Truth vindicated against all heresies shewing how the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent is distinguished : the woman cloathed with the sun discoverd, she having the moon under her feet : the Old and New Testament made to agree and God's justice and mercy magnified.

XVIII. An account of the Lord's five times Hiring La∣bourers into his Vincyard. (Book 18)

WHereas the Lord saith,

Matth. 20.1,2. 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Man that is an Housholder, which went out early in the Morning to Hire Labourers into his Vineyard, and when he had a∣greed with the Labourers, he sent them into his Vine∣yard.'

In the first place we are to take notice by the Comparison, that every time the Lord hired Labourers to work in his Vineyard, he came forth from Heaven and Hired them, that is, Agreed or Covenanted with them himself, as with Noah, and likewise with Abra∣ham, and also with Israel in the Wilderness; and so Christ when he Established the Gospel, the Agreement was, that all that were Hired were to Work in the Vine∣yard, and to have a Reward for their Labour. And at the last time when the Lord comes forth, which will be

at the eleventh Hour, them that he then calls in at the last Hour to Labour in his Vineyard, will be Israel when he again comes, who then will be brought home by Repentance, when

'they see him whom they Pierced,' Zach. 12.10.

'For then shall they come with Weep∣ing and with Supplications,' Jer. 31.9.

'And then will the Lord cause them to walk in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble,' verse 9.

For then will the Lord Establish his now promised new everlasting Covenant, and then will the Labourers in the Vineyard be alike Rewarded, being made Partakers of one and the same Covenant, the which will Crown life to the Soul. But let not the Christians be offended at that, but let them remember, that when Israel for Sin was cast out, then were the Sinners of the Gentiles taken in, because they had not Sinned against that Light the o∣thers did; for the Lord was a light to lighten the Gentiles, (before he was to be) the glory of his people Israel, Luke 2.32. And therefore here the Gentiles are put down in the first place; and whereas it is said in the Gospel, the Lord will come in the last day, because to us that are under the Gospel, it will be our last day; for we shall not then be called to work in the Vineyard, for we are then to be brought to Judgment, and then them that are found in their Obedience, will be made partakers of the Promises, and the Wicked among them Condemned in Judgment to •…•…e now threatened Punishments; but for the Christians that have not opposed the Truth, and have not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 guilty of the Sins of the Times, yet have not a Sup•…•…lative Love to the Lord Jesus, as is required in a well grounded Faith, according to the Promise; such will be left out, and not be numbred with them with whom the everlasting Covenant will then be esta∣blished when the Lord returns and builds again the taber∣nacle of David which is fallen, that the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom his name

is called, Acts 15.16.17. The word all in Scripture, doth not include the whole, and herein are not included the Gentiles that belong to the everlasting Covenant, neither them that fall under the threatned Condemna∣tion. And the Apostle had here his Reference in this Text to the word of the Lord, Amos 9.11,12. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David, that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Heathen which are call'd by my name. This all is spoken as aforesaid, after the good are secured, and the bad Condemned; for the Lord will save the Tents of Judah first, Zach. 12.7. That is, the Remnant, with all that are found in their Obedience to Christ, by which they come in as Heirs to the Promises by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. For were it not so, the House of David would be the Head of the House of Judah, verse 9. Now whereas it is said, that the residue of Men might seek after the Lord, and the Gentiles upon whom his Name is called; the which must be those Gentiles whom Christ compares to the foo∣lish Virgins, who though they were Virgins, so as not to be guilty of the Sins of the times; yet for want of a sound or right Faith upon which the promised Blessedness depends; the Lord therefore then saith he knows them not, Matth. 25 12. And so those that were, and might have been first, will then become last; for the Heathen are plac'd before them, and so will the Word of the Lord then be fulfilled, that the last shall be first, and the first last, Matth. 19.9.30. That is, the Gentiles that received the Gospel, they were first, and Israel last; but when Christ again, comes, Israel shall be then first, and those under the Gospel, which have been as foolish Virgins, shall be last; for then those Gentiles all that come not in to have a share in the everlasting Cove∣nant, will be then given to be Servants to Israel, and Servants to them that are Israel's Servants, Joel 3.8. And when Satan is bound, and afterwards loosed again,

