Good Things to Come, Part 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Containing ſomething propoſed to conſideration, touching the world to come; as being much the ſame, with the New heaven and the New earth, ſpoken of in the Holy Scriptures, and that it will contemporsze, in time, with that, and other great things that will take place at the Coming of our Lord Chriſt.
The holy ſcriptures declare. Heb. 1. 2. that God by Jeſus Chriſt, made the worlds; and by faith, we underſtand, and believe ſo: Heb. 11. 3. By ſaith we underſtand the worlds were framed, &c. the ſcriptures make mention of three worlds: the old world, which began with the creation, and continued to the floud; and then periſhed and ended, ſo Peter tells us, 2. Pet. 3. 6. This preſent world, ſo called in ſcripture, and may be ſo called ſtill; it took place with the ceaſing of the floud, and was peopled by Noah, and his ſons: and it continued and doth yet continue, is grown old and is reſerved (being grown old) unto fire, and the great burning to come, vers. 10. at the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men. The day of the Lord will come, vers. 12. and then will be the diſſolution and end of this preſent world. The Apoſtle expreſſeth it, by the heaven and the earth that are now, vers. 7. As the ſame thing: to wit, this world, this preſent evill world. There is in the third place, the world to come, which will begin with the end or ceaſing of this preſent world, of which the holy ſcripture ſpeaks very often, ſo frequent, as I ſhall forbear quotations. When that end cometh, which will be with the burning ſpoken of: then will begin the world to come of which we are now treating; and ſhall mention a few places. Math. 12. 32. Mark. 10. 30. Luk. 18. 30. Ephes. 1. 21. Heb. 2. 5. of which we may take notice hereafter: the time when: and how; this will contemporize with other great things that will take place likewiſe, then: to wit, at the coming of the Lord Chriſt, in power and great glory: to them that look for him the ſecond time; he will then appear, Heb. 9. 28. This third world, this world to come; it will then begin. In the which the Lord Chriſt will fully take unto himſelf his great power, and will reign very gloriouſly: the dominion, power, and ſovereignty, will reſt in him, and he will then appear on earth, as king of kings, and Lord of Lords, 1 Tim. 6. 15.
Then, in the world to come, he will delegate power as he pleaſeth: to one to be ruler over five cities: and to another to be ruler over ten cities: they ſhall rule under him: yea: then: will they rule with him, and that be made good in Rev. 5. 10. And haſt made us kings and Prieſts unto our God, and we ſhall reign on the earth: it is not ſaid, in heaven; For the world to come; it will be here below on earth and not in heaven, above.
This world to come, it will not be ſubjected under the power of the Angels; the ſcripture expreſly tells us ſo, Heb. 2. 5. as the other were: but it will be under the power of the Lord Chriſt and the ſaints. Then: their noble rulers will be of themſelves, and from among themſelves, Jer. 30. 21. This, and much more that might be mentioned: ſeemeth very plainly to ſpeak forth, that, that the new heaven and the new earth, wherein ſhall dwell righteouſnes, and the world to come; are much the ſame, and there is very little if any difference at all; both, beginning and taking place together at the coming of the Lord Chriſt; and, both concurring in time, with the reſurrection of the juſt: and the changing in a moment, the then living ſervants of God; and other great things, that will be the attendants of that happy day.
Then, will theſe ſo raiſed, and changed, be caught up together, to meet the Lord, and they will be for ever with him in the world to come, and never ſevered from him any more. When the wicked ſhall be put from him, and bid depart. When the righteous ſhall enjoy great bleſſednes and felicity: then according to that, which is a righteous thing with God: the wicked ſhall be puniſhed with everlaſting deſtruction from the preſence of the Lord, and from the glory of, his power: even when he ſhall be glorified in his ſaints and admired in all them that believe. 2. Thes. 1. 6. 9. 10. In the world to come, wherein the righteous will be ſo happy and bleſſed, and the wicked ſo unhappy and accurſed, we may a little take notice, what the world ſayeth; and we may begin with that of our Lord, Math. 12. 31. 32. where he tells us, that blaſphemy againſt the holy Ghoſt, it ſhall not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in that which is come: ſuch wicked ſinners as deſpite the ſpirit of grace, here, in this world: they ſhall not be forgiven: there is no more ſacrifice for them. Such wicked ſinners, as ſhall blaſpheme the ſpirit, and being under wrath, and puniſhment, blaſpeme the God of heaven whoſe judgments are all juſt: they ſhall not be forgiven then: in the world to come. The evangeliſt Mark. chap. 10. 30. He declareth the great reward the looſers for Chriſt ſake here, ſhall receive: then: in the world to come: as they ſhall alſo in this preſent world: in the world to come, they ſhall have everlaſting life: they ſhall have it, with all the good things, and great happines that attend that life. The evangeliſt Luke, he tells us the ſame, Luk. 18. 30. The Lord Chriſt, will be high: then: his name highly advanced in the world to come: where he will ſet up his kingdom, and reign, fully: even, here, below on earth: in the new earth, among the righteous, who ſhall alſo reign with him then: and there: as it is written, Rev. 5. 10. And hath made us unto our God, kings, and Prieſts, and we ſhall reign on the earth. And: this: when the wicked, and unſaved of the nations ſhall be ſent away, and bid depart to their doleful places of aboad, Mat. 25. 41. 46.
