Part 2. them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their Strength to the earth. Ordinarily this paffage is interpreted of the Paffion of Jefus Chrift, and I do not oppose that it should be apply'd to it by a pious allufion.

The vi&o

tichriftfor

63 of Ifai

the Reve

But I much wonder that none hath discryed its ry over An- true meaning, and that none hath perceived that told in the the fame event exactly is fore-told here, and in the ah. and in 19th of the Revelation from the 11th verse to the the 19th of end. 'Tis fo plainly the fame thing, that the exlation. preffions are in a manner the fame. Tis clear that the Holy Ghoft alludes to this paffage of Ifaiah, Revel. 19. when he faith, And he treadeth the wine-prefs of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The figures are the fame, borrowed from war, flaughter, combats, and bloodshed. So that without doubt, the fame thing is fignified in both places. Namely, that great victory that the Lord Jefus must gain over all the enemies of the Church; (before the period of the thousand years.) An unbloody victory, and which must be gain'd by the sword of his mouth, i.e. his Word; But 'tis represented under the figure of war, according to the custome of the Holy Ghoft, who paints out fpiritual vi Ctories, with colours borrowed from temporal

ones.

Now I would fain know, for whom this victory difcribed by Ifaiah, must be gain'd? Without doubt, 'tis on the behalf of the people of the lews; 'tis to the Jews that he fpeaks, the year of my Redeemed is come; and prefently after followeth that which we have cited, I will mention the loving-kindneffes of the Lord, &c. which belongs to the people of the fews, and can't belong to any other. "Tis therefore for the Iews,and on their behalf, that the great battel in the 19th of the Revelanen, shall be

fought;

ought; 'twill be to get a crown for them, and to Part 2. aife them upon a Throne. Therefore this Nation s not in fo great an error, as men have hitherto imagined upon the fubject of the nature of the reign of their Meffiah.

It is certain, that it must advance their Nation to very great glory. But they are mistaken. 1. In that they have not own'd the Meffiah in his ftate of Humiliation, and will not, till his glorious Appearance. 2. They doubtlefs miftake in the nature of their Kingdom,fixing thereto too much of what is Temporal, whereas it fhall be very Spiritual, and not at all confift in commanding over Nations, to affemble them for War, to receive of them Tribute and Subjection. It will rather confift in this, that this Nation fhall be the most glorious of any in the World, the moft zealous, the most Holy,which fhall give Paftors, and it may be, Governors to all other People!

In this we have the true reafon, why in the book of Revelations there is nothing formally spoken of the Recalling of the Iews. It would have been a very furprizing thing, that the Holy Ghost should have omitted one of the moft confiderable events of the Church, in a book of Prophecies, containing the History of it. So our Interpreters would willingly find it every where, and really can find it but in very few places; The reafon is

because 'tis only to be met with in the 20th Chapter of the Revelations, and in the 11th Chapter of that Book. The Kingdom of the Meffiah and of the Saints, which is fpoken of in thofe places, is that Kingdom which is to be given to the Holy People, according to the Prophecies of Daniel; for in the ftyle of the Prophets, there is no other Holy People, but the People of Ifrael: So that the fews are

to

Part 2. to be the principal part of the fifth Monarchy. "This is the Kingdom that was promised to Jefus Chrift by the Angel, who fore-told his birth to the B. Virgin. God will give him the Throne of David his Father. I would feign know how that Oracle hath been accomplisht. The converted Gentiles, of whom Jefus Chrift hath been King for fixteen hundred years, are they the Kingdom of David; while the Jews, who are Children and Brethren of David, are the avowed Enemies of this Kingdom? It may well be faid,that Jefus Chrift hath received a Kingdom, whereof that of David was the figure; but that doth by no means fatisfy.

