The Resurrection Revealed, Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Section 40
SECT. XL.
NExt we come to the Prophet Joel. The firſt place in him, is Chap. 2. v. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33. Verſe 28. And it ſhall come to paſs afterwards, that I will pour out my ſpirit upon ALL FLESH, and your ſons, and your daughters ſhall propheſie; your old men ſhall dream dreams, your young men ſhall ſee viſions. Verſe 29. And alſo upon the ſervants, and upon the handmaids, in thoſe days will I pour out my Spirit. Verſe 30. And I will ſhew wonders in Heaven, and in Earth, Blood, and Fire, and Pillars of ſmoak. Verſe 31. The Sun ſhall be turned into darkneſs, and the Moon into blood, before that great, and terrible day of the Lord come. Verſe 32. And it ſhall come to paſs, that whoſoever ſhall call upon the name of the Lord, ſhall be delivered. For in Mount Zion, and in Jeruſalem ſhall be deliverance, as the Lord hath ſaid, and in the REMNANT WHOM THE LORD SHALL CALL.
§. 1 Note firſt in general, touching the ALL of this Text, that though Saint Peter, in Acts 2. doth truly apply part thereof, to the wonderful effuſion of the Spirit there; yet is it not ſolely applicable to that; nor is the intent and meaning of the whole, or of any part thereof, wholly fulfilled and terminated therein. And that I may not be condemned of ſingularity herein, let me tell you what others hint to the ſame effect, though they will not ſpeak out to my ſize. That antient, pious, and moſt learned Oecolampadius, Publick Reader of Divinity at Baſil, above an hundred years ſince, ſaith upon Verſe 28. [ET ERIT] ubi illa impleri coeperint, ubi Chriſt us nimirum ſanguine ſuo faedus noſtrum confirmaverit, ubi a mortu is reſurrexerit. i. e. The things onelyonly BEGAN to be fulfilled preſently after the reſurrection of Chriſt, &c. And that learned and ingenuous Alapide, upon the ſame Verſe. [POST HAEC] i. e. Poſt Chriſtum doctorem, ejuſque mortem, & aſcenſum in coelum, ego Deus effundam Spiritum Sanctum in Pentecoſte, ac DEINCEPS; primo eccleſiae ſeculo, viſibiliter in Apoſtolos, & Chriſti diſcipulos: SEQUENTIBUS vero SECULIS, inviſibiliter cundem effundam in OMNES, &c. That is, God did promiſe to pour out his Spirit after the Aſcenſion of Chriſt, in the dayes of Pentecoſt; and ſo afterwards; on the firſt age of the Church viſibly, in the ſucceeding ages inviſibly upon all. So that both theſe confeſs upon this firſt clauſe, That this effuſion of the Spirit propheſied by our Prophet, was not fully fulfilled in Acts 2. where the Apoſtles quotes it. And for thoſe other paſſages, in Verſe 30, &c. I will ſhew wonders in Heaven, and on Earth, Calvin confeſſeth, Prophetam comprehendere totum Chriſti Regnum ab initio uſque ad finem, &c. That is, The Prophet here comprehends the whole Kingdom of Chriſt, from the beginning, to the end thereof. And this is uſual enough. And in other places of Scripture we have ſhewed, that the Prophets commonly ſo ſpeak; or ſo ſpeak in common. When therefore they ſpeak of the Kingdom of Chriſt, ſometimes they touch upon the beginning thereof, ſometimes alſo they ſpeak of the end thereof. But often within one graſpe, or comprehenſion they deſign the whole courſe, race, or proceſs of Chriſts Kingdom from firſt to laſt: And ſo the Prophet doth here. Thus Calvin, with much more to that purpoſe. Alapide likewiſe on this thirtieth and one and thirtieth Verſe, deals very plainly and ingenuouſly with the Text, and with us, oppoſing thoſe of his own Religion.
The Catholicks (ſaith he) think that theſe prodigious ſigns came to paſs.
1. At the Nativity of Chriſt when the ſtar appeared to the wiſemen; and the Angels appeared to the Shepherds.
2. At Chriſts paſsion, when the Sun was eclipſed; the Earth trembled, the graves opened, the beholders aſtoniſhed.
3. At Chriſts Reſurrection, in the appearance of the Angel, aſtoniſhing the Soldier that kept the Sepulchre and comforted Mary Magdalen, and her company.
