The Resurrection Revealed, Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Section 16 – Section 17
SECT XVI.
§. 1 THe ſixth place in Iſaiah is that which followes at the heels of this, viz. Chapter 25. throughout, but eſpecially from v. 7. to the end of the Chapter, with ſome paſſages of the 26 Chapter, being alſo a Song of praiſe for the glorious ſtate of the Church to be; eſpecially thoſe paſſages, v. 14. v. 19.
The late invention of Chapters, may not hinder our proſpect upon the continued ſenſe of this Chapter, inſeparably depending on the former; where in the laſt verſe the Prophet having ſaid, THEN ſhall the Moon be confounded, and the Sun aſhamed, WHEN the Lord of Hoſts ſhall REIGN in Mount Zion, and Ieruſalem (&c. explained afore) he now begins this Chapter with a ſolemne praiſe to God, for his preparation to, and manifeſtation of that his glorious Reign. To give you the maine paſſages of the whole Chapter, v. 1. O Lord thou art my God, I will exalt thee, &c. v. 2. For thou haſt made of a City, an heap, of a defenced City a ruine; a palace of ſtrangers to be no City; it ſhall never be built. v. 3. Therefore the ſtrong people ſhall glorifie thee, &c. v. 4. For thou haſt been a ſtrength to the poore, and needy in diſtreſſe, a refuge from the ſtorme, a ſhadow from the heat, when the blaſt of the terrible ones, is a ſtorme againſt the wall. v. 5. Thou ſhalt bring downe the noiſe of the ſtrangers as the heat in a dry place, even the heat with the ſhadow of a cloud, the branch of the terrible ones ſhall be brought low. v. 6. And in this Mount ſhall the Lord make to all people a feaſt of fat things, &c. v. 7. And the Lord will deſtroy in this mount, the face of the covering caſt over all people, and the vail that is ſpread over all nations. v. 8. He will ſwallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people he ſhal take away from off all the earth, &c. v. 9. And it ſhall be ſaid in that day, Lo, this is the Lord, we have waited for him, &c. v. 10. In this Mount ſhall the hand of the Lord reſt, and Moab ſhall be trodden down under him as ſtraw to the dunghill. v. 11 And he ſhal ſpread forth his hands in the midſt of them, as he that ſwimmeth &c. and ſhall bring down their pride together, with the ſpoyles of their hands. verſ. 12. and laſt, And the fortreſſe of the high fort of thy wals ſhall he bring down, and lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the duſt. Chap. 26. verſ. 14. They are dead, they ſhal not live, they are deceaſed, they ſhall not riſe, &c. verſ. 19. Thy dead men ſhall live, together with my dead body ſhal they riſe, awake and ſing, ye that dwel in the duſt, &c.
§. 2 This Chapter (you ſee by the connexion with the former) is to the ſame purpoſe as that former Chapter; and its ſenſe is extended to the ſtate of the Church of the New Teſtament, that is yet to come, by Apoſtolical Expoſitions and applications in all the maine parts of it, which are three, Vi…
1 The Deſtruction of the enem… …f the Church, v. 2. amplified more afterwards.
2 The Deliverance of the Church, v. 4. enlarged more in the reſt of the Chapter.
3 The joyful ſtate of the Church upon that their deliverance, and their joy in it, v. 6, 7, 8, and elſewhere in the Chapter.
All which three parts are, I ſay, by the Apoſtles carried downe to the ſtate of the New Teſtament Church never yet fulfilled. I will give three Inſtances.
