and the Saints, until the Mediatorship shall be delivered up into the hands of the Father; but when Christ shall deliver up the Mediator­ship unto the Father, then they shall be invested into the highest degree of glory. And having shewed you a brief glimps of the glory of the New Ieru­salem, I shall give you several Reasons why that Ierusalem that shall be built upon her own heap by the Iews at their return, is not the New Ierusalem which mention is made of in Rev. 3.12. chap. 21. and so to the first Reason, which is;

1 Because that the City Ierusalem, that is to be built at the Iews return, shall be built by mens hands, as also faith the Prophet, And they shall build the old wast places, and raise up the former desolations, and they shall re­pair the City that was desolate, and wast for many Generations, and the Sons of Strangers shall build thy walls, and their Kings shal minister unto thee. And that this is a Prophecy of the last [Page 151]and general return, you may see, for the text faith, They shall not build and ano­ther inhabit, but they shall long injoy the work of their own hands, Isa. 60.10, 11. cap. 61.4. cap. 65.21, 22, 23. From which Scriptures you may see, that that City in the which the Iews shall inhabit, is built with hands, but the New Ierusalem mentioned Revel. 2. chap. 21. shall be built without hands, as you may see, Heb. 11.10. So much to the first Reason.

The second Reason is, because the materials of the New Ierusalem is Gold, and Silver, and precious Stones, and Pearls, Rev. 21.18, 19, 20. but the materials of the other Ierusalem is Wood, and such like, Ezek. 41.16.

The third Reason is, because in the New Ierusalem there was no Temple, but the glory of God, and the Lambe was the light of it, Rev. 21. 20. but in the other Ierusalem there was a Tem­ple, Ezek. 41.14, 15. Reve. 11.1. 2 Thess. 2.4.

The fourth Reason is, because in the New Ierusalem we finde mention of no trees but the Tree of Life only, Revelati­ons 22.2. Cap. 2.7. but in the other [Page 152] Ierusalem there was every Tree good for food, Ezek. 47.12.

The fifth Reason is, because in the New Ierusalem there shall be no need of the Sun, nor Moor, for God is the light of it, neither shall there bee any night there, Revel. 21.23. Compare Chap. 22, 5, but in the other Ierusa­lem there shall be night and day, and thereby there shall bee an account of years; they shall have the use also of the Sun, and the Moon, in which time they shall have their perfect strength, shining forth most excellent in their splendor, as you may see, Isa. 30.26.

The sixth Reason is, because that the New Ierusalem shall come down out of Heaven from God, as I before have spoken, as faith the Scripture, And I John saw the New Jerusalem come down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a Bride for her Husband, Revel. 21.1. That is, it was a City lacking no reparati­on, or beautifying, but it was sufficient­ly trimmed, decked, and beautified, which is called by the Spirit, trimmed as a Bride for her Husband; but the other Ierusalem wanted both re-edifying, trimming, and beautifying. And so brief­ly [Page 153]I have given you a review of that New Jerusalem, and have proved it not to be that Ierusalem that shall be built up­on her own heap. I have shewed you also it cannot be meant Heaven, be­cause it came down from God out of Heaven; neither can it bee meant the Saints, as some have supposed it because the Saints are said to walk in the streets of it, which streets are pure gold like to clear glasse; the Saints also are said to have the name of it written in their fore-heads, but there shall in no wise enter into it any that defileth, or maketh a lye, but such as are written in the Lambs Book of Life. The which sheweth (and much more I could speak to it) that it is a material City, yet not Heaven it self, though hea­venly, as I have said; neither cin it be the Saints, but the City that the Saints shall enter into. Blessed and thrice hap­py are they that have their portion in it. And so I pass to the Eighth Particular.

The restoration of the Creation into the Primitive purity.

The truth of this Particular need not [Page 154]much be questioned, that is to say, Whether the Lord will restore the whole Creation into its Primitive excellency, (when I say the whole Creation, I mean Man, though happily not every man, also the Beasts of the Field, and the Earth, into that condition that they were in the time of Adams innocency) I say there is no question to be made of the truth of this Particular, for all the Prophets that ever writ, have writ more or lesse to the affirming of this to bee true, as I could instance in them all in particular order, but because it will take up much time, I shall give you one plain text of Scripture, that doth affirm, that all the holy Prophets have spoken of this great restoration more or less, the text of Scripture is in Acts 3.20.21. in these words, For I will send Iesus Christ, which before was preached un­to you, whom the Heavens must con­tain untill the restoration of all things, spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began. From hence you may see, that all the Prophets ever since the world began, did fore-tel, or Prophesie of the restoration of Man and Beast into their first excellency; [Page 155]which also agreeth with the words of Paul that saith, We know the whole Creation groaneth with us, and tra­velleth with us in pain together untill this present time, because the Creature was made subject to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him that hath subdued it under hope, because the Creatures themselves shall be deli­vered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God, Rom. 8.20, 21, 22. From these words wee may take notice, that the Creatures with Man shall be delive­red from that groaning condition which they were made subject to by reason of Adams transgression, and that there shall be a perfect restoration of all Creatures, unless it be the Serpent, and such men as live and dye in the stare of unbelief, and thereby deprive themselves of that good which otherwise they should injoy. But for the better understanding of this truth, I shall divide the Creation into three parts, that is to say, the Creature Man, the creature Beast, and the creature Earth, and shall treat of them in order.

