some among them "born of the Spirit," yet this belonged unto the New-Teftament kingdom, and was their prepara. tion for it, according to God's purpose, by means of the promise of Chrift. This was of the promise of Christ not yet accomplished, and not of that covenant made with all the feed of Ifrael according to the flesh. The earthly birth, or that birth after the flesh, availed much in the state of the church erected at Sinai, as to the enjoyment of the privileges of it. But now our Lord fays to Nicodemus, Except a man "be born again," or born from above," he cannot see the "kingdom of God;" and Gal. iv. 26. "Jerufalem which " is above is the mother of us all."

That covenant had also a worldly fanctuary, and ordinances of divine service, the way into the holiest of all not being yet manifeft, as the Apoftle fhews, Heb. ix. And he declares them no more but "earthly patterns of heavenly things to "come."

The Lord's kingdom in that nation was earthly. It was fet up, established, and defended, by earthly power, as an inftrument in the Lord's mighty hand. When Joshua was leading the people into the promised land, the Lord appeared unto him with a fword in his hand, as the captain of the Lord's hoft; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon men in that kingdom to enable them to fight. It is not fo in the New-Teftament kingdom, which is diftinguifhed from that, by being called the kingdom of heaven: and in opposition to that way of doing, of which we have inftances, Heb. xi. we are called " to run the race fet before us with patience, look. ing unto Jefus, the author and finisher of our faith, who "endured the crofs, defpifing the fhame." That kingdom of God was managed in an earthly way; and, because of the fins of that nation against their covenanted God and King, it was fubject to earthly changes and disorders, wafting and captivity, and many evils of that kind, from within themfelves, and from the nations about. In oppofition to this, the New Jerufalem is faid to be "a quiet habitation," and "violence no more heard in it, wafting nor destruction in its borders," If. xxxiii. 20. and Ix. 18. This heavenly nation can receive no damage by earthly violence.

The inheritance of that church was an earthly inheritance. The promised land was a fpot of this earth, though a type of the heavenly inheritance. The bleffings promised to that nation in that covenant, were earthly bleffings, "the good "things of this life;" and the evils contained in the curfes of

it were earthly miferies, Levit. xxvi. And it is not eafy to conceive how a nation, as fuch, can be the object of other fort of bleffings or curfes. Thus, according to their national keeping of that covenant, they enjoyed this blessedness in the promised land, and according to this the Lord explained his providences about them by his prophets. He does not fo to other nations of the world. Now matters are far otherwise with the heavenly nation typified by this: "For if "in this life only we had hope, we are of all men most mi"ferable;" and, " He hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bless "ings in heavenly places in Chrift." But fetting aside the promise of Chrift given before this covenant, and the typical relation that these things had to Chrift, and good things to come by him, we will find nothing heavenly and eternal in them. Our Lord fays to the Jews, "Search the scriptures, "for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and these are "they which teftify of me." And his faying feems to import this, If you find them not teftifying of me, you will find nothing of eternal life in them.

Obf. 3." IN the New Teftament, there is another and "more notable change and alteration of things " on earth, and alfo in heaven, with respect unto the church." "Whofe voice then fhook the earth: but now he hath "promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth on"ly, but also heaven."

Then

The Son of God, who, by his voice in the covenant at Sinai, fhook only the earth, now shakes again the earth, and alfo heaven, by the mediation in the new covenant. he was fulfilling earthly promifes made to the patriarchs, as we have heard; fo he shook only the earth: but now he appears in the accomplishment of the better promifes of heavenly bleffings to finners of all nations of the earth, for the fake of which the other promises were given; and fo he fhakes not the earth only, but also the heavens.

How he shakes the earth and also heaven, by his mediation in this new covenant, established on better promises, we may fee in the following inftances.

First, As to the earth, there is a remarkable shaking of it again, by the Mediator of the new covenant.

1. He defcended into the lower parts of the earth, Eph. iv. 9. He became the feed of the woman, and took on him

the

the feed of Abraham and of David, according to the promi fes. "When the fulness of time was come, God fent forth "his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to re"deem them that were under the law, that we might re"ceive the adoption of fons. And because the children were " partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took 64 part of the fame; that through death he might destroy "him that had the power of it, and deliver us. He hath "redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a "curfe for us; that the bleffing of Abraham might come "on the Gentiles through Jefus Chrift, that we might re"ceive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

This is the new thing that the Lord hath created in the earth, the performance of that good thing promised to the house of Ifrael, and to the houfe of Judah, which was not performed before. The promises had been long pregnant with it, and now they began to bring forth, when the fulness of time was come.

This notable new thing is the foundation of all the alterations on earth, and alfo in heaven, of which we here speak.

2. He hath hereby abolished the temporal covenant made with the nation of Ifrael, and fet afide all the earthly things thereby established; and, in confequence of this, he brought defolation on Jerufalem and the temple. But this is in the removing of the things that are fhaken, of which the Apostle Speaks, 27. and therefore we shall not stay on it here.