The firſt Inſtance.St. Ioh. in Rev. 7. makes theſe three parts a ſtate yet to come. v. 1, 2, 3. you have the Deſtruction of the enemy. There were four Angels, that had power in their hands to hurt the four quarters of the earth, both by ſea and land, as ſoon as the ſervants of God ſhould be ſealed. Thoſe that were to be hurt, were thoſe that had held the ſervants of God under tribulation, v. 14. And thoſe enemies were to be hurt by a ſtorme, viz. by the blowing of the four winds upon the ſea, the earth, and the trees, v. 2, 3. even as the Prophet Iſa. in that 25 Chap. v. 4. calls the ſtate of the wicked a ſtorme, and compares it in their oppoſition againſt the godly, to a blaſt of a ſtorme daſhed againſt the wall, whoſe fury the wall ſtops, breaks, and ſcatters, ſo that they are ſheltered that ſtand under it. So that plainly here is the deſtruction of the enemies of the Church propheſied by Iohn, in like phraſe and formes of ſpeech, as were uſed by the Prophet Iſa. in that 25. Chapter. Next, for the deliverance of the Church, St. Iohn likewiſe propheſies of it in that ſeventh of Rev. in the ſame figurative ſpeeches as the Prophet had uſed, viz. That the Lord ſhall be among his people, in manner of dwelling (v. 15.) And his people ſhall hunger no more, nor thirſt any more, nor ſhall the ſame light on them (or as it is in the Greek, fall upon them, that is a way of ſmiting, blaſting, or ſcorching) or any heat (v. 16.) For the Lamb which is amidſt them ſhal feed them, &c. and ſhal wipe away all tears from their eyes (v. 17.) To which St. Paul ſpeaking of the reſurrection of the Saints, which is before the ultimate day of judgement in 1 Cor. 15. as we have, and ſhall demonſtrate, annexeth this, Then ſhal be brought to paſſe that ſaying, Death is ſwallowed up in victory. And again the ſame Apoſtle Paul ſpeaking of the converſion of the Jewes 2 Cor. 3. as of a thing to come after his time, but yet not fulfilled, but ſhal bee fulfilled at the great Reſtitution, of which we ſpeak, he uſeth this expreſſion, and gives forth this Propheſie in the 15 and 16 verſes of that 2 Cor. 3. But even to this day, when Moſes is read, the vail is upon their hearts. Nevertheleſſe when they ſhal turn to the Lord, the vaile ſhal be taken away, viz. By the preſence of the Lord. All which expreſſions of Iohn and Paul, in relation to the Churches deliverance, are full to the ſenſe and words of the Prophet in that 25 of Iſaiah, viz. This is the Lord, we have waited for him, for in this mountain ſhall the hand of the Lord, reſt, v. 9, 10. (whereby to ſignifie Gods preſence amongſt his people.) And ſhall be a ſuccour to his people from the fury of their enemies, as the heat is ſheltered off with the ſhadow of a cloud, v. 3, and 4. And he will feed them with a feaſt of fat things, v. 6. And he will deſtroy the covering caſt over all people, and the vail that is ſpread over all Nations, v. 7. (therefore among the reſt, that is upon the Jews) And (v. 8.) he will ſwallow up death in victory, according to the words of Paul, 1 Cor. 15.54. And chap. 26. of this Prophet, v. 19. compared with v. 14. They ſhall not riſe, but thy dead men ſhall riſe. *Upon this place of Iſa. 26.14.19. heare what the Hebrew Rabbins, the Septuagint, the ancient Jews, and the ancient Greek and Latine Fathers, ſay, and hold; R. Solomon ſaith, They ſhall live that dyed for thy ſake (bringing in the Prophet as ſpeaking to God) foreign &c. that is, The Royal, Regal, or Kingly decree went forth from thy face or preſence, ſaying, MY DEAD BODIES SHAL RISE AGAIN The dead bodies of my people, whoſe bones fell for my ſake, to them there ſhall be a reſurrection. This by way of an Antitheſis anſwers to that v. 14. above written. The foreign REPHAIM (expreſſe in the Hebrew Text, though obmitted I know not why, in the Engliſh, which the Chalde and Jerom render GYANTS) SHALL NOT RISE AGAIN, but theſe ſhall riſe againe. Thus R. Solomon. The REPHAIM be interprets of the WICKED foreign that are remiſſe; namely foreign Who remit, or ſlack their hands from the Law. The Septuagint render it foreign. Hieron. vivent mortui tui, interfecti mei reſurgent. And that the ancient Iewes did interpret this place of Iſaiah touching the reſurrection of the