And first of the Creature Man, that he shall be restored unto that Primitive [Page 156]state, that is to say, all manner of cor­ruption to be done away, as namely, Sickness, Weakness, Faintness, Lame­ness, Blindness, and all other things that are as Corruptions, or defections in Na­ture, and then shall the saying be made good that is written by the Prophet, Then shall the eyes of the blinde be ope­ned, and the eares of the deaf unstop­ped, then shall the Lame man leap as an Hart, and the tongue of the dumbe shall be loosed; for in the Wilderness shall waters break out, and rivers in the Desart; neither shall the inhabi­tants of the Land say, I am sick, and the people that are therein shall be for­given their iniquities, Isa. 32.24. cap. 35.5, 6. they shall not dye in their nonage, in that juncture of time, but shall live an hundred years old without frailty in Naure, whereby they shall see their Childrens Children in great peace, as the Prophet saith, There shall not be thence an infant of days, or an old man that hath not filled his days, but the childe shall dye being an hundred years old, but the Sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed; even such as do not submit to that great King Je­sus, [Page 157] Isa. 65.20. Ezek. 14.12. so that the weakness, and corruptions, and frail­ty of Nature shall be clear taken away, so that those Jews that live in the flesh, (and others, which is to say the Gen­tiles, who also are living at that time in the flesh) shall not dye by reason of any malady over-coming their Nature, but by vertue of Gods appointment, in that set time before mentioned; the envie al­so of the Sons of men shall depart away, so that one shall not envie another as afore-time, Isa. 11.13. And so I shall briefly pass to the second thing.

Which is, That the Beasts of the field shall also bee restored from the bondage of their corruption, into that liberty that they did injoy in the time of Adams innocency; the envie of them also shall be taken away, so that the Lambe and the Kid shall lye down in peace with the savage Beast, the Lion shall not destroy the Lambe, neither the Leopard the Kid. There was a lively Type of this thing in Noahs Ark, and so shall it be when Jesus Christ the Ark (that is to say, the safety of his people) is lifted up as an Ensign in the Nations, for so saith the Prophet, With righte­ousness [Page 158]shall be judge the poor, and re­prove with equity, for the meek of the earth, and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall bee slay the wicked, and righteousness shall be the girdle of his loyns, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins; the Wolf also (hall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard shall lye down with the Kid, and the Calf, and the young Lion and the fatling together, and a little childe shall lead them, and the Cow and the Bear shall feed the young ones, and lye down together, and the Lion shall eate straw with the Oxe, and the sucking Childe shall play on the hole of the Asp, and the weaned Childe shall put his hand on the Coskatrice Den, they shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy Mountains, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, Isa. 11.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Cap. 65.25. Hence you may see, that there is a time wherein the Creatures shall be restored into the Primitive state; for in the Gar­den of Eden, in the which they were first placed, they lay down in peace, and did not destroy each other. The reason [Page 159]why they did destroy one another after­wards was, because of the Curse that Adam brought upon the whole Crea­tion by the transgression of the Law of God Hence it cometh to pass, that the Creature Man destroyeth one another, and the Creature Beast, but in the begin­ning it was not so, neither shall it be so in the time of the perfect Redemption, as is clear from the fore-mentioned Scripture.

Obj. But if it should be objected and said, That this is meant by the flou­rishing state of the Church while they remain in this Tabernacle.

Ans. To which I answer, I have al­ready proved, That all or every one of the godly shall suffer persecution in this Life, that although many shall run to and fro in the last days, and be purified and made white, yet the wicked shall do more wickedly, and shall wear out the Saints of the most High, so as there shall be such troubles as there hath not been since there hath been a Nation upon the Earth, insomuch that if the Lord should not shorten these days, and ha­sten his coming, no flesh should be sa­ved, Dan. 7.21. cap. 8.31. cap. 11.35. [Page 160]cap. 12.1. & 10. Matth. 24.21, 22. Acts 14.22. 2 Tim. 3.12. Rev 6.11. Rev. 12.17. Rev. 13.7. and so I shall leave these Scriptures to be perused, and pass to the third Particular.