That will be made good, in the world to come: which is mentioned by our Lord, in the parable, concerning Dives, and Lazarus, Luk. 16. 19. 20. 22. 25. The wicked (for the moſt part) with Dives, have their good things in this world; and the righteous with poor Lazarus: they have affliction and ſorrow, evill things, but then in the world to come, it will be otherwiſe: the righteous will have the good things, the bleſſednes and the felicity; and the wicked will have then in the world to come the evill things; as it is ſayd, ſon, remember that thou in thy life time, received thy good things, and likewiſe Lazarus, evill things; now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
The world to come, where the righteous ſhall receive and enjoy everlaſting life: it will not be in heaven above, but it will be here below on earth: as the other world: The old world was ſo, and ſo is this preſent world, and ſo will be the world to come: in the earth, in the new earth; where our Lord Chriſt will be with his ſaints; when he cometh the ſecond time from heaven, where he now is and will be till the times of reſtitution or reſtoration of all things: Acts. 3. 20. 21. and the new heavens and earth take place, and all things made new: when, and where, our Lord Chriſt will be with his ſaints, reigning with them a thouſand years, Rev. 20. 4. 6. The new Jeruſalem, will come down from heaven, then: and the tabernacle of God [as of old] will be with men (where men will dwell then:) and God himſelf will be with them, and be their God, Rev. 21. 2. 3. and ſhall afterward be with him, in the ſecond, and laſt great ſeſſion of judgment, concluding their judging of wicked men, and be judging of Angels. Rev. 20. 1. 12. 13. 2. Pet. 2. 9. Jud. ver. 6. 1 Cor. 6. 2. 3. as is mentioned before. All this, and very much more, that might be ſet forth, will be in the world to come.
To underſtand as ſome do, that by the world to come; is meant heaven above; ſayd in holy ſcripture, to be the reſidence of the great Jehovah: ſeemeth to be a miſs-underſtanding, and a wrong applying of it; and the ſcriptures in all things relating to the world to come. To cry, heaven, heaven, as ſome ſeem to do, in all caſes and concerns relating to the world to come; as when men dye and are no more here in this world; it ſeemeth very much to dazel and darken the right underſtanding of the ſcriptures, in order to thoſe bleſſed promiſes and prophecys that relate to the future happy condition of the ſervants of God in the world to come: and to be the means of raiſing an Idea or unknown thing in the mindes of men: as if in the world to come, men ſhould be Angels or little deities: and not men and women; as was Adam, and Eve, and as many ſhould have been if he had continued in his firſt eſtate, and as men they will be and ſo converſe together in the habitable world to come.
To make all future things in order to the happyneſs and bleſſedneſs of men in the world to come, or new earth, then to be either in heaven or hell, and ſo to be meant; eſpecially taken properly and reſtrictively ſo: ſeemeth to be far from the drift and intent of the ſcriptures: rendring many things in them declared inſignificant, which do well agree with the habitable world to come: but not with heaven properly ſo underſtood.
The world to come, of which we have been ſpeaking: it will be new peopled with the raiſed and changed ſaints: wherein Iſrael, the ſeed of Abraham; a nation born in one day: will have the preheminence, being Gods nation: and the gentile ſaved nations, ſhall walk in their light, to wit, the light of the new Jeruſalem, Rev. 21. 24. And then: will that be fully fulfilled, in Rom. 11. 26. And ſo all Iſrael ſhall be ſaved, as it is written, there ſhall come out of [or, to Iſaiah. 59. 20.] Sion the deliverer, and ſhall turn away ungodlines from Iacob: a great number! of which we ſhall ſpeak after.
Then: in the world to come: when the ſaints ſhall be ſo changed at the coming of our Lord Chriſt; will thoſe prophecyes be fully fulfilled, Ier. 50. 20. In thoſe dayes, and in that time, ſaith the Lord, the iniquity of Iſrael ſhall be ſought for, and there ſhall be none; and the ſins of Judah, and they ſhall not be found, &c. and that alſo. Zech. 3. 9. And I will remove the iniquity of that land, in one day, ſayth the Lord: both in the one, and the other; which, it is likely, will not ſo fully be in this world: but muſt be, in the world to come.