Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

that Day, that great and glorious Day, in which all thofe bleffed Prophefies relating to this Time, are to be fulfilled) hall be called, The Lord is there.

1

Well! From that Day the Lord will be with his Church, in fuch a fpecial, peculiar, wonderful, and extraordinary manner, as he never yet was: Then fhall all the Saints fee, feel, experience, and enjoy his Love, Power, Grace, Mercy, and divine Prefence, for ever. Alas! How many thousands of gracious Souls have there been, and still are, that go drooping, in a difconfolate Condition, for Days, Weeks, and Years; because they fee, feel, or experience but very little, if any thing of his Prefence? They go from Duty to Duty, from one Ordinance to another; and yet cannot find him whom their Soul loveth: Or when they do meet with fomething, it is folittle, and fo foon gone, as that they cannot tell whether they did enjoy the Prefence of God or no. It is true that it is not always thus with them; but fure I am, this has been, and is the Experience of many of God's dear Children (as I faid) for Weeks and Years: But when this Time is come, there will be no fuch Complaints; not one Soul that is a Denizen of the New Jerufalem, fhall be under the Hiding of his Face any more: For they fhall walk in the Light of his Countenance, and drink of the River of his Pleasure; in whofe Prefence there is Fulness of Foy, and at his Right Hand are Eternal Pleafures, Pfalm xvi. 2.

Oh the inexpreffible Joy that the Hearts of the Saints will be filled with, at this time, from the Mediator's Perfon; who will not be only as a Glory round about them, but as a Glory in the Midft of them! Oh what Sights, what Views, what Taftes, what Discoveries,

Discoveries will the Saints then have of the Glory, Perfon, and Righteoufnefs of the Lord Jefus Chrift, when the Name of the City, from that Day, will be, The Lord is there!

[ocr errors][merged small]

CHRIST'S KINGDOM will appear Visible in this World, when Nebuchadnezzar's Image, reprefenting the Four Monarchies) fhall be destroyed.

1. This Kingdom will be, Firft, Spiritual; Secondly, Perfonal. 2. Chrift's Firft Coming was not the Time of fetting up this Kingdom. 2. That this Text holds forth the Kingdom of Chrift, is proved from Six Particulars.

[ocr errors]

UT to proceed; That is a Great Text in 44. in relation to the Kingdom of Chrift: And in the Days of thefe Kings, fhall the God of Heaven fet up a Kingdom, which shall never be defroyed: And the Kingdom fhall not be left to another People, but it fall break in pieces and confume all thefe Kingdoms; and it fhall fand for ever. Thefe Words are the Interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's Dream, according to that Wifdom which God gave

unto

unto Daniel. In which Dream we have the four Monarchies represented under the Form of an Image: Which was to continue fucceffively one after another until Chrift fhould come to fet up his Kingdom.

[ocr errors]

The firft Monarchy was Nebuchadnezzar, fignified by the Head of Gold. The fecond, the Medes and Perfians, prefigured by the Breaft and Arms of Silver. The third is look'd upon to be Alexander the Great, and all his Succeffors in the Grecian Empire, reprefented by the Brafs, which fhould bear Rule over all the Earth. The fourth is the Roman Monarchy, fet forth by the Iron which breaketh him in Pieces, and fubdueth all Things. Now in the Days of thefe Kings fhall the God of Heaven fet up a Kingdom that never fhall be deftroyed. By this Kingdom, I do not underftand the Kingdom of Grace within us to be meant; becaufe Chrifl's fpiritual Kingdom was in being before any of thefe four Monarchies appeared in the World; Chrift hath had a spiritual Kingdom in all Ages, from the Fall of Adam: Neither can it be referr'd to the Time, or Difpenfation of the Gofpel, because those wonderful Things which are here fpoke of, that are to be done upon the fetting up of this Kingdom, have not yet been, nor will, until the breaking forth of the latter Day Glory..

Therefore by this Kingdom, I humbly conceive, that both a fpiritual and perfonal Kingdom of Chrift must be understood, ftanding in all its Beauty, Glory, and Excellency, as great as the Spirit of God hath defcribed in Multitude of Promifes and Scripture Prophecies. Now that this muft be fo, appears very plain from the wonderful Effects

[ocr errors]

this Kingdom hath when fet up; and that is, it fhall break in Pieces and confume all thofe Kingdoms that were before it, and it fhall ftand for ever; v. 45. Forafmuch as thou fapeft that a Stone was cut out of the Mountain without Hands (by which we are to understand the Lord Jefus Chrift) fmote the Image of the four Monarchies; and fhews us that this will be done by his own divine Power, as followeth, And that it brake in Pieces the Iron, the Brafs, the Clay, the Silver, and the Gold.

But at the Time of Chrift's firft coming,it is certain none of these Effects did come to pafs; Chrift did not deftroy thofe Monarchies at that Time, nor yet to this Day: The Roman Empire that was then upon the Stage, doth under fome Confideration continue ftill; though indeed he is come, and hath a long Time been upon his Toes of Iron and Clay; partly ftrong, and partly broken.

That which may be objected by fome, is the firft Part of the Words, because it is faid, In the Days of thofe Kings hall the God of Heaven Set up a Kingdom, &c. But here is no Difficulty, if a Dif affection to this, Kingdom doth not make it one. For I humbly conceive, that in the Day of thofe Kings, or before the laft Menarchy thall be totally deftroyed, and become as the Chaff of the Summer's threshing Floor, the God of Heaven will fet up a Kingdom; that is, the firft Branch of Chriff's Kingdom will begin to appear in the World, by the wonderful and extraordinary Pouring down of the Spirit of God upon all Flefh; the Converfion of Jews and Gentiles, the Preaching of the everlafting Gofpel to every Kindred, Tongue, People and Nation; which will end in Antichrift's H

[ocr errors]

final

final Deftruction. This I look upon to be the first Part or Branch of the Kingdom of Chrift, (before his perfonal Coming) and will begin to have its Appearance (with Refpect to its fpiritual Glory) before the laft of thofe Monarchies are wholly extirpated, and therefore may be faid to be fet up in the Days, or begin to be fet up in the Days of thofe Kings.

That this must be the Meaning of the Words, is very plain (to me) from the great and wonderful Effects this Kingdom will have when once fet up; and that is the utter Ruin and Deftruction of the preceding Monarchy, for it shall break in Pieces and confume all thefe Kingdoms, and it shall ftand for ever, that is, it fhall never be destroyed, nor left to be fucceeded by any other.

But for the Readers better underftanding that Chrift will have a glorious Kingdom in this World, and is held forth to us in this Text, I fhall briefly lay down these following Particulars:

Firft, That here is a bleffed Kingdom to be fet up, which for the Glory and Greatness thereof, will appear visible on the Earth, as we fee plainly expreffed in thefe Words; And in the Days of those Kings, fhall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be deftroyed, or left to another People, &c.

Secondly, The Perfon who is to fet up this Kingdom, and that is the God of Heaven, or God in the Mediator, the Lord Jefus Chrift. First, (as before obferv'd) in the great and wonderful Effufion of his Spirit. Secondly, By his Perfonal Coming.

Thirdly,

« AnteriorContinuar »