The third Particular is, That the Earth also shall receive her strength to bring forth, as in its Primitive time, that is to say, before it was Cursed, by reason of the transgression of Man, as also saith the Prophet, Instead of thorns shall come up the Fir-tree, and instead of the Brier shall come up the Mirtle­tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off, then shall he give thee rain of thy seed that thou shalt sow the ground withall, and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plentious; in that day shall thy Cattel feed in large Pastures, the Oxen likewise, and the young Asse that ear the ground shall eate clean Provender, which hath been winnowed with a Shovel and with Fan, and there shall be upon every Mountain, and upon every high Hill, rivers and streams of water in the day of the great slaughter, when the Towers fall. Moreover, the [Page 161]light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun, and the light of the Sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bind­eth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wounds, Isa. 55.13. Chap, 30.23, 24, 25, 26. From hence we may see, that the earth shal be restored unto her Primitive purity, for thus saith the Lord concerning it in the Prophecie of Isaiah, in these words, For the Lord shall comfort, Sion, he will comfort her wast places, and he will make her Wilderness like Eden, and her Desart like the Garden of the Lord, and they shall say, this Land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden, and the wast, and desolate, and ruined Cities are become fenced, and as inhabited. The Wilderness and the solitary places shall also blossom as the Rose, I will open Rivers in high pla­ces, and Fountains in the middest of the Valley, I will make the Wilderness a pool of water, and the dry Land springs of water, I will plant in the Wilderness the Cedar, the Shittah-tree, and the Mirtle, and the Oyl-tree, and I will set in the Desart the Firre-tree, [Page 162] and the Pine, and the Box-tree toge­ther. Moreover, The Plow-men shall overtake the Reapers, and the trea­ders of Grapes him that soweth Seed, and the Mountains shall drop down sweet wine, Amos 9.13. Isa. 41.18, 19, cap. 35.1, 2. Ezek. 36.35. Isa. 51.3. From hence we may see, that the earth shall be restored into its Pri­mitive purity.

Obj. But if it be Objected and said, That here is mention made of Plowing and Reaping, and therefore cannot be a perfect redemption. To the which I answer.

Ans. First, That Adam himself when he was in his Innocency was to dress the Garden, and to receive the fruit thereof; and whether or no this were not such an imployment as might keep the Garden in such a capacity, as whereby he might receive the fruit from it, I leave the Reader to judge, Gen. 2.15.

Secondly, As I have already said, That there are some that will deprive them­selves by their transgressions, the which the Prophet saith shall be their Plow­men, Isa. 61.5. and Vine-dressers. Moreover I say, That the strength of [Page 163]their nature shall be such, that nothing that they do shall or can be a burden un­to them, but shall be a pleasure unto them; like unto a man walking in his Garden, and taking off a degenerate Plant, which is no burden unto him, but rather his pleasure, for in the time of that perfect Redemption there shall be no kinde of weakness or faintness where­by any thing that they shall do will be a burden, as saith the Lord, In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and ho that is feeble a­mongst them at that day shall bee as David, and the House of David shall be as God, as the Angels of God before him, Zech. 12.8. Isa. 40.29, 31. And so much to the Objection, and to the Eighth Particular, and so I shall pass to the Ninth, which is the signs of the times of the accomplishment of these Prophecies.

The Signs of the times of the accom­plishment of these Prophecies.

Doubtless the Lord hath not hid from his Servants those things that he will do in the latter days, nor the time when [Page 164]they shall be performed, though the day and hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels, yet the times and seasons may be known by the signs. Moreover, it is lawful and commendable for the people of God to look into the Signs of the times, for as much as we see the Lord Jesus Christ reprove such as do not, say­ing, O yee Hypocrites, yee can discern the face of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times, Matth. 16.3. therefore I shall briefly give you some few signs, that shall be as it were the I­tem of the Day of Christ, or the Mor­ning Watch, and so to the First in order.

The first Sign of the second coming of Christ, is the unsetledness of King­doms and Nations of the earth, the Government sometimes here, and some­times there, sometimes in the hands of one, and sometimes in the hands of ano­ther, men much striving for Honour and Kingdoms; in the midst of those days shall God set up his Kingdom that shall never be destroyed; and that the earth shall be thus unsetled, reeling to and fro, is clear from the Word of the Lord which saith, The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunken man, and be re­moved [Page 165]like a Tent, and the iniquity there of shall be heavie upon it, so that it shall fall and arise no more, then shall the Sun he ashamed, and the Moon confounded, when the Lord shall reign in Mount Sion, and in Jerusalem be­fore his antients gloriously; at which time the little stone hewed out of the Mountain without hands shall become a great Mountain, and fill the whole earth, Dan. 2.35, and ver. 44. Isa. 24.20. compare 23. From whence we may see, that the unsetledness of Nations and Kingdoms upon the earth, and striving for Honour, and change of Govern­ments, is a lively sign of the second co­ming of the Lord Jesus to be near.

The second Sign of the coming of Christ, Is by the abounding of wicked­ness or iniquity in the World, as now we see it in a great height, even by such as are worn out in their expectation, or waiting for Jesus Christ, who did not like that good condition that they were put in, but having departed from the Faith, and are given up unto all manner of un­cleanness. O the ungodly Practices, and horrid Blasphemies that are now com­mitted in England, what by abusing the [Page 166]worthy name of God, speaking re­proachfully of him, and his Son Christ, and slighting those Laws and Ordinan­ces which are given forth to be practised till his second and great coming, with the abusing of themselves in uncleaneness and Lusts of the flesh, amongst which they contend for the community of Wo­men, which is none of the least of their Uncleanenesses, and make themselves worse than the savage Beasts. Of that sort are the rude Ranters, and the blas­phemous Quakers, the which have cast off Civil Humanity, and this generation of men are the men that will cause the Lord to arise, and take vengeance upon the earth, for so saith the word of the Lord, in these words, And Enoch also the seventh from Adam Prophecied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord co­meth with ten thousand of his Saints, to execute Judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodlily committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him. So that we may see, that the Lord will send his Son in flaming fire against all ungodly [Page 167]men, but chiefly they that walk after the Lust of the flesh in uncleaneness, as hee once did destroy the world, and such like Sinners with an over-flowing Floud, Gen. 6.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Jude 4. compare 14, 15. 2 Pet. 2.4. com­pare 10. cap. 3.3. compare 10. See al­so vers. 7. From hence you may see, that that ungodly generation of men that are now in the World, is a lively sign of Christs coming. And so I pass briefly to the third.