3. By the doing away of that covenant, finners of all nations, formerly excluded by that "wall of partition", are brought into the church by faith in Chrift, the end of the law for righteoufnefs to every one that believeth; and fo they become "a people that were not a people." Thus the earth and all nations are fhaken, Haggai ii. 6. 7. "Every "valley is exalted, and every mountain brought low, that "the glory of the Lord might be revealed, and all flesh fee "it together," If. xl. 4-9. This great alteration is much infifted on in the New Teftament; for inftance, fee Gal. iii. & iv. Eph. ii. & iii.

4. By this means the church hath paffed out of the state of an earthly nation, like that established by the fhaking of the earth at Sinai, and is now a glorious general affembly out of all nations, typified by that national affembly: for it is also a nation; but not earthly, not of this world; and fo it very far excels the earthly nation.

The Apostle calls it "the general affembly and church of

"the

"the first-born, which are written in heaven." Which points out to us, 1. That the New-Teftament church confifts not of any one nation or fort of men, as of old; but is a general assembly of all nations and kinds of people, "where there "is neither Jew nor Greek, circumcifion nor uncircumcifion, "barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, male nor female; "for they are all one in Christ Jefus." Gal. iii. 28. "And "Chrift is all unto them, and is in them all," Col. iii. 10. 11. For this is a church raised, not upon the temporal promise of making Abraham's feed, according to the flesh, a great nation; but upon that promise, " In thy feed (which is Chrift) "fhall all nations of the earth be bleffed." And, according to this promise, it confifts neither of one nation only, nor of any whole nation; but is a general affembly gathered out of the nations into one in Chrift, and blessed in him. 2. That all true members of this church are the children of God, Gal. iii. 25. 26. And this is oppofed to the condition. of the church of Ifrael under the law, or Sinaitic covenant, which gendered unto bondage. For though to Ifrael, according to the flesh, pertained the typical adoption; yet they were in bondage, and had not the true adoption, John viii. 33-36. and though they that believed on Chrift in the Old-Teftament promifes, got "power" or right " to become "the fons of God," or to be members of the church of the first-born, John i. 12.; yet that was not by the temporal covenant making all Ifrael the church of God; nor was this the common privilege of the whole church, erected by that covenant, as it is of this church; neither was the spirit of adoption given to believers themselves under that covenant, as it is now, Gal. iv. 1.-6. Rom. viii. 14.-17. This is the common privilege of this whole general affembly and church: they are all joint heirs with Chrift, the first-born from the dead, and fo they are an affembly of first-born. There was never fuch a church as this before. 3. The Apoftle fays, "They are written in heaven;" inrolled there, as being citizens of that heavenly Jerufalem, and as having their nativity from thence: for they are all the children of that "Jerufalem which is above," Gal. iv. 26. This is oppofed to the earthly Jerufalem, and a citizenship therein, the old earthly church.

Unto this church New-Teftament believers on earth are come; now this ftate. of things, this church, hath taken place, and they are highly privileged beyond all expreffion, in being members of this church, And this is what we have

now

now in the place of the old national church of Ifrael; so that there is no more any fuch national covenant, or national church, as was before this general affembly and church of the first-born.

Secondly, Heaven is alfo fhaken by the Mediator of the new covenant. And how is that?

1. "He that descended first into the lower parts of the "earth, is the fame also that hath afcended up far above all "heavens, that he might fill all things," Eph. iv. 9. 10.

He hath afcended above the first heaven, the air, the feat of Satan's kingdom, who is therefore called "the prince of "the power of the air," Eph. ii. 2. He had fhaken that kingdom, and made himself master of it, in his death, and is now afcended above it.

He hath alfo afcended above the heaven of the fun, moon, and stars, and they are all put under the feet of the man Chrift Jefus. This fame perfon was before their maker ; but now they move under him, the Son of man, "made head over "all things to the church, which he hath purchased with his " own blood."

And he hath further afcended into the heaven of God's glory, where the angels and spirits of just men were; and is exalted far above angels, and every name that is named in the world to come, unto the Father's right hand. This is the heaven which is here faid to be fhaken.

And was there not a glorious change and alteration there, when the Lamb that was flain began to appear alive in the midst of the throne? when he that was made lower than the angels for the fuffering of death, was crowned with glory and honour, and fat down with the Father on his throne? Was not the heaven remarkably fhaken, when this high prieft entered there, and prefented himself before the Father, with the blood of his own facrifice, whereby God is infi nitely glorified, and his glory fully difplayed to angels and men, and whereby the way into the holieft is made manifeft, and all his people for ever perfected? This was indeed a new thing in heaven: that blood of the new covenant was 'full of wonders, when it appeared there; as the fiery tongues, and a rushing wind, or vapour of fmoke, were figns in the earth beneath, Acts ii. 16. 19. Was there not a glorious change in heaven, when the Son of David took his feat on his throne at the Father's right hand, and was "anointed with the oil of gladnefs above his fellows," and crowned with many crowns, and proclaimed King

VOL. I.

H

through