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many express Prophecies. That the Wolf shallfeed Part 2
with the Lamb, and swords be turned into plough-
shares, and men shall not burt or destroy one ano-
ther. The Art of War which fprung from Hell,
shall return thither. Nothing but the corruption
and wickedness of the World doth now make it
necessary. The Devil of Coveousness, and of
Ambition, the spirit of Revenge, and the like,
shall return to the bottomless pit , whence they
came. And it shall no more be a point of honour to
know how to massacre mankind, to storm Towns,
and gain Battels, and destroy Countries, and cover
the fields with dead Bodies.

5 This shall be a Kingdom of Humility. All s. Chara.
those vain Titles, which now serve for ornament Humility.
and pride, shall then be vạnisht. Brotherly Love
Thall make all men equal; not that all distinction,
and alldignities among men shall cease. This King-
dom is no Anarchy; there shall be some to govern,
and others to obey. But Government shall then be
without Pride and Insolence, without Tyranny,
and without Violence. Subjects fhall obey their
Rulers, with an humble spirit; and Governors
shall rule their Subjects, with a spirit of meekness
and gentleness.

6. Allthofe Arts which now serve the Pride and 6. CharaVanity of mankind, shalk then be abolisht. 'Tisamy

bolishing sterious and deep design of God, that his Provi- of unlawdence permits the Reign of Vanity, in the place of full & vain Charity , which is retired and gone. What a multitude of People are maintained by this Reign of Vavity? for how could the poor subsist, without the vanity of the Rich, who will have stately Houses, gawdy

furniture, pompous garments of Gold,Silky Point, Lace gand fair deliciously, and keep many attendants, and domestick Servants?

by all these doth S[4


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Part 2. fubfift that great Company of Artificers,

GoldSmiths, Painters, and those that work in Tapistry, in Stuffs of Wool, Gold and Silk, Cooks , Pastrymen, Architects, Taylors and such as make Point and Lace, &c. These comprehend above three quarters of the World, and all thefe must dye of hunger, if the several branches of humane vanity were not as so many secret and under-ground chanels,whereby Divine Providence distributes food and nourishment to so many persons. They therefore who would cut off all this Vanity , before the season of returning Charity , do confound the times and Cha. qafters of the different Periods of the Church. These are the Vanities of the World, and while the World reigns, they must have their course; but 'tis certain withal, that affoon as the Reign of Charity shall return, all these shall be quite baniiht.

.7. And this is the seventh Character of the reign cer,

The of Christ on Earth, that fervent charity shall be re-
Charity. stored, and supply all the necessities of inferior per-

fons. By this a thousand Channels shall be opened
for the relief ofthe Poor, like thofe of vanity : And
they who now live upon the Vanity of worldly
men, shall then live upon the charity of the Saints.
Inferiors are now vain and proud as well as Supeó
riors, they learn and derive their vanity from that of
those above 'em : and as Diogenes trampled under
his feet the Houshold-stuffand pride of Plato, with
a greater Pride than his, fo oftentimes the Pride and
vanity of those, who grow rich by the vanity of
others, is greater than that of the Rich themselves.
It shall not then be thus; Every man shall be con-
tent with what is neceffary : fo that they to whom
God shall have given plenty of wealth, shall make
no difficulty therewith to supply the necessities of
the Indigent. A community of Goods shall thetrtake


7. Chara.

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place, like that which was seen in the first years of Part 2, the Church at Jerusalem. Not that Men shall lose their property in the Goods they have, but every one shall dispense largely to such as need. As they who gathered more Manna than the rest had no thing over, and those who gathered less, had no want: That which thus happened in the Wilderness, was not only an Emblem, but a true Type

of what shall be in this last Period ofthe Church. They who have more than others, in regard of poffeffion, shall have no more than others, in respect of Use.

8. The face of the Church, as to the external 3, Charapart of it, shall be uniform in its worship, in its Go- fter, Unis vernment and Ceremonies. For that diversity. and worship & mixture of colourswhichisat present proceeds not

Religion, from the Spirit of God. This uniformity it may be shall not be such as to remove every little difference : but there shall be none left that is effential, none that may be called evil; all that which favors of Pride and Tyranny, shall be banisht from the Government of the Church; and that which serves only for Pomp, shall not be admitted into its Ceremonies. Thus much for the certain Characters.

