Jerusalems glory breaking forth into the world being a Scripture-discovery of the New-Testament Church in the latter dayes, immediately before the Second Coming of Christ. Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646. 1684 Approx. 147 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 68 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A30589 Wing B6092 ESTC R25958 09304213 ocm 09304213 42663 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A30589) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 42663) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1304:3) Jerusalems glory breaking forth into the world being a Scripture-discovery of the New-Testament Church in the latter dayes, immediately before the Second Coming of Christ. Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646. Adderley, William. [12], 120 p. Printed by J.A. and are to be sold by most booksellers, London : 1684. "Preached ... by ... Mr. Jeremiah Burroughes"--p. [1] "To the Christian reader" signed: William Adderley. Reproduction of original in the Union Theological Seminary Library, New York. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Bible. -- O.T. -- Isaiah LXII, 7 -- Sermons. Church -- Biblical teaching -- Sermons. Sermons, English -- 17th century. 2006-05 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-01 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-02 Robyn Anspach Sampled and proofread 2007-02 Robyn Anspach Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion JERVSALEMS GLORY Breaking forth into the WORLD BEING A SCRIPTURE-DISCOVERY OF THE New-Testament-Church In the Latter Dayes , immediately before the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST . LONDON , Printed by J. A. and are to be 〈…〉 most Booksellers . 168● . TO THE CHRISTIAN READER . THIS Precious Treatise of the New Testament Church in the latter Dayes , Preached many Years a-go by that Evangelical Prophet , Mr. Jeremiah Burroughes ; was committed to us by a Citizen of Zion , to whose ready Pen the World is much engaged , for Preserving the Mantles of divers of our late Elijah's , which they let fall from their Pulpits , before they went to Heaven . If thou hast seen and tasted that Gracious and Warm Spirit , which runs through His many other VVorkes , Published by Himself and His Brethren ; it will certainly encrease in thee a Spiritful Thirst and Longing after what else he hath received from his LORD and MASTER , and hath freely Communicated , as His Embassadour to His People , which are yet to be printed . The Principal Scope of this Small , though weighty Book , is , to give us Scriptural notice that Jesus Christ will usher in His second Coming , by making Jerusalem , ( His Church ) a Praise in the Earth , ( a Glory throughout the World. ) This is plainly demonstrated according to the WORD by this Apollos , mighty in the Scriptures , and an Interpreter one of a Thousand . Therefore seriously peruse every Text without a prejudicate Opinion , Judge not rashly , lest thou be judged : For this Master-Builder hath set before thee , nothing but that which is grounded upon the Pillar of Truth , and which is according to the Golden Reed of the Sanctuary . Here is a singular Collection of several Scriptures of the Old and New Testament , looking one the other in the face , ( as the Cherubims of Gold did , which Moses made at each end of the Mercy Seat ) and shaking Hands together for the more evident and firm Demonstration of this Great Gospel-Truth , following the Apostles Rule , Comparing spiritual things , with spiritual things ; so that you will find this Soul-ravishing Point , ( that Christ's Church shall be the Praise and Glory of all the World ) as the Light of the Sun , breaking forth more and more , to a perfect mid-day of Glory . Oh! how welcome will that day of Christ's Espousals and Coronation , be to His Love-sick Spouse ; as the Dove with the Olive Leaf was to Noah , or the re-appearing of the Star to the Wise Men ! Let us resolve in the strength of Christ ( who is the only Supream Head of His Church ) constantly to make it our solemn business to plead at the Throne of Grace , those glorious Prophesies and Promises in his Name , in whom they are Yea and Amen , even till He Establish , and till He make Jerusalem a Praise ; till He have not only laid the foundations with Saphirs , but finished this City of Pearl ; not only brought forth the Corner stone , but the Top Stone of Jerusalem : and all the Earth with shouting , cry , Grace , Grace to it . 26 th . of this 3 d. Month , 1675. Less than the Least of Jerusalems Remembrancers , William Adderley . THE EPISTLE . THE Publisher of these Sermons , is desirous they might pass with Testimonial into the World , that they might pass with the greater Freedom . But indeed the Name of the Author , so well known , may be sufficient Argument for their Reception in every place . These Sermons are but some Fragments , of the VVorthy Authors Judicious and Pious Labours ; But Christ gave order to his Disciples that the Fragments should not be lost . Faith may here find some food ; as it takes a prospect of the Glory , that is hereafter to be revealed . For here you have the Author's Sentiments about the last times , and of the Catastrophe of all things at last ; After the Dragon and the Beast have acted their parts in their opposition to the Lamb , and his followers , wherein he hath presented to our View the many ancient Prophesies recorded in Scripture , that bear witness to these things . So far as you see Prophetick Light shine before you , take heed to it , which is all that is desired of the Reader , and by the Publisher . Who having this Commodity , I mean this Copy lying by him ; was willing to bring it forth , as men bring Corn and other necessaries to Market for publick Use and benefit ; only remember , that it was not in the Author's Intention for to have it so . Had his own hand been upon the Frame , you should have seen the Lines drawn with more Accuracy , and the Truth more fully searched into . And if any hath thoughts different from the Author 's in these ensuing Sermons ; let him shew , however , that Respect to so Reverend a Man , as to reject nothing Rashly that is Asserted by him ; and if he doth not Receive , let him Consider ; And let us all be waiting and preparing for the Bride-groom's coming . Amen , Even so come Lord Jesus . ISA. 62. v. 7. And give him no rest , till he establish , and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth . SERMON I. IN the former Chapter , there are many Promises of an excellent and Glorious state , that God would bring his Church into , in his time : with those Promises , the heart of this Prophet Isaiah was much taken , and therefore in the beginning of this Chapter , ( saith he ) For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace , and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest , until the Righteousness thereof go forth as brightness , and the Salvation thereof as a Lamp that burneth : And as he himself would not rest , nor hold his peace , so he would that all the Watchmen , that were set upon the Walls of Jerusalem , and so after , all the Ministers of the Church , that they should not rest ; yea he would that they should give God no rest , until he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth . Give God no rest ; he speaks here after the manner of Men , to note what importunity there should be among the people of God , in seeking of God , to make good all those glorious Promises that he hath made to his Church , for the raising of it up to a glorious state : as a man that is importunate of any business , he is not satisfied ; if he doth Petition , and nothing comes of it , he falls to it again and again , and seeks to get by importunity , and resolves that he will be at no rest . And so God speaks after this manner , not that his rest , or not rest , doth depend upon us ; But that we should be as importunate with him for so great a mercy as this is , as with any man in the world , that we were resolved , that till he had given us an answer , we would give him no rest : and give him no rest until he hath established , and made Jerusalem a praise in the Earth . Till he establish . Till he makes good his word , till the Church be brought to a settled way of mercy , and into a safe and sure condition : For sometimes ( as if the Prophet should say ) we find the Promises beginning to work , and God is doing good for us , but at other times things seem to go back again , therefore give him no rest till he Establish , till we see things settled . As you Mariners , when you are to go a great Voyage , you love to see the Wind settled in some place or other before you go forth : so faith the Prophet , Sometimes we find the mercy and goodness of God much towards us ; but things have gone back again , therefore give him no rest till he hath established . And till he hath made Jerusalem a praise in the Earth . By Jerusalem we are to understand the Church of God , not so much the City Jerusalem that then was , but the Church of God that was to be in the times of the Gospel especially , for Jerusalem was a Type of it . As the praise of the Earth ; The Septuagint translates it , and the word signifies the Glory , the Exaltation of the Earth : till he makes Jerusalem the praise of the Earth . Now we know that Prayer ought to be in Faith , then those that pray to God , and especially that are importunate with God , they must believe that there is such a thing to be done , that the Church of God is to be made the praise and Glory of the Earth : And if they believe it is to be done , they must have some word for it . Now this is the main thing , that I intend at this time to make out unto you , that there is a time that God hath , to make his Church , to be the praise and glory of all the world . In this World ; To be the glory of the Earth , not only to be glorious its self in Heaven ; that I suppose you all believe , that there is a time that the Church Militant here , shall be Triumphant in Heaven , and glorious there ; but that there is a time that God in this Earth , shall make his Church to be the glory of the earth : And therefore all the Saints of God , to whom the glory of God is dear , who do desire that the Honour of God may be raised and set out , they are to pray for this , and to be importunate for this , as a certain thing that is to be done and fulfilled by God : Now because you cannot pray for it , and be importunate , to give God no rest till you see it plainly that it will be so , therefore this thing is now to be opened unto you . The truth is , Jerusalem , the Church of God , hath been in a low Estate alwaies , in comparison of what God intends it to be at this time , when the Prophet here saith , give God no rest till he make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth . Jerusalem was in no glorious condition , it was but a little before God intended a Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem : For this Prophet , ( you shall find in the beginning of his Prophecy ) did Prophesie in the dayes of Hezekiah ; now in the sixth year of Hezekiah's Reign did the Babilonians come and sack Samaria , 2 Kings 18.10 . and took the People into Captivity : And it might be ( for ought we know ) not above a year or two before their captivity , that here the Prophet calls upon this people to pray to God , and give him no rest till he set Jerusalem up , as the praise of the whole earth ; and yet he knew it was it to go into Captivity presently ; certainly then the Prophet did not intend here any time that should be in his dayes , or in any little time after . The Prophet therefore must needs have a Reference to some notable time of the Church , that must be in after dayes , the people of the Jews were never the praise of the whole Earth . If you look before this time , they were unto the other people , but a contemptible people , and lived in a little Countrey , one way a little more than fourscore miles ; a very little Countrey it was that all the people of the Jews lived in , and very contemptible in respect of the other Nations of the World : Therefore it was not the praise of the whole earth before . Not presently after this is spoken , for they were to go into Captivity , and to be there so long a time . You will say , it may be 't is meant about the time when they were to return from Captivity . No not so neither , for they were but very poor and contemptible in the eyes of the world after their Captivity ; for when they did return , it was but by leave , and they were but as Servants unto the Medes still , they were but as servants unto Cyrus , and the rest of them . When they went to build the Walls of Jerusalem again , they scoff at them ; And what doe these feeble Jews ? and if a Fox goes but upon their walls , it will break them down . Certainly in their return from Captivity , they were not the praise of the whole Earth , no nor in after times ; they had many interruptions before they could bring any thing to any effect . Many Learned men compute that they were longer a building the wall than they were in Captivity ; and we know that it was not long after their Captivity , that they all did lye at the mercy of a wicked Haman , who had gotten a Decree to cut off all the people of the Jews ; therefore they were not in any glorious condition , no not after their return from Captivity : from that time till the time that the Romans came and destroyed them , they were but in a low condition , and then afterwards they were low enough : so that it could not be meant literally of Jerusalem , of that place , nor of the Church of the Jews ; therefore it must be meant of the state of the Church in the times of the Gospel : Now when was that as the praise of the whole earth ? certainly though it were the praise of God , and God had his praise from his Church at all times ; yet now this must be meant of some eminent time that was to come , and it must be some outward glory that they must have , so as the whole earth must take notice of it . And it was not in the time of Christ himself , Christ himself was the glory of God , but yet in the earth he was despised , a man that had no form nor comeliness in him ; in regard of outwards , they were then under Herod , and rejected Christ when he came , and within a while afterwards by Titus Vespatian they were destroyed , and an unspeakable havock was upon Jerusalem , and the people of the Jews , and so they have abode to this day , to be as a runnagate Nation . For the Apostles , nothing was more contemptible than they ; you know what St. Paul saith , not only of himself but of other of the Apostles , they were made the very off-scowring of the Earth , the basest things of the Earth ; even the Apostles themselves , they were in no outward glory before the face of the world , that they could see it . And afterwards in the Primitive times , you know they were under most dreadful persecutions , how they were Massacred and hackt and hew'd , and what woful misery they were put to : all this while Jerusalem was not the praise of the Earth . Well , but after those bloody persecutions ended , then came Constantine , and then they had peace , and were in a more flourishing condition . But not then neither , for presently Antichrist began to rise ; then , This day is poyson poured into the Church : Then they fell out one with another , by their contentions ; then Arrianisme began to spread all over the World ; and within a little time they were brought into a great Bondage , under an Antichristian power ; and so great darkness did come upon all the Churches . I find Mr. Brightman and some others , they begin the 42 Weeks , even from the time that the Church did begin to flourish in some outward pomp and glory . Then began the Prelatical power presently upon that , and so they reckon the time of reigning from thence ; so that Jerusalem hath not been yet the praise of the whole Earth to this day : Therefore this that the Prophet here speaks of , must be meant of some other time that yet is not come to pass ; so that we live in these times wherein we are to look for the accomplishing of this Prophecy , that God should make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth , yet in another manner than ever he hath done ; and that 's the thing that I especially shall endeavour to shew you , that yet there is a time for Jerusalem , for the Church to be in a more glorious condition than formerly it hath been , so that we may have our spirits awakened and stirred up , not only to Pray , but be Instumental all that we can , for the setting up of the glory of the Church of God ; God is about the working of a great work this way , and therefore it 's pity that any that have love to God , and to his cause , but that they should put on all they can by Prayer , and all the wayes they can , to further such a glorious work as this is : it was that , that was the comfort