{lot Book. VI. JLooktng unto jjefu.s. Chap.1.Secr. 7• and l<cing God face to face, thefe ends or the like mutt needs be fruUrat<. This-argu– muH is weighty,and we need no m~re. Only we !hall here an Antagonih's objeCl:ions, and give them thciranfwers, and lo conclude-. . . . Rom. 8. 21, The Texts more efpec•allyobjeCl:~d agunft th1s opm10n, are two· the firtt is that in R sm. 8. z 1. 'fh• creature it [elffhall be drli.vmdfrom the boudag: of c6rruptio 11 ; 11 • to tbe gloriout libtrt)' of tbe[o11s of God: bere (fay they) is ,an earneft eKptCl:ation; attributed 10 brut_e Creatures, that they thallbe dehvered from the b"ndage ofconuF– tion into the glouous liberty of the ch1ldren of God. But I anfwer, that no immor– tal being of the brute creatures is here promifcd, but only a fimp1e--deliverance anif ~,i,proJ'!~ difmiffion from the fervitudethey were in, to ungrateful men. The Birds, Bt,tts, Rom. 8. 21. and Fithe;, do now fulfer for our dyet; Horfes, Mules, and bealls of that nature: do 1 Cor. 10.2. now groan under the burthens ofour pltafure>, or nectffities ; flheir annihilation thero– •s/omcu';'cs fore te them mutt needs be a k-.nd of deliverance; and at lalt 1hey !hall be deliv&red ~"" PJO "'' at the time of the glorious liberty of the Sons of God; the Text will bear it rhus 1 ~~;,\,~~-- *,;,pro ,N.,, '[he Creatllrefoal/ be delivered by tbe glorious 'libertJ •f the Sms of God: So cbryfoflome (i ) When luch a dtliver~nce comes to men, thefe !hall be freed from their fcrvitude <;<pounqs It by being not at all, having done all the bufinefs for which they were ordained, or ere· •« pro J't<t. ared. 'le. ' 2 Per. 3, , 3, The fecond T~xr.is thit in 2 Pet. 3. · 3· T.Ye look_ f or "'"' hea<ml!, and • ne,. earth wherein dwel.letb Right~ufnefs. Thefe words (fay fomeJ imply a purging, rathe; then abolilhing; a caking off the corrupt qualities only, nor tht:fubllance, But I amofanother mind, and if I mull give my fenfe of the place, I fay--- ,' r. Negatively that by 11ew luave.11sand new eatth, is not meant tenewea-heavens and earth; is it notpimdually in thcfevcnth verfe, rh~~ the heavms ""CC.ihe earth which 2 l'cr-3- 7> 10 ' are now, arc referved unto fire againft the day •f [udgment? and d~th he not defcend unto particulats in the tearh verfe, that the Heavens which are now,jha/1pafs away with a p;reat nojfe? that ~he E/errunts jha/1 melt with fervent beat? and that the earth a/fo, and tlu wor~s t.berein jhall be burnt up ! and cloth he not infer thereupon·in;rhe eleventh and twtlftH verfes, that all thefe things £hall be dilfolv~d I and in the thir– teenth verfe, that we ate r.herefore to lookf•r new /Jeav11u, and a new earth! dilfo– lution mends not a fabrick, but deftroys it ; how then lhould that which is dilfolved x;. be faid tobe.rcfcrvcd,ind let /land ? furely if Peter had thought of this relining only, fome words of hiswould have intimated fo much, The end ofthefe creatures was for man's ufe, and man ufing tqem no more, to what end fhould they be refcrved ! to fay for a monument of what hath been; or for the habitation ofthe Saints; or for an out-let for the Saints, defcending fometimes from the higheft heavens to folacc chcm– felvcs htre below; arebut groundlefs furmifes, and deferve no anfwer at all. z. Pofitively, by 'new heavens, and anew earth, is mcantthe heaven of heavens, and place of glory. Now thefe heavens are termed new, not in regard of their new making, but ofour new takingpoifeffion of themforournew habitation; and they are called heavens and t~rth, becaufe they come in ftead of that· heavenly covering, and that earthly habitatiOn which wenowenjoy; fo that the 'Jlext may well bea,r this paraphrafe, "''took for new ~uvms ( i) the fuprcme court of God's prefcnce, and a mw earth, (i 1 a now habitation for us ; which £hall inlinitly excoed the <:ommo• dities and happinefs of thde heavens and earth whicb we now enjoy i thus John in Rev. 21, r. his Revelations And I [aw anew heaven and a new earth, for the firft heaven, and the firft eartb were pafJed aw•y, and there waf no mure Sea, This new heaven, and.new eartb i1 1he place or habitation preparod for the blelfed Saints and people of God. A mw heaven where the Moon IS more glorious then our Sun, and the Sun as glori– ous as he that made it, for it is he himfelf, the Son of God 1 the Soro10f Rightcoulncfs, the Son of Gloty; a >ltwearth, wht~c all their waters are milk, and all their milk honey· whe•e all their grafs is corn, •nd aU their corn Ma1111a; where all their glebe :nd clods of earth arc Gold, and all their Gold of innumerable Carats; where all their minutes are oges, and all tbeir ages Eternity; where every thing is every min~te in the highcll exaltation as good as can be. Of thefe new heavens, and thif new earth, ] can never fay enough, nor know en·ough, till I come thither to Inha– bit it. Something only we !hall difcover of it in our next SeCl:ions; for now are the Saints enrred in with Jefus Chrift V[e. Only one word of ufo; Chriilians! what's the matter that we are fo bufie about this world! why look"about you, not oneef thefe vifible objects !hall that day re- - main;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=