dead, appears by that Gemara Sanhedrim, Cap. 11. The Sadduces …kt R. Gamaliel, whence he could prove that God would quicken or make alive the dead; he anſwered them, foreign Out of the Law, Deut 31.16. foreign out of the Prophets, Iſa. 26.19. foreign out of the holy writings, Cant. 7.9. The Greek and Latine Fathers likewiſe interpret this place of the Reſurrection of the dead, viz. Irenaeus, l. 5. c. 15 and c. 34. yea and of the Reſurrection of the juſt. Tertul. de Reſur. c. 3 1. Cyril. & Aug. lib. 20. de Civit Dei, Clemens Romanus in Ep. ad Cor.As for the third part, the agreement between Iſaiah and Iohn propheſying of the joyful ſtate of the Church, and their joying in it, he that hath but half an eye may ſee that it ſignifies, that great will be the glory of the Church, when thoſe things mentioned by Iſaiah and Iohn ſhall be fulfilled, and can ſignifie no leſſe then a glorious reſtauration of the Church on earth, as all circumſtances concur in both places. Even as, great was the Prophets and the Evangeliſts joy, perſonating, or repreſenting the Church in a way of Songs of praiſe. John in the 9, 10, 11, 12 verſes of this ſeventh of the Revelation, ſpeakes of the Churches triumphing, on this wiſe. After this (ſaith he) I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all Nations and Kindreds, and People, and Tongues, ſtood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, cloathed with white Robes, and Palmes in their hands, and cryed with a loud voyce, ſaying, Salvation to our God that ſitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lambe. And all the Angels ſtood round about the Throne, and about the Elders, and the foure Animals, or living creatures, and fell before the Throne on their faces, and worſhipped God, ſaying, Amen, Bleſſing, and Glory, and Wiſdome, and Thanksgiving, and Honour, and Power, and Might bee unto our God for ever, and ever, Amen. Which expreſſions of Praiſe meetly ſuit to the words of our Prophet in the five and twentieth of Iſaiah, verſ. firſt, ſecond, third, and fourth; O Lord, thou art my God, I will exalt thee, I will praiſe thy Name, for thou haſt done wonderfull things (by faith here praiſing God for things to bee done, as if done; as the Church doth in that ſeventh of the Revelation) for thou haſt made, ſaith Iſaiah, of a City an heap, &c. Therefore ſhall the ſtrong people glorifie thee &c. for thou haſt beene a ſtrength to the poore, a ſtrength to the needy in his diſtreſſe, &c. And verſe 9. It ſhall bee ſaid in that day, Lo, this is our God, wee have waited for him, and hee will ſave us: This is the Lord, wee have waited for him, wee will bee glad and rejoyce in his ſalvation. Thus of the firſt Inſtance.
The ſecond Inſtance.John likewiſe in the 21 Chapter of Revelation firſt foure verſes, applies thoſe three parts of Iſa. 25. (viz. the Churches ſalvation, the enemies deſtruction, and the Churches exaltation) unto a future glorious ſtate of the Church yet to be upon the earth. I ſaw, ſaith John there (in a Prophetick viſion) a new heaven, and a new EARTH, (which ſounds ſhrilly of a ſtate on earth) For the firſt heaven, and the firſt earth were paſſed away; and there was no more Sea. Pareus confeſſeth New in quality, not in ſubſtance, which plainly condeſcends to a glorious ſtate of the Church to be on earth; the higheſt heaven above being of ſo much better a ſubſtance phyſically (as the Philoſophers rationally contend) that it needs not to be made better in quality. Therefore the meaning muſt be, that the lower heavens, and the earth below, ſhall be qualified with freedome from all evill, as to the Church, and the inhabitants thereof high and low, ſhall be made better both phyſically and morally. The old heaven, and earth, muſt paſſe away. The enemies of the Church muſt be removed, or converted. Adams curſe ſhall ceaſe (Rom. 8.) and in this ſtate ſhall (as in 2 Pet. 3.) dwell righteouſneſſe, and abſolute pure worſhip. And the ceſſation of Sea, ſignifies alſo the removing of all enmities againſt the Church farre from her. For if it be taken figuratively, it ſignifies no more briniſh, brackiſh waters of falſe doctrine in the Church (as waters ſometimes in Scriptures ſignifies doctrines) and no more wicked men