of the Saints of God in the Primitive times , and a little after , when they suffered hard things , yet had comfort that there was a time a coming , that Jerusalem should be the praise of the Earth , and that Jesus Christ should come and Reign in his Church in another manner , than ever yet he did . Just in Martyr , that lived about thirty years after John , Prophesies ( in speaking of this point ) of a glorious time of the Church that should be . Both my self ( saith he ) and all that are Orthodox do generally hold this , that there is such a time of the Glorious condition of the Church . And Lactantius , that lived 1300 years ago ( or more ) he spends a great many Chapters in shewing the glorious condition of the Church of God that should be , and they longed for it ; now we are fallen into the times that are nearer ; our salvation is nearer than when they believed , yea , or when we our selves did at first believe . And therefore as in natural things , the nearer a thing comes to the Center , the faster it moves , so the nearer the people of God come to the glorious condition that God intends for his people in the latter dayes , the more should their hearts outrun them , in giving God no rest till he come to establish it : Wherefore then for the opening of this , Christ hath great things to do for his Church in this world , in making of it the praise of the Earth . I 'le first shew it you by comparing divers Scriptures together . And then I 'le shew you what the state of the Church is like to be , when it comes to be made the praise of the whole Earth ; or what God will do for his Church , when he intends it to be the praise of the whole earth . For the first , To compare some Scriptures ; the Scriptures are very remarkable , especially in the Prophet Isaiah , compared with divers Scriptures in the Book of the Revelations ; you may see ( as it were ) how they do Eccho one to another , whereby we may see apparently , that Isaiah was an Evangelical Prophet ( as he is called by many Divines . ) The first is in the 24. Isa . v. 23. compared with the 4. Rev. 4. v. In the 24. of Isa . Then ( speaking of God's deliverance of his Church from evil , then he makes this promise ) the Moon shall be confounded , and the Sun ashamed , when the Lord of Hosts shall Reign in Mount Zion , and in Jerusalem , and before his Ancients gloriously . The Moon shall be confounded , and the Sun ashamed : The meaning of it is this : There shall be so much glory , as shall darken the glory of the Sun and Moon , and because their glory shall be darkned , they shall be as it were ashamed : As a man when he sees others come that have more glory than himself , it puts him to some shame ; so they shall be ashamed ; why ? because the Lord of Hosts shall Reign in Mount Zion , and in Jerusalem , before his Ancients gloriously . Certainly this hath not been yet fulfilled , the Lord hath not so reign'd in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem before his Ancients gloriously , so as to darken the glory of the Sun and Moon . Now in the 4th of Rev. v. 4. it seems to have regard to this Scripture , and shews you what the Throne of Christ is , when he shall come to Reign in Zion gloriously . And round about the Throne were four and twenty seats , and upon the Seats ▪ I saw four and twenty Elders , sitting cloathed in white rayment , and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold ; and here the Lord reigns before the Ancients . There 's the Throne of God set up ; and upon the Seats I saw four and twenty Elders , or Ancients , sitting cloathed in white rayment , and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold. So that John seems to have regard to this Text , and that Prophesie of John is apparently of the state of the Church that was to be in after times . And so there are other places of Scripture , as that 54. of Isa . and 21. of the Revelat. In the 54. Isa . v. 12. there 's a promise to the Church that was Afflicted ; O thou Afflicted , tossed with Tempest , and not comforted , behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours , and lay thy Foundation with Saphires ; And I will make thy Windows of Agats , and thy Gates of Carbuncles , and all thy borders of pleasant stones . Here God promises that he would build his Church with precious stones , the Church that was so Afflicted and tost : Now mark the 21. of the Revelat. and see there how St. John takes this Prophesie , and doth plainly interpret it , that it is of the glorious state of the Church that should be after : saith the Text there , describing there the glorious Estate of the Church ; And the Foundations of the wall of the City , were garnished with all manner of precious stones . Here 's a Prophesie it should be so , and John takes this Prophesie , and tells , that this is to be understood of a time of the Christian Church , that it shall indeed be so . And again , in the 60. of Isa . v. 19. compare it with the 21. Rev. v. 23. In Isa . there the Text speaking of the glorious state of the Church that should be , saith , The Sun shall be no more thy light by day , neither for brightness shall the Moon give Light unto thee , but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting Light , and thy God thy Glory . Thy Sun shall no more go down , neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self , for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light , and the dayes of thy mourning shall be ended . Certainly this hath not yet been fulfilled . And in the 21. Rev. towards the latter end , you have almost the same words : And the City ( saith the Text ) had no need of the Sun , neither of the Moon to shine in it , for the Glory of God did lighten it , and the Lamb is the Light thereof . I shall afterwards come further to open somewhat of the meaning of that , what it is , no to have no need of Sun and Moon , when we come to open wherein the glory of the Church doth consist , that God intends to make the praise of the whole Earth . I might name divers other Scriptures , but I hasten rather to the other thing , ( which is the main ) to open wherein the Church shall be the praise of the whole earth , or what shall make it to be the Praise of the whole earth . First , more generally ; Certainly when the condition Jerusalem shall be in when Gods time shall come , there will be a time of Resurrection from the dead : there will be a kind of Resurrection from the dead , before the general Resurrection at the great day of Judgment : we have divers Scriptures that do seem to point at this , and indeed clearly to manifest it : The first Scripture is in the 12 Chapter of the book of Daniel , that speaks of a Resurrection , another Resurrection than that that shall be at the great day of Judgment : saith the Text , And at that time thy people shall be delivered , every one that shall be found written in the Book . And many of them that sleep in the dust of the Earth , shall awake , some to everlasting life , and some to shame and everlasting contempt ; and they that be wise , shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament , and they that turn many to righteousness , as the Stars for ever and ever . Now that this must be an Estate of the Church before the great and general Resurrection , is clear . First , It 's said here , Some shall rise ; he speaks not of all shall rise : Now at that day , good and bad , all shall rise . But then Secondly , The uttermost glory of the most eminent godly men that shall rise , it shall be but to shine as the brightness of the Firmament ; and the height of all is , that they that turn many to Righteousness , as the Stars , they shall but shine as the Stars . Surely those who are not only righteous themselves , but are means to turn others to Righteousness , they are like to have the greatest degree of Glory in Heaven ; which is a mighty encouraging place , not only to Ministers , but to all , to seek to convert all they can : For this Scripture seems to hold forth this Truth , that the Lord will look upon them as Instruments of his Glory , and give them a higher degree of Glory than others : But now , at the great day of Judgment we know that the Saints of God shall shine brighter than the Stars ; they shall be as the Sun : These Bodies of Clay , that we carry now about with us , in the great day , when Christ shall come to judge all the World , they shall shine as the Sun in the Firmament : The poorest Man , or Woman , or Child , that is godly , though their Bodies are cloathed with Rags now , yet at the day of Christ their Bodies shall be made to shine as the Glory of the Firmament ; nay , more than so , as the Glory of the Sun : Yea , they shall be like to the Body of Jesus Christ himself , &c. and the Body of Christ shall be beyond the Glory of the Sun ; therefore this is not meant of that time ; for the height of all the Glory here is but as the Stars . But then a third Reason why it is not meant at that time , is , because the Lord bids Daniel to close up this Prophecy , and tells him it shall be a thing kept hid . Now , that there shall be a Resurrection , that God shall come to judge the World , this was never any such secret , the light of Nature will tell us this ; that there is a time that it must be well with the righteous , and ill with the wicked : The Heathens could tell us of a time that God should judge the World : But now the Prophet here speaks of this as a Mystery , that it was not to be revealed till the latter dayes . Yea , and then Fourthly , The Lord promiseth to Daniel , as a peculiar and special favour unto him , that he should arise , and stand in the Lot at the end of the dayes . Now for Daniel to arise at the day of Judgment , that 's a thing that is common to all , good and bad ; but here it is promised to him as a special Mercy , that he shall stand up in the latter dayes in his Lot : And therefore , according to the Reverend Brightman , and others , this place is interpreted of the time of the calling in of the Jews , when they and the Gentiles shall joyn together ; and Jerusalem shall then be set up as the Praise of the whole Earth . And the rather it makes me think so , because the Apostle in the 11 of the Rom. vers . 15. speaking of the time of the calling of the Jews , he doth make use of such a kind of Phrase , that it shall be even a time of Resurrection , it shall be no other but even a raising from the dead . In the 15 verse , For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the World , what shall the receiving of them be , but life from the dead ? Therefore it seems that he had some Reference to this very Scripture here at this time . And in the 37 of Ezek. the beginning , the receiving of the Jews there , is set out by the dry Bones that were breathed upon by the breath of God , and so they stood up as an Army , and had life . Yea , and this shall be as a new Creation : There will be as great works done , as God did when he made the World at first , and he will put forth as great a power . So you have it set forth unto you in the 65. of Isa . There the Prophet prophesying of a Glorious Condition of the Church , what it should be , mark how he doth express it . For behold , I create new Heavens , and a new Earth , and the former shall not be remembred , nor come into mind . But be ye glad , and rejoyce for ever in that which I Create ; for behold , I create Jerusalem a rejoycing , and her People a Joy. I create ( saith he ) new Heavens , and a new Earth . When will God do this ? Why , saith he , Be glad in it ; for behold , I create Jerusalem a rejoycing , and her People a Joy. When this Jerusalem shall be made the praise of the whole Earth , then there shall be new Heavens , and a new Earth created : That is , there shall be as great a change of things , as if there were new Heavens , and new Earth created : There shall be a mighty glorious power of God manifested towards his Churches , as if God were Creating new Heavens and new Earth again . Oh! we do not know , but that either you or some of your Children , may yet live to see such times as these are . And it 's another World indeed . It 's not the World that we live in now ; there shall be a kind of new World : And therefore some Scriptures , that many times we think are meant concerning the Life in Heaven , after the day of Judgment , because they are spoken of another World ; they are rather to be understood of the state of the Church here in this World. And to the end that I may shew this , for otherwise all that 's said is but in vain : It may be you will say , that the Prophet mean't that State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven : And so the Apostle St. John , in his reference to what the Prophet saith ; he seems to mean it , of the glorious state of the Church in Heaven . And I verily believe the most of you that have read with Observation the latter end of the Book of the Revelations , you have thought it hath been meant of the State of the Church in Heaven ; but that it cannot be be meant : I 'le give you a Reason or two why the 21 of the Revelations cannot be meant of the Church in Heaven . First , Because the Text saith , That Jerusalem shall come down from Heaven ; after he had described it in the 10 Vers . He carryed me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain , and shewed me that great City , the holy Jerusalem , descending out of Heaven , from God. That is , the Glory of Jerusalem shall not come from the Earth , nor from any Earthly means : Though men ought to do what they can , yet it shall be too great a Glory for any earthly means to be able to bring ; but it shall come down from Heaven ; there shall be some admirable glorious work of God from Heaven , to bring Jerusalem into such Glory as it shall be brought into . And that 's one thing ; That it is not the State of Heaven , for it comes down from Heaven . And then besides , that that is an undeniable Reason , is that which you have in the 24 and 26 Verses ; And the Nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it ; and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour into it . They do not bring their Honour to the State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven : The Saints in Heaven shall have no need of any of the Glory of the Kings of the Earth ; the meanest , poorest Servant , or Boy that is Godly , shall be more glorious than all the Kings of the Earth ever were in this World ; but this is such a State , that the Kings of the Earth shall bring their Glory to it . And in the 26 verse ; They shall bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations into it : The meaning is , that when this time comes , the Lord will make all the Kings of the Earth , and all the Nations of the Earth to be some way serviceable to the Glory of his Churches ; that 's the plain meaning of it : that whereas now the Kings of the Earth , and the Nations do persecute the Church generally , and ( as in the second Psalm you have it ) the Kings of the Earth they combine themselves together against Jesus Christ , and will none of his Government ; but yet for all this , the Lord saith , that he will set his King upon his holy Hill : And then here is the Prophecy , that there shall be such a work of God upon the Kings and Nations of the Earth , as they shall all come in , and bring their Glory to Jerusalem , to the Church , to do the uttermost they can to make the Church to be Glorious . This is in General the state of Jerusalem , when it shall be made the Praise of the Earth . But now that I might come to move Particulars about this : The first thing is this ; When that time shall come , all Tears shall be wiped from the Eyes of Saints ; the People of God shall be delivered from all Enemies ; they shall never be any further pestered with wicked and ungodly men to be enemies to them , but be fully freed from them all : We groan under the burden of the Enmity of wicked Men , and their Opposition ; I , but let us be content to bear it , and to endure Oppositions from wicked and ungodly Men ; for there is a time a coming , that thou shalt be delivered even in this World. You will say , when we come to Heaven , we shall be above the Malice of all the wicked Men in the World. Nay , there is a time when the Saints shall be above the Malice of wicked men upon this Earth : In the 28 of Ezek. A Chapter that speaks so much of the Glorious Condition of the People of God , verse 24. There shall be no more a pricking Briar , nor any grieving Thorn of all that are round about them that despised them . They shall be so far from having any power to do any mischief to the People of God , as they shall not be so much as able to prick them , no grieving Thorn , nor no bryer pricking of the Saints of God , as heretofore they have done . It will be a blessed time when the Saints shall be delivered from the Curse of the Earth , the Bryers and Thorns it brings forth . Where are wicked men , certainly those are the worst Bryers