454 An Expojition of the Epifile '"'-A.../'1 Saith the Apofile there in that focond of the Hebrews, (do but mark the Co– Sermon herence, and you !hall fee that this New world is begun, and it is but begun and XXXIV. you lhall fee when it began,) verfe 2. If tpe word Jpokm by A11gets were'jied- ~fajl, meaning the Law, How /hall we ejcape (faith he, verfe l·) if we 11egteE1 fogre!lt {alvatiou, wbich at the jirfl6egm1 to be Jpokm by the Lord, a11dwas con(irmrdtmto .uby them that heard it, (!)c. For (faith he) to the ANgels bath he tJOt p11t ir~ {ubjeClion the world to come, whereof we Jpeak. He had fpoken of the preaching of the Gofpel in the words ju!t before ; he faith it was begun to be preached by Chri!t, and accompanied with theMiracles ~nd Signs of the Holy Gho!t; and this Gofpel, fatth he, the Ang~ls d1d not dehver. They delivered the Law indeed; The wordJpokm by Angels, faith he, was j/edfafl, that is, the Law; but, faith he, thu Gojpet, which is the Kingdom of Heaven, is the begin– ning of the wortdto come, whereof ~e now fpeak. This world, faith he, was not fu~jeCled to Angels,they preached it not, neither !hall they have any thing to do 10 that world whrch the Gofpel begmneth, Thrs world that now is, is fubjeCled to them indeed, (as I fhm:ed you formerly;) butthe world to come is not. It began therefore you fee then, when Jefus Chri!t began to preach; and therefore you may obferve the language of the Gofpel, Repmt (faith John Baptijl, Matt•l· 2.) for the Kingdom of Heave" is at halld. The world to come is coming upon you, when Chri!t /hall come to preach the Gofpel, to make men new Creatwres: Here was the foundation of it: And faith Chri!t himfelf, Mark r.14· Repmt, for the Kingdom of Heaven "at hrmd; and Matt, r6.28. There areJome that (]and htre, faith he, that [hall 11ot die (and all were dead that flood there long ago) ·tiiJ they foe the So1J of Mmt come ill his King– dom. The foundation of this world to c•me was thus laid by our Saviour Chrifl in bringing in the Gofpel, and it w.as prophecie~ of in. '])~,·~·14• He faith exprelly there, That i1Z the di:ries of theje Kzngs ( whrle Pnncrpalrues and Powers fland of thofe Monarchies; for he came ftealing into the world when the Roman Monarchy firfl began, inAuguf/.u Cte{ar's time; Chri!t, that meant to ruine it, came!tealing in upon it) jha/1 the God of Heave" Jet up a Ki11gdom which jhall never 6e dejlroyed; but it fbaO break i11 pieces mzd cottjitme all theJe Kingdoms, mzdit /ball J1011d for tver. This fame New world, you fee, it began in the flouriihing and height of the RomanMonarchy. Now, what did Jefus Chri!t do when he came into the world and went up into Heaven, when he began his New world ? Confider what the world was before. The 'Dtvil was wor!hipped in all parts of the world, as the godof the world. Our Lord and Saviour Chrifl flingeth him down; I Jaw Satan (faith he) fall dow11 like Light11ing. Where Heathmifm did not prevail, there did ]1<dai[m, all the Ceremonial Law; how zealous were the .'Jews of all their Ceremonies, and of the Temple. He throweth all themdown; the Apoflle Paul callcth it, Heb,12,26. Shaking of the Er~rth. Here is a great deal of this world gone pre– feotly, and falling down like Vago1J before the New world. He converteth by his Apo!tles, Millions of Souls over all the world; and how is Converlion expre!t in I Cor. 5'• 17? Old thi11gs are pajl away, all things art become New. And this is but the fir!t daies work of this World to come; the World is yet to come, for the Apoflle for all this faith, Wt do 11ot yet foe all thi11gs Jubjef1 11•to him. This is but a delivering us out of the preJmt tvil world· it is not a fub– jcClingtheprefi't~tworlduntoChri!t, it is a delivering them~ut of it that are converted, as it is Grtl.1.I4. And, my Brethren, what is the reafon that we Chrifiians begin to recl;on our time from Chrifl, we do not reckon from the Creation; we do not fay Five thou– Jand a11d(ive h1mdred and fomany years, as it is lince the Creation ; but wefay One tho:ifimdjix hrm4red,t!ic. as reckoning from Chrifi, for then our New world began, This
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