Good Things to Come, Part 2 · Chapter 12
CHAP XII. Containing the propoſing to conſideration ſome things which the holy ſcritures hold forth, concerning dominion and power, ſoveraigntie and rule; which the changed people; the Iſraelites eſpecially, are likely to have at the reſtoration, in the world to come, under the Lord Chriſt, being then come, and reigning: with ſome eminent Scriptures, aſcertaining the ſureneſs of the making all good, ſo foretold and declared.
MAn, at his firſt making, was ordered by the great creator, to have dominion and rule over the creatures, Gen. 1. 28. It was ſaid, in that ſtate: have thou dominion over the fiſh of the ſea, and over the fowls of the air, and over every thing that moveth on the earth. Man having ſinned and loſt himſelf; the curſe it entred, and therewith enmitie; not only among the creatures, but rebellion, many times, againſt man himſelf, by ſome of the creatures. God of his great goodneſs and compaſſion, ſo ordered and provided, for a number of fallen man, amongſt whom the enmitie entred, and took place to a great degree, according to his purpoſe, and pleaſure, Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmitie, not only among the creatures; and man, and the creature, but between men among themſelves: theſe choſen and thoſe rejected; Jacob and Eſau: the ſeed, and the ſeed: a great miſtery: I ſhall not treat of it, I only mention the thing, in order to our better proceed in the matter propoſed. The enmity, it began and brake forth betimes; witneſs that of Cain, Gen. 4. 8. That Cain roſe up, and ſlew his brother, righteous Abel. This ſeed of Abraham, yea Iſrael as a nation, and the line of David, had not only the promiſe of dominion and rule; but had the thing it ſelf: haply it may be a type of ſome greater thing to come hereafter: for ſave now and then for a little ſpace; the ſeed of the ſerpent, and not the ſeed of the woman hath had the dominion in the old, and in this preſent world, for the moſt part. Conſult the holy hiſtories and others, it will plainly appear: and the ſtate of this day will witneſs to the truth of it. The time is not yet come for the ſeed of the woman, but it haſteneth: our Lord Chriſt will take to himſelf, his great power and reign but he will ſave: then will be the time: in the mean time, the enmitie will continue and grow great: Dives will have the day; and the womans ſeed under the Hatches, as was Lazarus then: but the day will change, the time of refreſhing will come from the preſence of the Lord, and Jeſus Chriſt will be ſent, and come again, and a happy morning for the righteous, when they ſhall have the full dominion, then will that be made good, Pſa 49. 14. The righteous ſhall have dominion over them in the morning; that bleſſed morning of the raiſing and changing the righteous, they ſhall have the dominion: their day will be, when the Lord Chriſt comes and fully taketh to him his great power and reign: then ſhall great power and dominion be given to the ſaints: for they ſhall reign with him: Rev. 20. 4. 6. of which more after. But to proceed in a gradual way, and take knowledge of what the holy ſcripture holds forth, as relating to and eyeing that happy time before mentioned: we may take knowledge, of father Jacobs bleſſing of Judah his ſon, Gen. 49. 8. His hand ſhould be on the neck of his enemies: his fathers children ſhould bow before him. Vers. 10. The ſcepter ſhall not depart from Judah, &c. We may alſo take notice of Balaams prophecy, Numb. 24. 7. 8. ſee the place; the height and fulneſs is like to be then: ſee like wiſe, vers. 17. 18. 19. All held forth, which I forbear to ſet down, relateth to a time afarr off, and not nigh. Vers. 17. Out of Jacob, ſhall come he that ſhall have the dominion: a wonderfull time it relateth unto: for, as vers. 23. Who ſhall live, when God doth this? he will, he will do it.
Then: in the dayes of the dominion and reign of the Lord Chriſt, ſhall that be fulfilled, Pſal. 15. acknowledged, and ſtiled, a Pſalm of Chriſts kingdom, vers. 14. In ſtead of thy fathers, thou ſhalt have [or there ſhall be] children, whom thou mayeſt make princes in all the earth [to wit, fully ſo; in the new earth.] I will make thy name to be remembred, in all generations; therefore ſhall the people praiſe thee for ever and ever. Pſal. 49. 14. Eyeing the reſurrection, when death feedeth on the wicked in the grave: the righteous ſhall ariſe, and have the day: the dominion, in that very morning: likewiſe, will that be made good then, Pſal. 149. 9. To have power to execute the vengeance that is written: it is ſayd, this honour have all the ſaints: to ſhare with the Lord Chriſt, their bleſſed ſaviour and redeemer, their king and governor, ſure enough to be true and made good then.