and Thorns in the World , and do the most mischief here in the World : Now the Lord hath promised that they shall be delivered wholly from them . Rev. 21.4 . There is a Scripture leading to that way ; And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes , and there shall be no more Death , neither Sorrow , nor Crying ; neither shall there be any more Pain : For the former things are passed away . This is prophesied of for such times as these are ; for those that then liv'd ; the Saints are like to live when Christ shall come in that Glorious state of Judgment , and have no pain nor sickness , and therefore be delivered from all Enemies , and from all evils both from without and within , in regard of any pain or misesery ; and in the 19 of the Revelations , we have it there prophesied of Christ , that he shall come and have his Vesture dipt in blood , in the overcoming all the wicked and ungodly ; Verse 13. And he was cloathed with a Vesture dipt in blood , and his Name is called the Word of God. And the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white Horses , cloathed in fine Linnen , white and clean ; and out of his Mouth goeth a sharp Sword , that with it he should smite the Nations ; and he shall rule them with a Rod of Iron ; and he treadeth the Wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. But this is observable , why it 's said , that the Garments of Christ were dipt in blood , and the Robes of the Saints were white : the meaning is this ; That it is to note , that when this time comes , to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole World , that Jesus Christ he shall come to be avenged of his Enemies , of all the wicked and ungodly upon the Earth ; and so he shall come in an Hostile way against them : But those that follow him , they shall have their Robes white , the Saints shall triumph ; they shall do nothing but take the Triumph : Christ shall go before , and endure all the difficulty and hardship , and they shall come after in a triumphing way . Thus the Scripture speaks of deliverance from wicked men . And in the 12 Zech. verse 3. there you have a place likewise observable for this : And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all People ; all that burden themselves with it , shall be cut in pieces , though all the people of the Earth be gathered together against it : I 'le make Jerusalem a burdensom stone ; will they fight against it ? it shall be a burdensom stone to them ; and whosoever set themselves against Jerusalem in that day , shall not prevail , but shall be cut in pieces . Why that day hath not been yet : But there shall be a day , when whosoever throughout the World shall set himself against the Church , shall not prevail , but shall be cut in pieces . And so we find in the 11 of Exod. the 7 verse , That when the People of Israel went out of Aegypt , the Text saith there was not a Dog that did move his Tongue against them . We know the Deliverance from Aegypt was typical : It notes the deliverance of the People of this new Jerusalem from the Tyranny of Anti-Christ . And therefore in the 15 of the Revel . you find that Moses Song it is sung again . In the 15 of Exod. after their Deliverance from Pharaoh , Moses sings a Song of Thanksgiving ; and in the 15 Rev. they sing it over again , verse 2 , 3. after their deliverance from their Captivity . The Dogs of the World they do move their Tongues against the Saints of God now , but there is a time coming that no Dog shall move his Tongue : They shall be so convinc'd of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem , that God is with them , that they shall not be able to move their Tongues against them . And I remember , Lactantius ( that I spake of before , that did speak so much in his time , so many hundred Years agoe , that there was such a time a coming ; ) he hath this expression among others : At that time it shall be with wicked men as it was with the People of Aegypt : When God ( saith he ) did deliver Israel from the Aegyptian Bondage , he brought most dreadful Judgments upon the Aegyptians at that time ; so ( saith he ) whenever the time shall come , that God shall set up Jerusalem as the Praise of the whole World , then shall be most fearful Judgments upon the ungodly . Now indeed Judgment begins at the House of God , and the Saints in many places suffer most ; but then Judgment shall fall upon the Aegyptians , and God will destroy wicked men , or at least subdue them so far , as they shall not be able to do any hurt to the Saints : And that 's the first thing that shall be , when Jerusalem shall be made the Praise of the whole Earth ; the People of God shall be delivered from wicked men , and all Oppression ; and much less shall they be oppressed by one another : It is that that darkens Jerusalem now , that it 's under oppression from evil Men , and that the Saints do oppress one another so much . But for the Union of the Saints , that we shall speak of afterwards . But for the second thing , and that 's this : Then shall all the Expressions of the Churches Glory , that we have in the Old Testament in a Typical way , be fully made good , and that visibly ; it shall be visibly and apparently to the World made good . You will say , What are those ? There are very many , the Lord speaks very much of the Glory of his Church , when he had his Church but among the Jews ; but certainly the wayes of God towards his Church then were typical , and God intended by his high Expressions of the Glory of his Church then , some other thing that should be afterwards made good in a more apparent and visible way : As thus now , you have these things said of the Church of God in the Old Testament . First , That it is the Portion of God , Yea , it is his Pleasant Portion , Jer. 12.10 verse . By that that hath outwardly appeared , who would think that a few People that were contemptible to the World , were God's pleasant Portion ? All that we read of the State of the Church in the Old Testament will appear one day before all the World , that indeed God did not say in vain of his Church , that it was his pleasant Portion . Secondly , We find that God saith , that his Church is his Inheritance . Isa . 19.25 . It is his own Inheritance ; Yet how do the wicked break into the Inheritance of God for the present ! But there is a time a coming , that the Lord will make it appear to all the World , that his People are his Inheritance . Thirdly , The Church is called the Dearly Beloved of Gods Soul , Jer. 12.7 . It is a very high Expression , the Dearly Beloved of his Soul : And yet at that time the Lord saith there , that he will give the dearly Beloved of his Soul into the hand of their Enemies . Oh! but how doth it appear then that the Church is the dearly Beloved of Gods Soul ? Well , though it doth not so appear now to the World , God hath a time to make it appear before all the World , that his Church is the dearly Beloved of his Soul. A fourth Expression is , That it is the Peculiar Treasure of God , in the 19 of Exod. v. 5. Ye shall be a peculiar Treasure unto me above all People . Men make much of their Treasure , but especially Treasures that are Peculiar : Now the Lord hath another Treasure besides the Church ; the Blessings of God in Nature are God's Treasure ; therefore in the 28 of Deut. 12. verse , the Scripture saith , that God did bring out of his good treasure , when he speaks of the outward blessings of his People : when God gives us of the good things of nature , he gives us out of his good treasure ; I , but that 's a Common Treasure , the treasure of nature : But God hath a Peculiar Treasure , and that 's his Church , there 's the Riches of God : Just as if a Merchant should be trading for divers sorts of Commodities , perhaps he trades for Cloaths , or Lumber stuff , there is some treasure there ; I , but he trades for Jewels and Pearls besides , and he hath them lockt up under divers Locks , and there he accounts all his treasure to be : Now I may compare all the good things of this world , in respect of the Excellency of the Church to a deal of Lumber , of Cloaths , and such things indeed as have some worth in them : But when you come to the Church there be the Jewels of God , the Pearls of God , and the heart of God is upon them : there God communicates the Riches of his goodness : Oh! it 's a blessed thing to be one of Gods people , then thou art one of his Jewels , of his treasure , of his peculiar treasure . Now doth it appear to the World that the Church is the peculiar treasure of God ? why it 's trampled under foot by men ; but God tells us that there is a time that it shall not be so as now it is . In the third of Malachi , There is a time that he will make up his Jewels : Now the Jewels of God lie trampled under feet , they seem to lie in the dirt ; but vers . 17. They shall be mine , saith the Lord of Hosts , in that day when I make up my Jewels , and I will spare them , as a man spareth his own Servant that serveth him . There is a time a coming for God to make up his Jewels , there are many precious Jewels lie in the dirt , and no body regards them . But a time shall come , when it shall be known that there is a difference between him that feareth God , and him that fears him not ; why do not we know it now ? those that are Spiritual know it . But this Scripture seems to hold forth this thing , that there shall be a time that all the world shall know it . Now the time is that we cannot discern by any outward things a difference between Love and Hatred ; But there will be a time that we shall discern between the Love and Hatred of God , apparently before the world : There will be a time when it shall be said , Verily there is a reward for the Righteous , verily there is a God that Judgeth in the Earth : That 's the fourth Expression . The fifth is , The Church is called the Glory of God : In the fourth of Isa . Vpon all the glory shall be a defence ; and so in another place , I will place Salvation in Zion , for Israel my Glory . The house of Gods glory ; So it 's called in the 60. of Isa . v. 7. It 's called the Crown of glory , In the 62. of Isa . v. 3. And it 's called the Throne of Gods glory . Jer. 14.21 . — The glory of God. — The House of his glory . — The Crown of his glory . The Throne of his glory : All these Expressions hath the Church of God in the Old Testament : Certainly God intended that these being Typical , should Typifie some glorious condition that the Church should be in , in time to come . We find that the Church is called by way of Type , Gods Ornament . Ezek. 7.20 . As for the beauty of his Ornament he set it in Majesty . It 's the Ornament of God : The Beauty of his Ornament : The beauty of his Ornament set in Majesty . All these three are in one Verse spoken concerning the Church of God. As for the beauty of his Ornament , he set it in Majesty , but they made the Images of their Abominations , and of their detestable things therein . The force of the Argument is thus ; Saith God , Why , was not my Church , and Ordinances there , more glorious than their false Worship ? was not my Temple more glorious than their Images ? As for the beauty of his Ornament , That is , the Temple that was a Tipe of the Church , he set it in Majesty ; Yet , saith he , they went and made Images . O wretched People ! that when they had such a glorious Temple , where my presence was so much , and yet that they should turn to Worship stocks and stones ! As if God should say to any wretched Man or Woman , Hast not thou come to the Word , and heard the Excellency of my Son set forth unto thee ? and hast not thou had the glory of God in the Gospel shining before thine Eyes ? hast not thou heard of those blessed things that are revealed in the Doctrine of Grace ? and yet wilt thou turn after base things , to satisfie thy flesh , and mind nothing else but that ? O unworthy wretch that ever thou shouldest be partaker of any of those Excellent and glorious things , that are revealed in my Gospel ! Just in such a manner doth the Lord speak to this People . What , go and forsake my Temple and Ordinances , and go and turn to Images , when it was so glorious ! O unworthy that ever they should receive mercy from the Lord ! Now was the Temple of God at such a time as that Gods Ornament , so beautiful , and set in Majesty , surely Gods Church that is Tipified by it , is one day or other to be an Ornament to God , and a Beauty , and set in Majesty and glory . And then it 's called the Royal Diadem , in the Book of Isa . There is a time therefore when this must appear to be so , which is , when the Lord shall set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth . Now if the state of the Church in the time of the Law that was Typical , was so , mark what the Apostle saith concerning the tipes and shadows of the Law , Heb. 10.1 . The Law having a shadow of good things to come , and not the very Image of the things , can never with those Sacrifices which they offered Year by Year continually , make the comers● thereunto perfect . The Law had but a shadow of the Image of things , as is observeable . It had not so much as the Image , it was but a shadow , then surely they could but barely resemble the good things to come : here this Scripture may be understood by the way that Limners or Picture-Drawers use when they would make a Curious Picture of a Man. First they draw a shadow with a piece of Chalk or Cole , by which you may see a little proportion of the man , but what 's this to the Image of the man ; now that 's more excellent , and much beauty there is in that ; But in the man himself there doth appear more glory still than in his Image : why the time of the Church under the Law , that was like the drawing of a man upon a piece of Board with a Cole ; But now , the state of the Church under the Gospel , that 's like the Image it self ; and the state of the Church in Heaven , that 's as the Man himself : So then , I make use of this Scripture thus : If the Lord speak so of his Church in the time of the Law , when the state was but Typical ; That it was his Portion , — his Peculiar Treasure , — his Inheritance , — and his Diadem , — and Ornament , and the like ; what shall it be in the time of the Gospel , when we come to have the Image of the thing , not the shadow but the Image ? and then what must it be in Heaven , when it comes to be the thing it self in glory ? And this is the second thing that shall be , when the Church comes to be the praise of the whole Earth . Oh now give God no rest , Lord let it appear thus : this point will help you to pray much , and you should put this into your Petitions . Lord make thy Church appear to be thy Portion ; Thy Treasure , Thy Glory , Now come Lord Jesus , come quickly , O that that day might come ! The third thing is this , That when God sets up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth , then God will make good the Promises , that he hath made unto his Church in the Old Testament : And the Prophecies of the glory of his Church , which are very many , that the truth is , we do not know what to make of them , we are fain to make Allegories of them , when it 's very probable that they are to be in a literal way to be understood , and all for the want of the knowledge of this one thing , that there is a time for God to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth . Commonly we find that Divines have opened the promises of the Old Testament either by way of an Allegory , or of the state of the Church in glory , so that there hath been a great mistake in this thing . We find in the 54 of Isa . v. 17. when the Lord makes a promise to his Church that no weapon that was formed against that should prosper , he concludes it and saith , This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. All the promises in the Old Testament , are the Inheritance of the Saints of God : It 's a very sweet place , it 's an Excellent place to poor People , that have no Riches , nor Inheritance left them by their Parents , but they have the Promises for their Inheritance . Thou may'st look over the Book of God , and watsoever promise thou findest made to the Church , thou mayst look upon it as thine Inheritance . Many carnal men that have great Inheritances other ways , they have nothing to do with the Promises of the Saints . But the poorest Saint hath all the glory that there is in the Promises of the Word of God , they are their Inheritance . But in the mean time I have little . Why thou art under age yet , and God he is thy Guardian , and God will be accountable to thee for all ; and the longer thou stayest before thou comest to thine Inheritance , the more shalt thou have when thou comest to it : and therefore remember that all the Promises in the Word are to be made good to thee one way or other , and all that concern his People will be made good in this world , when God shall come and set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth . We shall understand that hereafter , and therefore we find in the 5 th . of the Revelations , that there the Lamb , he only is able to open the Seals of the Book . There was brought a Book Seal'd , and a Proclamation was made to know , who was worthy to open the Book , and to loose the Seals thereof . Now the Text saith , that John saw none found worthy . At length there appeared a Lamb as it had been slain , and he was found worthy , and the Book was given to him , and he opened the Seals of the Book : this Book is the Book of the Prophecies of the state of the Church in the new Testament , and the promises of God for the glory of the Church of the new Testament . Now these things have been kept Sealed for a long time , and especially before Christs time ; But Jesus Christ the Lamb that hath been slain , it is he only that is able to open this Book and the Seals of it , and there is a time that he will open it , he opens it by degrees to his Church . And therefore I find it 's very observable in the 22. of Revel . vers . 