The world to come. Or, The kingdom of Christ asserted. In two expository lectures…The vvorld to come. Or, The kingdome of Christ asserted. In two expository lectures…

I do not say that Christ himself shall come down from Heaven to reign here on earth; but let it be understood that Christ shall still remain in Heaven, and there to be his Court, where he shall reign both over this world, and the world to come; Yet this I conceive, that part of Heaven shall come down and rule this new world, to make the glory of it the more complete; and that it may clearly put down old Adams world; my reasons and grounds which satisfies me in this are these.

I do not say that Christ himselfe shall come dovvn from Heaven to reign here on earth; but let it be understood that Christ shall still remaine in Heaven, and there to be his Court, where he shall reign both over this world, and the world to come; Yet this I conceive, that part of Heaven shall come down and rule this new world, to make the glory of it the more compleat; and that it may clearly put down old Adams world; my reasons and grounds which satisfies me in this are these.

If this be not so, I do not know how to understand that place which shall be the foundation of the rest, in Rev. 20. the whole Chapter; but specially the five first verses, you shall find, and such as know that Book, they do acknowledge as much, that in the Chapter going before, both Pope and Turk is destroyed: In Chap. 19. Ver. 20. it is said there, The Beast was taken, and with him the false Prophet, that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast, and them which worshipped his Image, these both were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. Here we see the Beast and the false Prophet is gone, where is the Devil? he is left still; therefore in the beginning of the 20. Chapter, he tells us, what becomes of the Devil: I saw an Angel come down from Heaven, having ⟨p. 31⟩the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand, and he laid hold on the Devil, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the Nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. The Devil, though now he travel the Earth up and down, and is ruler over the world, yet here he is kept up, that he may not deceive the Nations: This was never yet fulfilled, it could not be fulfilled, during the times of Antichrist; for the Devil never deceived the creatures more then he did in that time; and we see how it follows in order, after the Beast is taken and destroyed, then is Satan bound up: but we know the Beast is not yet destroyed, therefore this thing is not yet come, and it cannot be after the day of Judgement, his binding up, for he is after his binding to be loosened a little season: and you shall find that after Satan is let loose a little while, then the day of Judgement follows, when all the dead shall rise and be Judged, as in the 11, 12, 13. Verses.