among the Church (compared Iſa. 57. to the troubled Sea) for there ſhall bee (as John tells us in this 21 of Revelation) no unclean thing to enter into this eſtate: If taken literally, with ſome acute wits, it ſignifies that at the time of this great Reſtauration, the Sea ſhall be no longer totally liquid, and fluid, but at leaſt at top, in moſt parts of the habitable world cruſted over, conſolidated, and compacted to be as a Chryſtaline heaven below, to bee an high-way for all parts of the world to travell each to other, for ſpirituall communion, without any impediment of wind or weather. Then (being a time as of a New creation) there will be no need of trafficking for riches. Nor ſhall the knowledge of the Lord be bounded from the poor Indians, who have not the help, art, or animoſity of Navigation to learn of Chriſtians. Then nor the Egyptiack Sea, with the ſeven ſtreams, nor the great Euphrates, &c. ſhall hinder Jews, or Gentiles from perſonall, & ſpiritual communion, and communication. God would rather either thus alter, or elſe dry up all Seas, then the glory and welfare of his Church ſhould be hindered. To that wee have ſaid touching the meaning of the ceſſation of Sea, our grave new Annotationiſts concurre thus farre; No more Sea (ſay they) either literally, for there will need none for trade: The fire perhaps at the worlds end will dry it up; or figuratively, no more warre againſt, nor trouble in the Church. The Church ſhall not be like the raging Sea, but like the quiet earth. So they. Saint John goes on in the deſcription of the glorious ſtate of the Church on earth, of which Iſaiah propheſies; I ſaw, ſaith St. John, New Jeruſalem coming down FROM Heaven, ſaying, The Tabernacle of God is WITH MEN, and He will DWELL with THEM, and they ſhall be his people, and God himſelf ſhall be WITH THEM, and be their God (all which cleerly relate to a ſtate on earth) and God ſhall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there ſhall be no more death, nor ſorrow, nor crying, nor paine. Which words exactly anſwer to Iſaiahs words, in v. 8. of ſwallowing up death, and wiping away all tears.
Third Inſtance. In like manner St. John carries down other paſſages of Iſa. 25. to the times to ſucceed long after him, not fulfilled to this day. For what is there ſpoken in Iſa. 25. v. 2. and v. 12. of making the City of ſtrangers an heap, a defenced City a ruine, a Palace to be no City, an high Fortreſſe into duſt, &c. to the great joy of the Saints, ſo that they ſhall ſing for joy of it (Iſa. 26.) the ſame things John applies to the fall of Antichriſt, and the ruine of his neſt, viz. the City where he reſts, Rev. 16.19. we have it once: The City of Nations fell, and great Babylon came in remembrance before God. But in Revel. 18. we have it three times, viz. v. 2. v. 10. v. 18.
SECT. XVII.
UPon the ſeventh place in Iſa. viz. Iſa. 33. v. 20, 21. I will onelyonly aske this queſtion of all the men and books in the world; When was that ever fulfilled, ſince Iſaiahs time, which is here ſpoken, viz. Thine eyes ſhall ſee Jeruſalem a quiet habitation, a Tabernacle that ſhall be taken down; not ONE of the ſtakes thereof ſhal EVER be removed, neither ſhall ANY cord thereof be broken; But there the Lord will be to us a place of broad rivers, and ſtreams, wherein ſhall go no Gally with Oars, nor gallant ſhip paſſe by: I ſay, when ſince Iſaiahs Propheſie was this fulfilled? For about ſeventy yeers after his begining, to propheſie, Jeruſalem was taken by the King of Babylon, and the King and Nobles carried away captive into Babylon. And whereas they returned againe about the yeer five hundred thirty ſix afore Chriſt, and enjoyed their Country a good ſpace of time; yet about one hundred ſixty ſeven yeers afore Chriſt, Antiochus Epiphanes, being ejected out of Egypt by the Romans, invades Jeruſalem with a great Army, and ſpoyles and waſtes both City and Temple. About threeſcore and eleven yeers after Chriſts birth, the Temple was deſtroyed by Titus the Roman. About threeſcore and one yeer after that, viz. a hundred thirty and one after Chriſt, the City was deſtroyed by Adrian the Roman Emperour. After theſe the Saracens and Turks invade Jeruſalem and Judea, poſſeſſing it to this day.