In the next place, take we knowledge of what holy Iſaiah ſayth, Iſa. 60. 12. The nation and kingdom that will not ſerve thee, [to wit, Iſrnel] ſhall periſh; yea, thoſe nations ſhall be utterly waſted: vers. 14. The ſons 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 ſhall call thee, the city of the Lord. That this relateth to the time of Chriſt, and his kingdom, few deny.
We ſhall proceed to that eminent place, Dan. 7. It is after the fourth kingdom or monarchy; ſee what is ſayd, vers. 18. But the ſaints of the moſt high, [to wit, the Iſraelites, eſpecially] ſhall take, and poſſeſſe the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever: very great durations not yet begun, it is likely, but will fully be fulfilled, at the reſtoration; when our Lord Chriſt ſhall be ſent the ſecond time; then the ſaints ſhall fully take and poſſeſſe the kingdom. Vers. 22. And the ancient of days came, and judgement was given to the ſaints of the moſt high; And the time came, that the Paints poſſeſſed the kingdom. Some build the fifth Monarchy or kingdom of the ſtone, on this and other the like ſcriptures; apprehending it will be in this world, before the reſtoration and change we have treated of, which I leave to the day to declare, whether it will be ſo or no: but what holy Daniel hath foretold; will ſurely be made good; even that, vers. 27. And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatneſs of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, ſhall be given to the people of the ſaints of the moſt high, whoſe kingdom is an everlaſting kingdom, and all dominions ſhall ſerve and obey him, that is, their governour. There can be nothing more full and plain: only the time is to be waited for: and very like it will be fully fulfilled, when our Lord Chriſt fully takes to him his power and reigns, at the happy reſtoration of all things. I ſhall mention no more out of the old teſtament. Our Lord Chriſt in the new, hath told us, that his kingdom is not of this world, Joh. 18. 36. neither, as I apprehend, is, or to be, in this world, ſave in a ſpiritual conſideration; as the goſpel and goſpel diſpenſations; as the ſpirit and word; and the fruits of the ſpirit, righteouſneſs, peace, and joy, with faith and love, &c. [though ſome apprehend from thoſe words in the latter part of that verſe, but now is my kingdom not from hence, or then; to be ſet up in this world, the emphaſis of the words, as they conceive, lying in the word, but now; that his kingdom will begin to be ſet up in this world before his perſonal coming: but I leave it as not being the ſubject matter of this diſcourſe]: but that is clear another thing that we are treating of: from his kingdom in a ſpiritual conſideration only. It is dominion, kingdom and power, outward and viſible, which our treaty is of: this; our Lord hath not taken to him as yet; he hath not taken to him his great power and kingdom: he is gone to fetch it: when he comes he will bring it with him, Luk. 19. 12. 15. 2. Tim. 4. 7. And then; he will fully ſet it up, and reign gloriouſly in the midſt of his enemies.
It is much, in my apprehenſion, that any ſhould think, the ſaints of the moſt high, ſhould reign, and have kingdom, and power, and dominion, before the Lord Chriſt; that would anſwer the prophecyes in the holy Scriptures, and be a fulfilling of them: but, I conceive, though ſome ſo think and ſay; yet moſt of them that judge, Chriſts kingdom will begin to be ſet up in this world before his perſonal coming, do not apprehend, that the prophecyes on that account will have their full fulfilling therein; nor will be ſo fulfilled till he ſo comes.