6. There comes an Angel to John , and said unto him ; These things are faithful and true . And the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done . Why now John was before , speaking of the glorious condition of Jerusalem , the Jerusalem that came down from Heaven ; Now saith he , The Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel. Why is it said here , The Lord God of the holy Prophets ? The meaning is this , that the Lord now sends his Angel to make his Servants to understand what was in the Prophets , and therefore the Lord hath this title , The Lord God of the holy Prophets . It 's not said here , The great God , or the holy God only , or the Father of Christ , or any such title ; But the Lord God of the holy Prophets . That is , I here will manifest to my Servants what I did Inspire the holy Prophets with in former times , and will open their Prophecies unto them . O it will be a blessed time when we shall come to understand the Prophecies of the Old Testament , and how they do aim at the New Testament ; you Read their Book , and how often do you shut the Book , and say , O Lord I cannot understand , I do not know the meaning of these things , and so likewise the book of the Revelations : and sometimes you are ready to think , why doth God write so in his word . But be satisfied in this thing , in your Reading the Scriptures there are some things very dark ; But now the main things that concern thine everlasting Salvation , are clear enough ; and bless God for that . But now if you would know why other things are dark , they are dark because the Lord intends in them to manifest some glorious thing , that he will do towards the latter end of the world for his People , that the truth is , God would not have generally known till then . You will say , why then have we the Scriptures ? Yes , we have them now , that God may appear so much the more glorious when they are fulfill'd , that they may be manifested to his Saints that these are no other things than the Prophets did Prophesie of divers thousand Years ago . Now this will mightily add to the Joy of the Saints , when they shall come to see , O this is partly fulfilling of such a Prophecy in Isa . and in Ezek. and in the Revelations ; now it adds to the Joy of the Church , to know that these things that now they have , are no other than God did foretel by his holy Prophets , as no question now when Christ was Prophesied of . For he was Prophesied of for four thousand Years before he came into the world , and in a Mighty dark way , as now this first Prophecy of Christ : The seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents Head ; what could they understand of this ? and yet under this Prophecy was the whole Gospel Prophesied of : and he shall bruise thy heel ; there all the sufferings of Jesus Christ were Prophesied of under that Prophesie . Now I am confident , that for the general part of the Jews , they understood no more of that Prophecy to be meant of Christ and his sufferings , than we when we Read in Ezekiel and in the Revelations , do understand what God will do for his Church in time to come : But now when this Prophesie is fulfill'd , that we find the seed of the Woman is come , and how he hath overcome Principalities and Powers , and how the Devil hath opposed him ; now we see the meaning of this Prophecy : And now , we can bless God so much the more for Christ . Christ is no other than the Lord did in Paradise formerly Prophesie of . And so divers other Prophecies in the Old Testament ; as , The Scepter shall not depart from Judah unto Shilo come . Alas ! none of the Jews almost did understand this : And that not a bone of Christ should be broken ; and so I might name you forty such Prophecies : so just as now , The Prophecies that were Prophesied of concerning Christs coming in the Flesh , were very obscure in the Old Testament , but were made clear by the fulfilling of them to us in the New : So the Prophecies of the glorious state of the Church , when Jerusalem shall be made as the praise of the whole Earth , they are obscure to us yet , but when it comes to be made clear , the Saints of God will praise and bless God that now they come to enjoy that , that so many years ago was Prophesied of : And therefore comfort your selves in this , when you Read the Prophecies in the Word . — But certainly when it shall come , it will be a blessed time , and therefore pray for it , give the Lord no rest till he set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth : For then shall the Book of God be opened , and things shall be seen mighty plain when that comes . I will give you one Scripture for that , of the clear opening of things when Jerusalem shall be made the praise of the whole Earth . You find in the fourth of the Revelations and vers . 1. There was a Door opened in Heaven , nothing else but a Door . But afterwards you find that Heaven it self was opened : In the 19. Chap. vers . 11. And I saw Heaven opened , and behold a white Horse , and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true , &c. First , A Door was opened , and then the Heaven of God was opened ; Noteing that there should be a Progress in the state of the Church ; at the first they should have but a little knowledge , but afterwards they should have abundance of knowledge . And in the 11. Chap. the 19. vers . And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven , and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of his Testament , &c. How comes that to pass , for in the time of the Law there was no such opening of the Temple , as to see the Ark of Gods Testament , for that was kept hid : But now , speaking of the glorious times of the Church in the state of the Gospel , the Temple of God was opened in Heaven , and there was the Ark of the Testament of God seen , it was made clear . Then the Ark of Gods Testament it was kept hid from the People , that they could not see it in the time of the Law. But when Jerusalem shall be made the praise of the whole Earth , the Temple shall be opened , and the Ark shall appear , the word of God shall be made open in the Promises and Prophecies of it : Therefore let us pray and believe , let us believe and pray that this time may be hastened . The Second SERMON . On a Fast-Day , at Stepny . Octob. 31. 1645. IN the fourth place , the time when Jerusalem shall be made the Praise of the whole Earth , what shall be done then ? We shall be delivered from all Oppressions , — The Titles of the Church made good visibly , — Prophecies and Promises fulfill'd . — And in the fourth place there shall be a wonderful Confluence of People that shall joyn with the Saints in the way of God's Worship . It 's true , now there are but a very few that do joyn to worship God , how little is God known in the World ; and Jesus Christ , how little is he acknowledged in all the world : if we should divide the World ( as some have ▪ ) into thirty parts , we find not above five of those thirty that do so much as acknowledge Jesus Christ , all the other are Heathens at this very day . And then among those that do acknowledge Christ , in the Grecian Churches , though he is acknowledged to be Christ the Saviour , yet they are extream ignorant generally . And what a great part of the Christian World hath Popery under it ! And among those that make profession of Christ , how few are there that do honour him , and worship him according to his own way ! But when this time comes , that Jerusalem shall be made the Praise of the whole World , you shall have a mighty Confluence of People ; It shall not be said any more , Little Flock , fear not , little , little Flock , but it shall be a great Flock ; and therefore you find in the Book of the Revelations , that Jerusalem , when it comes to be measured , it is said to be a great City , a mighty Confluence shall be unto the Church : In the 2 of Daniel , v. 35. it 's said there , ( speaking of the Church , as I remember ) 't is by way of resemblance of a Stone ; that it should grow great , as a Mountain , and it should fill the whole Earth ; there should be the generality of the World called in , the fulness of the Gentiles , together with the Jews ; I will not say every one , but generally they shall be called in to the true Worship of Jesus Christ , and to the embracing of the Gospel . — That Scripture in the sixtieth of Isa . ver . 3 , 4. and so on , it is remarkable for this . And the Gentiles shall come to thy light , and Kings to the Brightness of thy Rising : Lift up thine Eyes round about and see ; all they gather themselves together , they come to thee : Thy Sons shall come from far , and thy Daughters shall be Nursed at thy side . Then thou shalt see , and flow together , and thine Heart shall fear , and be enlarged , because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee ; the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee . Mariners and those that converse at Sea , they shall be converted unto the Church . 'T is a Prophecy shewing that the Lord hath a special care of Mariners , that have gone on in wayes of Ignorance , not knowing Christ , and the way of the Gospel ; saith he , Abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee . He doth not mean the waters of the Sea , but the People that do converse in the Seas , Mariners in the Sea ; that they shall even come over the Sea to joyn , when they hear the Gospel comes to be set forth in the beauty and Power of it . And so he goes on still further in the 6 vers . The multitudes of Camels shall cover thee , the Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah , all they from Sheba shall come , they shall bring Gold and Incense , and they shall shew forth the Praises of the Lord. Read but this sixtieth of Isaiah , and you shall find both this of the multitude of People : — And of abundance of Glory of Jerusalem that shall be ; which in the very Reading of it you cannot think that this hath been yet fulfill'd since the time of this Prophecy , and therefore is yet to come . — And so in the 66 of Isa . ( For this Prophet Isaiah is the most Evangelical Prophet , that speaks more of the Glory of the times of the Gospel than any Prophet ; ) vers . 7 , 8. Before she travelled , she brought forth , before her pain came , she was delivered of a Man-Child . Who hath heard such a thing ? who hath seen such things ? shall the Earth be made to bring forth in one day , or shall a Nation be born at once ? for as soon as Zion travelled , she brought forth her Children . — Here 's the Number , and the Suddenness of it together . It shall be done even in a sudden way . That Promise shall be then fulfilled to Christ , wherein the Lord hath said to him , That he would give unto him the Heathen for his Inheritance , and the uttermost parts of the Earth for his Possession : Now , though that Promise be made to Jesus Christ , yet the Lord is a great while afore he doth make it good to the uttermost , that he did intend . Well then may we be content to wait for the fulfilling of Promises , when as the Promise that God hath made to his own Son , he is fain to wait for the fulfilling of it . And that 's the fourth thing : A great confluence of People shall come into Jerusalem ; it shall be a great City . And then in the fifth place , Where there are multitudes coming in , will there not be a great deal of dross and filthiness ? It is usual , that a Church , while it hath but a few , it may continue in some purity ; but , let a Church have many to joyn with it , have but any considerable Number , it usually doth quickly corrupt . There grows a great deal of soyl and filthiness , where there are a Number joyned together . But now , this shall be the Glory of this Jerusalem , that though it shall be very great , there shall be a mighty Confluence of People , yet it shall abide in its purity , there shall be a great deal of Purity in the Ordinances that they shall have , and in the Professors that shall joyn together : And for that , we have that Prophecy in the 44. of Ezek. verse 9. which is a place by all Divines understood of the state of the Gospel : Thus saith the Lord God , No Stranger uncircumcised in Heart , nor uncircumcised in flesh , shall enter into my Sanctuary : Not so much as uncircumcised in Heart . ☞ Mark here ; it seems , in the times of the Gospel , a meer outward Profession is not enough ; for one to profess himself to worship God , and the like ; but if he be uncircumcised in Heart , he must not enter . You will say , How can we know the Heart ? It 's true , we cannot know the Heart , unless it be some way discovered ; but if there be any thing to discover wickedness in the Heart , such a one in the times of the Gospel must not be received into the Church of God. ☞ And there will be a time of greater discerning than now there is , and therefore you find it in the 21. of Revel . where St. John doth Prophesie of the New Jerusalem , at the last verse . And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth , neither whatsoever worketh abominations , or maketh a lie : But they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life . In no wise , no , no , there 's two negatives there , though we in our English Tongue make two Negatives to be an Affirmative , yet the Holy Ghost doth not ; there shall not , not , no , in no wise shall there enter any unclean thing into it . Now it is apparent by divers things in this Chapter , that this must be meant , not of the Glory that there shall be in the highest Heavens , but of some Glory of the Church here : For it is said in the 24. verse , That the Nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it , and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and honour into it . Now the Kings of the Earth do not bring their Glory and Honour to the highest Heavens ; there 's no difference between a King , and the poorest and meanest ; they must there be stript of all their Robes , and the Kings of the Earth shall bring no more Glory to that , than meaner men . Therefore it must be understood of an Estate here , where the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory to it . 'T is very hard to conceive , that it is impossible for any Hypocrite to get in ; yet the Scripture speaks so as it shall not be ordinary for an Hypocrite to get in . Indeed , in the state of the Church as hitherto it hath been , or as yet it is , there are abundance of Hypocrites ; and therefore that 's no Argument against labouring to cleanse the Church from prophane ones : to say , Why the best of all have those that are Hypocrites . Though it 's true , yet when men do some way or other discover themselves to be Hypocrites , they must not be received into the Church . But now here 's the Question , Whether there should be any but those that should give such Testimony of Godliness , as may appear to the judgments of men to be so ; And if once they appear to be otherwise , they should be cast out of the Church . This must be a certain Rule ; those that ought to be cast out , if they were in , they must not be received in , if now they were to be received . If no Prophane one but must be cast out , if they were got into the Church , when they appear to be so ; why then certainly they are not to be taken in , appearing to be prophane . We are now to labour what we can to come as near to that glorious Jerusalem as we are able : We are now to labour to promote the condition that the Church shall be in then ; but we cannot expect for to have it yet , till the Lord doth put another Spirit upon men than hitherto . Therefore when God intends to make Jerusalem as the Praise of the whole Earth , there will be certainly another Spirit upon men , than yet there is for the present . Therefore in the sixth place , the Gifts and Graces of the Saints shall be exceedingly raised and enlarged . Those that are now poor , and low , and mean , shall be then very much enlarged and raised . For that take these Scriptures ; Isa . 