their Off-spring lies liable to Satan's Temptations, by whom they being deluded, will then be miserably taken off, Ezek. 28.22. Rev. 20.9. And the Lord fore∣seeing the sad Condition the Christians would be in that are found unprepared for his coming; therefore the Lord charged them to be upon their Watch, as that day might not overtake them at unawares. And God hath promised that knowledge should be increased at the time of the end, Dan. 12.4,9. And at Evening time it should be light, Zach. 14.7. For the vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie, though it tar∣ry, wait for it, because it shall surely come, Hab. 2.3. The knowledge of this Vision the Christians ought to have retained, but being lost, God now of his great Mercy according to his Promise hath again brought to light; the which Vision we are now to wait for; or how will Israel's Constancy in waiting for the Promises made to their Fathers appear for an Evidence to Condemn us who were to have a share with them in those Promises? for the Door that is now open to all that will lay hold of the offered Mercy to come in Heirs to the promised Covenant will then be shut to the Gentiles, and the wick∣ed Christians will then be Condemned; for then will be the last day of the Gospel Institution, and likewise the last day of the Power of this wicked World, so as their time will be no longer. And why is it foretold that Is∣rael's Return should be in the latter days, Hosea 3.5. And their Glory then when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains; God thereby shewing that their blessed time was a great distance off; for the Gospel Institution was to come in between, and be ended before their blessed time would be, which was a Secret hid in God from the Fathers, how the Gentiles or true Christians should be brought in Heirs with Israel; for it was but darkly Prophesied by the Prophets. But when the appointed time that the

Lord had determined for the Gentile Power, and Gospel Institution, and that their time should be no longer than till the Lord cometh, who is represented to stand upon the Sea, and upon the Earth, Rev. 10.5,6. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets, verse 7. For then will this whole Mystery of God be compleated; for the Saints will then be raised, and then Israel will remain no longer scattered. So accordingly it is said, Dan. 12.7. When he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people; all these things shall be finished; and again, hi∣therto is the end of the matter, Dan. 7.28. Of this Vision, which did appertain to this Mystery, which has to this day been hid from Israel. And Daniel heard, but understood not; therefore said, O my Lord what shall be the end of these things? And the Lord said, go thy way Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end, verse 8.9. And the Disciples asked the Lord why he spake to the Jews in Parables; the Lord said to them, It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the king∣dom of heaven, but to them it is not given, Matth. 13.10,11. For indeed this Kingdom of Heaven, or Heavenly Kingdom, is a great Mystery, which when the Christians had lost the knowledg of this Secret, it was then to remain a Secret till the time of the end; and now is the time the Lord will have it Revealed, and they that desire spiritual Wisdom shall understand it. Dan. 12.10. And the Lord will first come in the Clouds of Heaven, before the last or seventh Angel sound∣eth, Matth. 24.31,32. And the Saints that are under the Altar receive white Robes, Rev. 6.9. In which they will accompany the Lord into the world be∣fore their Bodies are raised, and then will the Nations know the two Witnesses, which now they understand

not. And all this is to be after the Lord comes, and before the seventh Angel soundeth, Rev. 11.15. And when the seventh Angel sounded, there were great Voices in Heaven, Saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the Saints receiving their Bodies at the sound of the last or seventh Trumpet, (1 Cor. 15.52.) the Elders fell upon their faces and worship∣ed God, Rev. 11.16. But our Predecessors having lost the right Apprehension of these things, by reason of the Apostacy; so as they that came after did not under∣stand how God could make his Promise good to the rais∣ed Saints, in providing Mansions in the Heavens for them in that Tabernacle which the Lord shall pitch, and not Man; at which time the Lord will restore Israel to their own Land. Likewise, then God will make good his Word concerning the Heathen, so as all the Families of the Earth shall be blessed in Christ, after the wilfully Wicked are Condemned, accordingly as God hath threatened that he would send his Angel and gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, as I have fully proved. For God by the Law and Gospel, speaks but to them that are under it, and they are the World, and Heavens and Earth that will be Condemned by it, Isaiah 34. Chap. 24 5,6. For transgressing the laws, changing the ordinances, breaking the everlasting covenant, therefore the curse devoureth the earth; that is, the Earth upon whom the Curse falls for the Offences. For the Ordinances which St. Paul would have the Church keep, as they were delivered unto them, 1 Cor. 11.2. God by this Prophet declares they have changed. And in Ezekiel 34.18. it is said, they have eaten the good Pastures, which must be those Ordinances which Isaiah saith they have changed; that is, put them away, and made new ones in their room; that is, new Articles of Faith, new Church Government, new ways of Admi∣nistring

the Sacraments; in all these things the Romish Church is horribly out of the way, besides all their other Abominations; and likewise others as to some of these things will be found dangerously out of the way, for treading down with their Feet the Residue of their Pastures, and also fouling of the deep waters with their feet, so as the flock eat that which they have trod∣den with their feet, and drink that which they have fouled with their feet, verse 18.19. This place, and the fore∣mention'd Chapters of Isaiah, have peculiar Referen∣ces to the second coming of Christ to Judgment, at which time he will Judge between Cattel and Cattel, and the Rams and the hee Goats, v. 17. And then the Lord will feed his Sheep himself, so as then they shall no more be a prey when he is Prince among them, verse 22.23,24. and the offending Shepherds will God then feed with Judgment.

