Generation-work, or, A brief and seasonable word offered to the view and consideration of the saints and people of God in this generation, relating to the work of the present age, or generation we live in wherein is shewed, I. What generation-work is, and how it differs from other works, II. That saints in the several generations they have lived in, have had the proper and peculiar works of their generations, III. That it is a thing of very great concernment for a saint to attend to and be industrious in, the work of his generation, IV. Wherein doth the work of the present generation lye, V. How each one in particular may find out that part or parcel of it, that is properly his work in his generation, VI. How generation-work may be so carried on, as that God may be served in the generation / by John Tillinghast ...

SECT. V.

OUr third Particular comes now into consideration, namely, to consider of the Characters of this 144000.

As for the several Characters, we have vers. 3.4. I have given my thoughts of them already in the Epistle Dedicatory to my late Discourse upon the Vials; But what I then wrote being but as the first day-break of light into this Prophecie, and hoping (through grace) that I do now begin to see those things a little more clearly, distinct∣ly, and fully than at that time I did, I shall notwithstanding go over the whole again.

The first Character of them, viz. That they stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion, relating more to their condition, than their qualification, I shall be silent as touch∣ing it; and the rather, because I have opened it already, Sect. 1. That omitted, we have besides it eight Characters in the Text.

I CHARACTER. They have their Fathers Name written in their fore-heads, vers. 1. i.e. they shall bee such who shall know one another by no mark, but only the Image of the Father, the Fathers Name written in their-fore-heads. And I take it that this is spoken of the 144000 followers of the Lamb, in opposition to the Beasts followers, of whom we read a little before, Chap. 13.16. That they have a mark written in their fore∣beads, i.e. they make up a judgement of persons by some mark given to them, one hath this mark, another

that mark, and men (as well good men as others) all the time of the Beasts Kingdome, know one another by marks, and such marks as are of the Beasts devising. But now when the Beast goes off the Stage, and the Lamb comes up, all marks that formerly men were known by are laid aside, and now there is no mark to know Saints by, but only this, The Fathers Name written in their fore-heads; There shall be no knowledge of Persons, as Presbyters, as Independents, as Anabaptists, &c. any longer, but the mark, the only mark that Saints shall know one another by, shall be the Image of the Father, The Fathers Name written in their fore∣heads.

This shall be the mark by which Saints in the time of the New Jerusalem, when the Lord shall be one, and his Name one, shall know one another by, Rev. 22.4. His Name shall be in their fore-heads, i.e. Grace and Holi∣ness, the Image of the Father, shall be so visible in them, that there shall be no need of any other mark to know one another by, but all shall be known unto each other by this. The beginnings of this shall be very eminent in this One hundred forty four thousand, and therefore we have this laid down as the great Character of them.

II CHARACTER. They sing a new Song which none can learn, but only this One hundred forty four thousand, ver. 3. The meaning is, This One hundred for∣ty four thousand shall go a strain higher in their actings and praises, then the Saints before them did; and for this reason many of the old Singers that sung the first Song, Rev. 15.3. shall not be able to sing this, it shall go in a note too high and spiritual for them.

III CHARACTER. They are such as are redeemed from the Farth, i.e. (as I conceive) such only as have ob∣tained to stand loose from earthly interest, being persons d••ad, and delivered from the evil of the honors, preferments,

pleasures, profits, of this present evill world, which not the Sons of Adam onely, but too many of the Sons of Sion are plunged in, and overtaken with.

IV. CHARACTER. They are Virgin-Saints, not defiled with women, vers. 4. I take this Character to be a Character distinct from the former, though not long since I judged either the same. And yet withall, the difference is no great matter, the former noting redemption from earthly interests and engagements in the general, i.e. earthly interests of all sorts, by which men, yea Saints themselves are oftentimes mis-lead, and drawn aside from following Christ; but this latter denotes redemption in a more spe∣cial kind, viz. from Antichristian interests, the particu∣lar defilements of the whorish Woman; the meaning is, this One hundred forty four thousand shall be a select number of such persons, who notwithstanding for a great part of their time they lived within the verge of that I∣dolatrous superstitious age, in which the whole world went a whoring after the Beast, yet did in that adulte∣rous generation keep themselves Virgins, not commit∣ting fornication with the Whore of Babylon, by having any hand in her Superstitions and Idolatries.

V. CHARACTER. They follow the Lamb whi∣thersoever he goeth, i.e. They shall be such who from the day they began to follow the Lamb, have ever kept him company in his most difficult paths, through rockie, craggie, thorny wayes; In dangerous paths, where they have been necessitated to put their lives in their hands to follow him; in desolate wilderness-paths, where they have been in a manner stripped bare of all outward comforts and injoyments, yet willing to quit all, rather than leave his company, in paths contrary to reason, flesh, and blood, to their own preferments, interests, &c. such shall these be. And this Character (I take it) is given to them in opposition to those who did follow the Lamb

sometime, so long as it stood with their safety, pleasure, honor, preferment, profits, &c. but when in following him they could have these no longer, they will follow him no further, the Lamb may march alone for them.

VI. CHARACTER. They are redeemed from a∣mong men; i.e. (as before I have noted) a picked party, not so much from the Antichristian crow of Idolaters, as the more pure party of the Reformers themselves, they shall be (as I have said) the very cream, the flower of the Reformed party.

VII. CHARACTER, They are the first fruits un∣to God, and to the Lamb, i.e. Either those that God makes more account of, as being more precious in his sight, than of other of his people; for the first fruits under the Law were accounted the most precious, and therefore were set apart, and consecrated to God; or else, (which I rather incline to) these shall be the begin∣nings of that large Harvest to Christ among the Gentiles, which he is to have after the Beasts time is out; For the first fruits were the beginnings of the Jewish Harvest; Or they shall bee in a manner the beginnings of that glorious Kingdom of Christ in the world, which shall break in peeces all other Kingdoms, and stand for ever.

VIII. CHARACTER. In their mouth is found no guile, vers. 5. that is, (as I conceive) They shall in a very naked and plain-hearted way manage their whole work, without driving on self-designs, under a vizzard and pre∣tence of serving and setting up Christ, or without acting by the RƲLES OF STATE-POLICY, which exposeth men to falshood, dissimulation and guile; no such thing shall be found in this One hundred forty four thousand, or their actings; but they shall without fear or favor let the world know what they intend and design, they are

for Christs Kingdom, and that the Crown may be set up∣on his Head; if the Kings of the earth will submit to it, and lay down their Crowns and Scepters at his feet, so it is, if not, they will endeavor to make them. And this I take to be the very meaning of the words, for the reason given in those that follow, For they are without fault before the Throne of God, i.e. they shall not dissemble in the business of Christs Throne and Kingdom, or they shall not seek themselves in the setting up of this King∣dom.