65.20 . There shall be no more thence an Infant of dayes , nor an Old Man that hath not filled his dayes ; For the Child shall die an hundred years old , but the Sinner being an hundred Years old , shall be accursed . This apparently speaks of an Estate in this World : But now the meaning is this ; That there shall thence be no more an Infant of Dayes ; that is , those that are weak , shall be raised to a very high pitch of Ability and Understanding ; even Young ones shall be raised very high , to have the understanding of men in them ; and so proportionably the gifts of the Saints shall be raised in that time . And in the 12. Zech. 8 verse , there it 's more clear . In that day shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem , and he that is feeble among them at that day , shall be as David , and the House of David shall be as God , as the Angel of the Lord before them . Mark , he that is feeble shall be as David , at that day , and the House of David shall be even as an Angel of God. Those that are weak Christians , yet at that day , when the Lord shall set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth , weak Christians shall be as David , and he that is strong shall be as an Angel of God. Now I would but know when was this ? what time was this ? was this ever in the time of the Gospel ? I verily believe the times of the Gospel are as glorious at this day , as ever they were since the Apostles days , in regard of the graces of Gods Spirit . There is as clear Revelations of Christ , and as strange workings of the Graces of Gods Spirit in the generality , ( I must except those that are eminent , as the Apostles , and those that had miraculous and extraordinary gifts ; but to speak of the generality of Christians , ) they have as much knowledg of Jesus Christ , and the wayes of Christ , as ever any ; yet can we say now that even strong Christians are like David ? If we should examine and see what David was , how short should we come ? where have we almost any that may parallel with David ? but there is a Prophecy that the feeble shall be like David , and the strong ones shall be like the Angel of God. In the forty fifth Psalm , there the Church is described : The Cloathing of the Kings Daughter is of wrought Gold , and she shall be brought unto the King in Rayment of Needle-work . Which is but to signifie the excellent Gifts and Graces of the Saints ; that they shall be cloathed , as it were , with their Gifts , as Princes Daughters that have such Cloathing . And Revel . 22.3 , 4. there 's a Prophecy that they shall continually stand before the Lord , and serve him night and day ; they shall be unwearied in the service of the Lord , they shall serve him night and day . Now you are quickly tired , a little time in the worship of God doth tire you ; but there is a time coming , when the Saints shall be so strengthened with the Gifts and Graces of the Spirit of God , as they shall be able to serve him night and day . The seventh thing that shall be done , when Jerusalem shall be raised , as the praise of the whole Earth ; it shall be the glorious presence of Christ that shall be amongst them . I say , the Glorious presence of Christ ; I do not say , the Personal presence of Christ in his Body ; for that would require arguing and much dispute ; therefore we meddle not with it : But that there shall be a more glorious presence of Jesus Christ in his Churches , than yet hath been : That the Scripture seems to be clear enough in : As in the 21. Revel . verse 22. And I saw no Temple therein , ( that was , in the New Jerusalem : ) For the Lord God Almighty , and the Lamb are 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 Lamb is the light thereof . That is , there should not be such need of help as now there is , either from Creatures , or Ordinances , in comparison ; for the Lord God shall be the light of that place , and the Lamb shall be instead of the Temple . In the 2 Pet. 1.19 . compared with the Rev. 2.28 . There is very much to give light to this , and yet that we are not able to understand throughly the meaning of it : We have also ( saith he ) a more sure word of Prophecy , whereunto you do well that you take heed , as unto a lig●● that shineth in a dark place , until the day dawn , and the Day-star arise in your Hearts . This more sure word of Prophecy , he means certainly the Scriptures that we have , and the way of Gods revealing himself there : You do well to take heed , ( saith he unto them ) Vntill the Day dawn , and the Day-star arise in your Hearts . He seems to speak here , of another manner of manifestation of light from God , that shall be besides that sure Word of Prophecy ; that is , the Day-star rising in their Hearts . Now compare this with the 2. Revel . and the 28. There is promised to such as do overcome in Antichristian times , that at length the Lord will give unto them the morning Star. Now these two being compared together , may cause us thus much to see , that there certainly shall be some further Presence of Christ among the Saints , than in former times hath been : For Christ , he is the morning Star , and God will give them the morning star ; that is , he will give them Christ ; the Presence of Christ shall arise in the Hearts of the Saints in another way than formerly ; for they were Godly to whom this morning Star is promised ; but if you continue to be Godly , and to overcome in the Antichristian time , you shall have this blessing , you shall have the morning Star : They had Christ to justifie them , and to sanctifie them . But they were promised to have Christ yet further , in another more high and glorious presence of his , to be as a morning Star arising in their Hearts . And in the 33 of Isa . v. 17. there it 's promised to them that are upright , that they should see the King in his Glory . Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty . The Promise is made to those that are described in the 15. vers . Jesus Christ , the King , that was so much desired in former times , shall appear in his beauty and glory unto them . And in the 102. Psam there 's a clear Prophecy of this Estate of Jerusalem , when the Lord shall make it the praise of the whole Earth . Thou shalt arise , and have mercy upon Zion , for the time to favour her , yea the set time is come , vers . 16. But in the 15. vers . So the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord , and all the Kings of the Earth thy Glory . When the Lord shall build up Zion , he shall appear in his Glory . There will be a glorious appearing , when God shall come to build up Zion , and make Jerusalem as the Praise of the whole Earth . God hath appeared gloriously in all his works in former times ; but this great work is the greatest next the sending of his Son into the World , to be made flesh ; It is the greatest that ever was done ; the building up of Zion , Then God shall appear in his Glory . When the Marriage of the Saints shall be , the new Jerusalem , that is , the Spouse of Christ . As Parents do use to put on their best Garments , in the time when they marry their Children ; so in the time when the Lord shall raise Jerusalem , thus it shall be , as a great Marriage-day of the Church to Christ . Now there is a Marriage of particular Souls to Christ ; but then there shall be a glorious Marriage of the Vniversal Church to Jesus Christ , as in a Body ; and then the Lord shall appear in his Glory : There shall be a more glorious presence of God and Jesus Christ with the Saints , than yet we have had . The eighth thing , That there shall be when Jerusalem shall be set up as the praise of the whole Earth , Powerful Godliness , and the Saints shall be honoured in the World. As they have been trampled under feet , and disgraced , and vilified in the World ; So when this time shall come , they shall be honoured in the World , and their Enemies shall stoop to them . We have a great many Scriptures that tend that way . In the 49. of Isa . v. 23. You may Read there how the Enemies shall come and stoop to the Saints , that did despise them before . And so in the 3 d. Revel . vers . 9. Those that hated them shall come and bow unto them . I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan , which say , they are Jews and are not , but do lie ; Behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet , and to know that I have loved thee . They will not own them now , but God hath his time to make wicked and ungodly men , to come and acknowledge that these are the beloved ones of the Lord , verily these are the Servants , yea they are the Children of the most high God. And more specially those Scriptures that you have in the Prophecy of Isaiah , Chap. 60.6 . and so vers . 13. V. 6. The Multitude of Camels shall cover thee , the Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah : all they from Sheba shall come , they shall bring Gold and Incense , and they shall shew forth the praise of the Lord. All the Flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee , the Rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee . And vers . 13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee , the Fir-Tree , the Pine-Tree , and the Box together , to beautifie the place of my Sanctuary , and I will make the place of my feet glorious . Mark , The Church it is the place of Gods feet : It 's under God , but the Lord hath his time to make it glorious before all the world : For if you speak of the Spiritual glory of it , so it is so glorious now . Gods Church it was always glorious spiritually before God , and was the most glorious Object that God had to view in the World : But here 's a promise that he will make it glorious before others . Vers . 14. The Sons also of them that afflicted thee , shall come bending unto thee , and all they that despised thee , shall bow themselves down at the Soles of thy feet , and they shall call thee , The City of the Lord , the Zion of the Holy one of Israel . It may be they called them before nick names ; they call'd you Hypocrites , and you were they that made such a show of Religion , but you were a company of proud People that would seem to be holier than other men ; But now they shall call thee the City of the Lord , and the Zion of the Holy one of Israel . And vers . 15. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated , so that no man went through thee , I will make thee an Eternal Excellency , a Joy of many Generations . This is not spoken only unto Godly men , personally and particularly , but to Godly men as in a Society , as in the Church ; they shall be made an Eternal Excellency , and a Joy of many Generations . And again , for the 9. of Zech. v. 16. And the Lord their God shall save them , in that day , as the Flock of his People : For they shall be as the stones of a Crown lifted up , as an Ensign upon his Land. They shall be as the stones of a Crown lifted up : This shews the Excellent glory that shall be put upon the Saints : Now they are as stones in the dirt ; but then they shall be as the stones in a Crown that 's lifted up . And so in the 12. Chap. vers . 5. And the Governours of Judah shall say in their hearts , The Inhabitants of Jerusalem , shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts their God. It is not , shall be , that 's in another Character , and they in that Jerusalem , they shall be honoured by the Governours of Judah ; And the Governours of Judah shall say , well , our strength it is in the Inhabitants of this Jerusalem ; In the Lord of hosts their God ; We accounted them before but as Schismaticks and precise Fools , but we see that God is with them . And the Governours of Judah shall say , Our strength is in the Inhabitants of Jerusalem , in the Lord of Hosts their God. This will be a blessed time , when Governours shall acknowledge the Saints to be those that the Lord doth own ; and they shall acknowledge the very strength of a Nation to consist in the Saints : They shall see that the Saints have a propriety in God beyond others ; there is such a time a coming , however they be despised now . In the third of Mal. v. 3. The Lord makes a promise that he will gather up his Jewels , and there shall be a time when there shall be a known difference between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not ; The Saints of God are compared to Jewels that lie in the dirt , and Swine trampling upon the Jewels , but there is a time that the Lord will gather up these Jewels , and at that day there shall be known a difference between him that feareth God , and him that feareth him not : this time is coming , and this is the time that my Text speaks of , that we should give the Lord no rest untill he make Jerusalem thus : Certainly when this is , it will be the praise of the whole Earth . The Ninth thing is , when Jerusalem shall be made the praise of the whole Earth , it will be made a quiet Habitation ; there shall be a blessed Union of the Church , then shall divisions be taken away : Now that that hinders the beauty of the Church , and of the Saints , and doth exceedingly darken their beauty , it is their Divisions : were it that the Saints of God could live in union one with another , and so grow up in holiness , they would be a great deal more beautiful in their conversations : My beloved is one , and the Daughters saw her and blessed her . But the divisions and contentions that there are among the Churches , do exceedingly take away the beauty and glory of them , and therefore they are not now the praise of the places where they live ; but many times they make themselves the scorn of the places ; but there is a time a coming that this Spirit of division shall be taken away from among the Saints , you will say , that will be a blessed time indeed : I 'le give you two or three Scriptures that are very observable for this ; In the 11. of Isa . vers . 13. There 's the first promise of Vnion that there shall be among the Churches . The envy also of Ephraim shall depart , and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off ; Ephraim shall not envy Judah , and Judah shall not vex Ephraim . Now ordinarily in Scripture , Ephraim and Judah is made Typical of the Churches , there was a great deal of contention between Ephraim and Judah , one envying another : Now this Prophecy is not yet fulfill'd ; for we never Read of Ephraim , ( that is ) the ten Tribes and Judah were joyned in that near League and Union one with another , as yet : For the ten Tribes were carried Captive , and never returned ; Judah indeed was carried Captive and they did return , but not the ten Tribes . Therefore it is spoken of an Estate of the Church afterwards : Though my Church shall be in after times , the times of the Gospel , like Ephraim and Judah , one envying another , I 'le take away their envy , they shall not envy , but they shall love one another , and joyn one with another . Ephraim shall not envy Judah , and Judah shall not vex Ephraim . — And then another Prophecy is , in the 14. Zech. vers . 9. And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth ; in that day , shall there be one Lord , and his Name one : It 's true , all of us that are Christians , we acknowledge but one Lord ; but we call him by divers Names , and one saith , This is his mind , and another faith , the other is his mind ; but saith he , In that day as there shall be but one Lord , so his Name shall be but one . There shall not be those different apprehensions of Christ as now there are , but Christians shall generally joyn together in one . There shall not be such opinions to divide Christians one from another as now there are , there shall be but one Lord , and his Name shall be but one . — And a further Prophecy which is very remarkable , is in the third of Zeph. v. 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure Language , that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord , to serve him with one consent . In the Original it is , with one Shoulder ; now how do Christians shoulder one another , and push one another by the shoulder as it were , opposing one another what they can ; but then they shall joyn their shoulders together , and all shall be but as one shoulder ; they shall serve the Lord with one shoulder , with one consent ; their hearts shall joyn in one , and then their strength shall joyn together : Now this is that that shall be done , when the Lord shall make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth ; you that mind the Lord , and the things of his glory , give him no rest untill he do establish this that he hath promised , and make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth . In the tenth place , there shall be a great change of things in the world at that time , a great change in the whole frame of the creation of Heaven and Earth : And I think verily that place in the eighth of the Romans , ( and there is ground for it , why we should think so ) is meant of this time . Vers . 