The Third sign of Christs coming, Is the Echo or sound of these two things in the World, as namely, the Preaching of the Gospel about in the Nations, and the Warres, and rumours of Warres that do accompany it, for when these two things go together, then Christ saith the end is very nigh; and although the Gospel have been preached before in a private way, that is to say, in some par­ticular Nation, or privately in that Na­tion, yet never was the Gospel preached to Nations and Rulers as it is in our days.

Obj. If it should be Objected and said. That the Gospel hath been prea­ched in Nations a great while by [Page 168]the Ministery of the Nation? To which I answer.

Ans. That as the Congregations of the Nation was never called a Church of Christ, nor her Teachers the Ministers of the Gospel, neither hath that kinde of Doctrine which they have preached been called the preaching of the Gospel; If it should be demanded of me, what it is, I should answer to them in their particuler order; First, the National Church is called by the name of the Ci­ties of the Nation, which is a borrowed word from Christs Church, Yee are a City set upon an Hill, Mat. 5.14. Rev. 16.19. and that this City of the Nati­ons is meant the National Church is, be­cause they shall begin to decay and sink, and shall also be destroyed at the time that Babylon shall come in remembrance before God, whereby she shall receive the Cup at his hands; for the Nations, or the National Church, hath been stai­ned, is, and shall be, with the corrupti­ons or pollutions of Romes Doctrine, Jer. 51.7, 8. Again, if you shall ask me what the National Ministers are cal­led in Scripture, I shall shew you as fol­loweth, they are called Merchants of the [Page 169]Earth, or the Angels of the Waters; now the word Angel signifieth Minister, as Revel. 1.20, and the Waters signifie Nations, for so saith the Spirit, The Wa­ters that thou sawest are Multitudes, Nations, and Tongues, Rev. 17.15. so it is clear, that the Angels of the Waters are meant the Ministers of the Nations, so that they are neither called Ministers of Christ, nor Ministers of the Gospel, but the Ministers of the Gospel are cal­led by another name in the same place, even the Angel of the Altar, and that Christ is our Altar is clear, see Heb. 13.10. Rev. 16.7. Thirdly, Why their Preaching is not called Gospel-preach­ing, although they make use of the Gos­pel, is, because they teach for Doctrine the Traditions of their Fathers; and the Apostle calleth not such Gospel-preach­ing, but saith to the Galathians, I mar­vel that you are so soon moved away from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel, which is not another, but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ, Gal. 1.6, 7. so that those persons that do pervert any of the sayings of Christ, according to Scripture [Page 170]account, cannot be called the Ministers of the Gospel, nor their Preaching Gospel­preaching, which the Ministers of our Nation have done, that is to say, ming­led the Commands of Christ with their Traditions, and so cannot be meant that Gospel-preaching which shall bee the fore-runner of Jesus Christ; but that the Gospel shall be preached again in the plain way of it, that is to say, in the way which Christ appointed when hee ascended up on high, is clear, Mat. 24.14. Rev. 14.6.

The Fourth and last Sign of the se­cond coming of Jesus Christ, is those false Signs and Miracles that shall bee wrought by the false Prophets, for a lit­tle before the coming of Christ there will be a Generation of men that will deny the way and Ordinances of the Gospel, because they are not accompanied with Miracles, and so shall deny the power of the Word. The Devil seeing this, hee shall impower the false Prophets, where­by they shall do great Signs and lying Wonders, to deceive by multitudes all incredulous persons, who will beleeve a lying Sign before they will beleeve that Word that was confirmed by Signs; for [Page 171]when persons do not like to retain God in their knowledge, God is pleased to send them strong delusions to beleeve a Lye; and that there are many such now in our days that have denied the Truth that once they owned, and are grown to such a height as that they do shew many lying Signs; if any shal question the truth of this, let them but go to London, and go to those Meetings that they call the Quakers Meetings, and they shall see it apparently enough. But now to prove that false Signs, and lying Wonders before-runners of Christs coming, see from these Scriptures following, Mat. 7.22. Cap. 24.24. 2 Thess. 2.9. Rev. 13.13, 14. Cap. 16.14, 15. Friends, I should adde some more Signs of Christs coming, as the gathering together of the Jews into their own Land, which cer­tainly might easily be proved, did we but understand the consultation that there is amongst them, but the returning of the Fleet from the Straights will give us more certain intelligence as to that thing; and so I shall leave these few Signs unto your consideration, and pass to the Tenth and last Particular.

A profitable Application of the Sum of what is fore-mentioned.