Our Lord Chriſt tels his followers that continued with him in his temptations, Luk. 22. 28 29. 30. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my father hath appointed unto me, that you may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom [when it comes. and he reigns in it] and ſit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Iſrael. Minde we that in Math. 25. 24. come ye bleſſed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, &c. When will this be? when he ſhall come in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him; and ſhall fit on the throne of his glory: it will be, then; that the Saints of the moſt high God will be, ſo advanced and dignified; ſo impowered to judge, know ye not, ſaith the Apoſtle, 1. Cor. 6. 2. that the Saints ſhall judge the world, yea, and Angels alſo, vers. 3. the world have judged, and wrongfully, many times, condemned them; and they have been for Chriſts ſake killed all the day long, Rom. 8. 36. it will be otherwiſe then; they ſhall judge them that injuriouſly condemned them: then the Saints ſhall have the day: and what Daniell hath told, ſhall come to paſſe: that the dominion, and greatneſs of the kingdom under the whole heaven, ſhall be given to the Saints of the moſt high.
Our Lord Chriſt will be then the greateſt monarch that ever was on earth, 1. Tim. 6. 25. he will be the only potentate, the king of kings and Lord of Lords: he will be far advanced in power and dignitie, beyond and above all principalities and powers, and might, and dominion, and every name [of power and dignitie, by which the potentates of this world are named] that is named in this world, and that which is to come: far above them all will the Lord Chriſt be then; it will be happy for the Saints then; for he is their head and they ſhall ſhare with him therein: they ſhall reign on earth when he reigneth: he will deligate power to them: they ſhall be inveſted with great authority, and ſhall reign with him on earth. He will give power to the faithfull improvers of their truſt, Luk. 19. 17. 19. to one to be ruler over ten Cityes, and to another to be ruler over five Cityes. And in like manner, it is likely, to others, to be over nations, and countryes, according to that, Pſal. 45. 16. thou ſhalt have children, whom thou mayeſt make princes in all the earth. Like to be fully fulfilled and made good then; and as it followeth, vers. 17. I will make thy name to be remembred in all generations, therefore ſhall the people praiſe thee for ever and ever: the promiſe to the overcomers, in the Church of Thyatira, ſpeaks forth much, and comports with the pſalmiſt before; Rev. 2. 26. 27. he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he ſhall rule them with a rod of Iron, &c. even as I received of my father, to wit, power to do it. Thoſe alive and believing, at the coming of the Lord Chriſt then, changed, in a moment, will be ſuch overcomers, and keepers of his works to the end; in an eminent wiſe; and haply, may have that power given to them then; together with all other overcomers that had been dead before to that time then raiſed. Holy Paul ſaith, 2. Tim. 2. 12. if we ſuffer, we ſhall alſo reign with him: and ſaith, it is a faithfull ſaying: as it is a bleſſed word, and comfortable, Rom. 8. 17. if ſo be we ſuffer with him, we may be alſo glorified together. The world to come; it will not be under the ſubjection and rule of Angels, Heb. 2. 5. he hath not put in ſubjection, unto the Angels, the world to come, of which we ſpeak: haply, this preſent world is ſo under them: but, that to come ſhall not: but it will be under the Lord Chriſt and the Saints: they will be made unto God kings and prieſts and ſhall reign on the earth; at that happy day, in the new earth, when our Lord is come; they ſhall have full power and reign. Jude ſpeaketh of the Lord Chriſt his coming with ten thouſand of his Saints, to execute judgement on ungodly ſinners; whoſe day will be over, then; like unto rich Dives; Lazarus day will take place then; the righteous, will have the day then; and the preheminence.
Rev. 20. 4. the martyrs for Chriſts ſake, it is ſaid of them by way of eminence as to rule and gevernment above the reſt of the dead Saints, then alſo raiſed, and reigning, They lived and reigned with Chriſt a thouſand years. And again, vers. 6. it is ſaid of all the raiſed Saints, [compared with other Scriptures, including the changed, at that time] they ſhall be Prieſts of God and of Chriſt, and ſhall reign with him a thouſand years. And we may believe it; for theſe ſayings, are no fables, or inſignificant expreſſions. Whither they be believed or no, they will be found to be the true ſayings of almighty God; and ſhall with the reſt of the Prophecyes and ſayings concerning good things, to come for the righteous, be made good, and fulfilled to the full; whatever fulfilling in a degree they may have had before. This alſo held forth is ſubmitted to the conſideration of the wiſe in heart.