20 , 21. For the earnest expectation of the creature , waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God ; For the creature was made subject to vanity , not willingly , but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope , because the creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption , into the glorious liberty of the Children of God. For we know that the whole Creation groaneth , and travelleth in pain together until now . And not only they , but our selves also , which have the first fruits of the Spirit : Even we our selves groan within our selves , waiting for the Adoption , to wit , the redemption of our Bodies . Now that this should be then , in such an Estate of the Church in this World , this is the Reason : Either you must grant it to be so , or otherwise you must grant that after the day of Judgment , in the state of glory that the Saints shall have , ( which Divines generally say shall be in Heaven ) you must grant that then there shall be the continuance of all the Creatures as now they are , and that the Saints must live here : Now that is hardly granted by any Divines . But this speaks of the whole Creation to be delivered from their bondage , and to come to partake of the benefit of the Adoption of the Sons of God : That is , at that time when the Adoption of the Sons of God shall appear gloriously , that there shall be such a change in all the Creatures , that they shall be restored to the first perfection , that they had in the state of Innocency : They groan to be delivered from the bondage , surely they do not groan to be Annihilated and turned into nothing : Therefore there is a time for the Heavens , and Earth , and Sea , and Plants , and Beasts to be in another condition than now they are . And to say that this shall be at the day of Judgment , or after , few Divines have thought : But this is spoken of a time when all the Creatures in this world shall have a mighty change put upon them . And to that end , the Scripture likewise in the 2 of Peter the 3 d. Chap. though one would think ( in the Reading of it ) if you did not mark it throughly , that it should be meant at the day of Judgment ; but if you observe it throughly , it seems to be spoken of a great change , that there shall be when the creatures shall be delivered from bondage . In the 10. vers . But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night , in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise , and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat , the Earth also and the works that are therein , shall be burnt up ; and now observe the 13. vers . Nevertheless we according to his promise , look for new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness . There shall be a mighty change in the world by Fire , or some other way , and so as all things shall seem as if they were brought into nothing ; but saith the Apostle by the Holy-Ghost , We according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness : Now suppose all the world were dissolved , how new Heavens and a new Earth then ? shall the Saints after the day of Judgment have a new Earth , and live upon the Earth here ? This I suppose you would think to be but a very strange Doctrine ; But now this is such a change of things as shall have New Earth , as well as New Heavens , and this is according to the promise ; now what promise have we in all the Book of God that this hath reference to ? I find all Divines referr it to the 65. of Isa . For you have no other Scripture that you can refer this promise to in the 17. vers . For behold , I create new Heavens and a new Earth , and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind . But be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create , for behold , I create Jerusalem a rejoycing , and her People a Joy. So that this Scripture in Peter , though in some passages of it may seem to referr to the great day of Judgement , yet compared with Isa . out of which it is taken , it appears to be but a very comment upon my Text : and I find generally , Interpreters do Interpret this of Isa . to be meant of the Church of God in this World. And so by comparing one Scripture with another , we may find out much truth . And besides , the Prophets did Prophesie very little about the Eternal life after the day of Judgment , though something there was about it , but very little in comparison , and therefore we have a great deal of Reason to think it to be meant concerning this time of this new Jerusalem , when God shall make it to be the praise of the whole Earth . Lastly , This shall add to the beauty of this new Jerusalem , that Prosperity shall do it no hurt ; and therefore as I remember in the 4 th . of the Revelat. the state of the Church in this time is compared to an Eagle : there were four Beasts , the first like a Lyon , the second like a Calf , the third was like a Man , and the fourth was like a Flying-Eagle : Noting the four states of the Church , and the last shall be as an Eagle , that is , they shall be lifted above all these outward things : At first , when the Church was raised from persecution in Constantines time , the History of those times tells us , that there was a voice heard in the Air , To day is Poyson poured into the Church ; It was at that time when Constantine did endow the Church with great Endowments ; and we find it now , that we have weak stomacks , and are not able to bear much prosperity , and therefore God hath thought it rather fit to keep his Church low ; but when that day comes , for Jerusalem to be made the praise of the whole Earth , there shall be no fear of hurt from prosperity ; For Christ shall be all in all to them : There shall be a more immediate enjoyment of God , and that will keep them from taking hurt by what they have in the creature . Now let 's put all these together , and see what a glorious condition the Saints shall be in : surely , when all these things shall be fulfilled , then you must needs say , that Jerusalem will be made a praise in the whole Earth . That is , First , When there shall be a Resurrection , a new creation , a new world , when all Tears shall be wip'd away , when all wicked men shall be kept under . When the Church shall appear to be the pleasant Portion of God , his Inheritance , his dearly Beloved , his Glory , and when all Promises that have been made to them , and all Prophecies of their glory shall be fulfilled ; when there shall be a wonderful confluence of the Nations , Jews and Gentiles to them , and yet there shall be a great deal of purity in ordinances , there shall not be filth among them as now there is . And the gifts and graces of the Saints shall be mightily inlarged and raised , when there shall be a glorious presence of the Father and of Jesus Christ with them , when Godliness , and the Saints shall be honoured in the World as much as it is contemn'd , when there shall be a blessed Union among all the Churches , when there shall be a mighty change of the creatures , and when there shall be no fear of any danger , of any hurt by any Prosperity that they shall enjoy : surely then will Jerusalem be made a praise of the whole Earth . Therefore let the Saints give the Lord no rest until Jerusalem be thus made as the praise of the whole Earth . You will say , are these things so , are they so indeed ? This may seem to be very strange , and a strange point to some of you : But in former times , it was not so accounted : those that are learned will find that Lactantius , 17. Book , 18.23 , 24. Chapters , spends them almost all upon this Argument , and he speaks of very strange things , which I am loath to mention , ( It may be he might go too far ) and he liv'd about 1300. Years ago . — But Justin Martyr ( that was long before him , for he was but thirty Years after John the Disciple ) speaking about this point that I am speaking of . I , and all that are Christians of the Orthodox Faith hold this , that there is such a time a coming , of a glorious condition of the Church ; — I know that this hath been abused by those that they account Millenaries ; there were some that did abuse this Doctrine , and made the glory of the Church to consist in fleshly pleasures , ( and the like ) and so they were condemn'd . But I make the glory especially to consist in Spiritual good , yet so as it shall appear to all the World. And I find some Expressions in the Revelations , where the Holy Ghost speaks of this , of Christs coming to appear in this glorious manner ; he hath another manner of phrase to express it , than I find in all the Book of God , when other things are spoken of . In the 19. of the Revel . v. 9. He had spoken before of the Kingdom of Christ . And he saith unto me , Write , blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me , These are the true sayings of God. Are there any false sayings of God ? It were blasphemy to think so ; one would think that if he did but say , these are the sayings of God , it were enough ; or these are true sayings : But to make it sure that we may believe it , These are the true sayings of God. Not only the sayings , but the True sayings of God. Now if you say , How can these things be ? To that I answer as in the eighth of Zech. v. 6. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts , if it be marvellous in the Eyes of the Remnant of this People in these days , should it also be marvellous in my Eyes ( saith the Lord of Hosts ; ) It 's marvellous in your Eyes , should it therefore be marvellous in my Eyes ? I am the Lord of Hosts ! We may be ready to think these things cannot be ; But the Lord intends to put forth an Almighty power in bringing this to pass , and it is that that is much in the heart of God to do . These things , the nearer the time comes , the more they will be known , and therefore I think it very useful at some time or other , that people should be acquainted ; only Ministers had need have a Spirit of sobriety and moderation , because not yet being fulfill'd they are not throughly understood , and therefore we must not dare to be too bold in our guessing at things that are not clear : But such things as appear clearly , so as we may see there is footing for , we should exercise our selves in , and labour to make others acquainted with . But now , If you ask me when shall these things be ? when shall Jerusalem be made the praise of the whole Earth ? I Answer thus : The Third SERMON . IT 's very hard to determine the particular time ; but surely at the end of Antichrist's Reign it must be : And how long Antichrist shall reign , that we know certainly ; only the difficulty is to reckon the very time of the beginning of his Reign : I say , how long his Reign shall last , we have certain knowledge of that , that Antichrist shall reign for 1260 Years . And we have such Parallel Scriptures for this , that there is nothing more evident than it is ; and generally Divines agree upon it . Those two Scriptures in the Book of the Revelations are sufficient , especially compared with some in Daniel . Rev. 11.2 , 3. The Court which is without the Temple leave out , and measure it not ; for it is given unto the Gentiles , and the Holy City ( which is the Church ) shall they tread under feet forty two Months . And I will give power unto my two Witnesses , and they shall Prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes cloathed in Sackcloath . Now these forty two Months , and one thousand two hundred and threescore dayes , will come to the same , that is , a day for a year , wherein the Church should be under the power of Antichrist . And he saith , two Witnesses ; not as if he meant only two men , but because by two or three witnesses every thing is established . But the Spirit of God means by the witnesses ( whatever they are ) those that shall witness to his Truth in the true Church of God , in all places of the World , those that witness to his truth : They shall prophesie in Sack-cloath : that is , in a mourning condition , they shall go on in their witness for 1260 dayes , 1260 years . — And so in the 12 of the Revelations , there we read of the wom●n ( by which the Church is set out ) that fled into the Wilderness , where she had her place prepared of God , that they should feed her there , even 1260 dayes . The Holy Ghost falls upon this number , which is 1260 years . Now all the difficulty is about the beginning of this 1260 dayes ; that is , when Antichrist did prevail , and when the Church was driven into the Wilderness . I find generally , those that make a computaiton of the Reign of Anti-Christ , they pitch it upon two Periods ; either upon such a time as will be ended within a very few years , as Mr. Brightman and others ; he thinks it will be ended so as that the beginning of these dayes will be a matter of five or six years hence . — And others in the year 1666. But there is another computation of those that think Anti-Christ did not begin to reign so soon , and they conceive it will be a matter of two hundred , or more years before the beginning of these times . But I think God hath not left it fully clear to determine about the time , only this , God by his strange kind of workings among us , doth seem as if he were hastening of the time , as if it were near at hand . Wherefore then , we leave all uncertainties , and come to shew you what use you are to make of what hath been said about this time , of Jerusalems being made the praise of the whole Earth . Vse . The first is , the consideration of this , that God hath his time to bring his Church to be in such a glorious condition here in this World , this should be a great incitement to us all to come in and embrace Jesus Christ , to be Godly ; — Why , because the Lord intends to glorifie himself so much in the Church ; — and though I dare not tell you the time , yet there 's nothing to the contrary but that it 's possible it may be in your dayes , that you may live to see these times : or if you should not live , yet in the 12 of Daniel we read of a Resurrection that should be at that time ; However , when we do but think that there is a time that Jesus Christ shall be honoured in the World , and Godliness shall be had in high esteem in the World , it 's a mighty Argument to cause man and woman to come in and imbrace Religion . — But if it should prove to be in your days , as nothing appears to the contrary , but many probabilities there are for it ; it would go very hard with you , if so be these times should come upon you unawares , and you not found to be Godly : For the Scripture speaks most dreadfully against those that have liv'd in the places where Christian Religion hath been known , and yet have been naught and ungodly , and these times found them so : — After these times were described to John in the Book of the Revelations , then saith he in the 21 Chap. 8. vers . But the fearful , and Vnbelieving , and the Abominable , and Murderers , and Whoremongers , and Sorcerers , and Idolaters , and all Lyars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone ; which is the second Death . Mark , The very Fearful and Vnbelieving ; and I take it , the Reason why the Fearful and Vnbelieving are here placed among these notorious Sinners , it is because that in the time that Anti-Christ shall prevail , many out of fear of trouble and danger shall deny the truth , and cleave to the Antichristian Party , and because they see things go very hardly with the Godly Party , they will forsake them through their Unbelief ; and therefore they are reckoned in among the notorious vile sinners , and the rather because that a little before this time shall come ; ☞ There will be a great tryal and hour of Temptation . Men will be put to it to be tryed what they are , whether they have faith in the Word , or not , or whether they have courage for God , or not . Now therefore , because God intends to put men to the tryal a little before these times come , ( therefore he saith , ) The fearful and unbelieving ; he reckons up them among the notorious Sinners : as if the Lord should say ; When I am about to set up this new Jerusalem , there will come a time of tryal , and abundance of you that made fair Professions , while you met with some evils and troubles , through your fear and unbelief you will forsake my cause , and will rather cleave to them . But know , you shall have your Portion in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone , which is the second death . — And so in the 22 Revelations ; there the Holy Ghost speaks of men that are unjust , when this time shall come , and saith he , He that is unjust , let him be unjust still , he which is filthy , let him be filthy still : If men will go on in their Injustice and Filthiness , let them go , saith God , I intend not now to work further upon them ; but as these times shall meet with them , so it shall be with them to all Eternity . The nearer the approaching of these times , the less will wicked men be wrought upon : Therefore now let us come in , and embrace the truth ; for this