Christian Reader, I having shewed you what excellent injoyment the Lord hath laid up for his people, even for such as seek him, as for hidden treasure. Sith the Lord hath set before thine eyes such a Kingdom, and such an Immortal Crown of Life, be exhorted to run with patience the race that is set before you, What if though troubles do beset a Christian life, yet these light afflictions which are but for a moment, work in us a farre more and exceeding weight of glory. Dear Christian, be of the minde of the worthy Apostle, that counted all things as dung and dross in comparison of the excellent knowledge of his Christ, reckoning that the sufferings of this pre­sent time were not worthy to be compa­red to the glory that shall be revealed. See, thy blessed Saviour hath led thee an example of sufferings, Who for the joy that was set before him, indured the Cross, despised the Shame, and is nowset down at the right hand of the Father. I say, consider him who indured such [Page 173]Buffetings, such Crowning with Thorns, nay such spitting on, and yet turned not away his back from the smiter, nor his cheek from him that plucked off the hair, Isa. 50.6. 2 Cor. 4.26, 27, 28. Rom. 8.17, 18. Heb. 12.2, 3. Again in the second place, let me exhort thee to stand always upon thy watch, for the Day of Christ, or the day of thy Dissolution is a very uncertain day, for as it was in the dissolution of the old World, so shall it be in the coming of Christ; for the day before the Floud, they are, they drank, they married, and gave in Marriage, until the Floud came and took them all away. Even so was it with the Sodomites, they continued in their secu­rity until the wrath of the Almighty broke out, and there was no remedy. Moreover, when Lot fore-warned his Sons in Law of the Wrath of God upon the City, he seemed to them as one that mocked, Gen. 19.14. Matth. 24.37, 38, 39, 40. Moreover the Apostle saith, That the Day of the Lord shall so come as a Thief in the night, that when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as tra­vel upon a Woman with Childe, and [Page 174]they shall not escape, 1 Thess. 5.1, 2, 3. So, forasmuch as the Day of the Lord is so uncertain, let us labour for a watchful Spirit, for it is a duty of a very high con­cernment, both from the example of the Saints that have gone before, and from a command of our blessed Saviour and his Apostles, as you may see from these Scriptures, Psal. 102.7. Psal. 103.6. Isa. 21.5. Hab. 2.1. Mat. 24.42. Cap. 25.13. Mar. 13.33, 34, 37. Acts 10.31. 1 Cor. 16.13. 1 Thess. 5.6. The Apostle also gives two maine Reasons to urge Christians to thar duty of watchfulness; the first is from this consideration, That the end of all things is at hand, in these words, saying, The end of all things is at hand, watch and be sober, 1 Pet. 4.7. The second Reason is, because saith he, your Adversary the Devil like a roaring Lion runs a­bout, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist be stedfast in the faith, 1 Pet. 5.8. the Spirit of God lays down the danger that will follow securi­ty, and saith, If thou shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as a Thief, and thou shalt not know, whenever I will some upon thee, Revel. 3.3. therefore [Page 175] blessed is he that watcheth, and keep­eth his Garment, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame, Revel. 16.15. Therefore, for as much as it is a duty of such concernment, let us labour to watch, to the end we may know the Signs of the times, so as that they overtake us not as a Snare, whereby we be deprived of that glorious Crown that is set before us. And so I pass to the second Use.