But after the Teachers of the Romish Church had changed the Ordinances, or eaten the good Pastures, or, as the Lord saith, hid the Talent; they thereby made way to set up their own Institutions, and so transgressed the Laws, and brake the everlasting Covenant; for the moral Law is an everlasting Covenant, Isaiah 24.5. as well as the new Covenant, when Established, will be an everlasting Covenant to them with whom it is E∣stablished; for the old Covenant will only then be done away as a conditional Covenant, as now it is; for the Lord will then give an inherent perfect Righteousness to all with whom that Covenant will then be made, as thereby they shall be enabled perfectly to keep the mo∣ral Law; for then God will magnifie the Law, and make it Honourable, Isaiah 42.21. But when the Nations came to have no love to the Truth, and their Rulers would not any longer be holden with the Cords of the Laws of the Lord, according as it was Prophesied of, Psalm 2. Then God permitted the Prince of Darkness

to hoist up the Beast, an Instrument whom Satan had prepared for his purpose, who thought to change times and laws, and they were given into his hands till the day of judgment, and then shall his dominion be taken away, Dan. 7.25,26. But God all along preserved the Law, and the Testimony of the Prophets safe in the Hands of the Jews, whom he scattered throughout the World, that they might be a Light to the World in the cloudy and dark Day, when the Beast had deprived the Nations of the rest of the Scriptures; and the Christians knowing that Christ was come, and that the Ceremo∣nial Law was Abolished, and that Christ was that great Sacrifice that had made an Attonement for Sins that were past, for all those that would walk in Obedience to the rest of God's Laws and Commands and Precepts, that Christ would then compleat their sincere Endea∣vours, (they not forgetting Baptism and the Lord's Supper.) For all the Prophets as they declare Christ first coming to Suffer, so also they declare that he will come again to Judge and Reign. And in the way of well-doing, God has declared by the Prophets, that we may stay our selves upon his Promises, in that he will shew his Salvation to all that walk uprightly by their improving the Day of Grace whilst it was in their Hands, that they might not be hardned through the Deceitful∣ness of Sin, by accustoming themselves therein; which had the Christians taken heed to the Law and to the Prophets, herein they could have been very little out of the way; 'for whosoever speaks not according to the Law and the Testimony of the Prophets, it is because there is no light in them, Isaiah 8.20. But many be∣ing deceived by the Popish Idolatrous Worship, and with their pretended Pardons; and also many others by trust∣ing to an Election, that to themselves they have Fram∣ed; and others by expecting to be saved by the Righte∣ousness of Christ, contrary to the words of Christ,

which is in the way of their sincere Obedience; where∣by Millions of poor Christians being thus deluded, are a∣sleep in security, by which miserable mistaken Notions the generality of the Christians are become worse than Heathens. Which if they are not well awakened and brought off of their sandy Foundation, the generality of the Protestant Christians, as well as the Papist, will cry out of their Leanness, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously, Isaiah 24.16. when they find themselves wanting, both of sound Knowledge and good Fruit when their Destruction cometh. And let all that have pretended to be God's pecu∣liar and elect People when they are not; consider what it is to Exalt themselves into that Station or Place into which God hath not put them, by the Example of them that so did, and were destroyed for so doing, Numb. 16. For did either God or Christ ever threaten Damnation to any that did not think themselves Elected? Or did they only promise Salvation to them that were Elected? Sure we find no such thing in the Word of God, but the promised eternal Salvation, both in the Old and New Testament, is to them that obey him, fear before him, walk uprightly, and fervently love him and believe his Word, and cannot think that he will be false, or a Deceiver; but that God will per∣form his Promise to all according to his Word; and according to his Word it will be that the Transgressors under the Law and Gospel, will fall under the threatned Condemnation. For the Gentiles as well as the Jews, when their Prophets and Rulers, which are their Seers, became weary of the Ways or Laws of the Lord, one was left to Blindness, the other to Delusion; by which we may see the Word of God made good in both, and in the New Testament the Teachers are likewise called Prophets, 2 Cor. 11.4. And it is said, Isaiah 29.10. The Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep,