1. The doubsful Characters are; First, The Def 1. Doubrcent of Christ into this World, to reign visibly here. full Charaa The Prophecies of Saint John and of Daniel feem to shall delimport thus much. The latter faith, that the Son of cand from man, i.e. Jesus Christ, came to the ancient of day's, and that Dominion and a Kingdom was given him. And St.Iohn faith, that the Saints shall reign with Christ a thousand years. I would not be too confident, that this ought to be understood of a visible defcent and abode of Christ upon Earth; yea, I do not believe it probable. But to me it seems very Evident, that this Reign shallbegin with some mirar


. Doubt. der, whether all



Part 2. culous appearance of our Lord in his Glory. Afte

which he shall go back to Heaven, and from thence
govern this victorious Church. Mr.I. Mede, and
others after him, would make this reign of Chrift
for a thousand years, to be the Day of Indgemens,
and that within this time shall be the Resurrection
of the dead. Others say, that the Resurrection, and
last Indgement
but I dare not determine that.

2. It is likewise dubions, whether all the powers of full Chate the World muft then be abolisht. Which those words

of Daniel seem to signify, The Beast was fain, and earthly

his Body destroyed, and given to tbe burning flame. shall be a. Concerning the rest of the Beasts, they had their DoDan.7. 115

minion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a Time. Beasts do certainly de. note States and Empires; so that it seems as if all Soveraign Power, i.e. Monarchicab, should be taken away; and that Christ alone should rule by his Vicegerents. I leave this undefided. But to me it seems probable, that the government of the World, shall assume the ancient form of the Commonwealth of Ifrael : That it shall be a I heocrasy: that God will establish Iudges and Governours, bya a perticular instinct of the People and their guides; that he will instruct them in his will by inspired

Persons whose orders shall be punctually followed. 3. Doubr.

3. 'Tis also uncertain,whether the Martyrs shal full Chara. rifé, to be the Administrators of this Kingdom.

'Tis true, St. John seems to say soin express words, Martyrs

& the Souls of those who were bebeaded for the Testi

mony of lefus, &c. shall live and reign with Christ 4 $cx. 20.4. thousand years. Though I have some difficulty to

be of that opinión, yet I know not what to answer to that Text; for if it intend only the deliverance of the Church in general, under the Emblem of a Rao


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surrection; what need was there to mention only Part 2. the Martyrs? It is said, that the discourse is not of Bodies, but of Souls : and that the original word

doth not signify to rise again, but only to live: and = the Souls of those who were beheaded shall live. But first,'tis well known, that Souls dye not, and consequently cannot be said to rise, but as they reassume their Bodies. 2. The learned know also, that the Soul is often put for the whole perfon, especially - when the refurre&tion is spoken of; witness that pal- fage, Thou wilt not leave my Soulin the Grave.Last

ly, I am not subtile enough to dįscern the difference, between living again, and rising; I always thought they were two words of the same import. And I think it were easy to prove, that those who have been beheaded, cannot live again but by a Refurrection. 'Tis true in the fourth Verse'tis onlysaid, they shall live; but'tis plain by the fifth Verse, that

to live and to live again, in the Text are the same 5 thing. For’tis added, that the Rest of the dead should

not live again, till the thousand years were accomplisht. The other dead men spoken of, y.4. must then live again at the beginning of the thoufand years. Farther, without this, I know not what our Lord Jesus Christ would say to his Apostles in those words. Verily, I say unto yon, that you who have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son 28.

of man is sat on the Throne of his Glary, you shall $ fit upon twelve Thrones, judging the twelue Tribes

of Israel. What ever sense is given to these words, I cannot find any thing that gives me satisfaction. Should it be understood of the last Iudgement to the same effect, as St. Paul speaks , We shall judge the World, and we shall judge the Angels; that seems to be but a small matter, that delerved not to be so solemnly ushered in, with a verily ! Say unto you,


Matth. 19.


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