truth that is preached to you , and the works of God that you are put upon , they will be honoured one day ; we love to be of the strongest side , the side that will prevail , we love to joyn unto it : Certainly the side of Godliness , and the truths of Christianity is of the side that will prevail one day , and therefore come in and joyn with them : Though it's true , there are many things now that seem to darken Religion , but certainly Religion is getting up in the World ; though the Devil doth bestir him as much as ever he did since he was a Devil , to darken Religion , and the Glory of it in the World , yet certainly Religion is getting up , and it will prevail . Take heed you be not like the five foolish Virgins , which I find divers do apply to this very time when the Bridegroom shall come , when Christ shall come in his glory to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth , that then the wise Virgins shall enter in with him , and be partaker of the glory of the times ; but the foolish Virgins shall knock at the door , saying , Lord , Lord , open to us , but he shall say , I know you not , depart , ye workers of Iniquity . You that make but a meer out-side of Religion ; and have but a formal profession of Religion , you have Lamps but you have no Oyl in your Lamps burning , when Christ shall come , you shall be shut out , and not be Partakers of the glorious Jerusalem , that shall be made the Praise of the whole Earth . And likewise this is a great Argument to move you to bring up your Children in Godliness , and to instruct them in the wayes of Godliness ; because if you should not live to it , yet your Children may : Therefore labour to infuse what you can , the knowledge of Christ into them now betimes , that so they may partake of those glorious things that are spoken of in the Word . But Secondly , Is there a time that Jerusalem shall be made as the Praise of the whole Earth ? let us be willing to mourn with Jerusalem while it is in a mourning condition , and be willing to suffer for Jesus Christ a while , seeing there is a time that all sorrows shall be turned into Joy , and all Sufferings shall be done away , and wherein the Saints shall be all honoured and recompensed abundantly . In the eleventh of the Revelations you find , that the Witnesses were to prophesie in Sackcloath , in a mourning condition , for a long time . It can't be meant of two men , because they were to prophesie 1260 Years ; but what made them go on in that mournful condition ? they did believe this time . Therefore in the 12. verse you shall find how they that had prophesied in Sackcloath for so long a time , they were slain a little before this time came , and for three years and an half together , there was a slaughter made of them ; and the Text saith , After three dayes and an half , that is , three years and an half , the Spirit of life from God entred into them ; and they stood upon their feet ; and great fear fell upon them which saw them ; and they heard a great voice from Heaven , saying unto them , Come up hither . And they ascended up to Heaven in a Cloud , and their Enemies beheld them . They were mightily honoured before their Enemies : Those that had been prophesying in Sackcloath , and were willing to suffer for Christ for a long time , now they were called up , and honoured before their very Enemies . Let us be willing to suffer , and that will be an evidence that we shall rejoyce with this new Jerusalem , when it shall come to be made the Praise of the whole Earth . So in the 66 of Isa . v. 10. Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem , and be glad with her , all ye that love her , rejoyce for joy with her , all ye that mourn for her . All that mourn'd for Jerusalem when the glory of it was darkened , shall come and rejoyce with Jerusalem , when Jerusalem shall be made as the praise of the whole Earth . — And the very Book of the Revelations is written on purpose for to encourage the Saints to be willing to suffer all the time of Anti-Christ's Reign . And hence it hath been , that in the time that Antichrist hath Reign'd , there hath been so little known of the Book of the Revelations , because it hath been applyed only in a metaphorical way , and all the glory hath been interpreted of the glory of Heaven : Because , I say , there hath been a darkness on the face of the Earth in the time of Antichrist's prevailing . And it hath been the care of Antichrist to darken this , and to keep under the Saints , and to make them suffer very hard and grievous things . But , as I remember , I have read of Caius the Emperour ; that when Agrippa had spoken for him before he was Emperour , and suffered for his sake ; after Caius came to be Emperour , he put a Chain of Gold about his Neck , and gave it him , just as heavy as his Iron Chain had been before . So , look what any one suffers for Jesus Christ now , before he comes to take this Kingdom to himself , before the time comes when the voice shall be heard from Heaven , saying , The Kingdoms of the Earth are become the Lords , and his Christs , and he shall reign for ever ; I say , look what measure of sufferings any have for Christ now , Christ will put a Chain of Gold upon them as heavy as ever their Sufferings were . And especially now we had need prepare for Sufferings , if it should prove that this time be at hand ; for we find that a little before this glorious time there 's like to be as great Sufferings to the People of God as at any time ; as in the 11 of the Revelations , where it 's spoken of the Witnesses prophesying in Sackcloath , they prophesied for 1260 Years . But they were not slain until three Years and a half before this glorious time was risen , and then they were slain . So that immediately before the time that Christ shall come and appear in his Glory , there will be greater Sufferings unto his Churches than there were in former times ; for you find , that just upon their slaying , that they were call'd up to Heaven . And the seventh Trumpet sounded presently after , and there were great voices in Heaven , saying , The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord , and of his Christ ; and he shall reign for ever and ever . As if the Holy Ghost should say , Now all sufferings are done with all , and now the Kingdoms of the World are become the Kingdoms of the Lord , and his Christ ; and he shall reign for ever and ever . And the four and twenty Elders which sate before God on their Seats , fell upon their faces , and worshipped God , saying , We give thee thanks , O Lord God Almighty , which art , and wast , and art to come ; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power , and hast reigned . Whereas before men had power , now God hath taken his great power to himself . ☞ This follows presently upon it , which is a very great Argument why those Witnesses are not yet slain , because immediately upon their being slain there should follow such strange things as these are . And then the Kingdoms of the Earth should be the Lords , and his Christs . You will say , Are they not now ? No certainly , not so as then , in that we do not see such an eminency of Christs taking the Kingdoms of the Earth , now more than formerly ; and I say , this is an evident Argument that the Witnesses are not slain . In the 12 of Daniel , there you have a Prophecy of the same times that we have here . But mark how he begins this Prophecy ; there , saith he , in the 1 vers . And at that time shall Michael stand up , the great Prince which standeth for the Children of thy People , and there shall be a time of trouble , such as never was since there was a Nation , even to that same time ; and at that time thy people shall be delivered , every one that shall be found written in the Book . Though the time of trouble without be great , such as never was the like , yet these that are written in the Book shall be delivered . And so he goes on , describing the glorious condition of the Church of God as it shall be : I spake something to that in the opening of the Glory of this new Jerusalem , and shewed you , that it could not be meant there of the Glory of Heaven ; but of the glory of the Church here that should be upon the Earth . And then in the 3 d. of Revel . vers . 10. we Read of an hour of Temptation that should be throughout the face of the Earth ; there is a time of Temptation that shall go quite through the whole world , and whether yet this is come upon us , doth not certainly appear , and therefore let the consideration of this prepare us for suffering before hand . For God will cause sufferings to try men , who are true and will cleave to him , and who are not , but will desert him : And so I remember Lactantius ( the former Author quoted ) he speaks as clearly of this , as if so be that he did live and had seen it : saith he , A little before these times , times wil grow so evil in comparison of the times that we live in now , in which wickedness one would think were grown to the greatest height that possibly could be , yet in comparison of these , there shall come such evil times just before this glorious time of the Church , as our times may be accounted Golden and Happy times in respect of those sad times ; for , saith he , good men they shall be a prey to wicked men , and they shall be in contempt and poverty ; all right among men shall be confounded , all Law shall perish , and no man shall know what 's his own ; things shall be in such a cumbustion and confusion that no Law shall prevail , and no man shall know what 's his own ; this shall be a little before ( saith he ) the glorious state of the Church wherein Christ shall appear : Now if he could say so , so long before , certainly none then having Scripture so suitable to it , have cause to fear that yet we may live to meet with very hard things . ☞ Although it will be but short , that 's the comfort ; if there should be great sufferings just before the day break , and it should be darker than it was , yet it will continue but a while , three Years and an half will be the most : But the times of the great sufferings of the Church before Jerusalem is to be made the praise of the whole Earth , these three Years and a half will put men so to it , that if they have not true grace they will fall off . The Administration of Gods Providences are very strange , we have had thoughts that all had been blowing over , that we should have liv'd in safety and peace , but clouds gather still : And though the former clouds seem'd in some measure to be gone , yet new clouds are gathering , and therefore it 's wisdom for the People of God , that fear God and look into his Word , to see what God hath made known in his Word ; I say it 's their wisdom to prepare for the hardest that possibly can come : That they may be bright , and made white with all the troubles that they meet with , and be not among them that shall not be found written in the Book , and so to be cast out of all the good of this Jerusalem that shall be made the praise of the Earth . Thirdly , Though we should prepare for sufferings , yet let us strengthen our faith , and rejoyce in the hope of such times as these are , in the midst of sufferings rejoyce : it 's an Excellent thing when a Christian is able in the midst of sufferings to rejoyce in the assurance of a promise , when things go never so contrary , yet to keep in Gods ways upon the expectation of a promise to be fulfill'd . You have an Excellent Scripture in the 64. of Isa . vers . 5. Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness , those that Remember thee in thy ways : behold , thou art wroth , for we have sinned . In those is continuance , and we shall be saved . If you read this Chapter you shall find that the Church was in a sad condition ; but mark , Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness : In the saddest times there were some that did not only work Righteousness , but did Rejoyce and work Righteousness ; Though God was wroth , and all things did seem to be very dismal , yet there were some that went on in the ways of Righteousness , and rejoyced in the ways of Righteousness : It 's a most Excellent Scripture , and of marvellous use to us if God should bring us into sad times , for us not only to keep in the ways of Righteousness , but to rejoyce in the ways of Righteousness , to rejoyce that ever we were brought into it , and that 's upon an expectation that the Lord will save us . Whatsoever sufferings you meet withall , yet strengthen your faith , and rejoyce in the Expectation of this Glory of Jerusalem . The believing of such times as these are , really makes Life desirable , especially because God is so stirring in this Age ; not for any great matters that we shall have outwardly in the World for a while , but that we may come to see the Issue of all these stirs ; and at length , out of all the Confusion , to see Jerusalem to be the praise of the whole world . And therefore in the 102. Psalm . which I think verily hath reference to these times , you shall find the Title of it to be , A Prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed , and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. But mark , in his pouring out his complaint before God , how he comforts himself , in the 13. vers . Thou shalt arise , and have mercy upon Zion , for the time to favour her , yea the set time is come . For thy servants take pleasure in her stones , and favour the dust thereof , so the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord , and all the Kings of the Earth thy glory . When the Lord shall build up Zion , he shall appear in his glory . The Lord shall appear in his glory in building up Zion that is now cast down , I say it 's a Prophetical Psalm , of the disposition of Christians a little before this Kingdom shall be made the praise of the Earth . Now mark , what those do desire that shall live a little before these times . In the 24. vers . I said , O my God , take me not away in the midst of my days . As if he should have said , O Lord , I hope that e're long thou wilt build up Zion , and appear in thy glory , and fulfill thy promises concerning Jerusalem ; O Lord , take me not away in the midst of my days : It is ( I say ) a Prophetical Prayer of the Christians that shall live a little before Gods building up of Zion . But you will say , Why shall any desire to live , for if one should die ( if he be Godly ) he shall go to Heaven ; and will it not be as good to be in Heaven , as to live to see Jerusalem the praise of the Earth ? To that I answer , that though it 's true , It will be as good for the Soul ; but for Soul and Body , to live here to see that glorious administration of God in the World , to see God honoured upon the Earth , where he hath been so much dishonoured , certainly it cannot but be an abundant satisfaction and contentment to those that are gracious , and that it is desirable ; notwithstanding the objection , I make it clearly thus , from the promise that God gave to Children that did obey their Parents , in the fifth Commandment , Honour thy Father and thy Mother ; why ? That thy days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee . God makes a promise that they should enjoy the Land of Canaan . And why ? Godly Children , should go to Heaven if they had died : But it was accounted a mercy to live long in the Land of Canaan . Now the Land of Canaan was but a Type of the glorious Church , so that this is a more glorious promise : Therefore ( I say ) it is desirable to live to see what God intends to do in these Concussions . It is observ'd by some , that John did never fall down to worship the Angel but twice , and twice he fell down and worshipped the Angel. But you shall observe it , if you examine the places ; It was when the Angel brought him the tidings of this glorious Jerusalem : and Johns heart was so taken with these tidings , as indeed he forgets himself so far as to fall down and worship the Angel , which was sinful : but I note it for this end , to shew how mightily the heart of John was taken with the tidings of this new Jerusalem : And God expects that though we have but a glimpse of it now , yet that our hearts should be much taken with the tidings of this glorious Jerusalem , when it shall be made the praise of the Earth . Christ hath humbled himself in this world , and hath been dishonoured here , and therefore the Father will advance him , and honour him in this World as well as in Heaven . And the Heathen , and uttermost parts of the Earth , are given to Christ for a possession , but Christ hath not had it yet , and therefore let us strengthen our Faith , and joyfully expect such a time as this is . Those whose hearts are carnal and sensual , they mind only carnal and sensual things , and cannot believe these things ; but such as have Faith to believe , they are able to rejoyce in the Expectation of this glory that is to be revealed . Fourthly , These truths that have been delivered about this