and hath closed your eyes, the Prophets and your Rulers; the Seers hath he covered, and the vision of all is become unto you, as the words of a book that is sealed. Now in that this Vision is termed the Vision of all; therefore it hath its chief Reference to Christ's second coming, the which is set down to be a Vision, and that at the end it should speak, Hab. 2.3. The which both Jews and Christians were commanded to wait for. But because the Rulers and Teachers of both were the first occasion of laying the World in Darkness, therefore God hath declared he hath covered them, so as this Vision they were not to be the first discoverers of. And though doubtless when Christ first came, there were some good Rulers and good Priests among them, so I hope there are many more a∣mongst us Christians now. But God by bringing out the Truth in an unexpected way, doth thereby carry on the Counsel of his own Will, which is never without a Reason; and God saith he knoweth the proud afar off. And therefore that such may be snared, he brings to light the Knowledge of his Truth by an unexpected Hand; by reason of which, some had rather go without the Know∣ledge of the Truth, than so receive it. But let the Wise in Heart consider it, that the Ignorant by their Example may come out of their Mistakes now God has made the Vision clear, that the thinking Soul may not be taken in the Snare. For this Vision in Isaiah 29.7. hath its reference to the time to come, when all that have di∣strest Ariel, shall be but as a Dream of a Night Vision, they shall so pass away. And this sealed Vision, spoken of in the 11 verse, is the Vision in the Revelations, which has been Sealed unto us, for we have not understood it; and this Vision which God by the Prophet saith is become Sealed; gives us to understand that it was not always so; for when the Gospel was first Established, this Gospel of the Kingdom was one of the fundamental Doctrins; who when the Apo∣stles

had first fed their Converts with Milk, they after∣ward fed them with strong Meat, in declaring to them all the Counsel of God, Acts 20.26. But afterward the Chri∣stians did Apostatize from the Truth, and did set up their own Imaginations, and would have in this time a tem∣poral Kingdom of Christ. And when they thus grew weary of the Truth of God's Word, then God Vail'd or covered their Understanding, so as they could not appre∣hend the glorious Kingdom of Christ, which will be here in time to come.

And after this the Vision again became Sealed, and then neither the Learned, nor Unlearned could Read it. But God often chuses to shew forth his Power through the weakness of the Instrument, and on that side by whom this Offence was not committed. And those that refuse the Truth, because it comes forth by a Woman, may as well refuse to be saved by Christ, because he came by a Woman. For God carries on his Works in one and the same Method; for as when Israel was brought out of Aegypt to go into the promised Land, the Glory of the Lord was then in the Clouds; so it will be again when the Lord comes, and much more abun∣dantly; and also as Christ first came by a Woman, so a∣gain after the Lord arose, he 'then appeared first to a Women, and likewise when Christ was first brought in to the Temple to be Offered to the Lord, then of all them that had their Abode in the Temple, it was a Woman among them that did there first acknowledge him to be the Redeemer, to such that look for redemption in Israel, Luke 2.38. But that God that carries on his Works in a way of Method, that the thinking Soul may con∣sider it, will not now contradict himself by leaving the Method that he formerly took.

And now the Vision is made so plain to any that has a Rational Understanding, that according to the Word, he that runs may Read it; and therefore we are to

wait, for at the end it will speak and not lie, Hab. 2.3. And now likewise the Old and New Testament are made to agree, and all the occasions of the Mistakes are removed, that thereby knowledge might be increased at the time of the end, Dan. 12.4. And this now the Lord having made good according to his Word, at the time of the end; the which is a greater Evidence, than if Angels had come from Heaven and declared it, if they had not from the Word made it plain; because we are not to receive any other Doctrin, than what was first taught from the Testimony of Prophets and Apostles; so as had not this been made plain from the Word, it would have appeared another Doctrin, and so not to have been believed, because the evil Angels can Transform themselves into Angels of Light, 2 Cor. 11.14. Gal. 1.8. And we were to receive nothing in contra∣diction to Moses and the Prophets, Luke 16.31. But God will carry on his work according to his word.

As for any to expect the Spirit to be poured out upon them, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, is a great Mistake, and the Prince of Darkness would gladly perswade any to believe that; for by that belief he keepeth them from preparing themselves, that thereby they may be taken at unawares, for Sa∣tan has many Wiles to deceive poor Souls. For the Christians will not have the Spirit poured out upon them, before the Lord comes to prepare them, no more than Israel had when the Lord first came; for if so, the Lord would not have commanded them to be upon their watch, lest coming suadenly he should find them sleeping.