_F What is ſaid here, is applicable to the Church of God in this Life, yea, to every true Believer, whoſe Body is faid to be the Temple of the Lord, and in whom the Lord dwells, according to the Phraſe of the Holy Ghoſt, in many Places of the New-Teſtament ; of whom it is alſo true, that God is with them, and will be their God ; but more” eſpecially applicable to the Church-Triumphant, as ' dwelling ſignifies conſtancy of abode, and more tull maniteſtation of a Perſon. The ſtate of the Saints in Glory, is thus deſcribed by a being every with the Lord, 1 Theſſ. 4. 17.
4 And * God ſhall wipe away all rears from their * Ch.7.17. cyes, and Þ there ſhall be no more death, * neither | penbig ſorrow, nor crying, neither thall there be any more + 26-000 pain, for the former things are paſled away g.
g Scarce any of the Paſlages in this Verſe, taken in the plain li- teral ſenſe, are applicable to any State of the Church in this Lite : for though 1n the thouſand Years, mentioned v. 20. the ſtate of the Church (as 'tis preſumed) will be very happy comparatively to what 1t ever was before, and tree from its Enemies Moleſtations and Per- ſecutions ; yet I think none hath aflerted that in that time no Mem- bers of it ſhall die, or be fick, or have any ſorrow or pain. There muſt be a great allowance of Figures, if we will apply this to any State of the Militant Church ; but all will be literally true as to the Church in Heaven.
5 And * he that fate upon the throne h, ſaid +, * Ch. 4. 2. Behold, I make all things new 2. « And he fiid un- £20 11-
24,
- wo... * o » ro me Write &, * for theſe words are true and faith- os - 4 | ful /. * Ch.19.9, |
h That is, Chriſt ſaid, ? Behold I will put a new Face upon al! things ; the ſtate of my People ſhall not for ever be a troubled and afflited ſtate, þ Becauſe the Viſion is to be for an appointed time, and what I now tell thee will not be accompliſhed of many years, and yet the knowledye and proſpect of it, and meditations upon it, is of higheſt importance to keep up the Spirits of my People under t all their Sufferings, during that time of the Dragon (the Romiſh Hea-
then Emperors) not yet run out, and the 1260 years of Antichriſt, Y G3. therefore write it, that all my People in all Ages, may know n it, believe it, and ſuffer patiently in the Hopes of it. / For what T tell thee, is, what comes from the true and faithful Witneſs, and 5 ſhall have a certain Being 1n its time, 1 6 And he ſaid unto me *, It is done», FI am Al *<h.16.17, 3 pha and Omega, the beginning and the end z:. || I ng rc will give unto him that is a thirſt, of the fountain of If 45.0. f the water of life freely 0. | X ſoh.4.10. m The World is at an end, and all my Threatnings againft my 7 4.8 7-37: un
Enemies, and Promiſes to my People, are now fulfilled in the Eter- ch,22.15. nal Damnation of the one, and Deliverance and Salvation ot the | other. n I firſt made the VVorld, and I have put a period toit. L firſt gave out thoſe Promiſes and Threatnings, and 1 have now tul- . filled them. o And my People who have thirſted after my Righte- a ouſneſs and Salyation, now have it freely, and ſhall drink, and drink abundantly. : : :
7 He that overcomcih, ſhall inherir all chingsp, and *.] will be his God, and he ſhall be my ſon.
God revealed this to John alneſt 1600 years ſince ; and how long it ſhall be before this Glorious time ſhall come, God alone knows: The moſt of this time hath been, and will be a time 0: S, Fighting with the VVorld, the Fleſh and the Devil z but whoeve: he be that ſhall fight this good Fight, and come out of it a Conque- ror, ſhall inherit all the Joys and Happineſs of Heaven. q I will be tohim ALL in ALL; 1 will bz his God to love, and glorine him ; and he ſhall be with me as my Son, to live with me tor ever
and ever.
*Heb. 3.10 Gy
$ But the * fearful 7, and unbelieving /; and the , @.__ p ay abominable z, and murderers z, and whoremongels G1, 24. w, and ſorcerers x, and idolaters y. and all liars 2, Exh. .5- 4 [ 6 r 2 1 ſhall » Im .C
Ver
Y Ezck.42. 3!
a 4 S! 3 ” A {| @ < {hall have their parts in the * lake which - burn- ; eh with fire and brimitone, which is the ſecond
LCL Hs
7 All thoſe who are without the Church inviſible, whether Pro- fane Perſons (ſuch are Murderers, Whore-mongers, Sorcerers, L1- ars) or Idolaters, or Unbelievers and Hypocrites, ſhall all be call to f2oil, Tie fearful, who through fear of lofing their Reputatlon, F.itates, Bonours, or Lives, deny me, or ſhall not dare to own me. ' Such as will not agrec to the Propoſition of my Goſpel, or will not come to me that they might have Life. # Sogdomrtes, and ſuch as live in Beaſtly Luſts. « Such as without any warrant from God, take away Mens lives wilfully. w Such as defile their Neighbours Wives. © x Such as exerciſe Witchcratt, conſult the Devil, and trade with Familiar Spirits. » Whether they commit the Idolatry of Ahab, fivins Divine Adoration to the Creatures, as the term of their Worſhip : or the Idolatry of Jeroboam, worſhipping the true God by Images. z And all ſuch as are Liars with their Tongues, ſpeaking what they know to be falſe, or Liars in praftice, that 15, Hvpocrites, ſeeming to be what they are not. « All theſe, and all ſuch ike, ſhall be Eternally Damncg.
9 And there came unto me one * of the ſeven ain- gels, which had the ſeven vials tull of the ſeven laſt plagues 6, and talked with me, ſaying, Come hither, | will ſhew thee the + bride, the Lamb's wite c.
bþ One of thoſe mentioned chap. 15. 6+ c I will ſhew thee the whole Church (inviſible heretofore) the glorious ſtate of the Church Triumphant, under the repreſentation of a great City.
19. And he carried me away * in the ſpirit d, to a grew and high mountain e, and ſhewed me Þ+ that great City, the holy Jeruſalem, deſcending our of hea- ven from God /.
4 In a Trance or Extatie (as before,) e From whence Men uſe to have the beſt Proſpett of Cities, or other places. f There he cauſed me to ſee the whole Triumphant Church, anſwering as the Antitype to Hreruſalem, but more Holy ; being not of the Earth,
Earthly, but from Heaven, Heavenly ; founded, built up, and adorned by God. |
11 Having the glory of God g, and her light cas like unto a [tone molt precious h, even like a jaſper itone. clear as cryſtal þ ;