4. At the Pentecoſt, in the cloven tongues of fire, at which time the Spirit was poured out.
This Expoſition, ſaith Alapide, is probable, but incompleat. Then indeed began theſe wonders, but ſhall be compleated a little afore the day of Judgement, as I ſhall declare by and by. On the otherſide, Saint Jerom and Oecumenius (ſaith Alapide) hold, That theſe prodigies were acted a little afore the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, by Titus. But laſtly, and genuinly, it is certain, That here are handled the prodigious prognoſticks that ſhall precede the day of judgement;
which appears from the beginning of the next Chapter. Thus Alapide. Adde one more; Lyra (ſaith Doctor Mayer) averts that in this thirtieth Verſe, The Prophet paſſeth from the firſt coming of Chriſt, to his ſecond; before which, theſe ſigns ſhall be ſhewed. Thus you ſee I am not ſingularly bold to aſſert, that this Scripture was not totally and finally fulfilled in that ſtory, Acts 2. And Peter himſelf tacitly intimates as much in tranſlating the Prophets foreign afterward by foreign, In the laſt days, which muſt not exclude One thouſand ſix hundred and twenty years ſucceeding, reckoning from Chriſts Aſcenſion, but to our time. And our Prophet drops ſome paſſages, which are inconſiſtent with perioding at the Pentecoſt. As Gods pouring out of his Spirit UPON ALL FLESH, &c. Of which, largely and diſtinctly by and by; mean while, let me intreat the Reader to minde what I have prompted to him ſeveral times, viz. That Golden Rule, That Propheſies of this nature touching the Kingdom of Chriſt have their gradual, progreſsive, and viciſsitudinous fulfilling, from the firſt breathing of them, to the end of the world; as it were from one type to another, till it come to the Antitype, and full meaning, and managing of the perfection of the whole, even as the Ark of Noah, might be an occaſion of the Ark of Moſes; I am ſure ſignified Baptiſm, and Baptiſm leads us to ſalvation in Chriſt, 1 Pet. 3.21. Juſt like Parelia, when we ſee two or three Suns, or Rainbows, the one carries up the ſight to the other, till at laſt it be fixed upon the Sun it ſelf, the ſubſtance of all. The Church hath its growth, and her eyes is not able to endure all degrees of light at firſt. The Infant hath but the glimmering of the light of the fire; afterwards it can behold the candle, at laſt indures the light of the Sun: And the Sun of the choiceſt Goſpel-Light, is not in its Vertical point and Apoge, in an inſtant, but by riſing, and gradual Aſcenſion. And thus we have viewed the Text in general.
§. 2 Next for the particular ſcanning of it, that I may deal faithfully with the precious Word of God, and with my Reader, and mine own heart; Let us ſee, and ſay ingenuouſly, what of this Text of Joel hath been fulfilled in the Acts, and what not.
¶ 1. Theſe things in part have been fulfilled.
1. The pouring out of the Spirit. They, in Acts 2.4. (named in part, and numbered to be about One hundred and twenty, Acts 1.13, 14, 15.) were all filled with the Holy Ghoſt.
2. The ſeeing of viſions. Peter had a viſion, Acts 10. And Paul had a viſion, and Ananias likewiſe, concerning Paul, Acts 9. So had Cornelius, Acts 10. And Stephen, Acts 7.
3ly, The propheſying of their ſons and daughters. As Paul did, Acts 27. v. 22, &c. And Agabus did. And Philip the Evangeliſts four daughters did, Acts 21.8, 9, 10, 11. And afterwards John, and Peter, and Jude did propheſie, as the Revelation, and their Epiſtles teſtifie.
4. The darkning of the Sun; For before this notable day of the Lords pouring out his Spirit upon the Diſciples, Acts 2. preceded that terrible darkning of the Sun at Chriſts paſſion, Matth. 27. For ſurely all that darkning of the Sun, mentioned by our Prophet, muſt not be made more dark by an allegory, or evacuated by a figure; ſeeing it is ſet down as a mark of time, when God is about to do ſome ſenſible viſible exploit.
