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Places: As appears in thefe Words, For the Children which thou fhalt have, in this time, after thou halt loft the other (by which I do understand the unbelieving Jews to be meant) fhall fay in thine Ears, The Place is too ftrait for me: Therefore give place, that I may dwell, Then halt thou fay in thine Heart (being amazed at the Riches of God's Grace) who hath begotten me thefe, feeing I have loft my Children, and was like a defolate Captive, removed to and fro, v. 20, 21. This certainly is fpoke of the Jews, who, at the time of their Converfion, will be filled with exceeding Wonder, that tho' fhe hath been like a defolate Widow and had loft fo many of her Children in the time of her Apoftacy; yet now Grace hath laid hold on them, and filled up their Number, by adding the converted Gentiles to them: As it follows in Verfe 22. Thus faith the Lord God, Behold I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and fet up my Standard to the People. And what is all this for? Why it is that they may bring their Sons (who are fo in a fpiritual relation) in their Arms, or in their Bofom; and their Daughters fhall be carry'd upon their Shoulders; to fhew what Love will then appear in the converted Jews unto the converted Gentiles: And if fo, who can deny that this is not to be understood of the Glory of Chrift, and the Saints, in the Firft Branch of that Kingdom When Kings hall be, Nurfing Fathers, and Queens Nurfing Mothers ; that is, the converted Kings and Queens from among the Gentiles who fhall be willing to ferve the Church of God, fo far as lies in their power. Verfe 23. Then fall the Prey be taken from the Mighty, or the lawful Captive fhall be delivered; for I will (faith the Lord)

Lord) contend with him that contendeth with thee, and Iwill fave thy Children, ver. 24, 25. The Lord Fehovah will contend, in the great Day of the Spirit's Pouring down, with all the Enemies of Zion. The Whore of Babylon hath of a long time put a Bitter Cup into the hands of the Saints; but in that Day which is near at hand, fhe fhall be made to pledge it double; as in Rev. xv. 6. For they have fhed the Blood of Saints and Prophets, and thou haft given them, or thou shalt give them Blood to drink; for they are worthy. This will be the Day of the Lord's Vengeance, the Year of Recompence for the Controverfy of Sion, Ifa. xxxiv. 8. It will be the Day of the Lord's Vengeance unto all his Enemies, when God fhall fpirit his People to fall upon Babylon: The Lord will then avenge all the Wrongs that have been done to the Saints. Luke xviii. 7. And therefore called the Day of the great Slaughter, when the Towers fall, Ifa. xxx. 25. Oh what a flaughter will there be made by the Saints on the inveterate Enemies of Chrift, when they fhall execute Vengeance upon the Heathen, and Punishments upon the People That they may bind their Kings (that is, Ungodly Kings) with Chains, and their Nobles (who are wicked) with Fetters of Iron: That fo they may execute upon them the Judgment written. For this Honour have all his Saints. Praife ye the Lord. Pf. cxlix. 6, 7, 8, 9. Sure then the high Praifes of God fhall be in their Mouths, and a Two-Edged Sword hall be in their Hands. For Jacob (the People of God) is faid to be his Battle-Ax, Fer.li. 20. Thou art my Battle-Ax and Weapon of War: With thee or by thee will I break in pieces the Nations and with thee will I defroy Kingdoms; And with thee will I break