glory of the new Jerusalem , they call for heavenly hearts , they call off all our hearts from the Earth , why should we have our hearts : groveling upon the Earth , when as God hath revealed such glorious things as these are ? In the 60. of Isa . v. 1. Arise , shine , for thy Light is come , and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee . I may make use of it , at least by way of Allusion , thus : O arise , and shine in heavenliness , and shake off the dust of this Earth , for here you hear of the glory of this Lord , and who knows but it may very suddenly , within a little time arise upon us ? yet the very hearing of it were enough to cause us to shake off all Earthliness from our Spirits : when John was shown the new Jerusalem , he was carryed up upon the mountain ; so if we would understand the glory of this Jerusalem , we must get up our hearts on high . It is an Observation of Mr. Brightman , upon the 4 th . of Revel . Where we have described the four living Creatures , the Lyon , the Oxe , the Man , and the Eagle . Now ( saith he ) these four living Creatures do set forth the four Estates of the Church . The Lyon sets forth the state of the Church in the Primitive times , they had Lyon-like Spirits , that were able to encounter the rage of persecuting Emperors , to endure all kind of Torment without having their hearts daunted at all . — The second State of the Church was the Oxe , that is , Antichrist prevailing , they were as an Oxe that is a heavy and dull Creature , fit to bear burthens . — But then the third is the Man , that is , a man comes to inquire after the reason of things , and to understand things , and doth desire liberty . Why now ( saith he ) in the beginning of the Reformation , the state of the Church was like a Man. They would not be under such base Thraldom to take the yoke of Antichrist as they did before ; before they were lead like beasts , but now they were as Men , they would understand what they did . — And then the fourth was like an Eagle , that is , soaring aloft , on high . When the Church shall be in this glorious condition , Men shall be of Heavenly minds , they shall soar up like the Eagle , to be above the Earth . And certainly such dispositions are fit for this new Jerusalem , and though it be not yet come , yet we should labour to be of such dispositions as are fit for it . And that 's the fifth Use , To prepare for these times , fit our selves . First , By the Wedding Garment , for now comes the Bridegroom , and we should prepare for him by the Wedding Garment . You will say , What is the Wedding Garment by which the Saints are prepared to meet with Christ ? The applying of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ by Faith , that 's the Wedding-Garment ; when Christians come to understand clearly the point of Justification without mistake . There are some kind of hastenings about it in these times more than before , and inquiring after the very grace of God in the point of Justification , but certainly that point is darkened much by many errors : But now the clear understanding the point of Justification , of Gods Righteousness applyed by Faith , this is the Garment by which we are to meet with Jesus Christ , when he shall appear in his glory ; and I verily believe , that in the time of the new Jerusalem , the point of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ will be the main point of Religion that then will be known , and that the hearts of the Saints will be taken up withall , the main point of Religion ; and as we see , the nearer we grow unto these times , the more clearer is the point of Justification revealed to us : O what strange conceits in times of Popery had People of Justification , and I verily believe that many of your Consciences may tell you , that a very few years since , you had very strange thoughts about that point , and understood but little of it ; but it begins to be clear more and more , and we should study that point more ; for surely it is that point of Religion that will take up the heart of the People of God most in such times as these are . It is called the fine Linnen of the Saints , which is the Righteousness of the Saints : That that 's Translated in your Books Righteousness , it is the Righteousnesses of the Saints , that 's this . Not only the knowledge of the Righteousness of Christ applyed by Faith ; But Righteousness before Men too , is the fine Linnen of the Saints , they shall appear Righteous before men , and Righteous , being cloathed with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ . And I would therefore commend that to those that speak much of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ ; know , they must have Righteousnesses , in the Plural Number ; that is , not only be careful to have Righteousness before God through Christ , but Righteousness before Men : and that 's the second thing that is to be done for preparation of us for Christs coming , to have our Lamps burning , Holiness shining in our conversations before Men , to live convincing conversations , to make the ways of Godliness amiable . — And then let 's watch , O take heed of slumbering . — And let us be constant in our holy profession , take heed our Lamps do not go out . — And let us humble our selves for our former defilement ; we have defiled our selves by superstitious vanities in former times ; O let us humble our souls for them , thereby shall we be fitted for this glorious time . If new Jerusalem should come , and you not humbled for your former defilements , you would be unfit for this time . Sixthly , Seeing there is such a time for this new Jerusalem , why then let us labour to further what we can the cause of God in his Church , to make the Church as near to Jerusalem as we can now . For though it 's true , it shall be brought to pass by the Almighty power of Jesus Christ , yet he requires that his Saints should put their hands to it , and indeed , this should be the care of all that make profession of Godliness , to do what they can to make Jerusalem to be the praise of the world now . O 't is a blessed thing to live to see the glory of God as it shines in this new Jerusalem . But if it be blessed to See it , it is more blessed to have a hand in it : O let us be willing to consecrate all that we are , or have , for the furtherance of the glory of this new Jerusalem ; let us labour to draw all that we can to Godliness , and be Godly our selves : That should be the work of all those that profess Godliness , to labour now to walk so as to make every body in Love with Godliness , and to labour to wipe off all the aspersions that are cast upon the ways of Godliness ; there are strange errors and miscarriages of men , why now those that are faithful should labour to wipe off all those things . But on the other side , let them know , that make profession of Religion now , and walk scandalously , and are abominably erroneous in their Opinions , they do what they can to hinder the glory of this Jerusalem : though it 's true , God will bring it about , but thou dost what thou canst to hinder it . O wo to thee that thou wert born to such a time as this is ! It 's ill that thou shouldest live in such a time as this is , to cast any stain upon Religion , that Religion should suffer any thing for thee . Now every one that makes but any profession of Religion , O they should labour to walk exactly , and humbly , and faithfully , and conscionably , that they may win others , and so others being won by their conversation , why then the People of the Land might joyn together , and say , Well , verily it is these are the servants of the living God , and we will joyn with them , and set up their ways , for we see them to be the ways of God ; I , this were very hopeful , that Jerusalem were lifting up indeed ; if so be we would convince men by our holy conversation : But now when there appears so much folly and baseness of Spirit in those that are Professors , why it makes men hate Religion more than ever they did ; and indeed , but that we know God can bring the greatest good out of the greatest Evil , one would think that there were as great a stop to the glory of the Church in these times , as ever there was , but wo to those that are the stoppers . And howsoever some cry out , such men stop it , and such men stop it , but the Lord I hope will come e're long , and will make it appear who hinders the glory of his Churches ; whether it be those that in the sincerity of their hearts labour to raise up Godliness to the strictest form of all , or those that will content themselves with a form . Certainly those that give up themselves to promote the most strict way of Godliness , and the most pure Ordinances , they are not those that hinder the Reformation ; but Christ will own them to be those that further the Glory of this Reformation . The Scripture speaking of this Jerusalem , saith , that no impure thing should enter into it ; that is , Men should be as careful as possibly they can , to keep out all things that are impure , and so to raise up the ways of Godliness to the strictest and highest rule that possibly they can ; these are they that further the glory of this Jerusalem . The Last thing is that we have in the Text , Give God no rest till this be . We might make it a several point of Doctrin , but I only bring it in here by way of Use . The truth is , when Christ taught us to pray , Thy Kingdom come , he had an Eye at this ; for the Kingdom of Christ is not fully come till this time be come ; and as in that 36. of Ezek. 37. When the Lord had promised there such glorious things to his People , saith he , I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel , to do it for them . So though God doth intend to raise up Jerusalem thus , yet the Lord will be sought unto , for it must be furthered by Prayer : All Gods People should cry out , Come Lord Jesus , come quickly ! how long , how long , holy and true , will it be before thou dost this , before these things come to pass , my precious Lord ! God loves importunity , especially in such things as these are . Divers motives I had thought of to have put you on to this , to be mighty in Prayer . First , Till this time , till Jerusalem be thus raised , the truth is , the Earth is under a Curse , a Curse all that time . For , First , all Creatures are subject to vanity , and that vanity shall not be taken off , nor the bondage , till this time . Secondly , There will be trouble and Wars continually till this time , there will be no certainty nor settledness of things till Jerusalem come to be made as the praise of the Earth . There will attend affliction to the people of God ; yea and to others too . Yea , and there is a Curse upon mens Spirits , which will not be taken off till this time comes . The truth is , when we look upon what is in the Earth , we can see little that should make us desire to live , in respect of the earthly comforts that are here ; and for my own part , thinking in my thoughts about this point , this Meditation came into my mind : I wonder why men that live here , and are not useful , and serviceable , to do service for God ; I wonder why they should desire to live ! for what pleasure is there in the Earth ? The Earth is under a curse . Now were it not for this one thing , that we might live to make our peace with God , and to do God service ; I say it 's a wonder that any should desire to live ; for the truth is ; Afflictions , and Fears , and Troubles , will countervail the Comforts of any that do live : But indeed , that will countervail our affliction , if we may live to do service for God , but let us give God no rest till this be ; because till then , the Earth is under a curse : It is this that brings a glory to the Earth ; O! it will be worth living in the World , when God shall be set up in the World , ( when Jesus Christ shall rule in the World , ) it will be worth the living , and not till then . And then further , give God no rest , because that the time is near now ; howsoever , it is near in respect of what it was when this Prophet thus spoke , for ●t was above two thousand Years ago ●hat the Prophet spake these words . Now the end of the world it 's even up on us , and Christ seems to be even at the door . Now as it is in nature , a heavy thing , the nearer it comes to the center the faster it moves ; so the nearer we are come to this time , the more should our hearts be stirred , for the time is even at hand , and therfore let us pray now mightily : as we find in the 9 th . of Daniel ; Daniel did understand by Books that the time of their deliverance was near : Mark at the third Vers . the Text tells us , that Daniel set his face to seek the Lord , O then he fasted and prayed indeed . My Brethren , when you have such things as th●se presented to you , and some h●●●●●l Arguments presented likewi 〈…〉 are near ; learn to set your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord , and resolve never to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 king , till he make this Jerusalem to be the praise of the whole Earth . O my Brethren ! now a praying heart is worth something ; it is a miserable thing for any Man or Woman not to have a Spirit of Prayer in these times , a dangerous sign that such a one shall never be partaker of the glory of this new Jerusalem , that hath not a praying Spirit in these times . Yea , now we find there are mighty stirrings abroad in the world , the hearts of men are more raised to expect it than ever they were before . I remember it 's observed of the woman of Samaria , you may see by her that there was a general expectation raised of the Messias , at the time that he came ; saith she , when the Messias comes , he will tell us all things : and truly there is the greatest expectation of the Saints of God , and those that are the most strict and holy , the greatest expectation of these times , as ever yet was , and we find the Lord is so stirring in the world , as makes us think that he is bringing about some glorious things ; and therefore pray , pray , pray ; and you that want matter to pray , among other things , put this into your prayer , both in your Closets and Families , pray the Lord , and cry to him so as to give him no rest every day : O Lord , make Jerusalem the praise of the Earth ! O Lord , we see abundance of darkness in thy Churches , and Godliness is little Honoured in the world , but O Lord , make thy Churches glorious , set up the glory of Godliness in the world ! pray thus privately , and so publickly . And a further motive to give God no rest , is this : That in this your heart doth joyn with the work of God that is most acceptable to God , and that his Soul doth take delight in ; and that 's a comfortable thing . And besides , give him no rest , for God hath appointed Prayer to be a special Engine , and a great means to further this . In the 102. Psalm ( saith the Text ) The Lord will regard the Prayer of the destitute . Alas ! may some say , I am a poor weak Christian , a poor Body , I am able to do but little , I may Sigh to God , but what are my prayers worth ? Mark the Text , speaking of the glory of these times , and of the way to further it ; The Lord will regard the Prayer of the destitute : Though thou beest but as a poor shrub , the Lord will regard thy Prayer ; and mark what the Text saith , This shall be written for the Generation to come , vers . 18. This is written for thee , Prayer hath done great things , hath made a mighty change of things ; and if ever People were encouraged to pray , now they may be encouraged , because they have seen so much that Prayer hath done already . We have many Scriptures which I had thought to have spoken of , for the encouragement of you in Prayer for these things , that you might go on and not faint . Though you see things seem to go very Cross , yet be not troubled at it , but still go on , give him no rest ; it may be God will do nothing now , yet still give him no rest , but be constant till the thing be done ; for certainly it will be done at length , and if it should not come to pass in your life , yet this I will conclude withall , When you die , die in the Faith of it : Any of you that have been earnest in prayer for this thing , and yet you see little come of it , yet die in the Faith of it , when you die ; as it is said of Joseph , in the 50. of Gen. 24. Behold I die , and God will surely visit you , and bring you out of this Land , unto the Land which he sware to Abraham , &c. So you may speak to your Children , I die now , I must not see this new Jerusalem , but there is hope that God will bring you into it , though I perhaps shall not see it : and close your Eyes with this belief when you are to die , I die , yet in the Faith that there is a time a coming , that the Lord will make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth . FINIS . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A30589-e7360 The Witnesses not yet slain .