5. That there was a deliverance of ſome, in ſome ſence in Jeruſalem, and at Mount Zion. There being converted at Peters Sermon about three thouſand ſouls, Acts 2. which after were five thouſand, Acts 4.4. All theſe five heads of this Text of our Prophet Joel were fulfilled in part, in the ſtory of the Acts, at, and upon that pouring out of the Spirit. And in regard of theſe, Peter had juſt reaſon to apply this Propheſie of Joel to that purpoſe. Although the ſtream were to run to the magnitude of an ocean, in the fulneſs of its fulfilling; yet this running firſt by Peters door, he might well ſay theſe waters were for his uſe; and ſo take up as many buckets, as he needed.
¶ 2. In theſe reſpects this Text in full was not fulfilled in the Acts of the Apoſtles, nor yet is to this very day. For firſt, This propheſie of pouring out of the Spirit, and upon all fleſh, and upon all ſorts, upon old men, and upon yong men, upon Fathers, and upon children, upon Maſters and ſervants, and upon men-ſervants, and upon maid-ſervants; and unto a variety of gifts (expreſſed ſtylo veteri, in an Old Teſtament phraſe, as moſt commenſurated to the Jews ears, viz. Of viſions, dreams, propheſies,) I ſay theſe things, which way ſoever ye take, either with theſe learned, or thoſe learned Interpreters, to expound them of an extraordinary portion, or giftedneſs of the Spirit, or of an ordinary, ſo as it be in order to ſalvation, as the laſt verſe conſtrains us to extend it; it can intend no leſs then a plentiful communication of the Spirit, not onelyonly to the generality of the Gentiles, but alſo (and I ſhould think chiefly) to the generality of the Jews. But alas, what were five thouſand Jews converted of the Kingdom of Judah, to the generality of them? And then what were theſe five thouſand, to the generality of the Jews, of all the Twelve Tribes? And to what doth the ſtory of the Acts of the Apoſtles amount, as to the fulfilling of this clauſe of Joel, when by that time it is carried on the thirteenth Chapter of the Acts the generality of the Jews, give the Goſpel a Bill of Divorce, and ſend it away? whereupon it went unto the Gentiles, Acts 13.46. So that the next news we hear of it, is in the Epiſtles of Paul to the Romans, and to the Corinthians, and Galatians, &c. viz. To the Latin, Greek, and Galline Galatia minoris Aſiae regi…, Phrygiae contermina, a Gallis it a dicta; qui relicta patria ibi ſedes fixerunt. Incolae appellantur Galarae, & Gallograeci, quod ex Gallis ſimul & Graecis coal…orint. Steph.Gentiles, &c. And therefore doth Saint Paul in the eleventh to the Romans, give all the Jews, both of Judah and Iſrael for gone into utter blindneſs, till the fulneſs of the Gentiles were come in. Which is not yet done to this day, as we ſee by experience, both in the thing, and in the effect. Moſt Gentiles, by far, being ignorant of the light of the Goſpel; and generally all the Jews (with ſorrow we ſpeak it) are obſtinate againſt the light thereof. So that ALL ISRAEL is far from being ſaved, whiles the all of the fulneſs of the Gentiles is far from coming in. For Mr. Mede hath very well approved that account, that one hath made, touching the Chriſtian ſtate, and ſhare of the world, thus; For one (ſaith Mr. Mede *Diatrib. pars 4. p. 82, 83.) hath well obſerved, That Chriſtianity at this day, is not above the ſixt part of the known world; whereas the Mahumetans have a fifth, and all the reſt are Ethnicks and Pagans. So that if we divide the world into thirty parts, Chriſtianity is but as five in thirty, Mahumetiſm as ſix, and Ethniciſm as nineteen; and ſo Chriſtianity is the leaſt part of all, and plain Heatheniſm hath far above the one half of the world; and the better part of the other is alſo Mahumetans.