Secondly, Use 2. Be informed, Christian Reader, of the vanity, or emptiness of all injoyments, unless such injoyments as shall be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ at that day, under these two considerations; The first is, The instability, or breviousness of their con­tinuance. Secondly, from the little peace, or Soul-satisfaction they speak to a Soul when they do injoy them, and so to the first thing considerable, which is the instability, or breviousness, or short continuance of the injoyments of all things below that inheritance. We shall take notice first of the Wise-mans words that saith, Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that that is not, verily riches make themselves wings and fly towards Hea­ven, riches are not for ever, and the [Page 176] crown of them doth not indure to every Generation; for as we brought nothing into the World, so it is certain we shall carry nothing out, so that every man walketh in a vain show, getting goods, knowing not who shall injoy them; and thus spending their days in wealth, in a moment go down to the Grave, and his bones being full of the Sins of his youth, which shall lye down with him in the dust, Job 20.11. Cap. 21.13. Psal. 39.6. 1 Tim. 6.7. Job 1.21. Prov. 23.5. Cap. 27.24. From hence we may see, that we have no continuing City here, but all our in joyments are very brevious and full of frugality; so that we are like unto Dreaming men, that dream they injoy much, and wake, and behold they have nothing. So it is with all men that have not assurance of that Kingdom to come, that Riches and Honour be­fore mentioned, although they may have much riches in this world, yet when the Lord saith, Return you children of men, they return to dust, and be as if they had not been, and all the riches that they have injoyed is but to them a Dream, as the Psalmist saith, How are they brought to desolation, as at a [Page 177]moment, they are utterly consumed with terror, as a Dream when one a­waketh; so Lord when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their Image, Psal. 73.19, 20. Heb. 13.13. Psal. 90.3, 4, 5, 6. Again, wilt thou set thy heart upon honor, that is as vain as the for­mer: for men of high degree are va­nity, and men of low degree are alike, when they are put in a ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity; their inward thoughts is, that their houses should continue for ever, and their dwelling pleces unto all generati­ons, they call their Lands after their own names: neverthelesse man being in honor abideth not, but is like the beast that perisheth, this their way is their folly, yet their posterity approve their sayings, like Sheep they are laid in the grave, Death shall feed on them, and the upright shall have dominion o­ver them in the morning, and their beauty shall consume in their graves from their dwellings, though while he live he bless himself, and men will praise thee when thou doest well to thy self, he shall go to the generation of his Fathers, and never see light, the [Page 178] man that is in honor and understandeth not, is like the beast that perisheth. Psal. 49. 11, 12, 13, 14. compared with 18. Again, wilt thou set thy heart on pleasure, that is vain, and but for a moment; therefore Moyses did choose rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God, than to en­joy the pleasure of Sin for a season: knowing assuredly, that those that live in pleasure were dead while they lived, and so were an ill savor in the nostrils of God, Heb. 11.25. 1 Tim. 5, 6. and so having showed you the instability, and the breviousness of all the things of this life, I shall also show you the vanity, and the little peace that they speak to a Soul here, or at the great day of Account, but rather trouble and vexation of Spi­rit; as you may see from the words of him that had the greatest experi­ence that ever any before or since had, as you may see by the discove­ry of what he did injoy, in that which followeth, I said in my heart, Go too now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure, and behold this also is vanity. I said of laughter, [Page 179] it is madd, and of mirth, what doth it? I sought in my heart to give my self to Wine, yet acquainting my heart with Wisdom, and to lay hold on Folly till I might see what was that good for the Sons of men, which they should doe un­der the Heavens all the dayes of their life. I made me great works, I buil­ded me houses, and planted me vine­yards, I made me gardens and orchards, and planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits, I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that brought forth trees, I gat me servants, and maidens, and had servants born in my house; Also I had great possessions of great and small Cattel, above all that were in Jerusalem before me, I gathe­red me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of Kings and Prin­ces, I gat me men-singers and women­singers, and the delights of the Sons of men, as Musical Instruments, and that of all sorts; so was great, and increa­sed more than all that were before me in Ierusalem, also my wisdom remai­ned with me, and whatsoever my eyes desired, I kept nothing from them, I withheld not my heart from any Joy, [Page 180] for my heart rejoyced in all my labour, and this was my portion of all my la­bor; then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the la­bour that I had laboured to do, and behold all was vanity, and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the Sun; for riches profit not in the day of wrath, but righteousness deli­vereth from death, Prov. 11.4. Fic­clesiast. 2.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. From hence you may see, and many more Scriptures that might be added, the vanity and non-profit (as well as the brevity) of all the enjoy­ments, below that excellent inheri­tance that shall be given to the Saints at the appearance of Iesus Christ, and therefore gird up the Ioins of your mind, and hope to the end. And so I pass to the Third Use.

The Third shall serve to reprove, 3 Use. thou art reproved poor Soul, whoso­ever thou art, that art so foolish, that hast a prise put into thy hands, and doest not ingage thy heart to make use of it, the Lord will reprove thee at his appearance, because thou hast not made use of that Talent he gave [Page 181]thee, and will command that thou shalt be bound, and be cast into ut­ter darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for e­ver. O let that sad president of E­sau be a warning unto thee, the which when he had sold his birth-right, af­terwards, when he would have inhe­rited the blessing, he was rejected, and found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Heb. 12.26, 27. Gen. 27.28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40. From hence we see, that persons are reproved that do so much hunt after the enjoyment of the world, so that they thereby lose their heavenly inheritance; More you may see also from the words of our blessed Saviour, wherein he reproveth an ungodly generation of men, that strive to be rich in this world, when they are not rich in the graces of God, he saith, Thou Fool, this night shall thy Soul be required of thee, and then whose shall all those be that thou hast labourea for? Luke 12.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. See more in the Parable, But Abraham said, Son re­member [Page 182]that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and La­zarus evil things; but now he is com­forted, and thou art tormented, Luke 16.15. From which words we may see, that such as delight more in the enjoyments of the things of this life, then they doe in suffe­ring for Christs sake, and the Gospel, looking at that glorious Kingdome that shall come, when Abraham, Isaack, and Jacob, and all the holy Prophets, and all the faith­full Saints shall enter into that in­heritance of glory, they shall be cast out to utter darknesse, and banished from the presence of God and the holy Angels for ever, Matt. 8.11. 12. cap. 13.42, 43. So we may see such Souls are wor­thy of reproof, which when the Lord hath bestowed a Talent up­on them, and given them time and means of grace, and yet doe not ingage their hearts to make use of it. And so I pass to the fourth Use.

The fourth use is a word of cauti­on 4 Use. that I shall desire thee, Christian [Page 183]Reader, to lay to heart, which is no other than the same that our blessed Saviour gave to his Disciples in these words, Take heed to your selves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkennesse, and the cares of this life, lest that day come upon you unawares, for as a snare it shall come upon all them that live upon the face of the whole earth; Watch ye therefore and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to escape those things that shall come to passe, and stand before the Son of man. Luke 21.34, 35, 36. What a sad thing will it be for Souls that are not prepared for their great Bridegroom, when the noise shall be made, the Bridegroom comes? there­fore take heed of carelesse security: Take heed, watch and pray, for thou knowest not when the time is. Moreo­ver, Blessed is that servant, that when the Lord comes is found watching. Mat. 25.13. Lu. 12.37. Mat. 26.41.