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I break in Pieces the Horfe and his Rider, yea tha Chariot and his Rider aljo. With thee will I break in pieces Man and Woman, Old and Young; yea the Toung Man and the Maid; if Graceless. I will alfo break in pieces with thee the Shepherd and his Flock; that is the falfe Shepherd and his deluded Flock, 21. 22. 23. verf. and I will render unto Babylon, and all the Inhabitants of Chaldea, all the Evil that they have done unto Zion in your fight, faith the Lord. This is not to be tied up to Babylon ofold, where the Jews were held in Captivity: But myftical Babylon which now is, and fo much fpoke of in the Book of the Revelation. For I am against thee, O deftroying Mountain, faith the Lord, which deftroyeth all the Earth, and I will stretch out mine Hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the Rocks, and I will make thee a burnt Mountain. Doth not this agree with the defcription of Antichrift, or the Whore of myftical Babylon. What a destroying Mountain hath the been, how has the deftroy'd the Earth, with the People of God in it. Well now her Deftruction is at Hand; when the ten Horns fhall hate the Wbcre, and make her defolate and naked, and eat her Flesh, and burn her with Fire, Rev. 7. v. 16. which will be the Time when Babylon will become like a burnt Mountain; for this will be the Portion of all the Enemies of the Lord. Then will God make good that Promife unto his People in Micah, iv. ver. 11. 12. and 13. When many Nations fhall be gather'd together against the Church, faying, Let her be defiled, and let our Eyes (with Contempt) Look upon Zion, but they know not the Thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his

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Counfel, nor what he is about to do; for he fhall gather them as the Sheaves into the Floor, and fay unto the Saints, Arife and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, that they may appear like the Chaff of the Summer threshing Floor, before the Wind, becaufe I will furnish thee with Strength and divine Power, to dread upon all thine Enemies; and therefore Í will make thine Horn Iron, and I will make thy Hoofs Brafs, and thou shalt beat in Pieces many People, and their gain will I Confecrate unto the Lord, and their fubftance unto the God of the whole Earth. Then he that overcometh, faith the Lord Jefus Chrift, and keepeth my Words (or Commands) unto the End, to him will I give Power over the Nations! And not only a Power to fmite, but to Rule, and be fall rule them with a Rod of Iron; and as the Veffels of a Potter fall they be broken to Shivers, even as I received of my Father, Rev. ii. ver. 25. 27. This Promise belongs unto every Child of God; and remains yet to have its Accomplishment. Thus we fee, how the Lord will contend, with all those that have, or do contend with Sion. But this will not be until the Beginning of Chift's Kingdom, in the first breaking forth of that fpiritual Glory; for the beginning of this time will be an active difpenfation among the Saints; a warring Kingdom, fignified by the Kingdom of the Stone; before the Stone becomes a great Mountain, to fill the whole Earth, at the Perfonal Coming of the Lord Jefus Chrift with all the Saints, Lan. ii. ver. 35. but foon after this warring time is over, when the firft Branch of the Kingdom of Chrift begins to take Place; fhall all the Saints go out with Joy, and be led forth wi.b Peace: Then the Moutains Kk

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and Hills (or the Converted Kingdom and Nations) fall break fortb into finging, and all the Trees of the Field fall clap their Hands for Foy. Then inftead of the Thorn fhall come up the Fir-Tree, (always green and flourishing) and inftead of the Brier fhall come up the Myrtle Tree; no pricking Brier, nor grieving Thorn in Chrift's Kingdom) and this fhall be unto the Lord for a glorious Name, and for an everlasting Sign of his Eternal Love and divine Favour; when the Curfe begins to be taken off of all the Earth, Ifa. lv. v. 12. 13. Oh how fhall the Converts at this time, from among the Gentiles, fee, and be ravished with the Excellency of that Righteousness, which then fhall appear upon Zion; yea and all Kings, all the Converted Kings thall with wonder behold her Glory; now fhall fhe be called by a new Name, which the Month of the Lord fhall name. All things, yea the Name of the Saints fhall be new in that Day; then fhall Zion appear a glorious Crown in the Hand of the Lord Jehovah, and as a Royal Diadem in the Hand of their God; which fhews the great Love, Value and Efteem that the Lord hath to his Feople; and alfo how impoffible it is that any one of them fhould be loft. Then the Saints fhall no more be termed forfaken, (though fometimes they have been fo) neither fhall their Land any more be termed defolate! Mind that Word termed the Church of God never was, nor never fhall be forfaken; yet fhe hath been termed fo by others, and. fometimes in her own Apprehenfion, but now fhe fhall be fo no more. For thou shalt be called Hephzibah, becaufe the Lord loveth and delighteth in thee, and thy Land shall be called Beulah ; that is the Saints, the Inhabitants

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