Thus he, with Mr. Medes approbation. I onelyonly adde this, that even in this account, I ſuppoſe, the Popedome and Papiſme (whereſoever it is profeſſed) is included in Chriſtianity, becauſe in a ſort (a ſorry one) they acknowledge Chriſt; and then the account to this day falls far ſhorter of the fulneſſe of the Gentiles coming in; and therefore ſhorter yet of the Saving all Iſrael, as the Apoſtles phraſes are, Rom. 11 We have it from day to day before our eies, that not one of ten Chriſtians hardly, is more then called a Chriſtian; and not one Jew of ten thouſand bears the name of a Chriſtian. And therefore in this firſt branch, this place of Ioel is not in the main yet fulfilled. 2. This of this ſecond of Ioel is not yet fulfilled. That at the time the Prophet mainly means there, muſt be ſuch wonders in Heaven, and in Earth, as muſt be accompanied with blood, and fire and pillars of ſmoake, and ſuch a darkning of the Sun, and diſcolouring of the Moon, &c. As all theſe things muſt amount to the making up of a GREAT and TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD: And that in relation to the deſtruction of them that believe not, ſo as to call upon God in faith; as the laſt verſe intimateth, Whoſoever ſhall call upon the Name of the Lord, ſhall be ſaved. And the deſtruction ſhall be eſpecially of thoſe unbelievers that are enemies to the Jews; as the ſame laſt verſe of this ſecond Chapter, and the firſt and ſecond verſes of the third Chapter, do evidently hint. For in Mount Zion, and in Jeruſalem, ſhall be deliverance, as the Lord hath ſaid, and in the remnant whom the Lord ſhall call. For behold in THOSE DAYES and in THAT TIME, when I ſhall bring again the captivity of JUDAH and JERUSALEM, I will alſo gather ALL NATIONS, and will bring them down to the valley of Jehoſhaphat, and will PLEAD with them there, for my people, and for my heritage ISRAEL, whom they have ſcattered. For by the wonders at the paſſion of Chriſt, Matth. 27. there was no deſtruction of any man. At the effuſion of the Spirit after his aſcenſion, Acts 2. There was nothing but conſolation, or, at leaſt, admiration. At the deſtruction of Jeruſalem by Titus, according to Matth. 24. there was the ſad deſtruction of the Jews, but of none of the Jews enemies. 3. This of this propheſie of Joel is not yet fully fulfilled, viz. In Mount Zion, and in Jeruſalem, ſhall be deliverance AS THE LORD HATH SAID, and in the remnant whom the Lord ſhall call. For this was not compleated in the few Jews converted in the Acts, or ſince, as theſe Reaſons induce me to think.
1. The Apoſtle Peter, in Acts the ſecond, quoting Joel, makes not the leaſt mention of this clauſe.
2. Chriſts coming to Jeruſalem as a Spiritual Deliverer, in his publick miniſtration of the Goſpel, was before that of pouring out of the Spirit, about five years; as his diſputing with the Doctors was two and twenty years before, and his incarnation above four and thirty years afore. But the deliverance mentioned according to the Apoſtles method, yea, and of the Prophets, is after the pouring out of the Spirit. And indeed follows after, as naturally, as the effect ſucceeds the cauſe: This pouring out of the Spirit, fitting inſtruments for the ſalvation of thoſe ages.
3. The Prophet addes, as the Lord hath ſaid. viz. By his Prophets. But they mainly ſpake of the Jews corporal deliverance, as we have before opened in the diſcuſs of many places. For as for ſpiritual, they then had it, and there was no doubt but it ſhould be continued in all ages, elſe the Church would be extinct; or Gods Covenant with Abraham and David, would fail.
4. The Deliverance muſt be not onelyonly in Jeruſalem, but in the remnant whom the Lord ſhall call: But Chriſt did not at his being on Earth, ſave the generality of the remnant, either corporally, or ſpiritually. The Two Tribes were then under the Roman captivity, and they generally refuſed Chriſt, John 1.11. Acts 13.46, 47. and for the Ten Tribes, they, for the generality, neither ſaw nor heard Chriſt, but continued in their captivity in Aſſyria, &c. (1 Pet. 1.1. Jam. 1.1.) They were not returned to Zion or Jeruſalem; and for the Gentiles, if any will make them of the remnant, (which is hatſh, being the greater part of the world) they and the Jews were never yet incorporated in Religion, as the copulative, And, promiſeth, viz. There ſhall be deliverance (in thoſe days, and at that time) in Jeruſalem. AND in the remnant whom the Lord ſhall call.
5. The Prophet Joel ſpeaks of ſuch a deliverance of the Jews, as ſhall be, by bringing down their enemies to the valley of deſtruction, to them, though of ſalvation to the Jews, as the next Chapter, verſ. 1, 2, &c. ſhews. But this hath not been yet fulfilled, as was touched afore; neither can it be fulfilled at the laſt judgement. For that being once come, there is no effectual ſalvation, or invocation, as the laſt verſe of the ſecond Chapter mentions.