5ly; The fifth use is an use of dire­ction; In order to the attaining of this heavenly inheritance, first seek it be­fore and above all things in the [Page 184]world, and then I can assure thee thou shalt find it, the which if thou dost find, it will fill the closet of thy Soul with glorious and durable riches; for proof of this, that thou shalt find it, and that thou shalt be made rich by it; see Prov. 8.17, 18, 19. 20. in these words; I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me, riches and honour are with me, yea durable riches and righteousnesse; My fruit is better than gold, yea fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver; I lead in the way of righteousnesse in the midst of the paths of judgement, that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasure; So that those that seek first the kingdom of Heaven, and the righteousnesse there­of, and seek it as hidden treasure, that is to say, above all things in the world, without doubt the Lord will rise and rain everlasting righteousness upon such souls Hosea 10.12. Prov. 2.3, 4, 5. 1 Chron. 28.9. Mat. 9.33. So much to the first means, in order to the attainment of this inhe­ritance.

The second way to attain to this inheritance may be observed from the wise Merchant man, who, when he had found the Pearl of great price, sold all that he had to gain that price; so also must thou, when thou seest an excellency in Jesus Christ, thou must break off thy sins by righteous­nesse, and part with all that is near and dear unto thee, for he that comes to Christ, and hates not Father and Mother, Wife and Children, Lands and living, nay and his own life, can­not be his Disciple; not that I mean that thou shouldst hate the person of thy Father, or thy Mother, or Wife, or Children, and the like, neither did Christ mean so in that speech of his, but to cast them out of their af­fections when they come in competi­tion with Christ, but still to honour and respect their persons, though slight their counsel, Luk. 14.26, 27. Mat. 10.34, 35, 36, 37, 38. so that this is the second way to attain this Heavenly inheritance or Pearl of great price: Thirdly as thou must forsake all, and break off thy sins by righteousnesle, so thou must increase [Page 186]in thy piety and virtues, thou must not stand still, but thou must add to thy Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Tem­perance, Patience, and Godlinesse, for so an entrance shall be admini­stred into his heavenly Kingdom. 2 Pet. 1.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. so that from hence thou mayst see, that the way or means to enter into that hea­venly inheritance, is to grow in grace, not to stand still, not be luke­warm, not to have a name to live, and be dead, but to excel in virtue.

The fourth: and lastly as thou must seek that inheritance above and be­fore all things, and as thou must for­sake all things for the attainment of that precious inheritance, when thou hast found it, so as to part with all, and break off thy sins by righteous­nesse, and as thou must also grow in Graces, adding to thy Faith, Virtue, and so forth: So in the fourth and last place thou must goe on, and per­severe till death, not turn back, or be weary, or faint in thy mind, for that is the way to inherit that glori­ous inheritance, even that immortal crown of life, and to sit down with [Page 187]Christ in his Throne, where thou shalt abide for ever and ever 2 Tim. 4.4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Jam. 1.12. Rev. 2.10. cap. 3. v. 9. compar'd with 12. v. 2.7. cap. 21.7. And so I shall passe un­to the sixth use.

The sixth use is a use of inducement 6 Use. to win thee or move thee to prise that Kingdom, which is to be at the Re­velation of Jesus Christ, for then the Tabernacle of God shall be with men, & he shall dwell with them; as also saith Iohn in these words, I heard a great voice from Heaven, saying, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and he will be their God, 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, and the redeemed of the Lord shall come to Sion with Songs, and everlast­ing Joy shall be unto them; and the great King of the whole earth, who is the Son of the most high, and the great Bridegroom of the Bride, shall gird himselfe and make them sit [Page 188]down at meat, and they shall raign with him, as long as the Sun and Moon endureth, Luk. 12.37. Rev. 21.3, 4, 5. Esa. 35, 10. these privi­leges in that kingdom shall be above Angels, for not unto the Angels hath he put into subjection the world to come, whereof we speak, but that he hath put it into subjection to the Saints is clear, as you may see from these Scriptures Psal. 149.6, 7, 8, 9. Obedi. 21. Mal. 4.3, 4, 5. Rev. 2.26, 27. from hence we may see the great gainers Saints will be, if it be so that they lose all the enjoyments of this life, provided they doe but attain that inheritance, 1 Tim. 4.8. cap. 6. ver. 6. 1 Cor. 3.22. But on the other hand, if thou shouldest lose that inheritance, and the glorious presence of that infinite glory, which was so glorious, that when Peter and John saw but a glimpse of it, they said, It is good for us to be here; I say, if thou shouldest loose chis enjoyment, although by it thou maist gain all the friendship in the world, & the riches and quintessence thereof; yet thou wouldest be a great [Page 189]loser, Matt. 17.4. Mark 8.36. Christian Reader, thou art not tra­velling to an earthly Kingdom or Inheritance, but unto Mount Sion, and unto the City of the living God, the heavenly Ierusalem, to an innu­merable company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the first born, which are written in Heaven, and unto God the Judge of all things, and the Spirits of Just men made perfect, where thou shalt enjoy the presence of God, in whose presence there is fullnesse of Joy, and at his right hand pleasure for ever­more, Psal. 16.11. Heb. 12.22, 23.