But what doth the Anfwer of our Lord Jefus Chrift to his Apoftles fignify? They demanded of 1. Chrift him, Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom Promis'd again to Ifrael? Jefus replyed, by remitting them fles to re- to another time; 'Tis not for you, faith he to eftablish know the Times and Seafons, which the Father hath dom of the put in his own Power. If the Kingdom fhould Jews. never be restored to Ifrael, why doth not our Lord

his Apo

the King

tell them fo? and why doth he hold them in fufpence? if the Kingdom of Ifrael be nothing elfe than the Calling of the Gentiles and our Chriftian Church, why doth he refer them to a longer time; faying, that God hath referved to himself the knowledge of that Time? that was a thing fhould be effected within a few years in their own time, before their eyes, and by themselves. Lastly, why hath he commanded us to pray daily, Thy Kingdom come, fince that Kingdom is already come? for by that Kingdom cannot be understood the eternal Kingdom of Paradife, where Jefus Chrift, fo far as man, is only the first Subject. They fay, 'tis the Kingdom of the Father we pray for, i. e. of the Heavenly Paradife, the Eternal Kingdom, But we

need

need only read what follows in the Lords prayer, Part 2. to be affured that it must be understood of a Kingdom upon earth. Thy Name be hallowed, Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven. That clause on Earth, as in Heaven, iscommon to all three Petitions. Thy Kingdom come upon Earth, as it is already come in Heaven.

fonable to

God hath

dom of

not yet ta

So great a difficulty have thefe Gentlemen, the 'Tis reaAntimillenaries, to conceive a Kingdom of God up-think, that on earth; and for my own part I find as great a referv'd a one, not to conceive it. How can we reconcile time for it to the wisdom and goodnefs of God,to have aban- the Kingdon'd and forfaken the World, thorowout all the grace, duration of it; without preferving a certain time which hath in that duration for himfelfand his own Kingdom? ken place. Now when was it, that God did reign in the world by his Kingdom of grace? It was not in the first World before the Flood, where wickedness prevailed to that degree, that obliged him to deftroy it by the Deluge. It was not in the Time from Noah to Mofes; for in thofe Ages Idolatry fprung up increas❜t and multiplied. Much lefs in thofe Ages from Mofes to Iefus Chrift; for the Devil reigned every where, oftentimes not excepting that little corner of the Earth , which God had referved to himself. It is not from the Appearance of Chrift to that of Antichrift; for faving about one hundred years, fince the Emperors were Chriftians, Paganifm hath always been uppermoft, and the prevailing Religion. It cannot be fince the birth of Antichrift; for the 1260 years of his reign, are the Empire of the Beast, and of the Dragon; and this will lead us even to the end of the World, according to thefe Gentlemen. And the courfe of the World will be finifht, and God and his Kingdom of Grace have found no

place

Part 2. place in it. I confefs, that in all ages God hath faved fome perfons, but that is notto Reign; for Truth and Grace have never yet ruled, and been uppermoft. They never had the Empire, the num ber, and the multitude of their fide. The number of wicked and worldly men hath always carried it. How much more reasonable then is it to conceive, that God, after having abandon'd fix periods to the World and the Dragon, hath at least reserved one feventh to himself, wherein Truth and Grace fhall rule and prevail, whereas in the other preceding they have been fuppreft.

The con

the nations

form the

of Chrift.

I find nothing more odd and fingular than the version of Hypothefis of thefe Gentlemen; They acknowledge and of the that all the Nations, hitherto under Infidelity, Jews, shall fhall be converted; St. Paul hath exprefly said it, Kingdom in the eleventh Chapter of his Epistle to the Ro mans; according to them alfo, the Jews are to be converted. Behold the faireft Empire of Grace which can be imagined! why fhould we make it fall affoon as it is raised, and make the World it felf to end foon after? Is it not more reasonable to conceive, that God will preferve the Church in that glorious ftate for several ages, to injoy as it were the fruit of his Labours, and fee the Intelligible World compleated, and brought to its perfection.

Since the Jews & the fullness of the Gentiles are to be brought in to 7. Chrift, as all the World grants, is it not reasonable, that in that period of the reunion of all People, that they who have been an holy People, to whom we owe the Patriarchs, and the facred Oracles; for obferve it, there is no one book of the N. Teftament, any more then of the Old, but was made by a lew; is it not juft, I fay, that that Nation fhould then have the Pre-eminence above