The second inducement is from the Freeness of the giver of this Inheritance, that whether thou art rich or poor, high or low, noble or ignoble, thou maist attain to this Inheritance; for the Lord com­mands his Messengers to offer it freely to every Creature, Mar. 16.15. Rev. 22.17. Moreover he proclaims this his loving kindnesse by the Pro­phet, saying, Oh every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no mony, come buy Wine [Page 190]without money, and without price, why do you lay out your money for that which is not bread, and your la­bor for that which profits not? Esay 55.1, 2. From hence we may take notice of these two things, First how the Lord exhibiteth himself freely to every Creature; and blames such as are contented with Husks, when they may have the Bread of Life freely.

The third Inducement or Motive to move thee, or incourage thee to seek after this Inheritance, is from the consideration of thy con­dition, when the Lord is pleased to cast his eye of pity upon thee; it is not at that time when thou appearest amiable or lovely by reason of thy virtues and graces which is in thee, but when thou wast a deformed Creature, by reason of lying in the blood of the pollution of thy Sin, and it was also when no eye pittied thee; neither could Angels or men do thee any good: In this appeared the love of God (indeed) as saith the Apostle; We know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though [Page 191]he were rich, yet for your sakes he be­came poor, that you through his pover­ty might be made rich, thus the Lord Jesus made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a Ser­vant, and became obedient to death, even the death of the crosse; (and as the Apostle Paul saith) this his great love did extend it self to us, when we by Nature were the Children of wrath, as well as others, scarcely for a righte­ous man will one dye, yet peradven­ture for a good man some would even dare to dye; but God commendeth his love to us, in that while we were Sin­ners Christ died for us. Rom. 5.7, 8. 2 Cor. 8.9. Phil. 2.6, 7, 8. Ezek. 16.4, 5, 6, 7, 8. So that hence we may see the time when the Lord was pleased in his mercy and pity to look upon us, and offer unto us this rich inheritance.

Fourthly, and lastly, be moved a­bove all things to seek this kingdom, because of the indurablenesse of it, for it will never fail chee, but will remain with thee for ever and ever, as saith the Psalmist, The Lord know­eth the days of the upright, and his in­heritance [Page 192]shall be for ever; The A­postle Peter also to confirm this say­ing, saith, Blessed be the God and Fa­ther of our Lord Iesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorrupti­ble and undefiled, that fadeth not a­way, reserved in the Heaven for you; wherefore gird up the loyns of your mind, and be sober and hope to the end for the grace that shall be brought to you at the revolation of Iesus Christ, the which shall be an ample recom­pence of reward for all the sufferings that thou shalt meet with (for the profession of his name) in this life, Psal. 37.18. 1 Pet. 1.3, 4. comp. 13 v. Rev. 21.6. Rev. 22.12. Heb. 11, 16

The seventh use is to set forth the 7 Use misery and terror that will fall upon all such as sin against such great mer­cy; were there no more but a depri­vation of them from the presence of the glorious God, and that Heaven­ly Ierusalem, it might be sufficient to be a Worm never dying, and a fire [Page 193]never quenched; but there is also Tophet prepared of old, he hath made it deep and large, the pile thereof is fire and much wood, the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimston doth kindle it, Isa. 30.33. Agreeing with the words of the Apostle that saith, Or despisest thou the riches of his good­ness, and forbearance, and long-suffe­ring, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance, but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous Judgement of God? Rom. 2.4, 5. 2 Thess. 1.7, 8. What a forlorn condition will that Soul be in, whoever he be, that hath slighted the means of Grace, and cast behind his back all those sweet invitations of the Gospel, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come forth, to summon all to appear before the Judgement Seat, to give an account before the Tribunal Seat? Will not such Souls call for the Mountains to fall upon them, to hide them from the pre­sence of God? Surely they will, and all such faces shall gather blackness; for [Page 194]thou that hast hated knowledge, and hast not chosen the fear of the Lord, but hast chosen Pleasure, and all that thy heart hath lusted after here below, and hast set greater account of the praise of Men than of the praise of God, this shalt thou have at the Lords hands, thou shalt lye down in sorrow, where there shall be weeping, and wayling, and gnashing of teeth; therefore labour to be wise whilst thou maist be happy, and in this thy day consider the things that belong to thy peace, lest it be hid from thine eyes for ever, and thou mourn when it be too late. Prov. 1.24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. Cap. 5.11. Luke 19.42.

The Eighth and last Use shall be for comfort and consolation to all those that shall be Heirs of that Kingdom; Blessed are all they who are found watching when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come, he will gird himself, and make them sit down at meat, and he will come forth and serve them. Therefore be glad and rejoyce, for the Lord Omnipotent will reign. Blessed are all they that are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lambt, [Page 195]for they shall enter into that glorious City, even that heavenly Jerusalem, (which I have given you a glimps of) where there shall bee singing praises by the Saints, where there shall be ever­lasting joy, and substantial (or per­fect) felicity; therefore I say, Blessed are all the Dead that dye in the Lord, for they shall be glorified at his appearance. Even so Amen, Come Lord Jesus come quickly.