{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and thing in controversie is whether Christ shall personally Reigne on earth with the Saints for a thousand yeers Now insteed of bringing places to prove this he brings Texts to prove the calling of the Jews which no body doubts of or that Christ shall come in the flesh or that he shall come to Judge the world which no sober men once question Quest But hath the Dr. no other places to help him at a dead lift Answ. O yes he hath two strong holds in his own conceit and therefore when he is at a loss hither he runs for shelter to as much purpose as Colliar that black Sectary runs to 1 Cor. 14. and 1 Pet. 4. 10. to prove the lawfulness of Lay mens preaching which yet he recites twenty times over in his Pamphlet as the Dr. doth these two Texts the a 1 Cor. 15. 24. to 29. and Revel. 20. 4. 5. 6. when these two Texts are cleared all the Drs. building lies in the dust for these are the two primary Pillars which seem to uphold this point and two of the hardest Texts in all the Bible I shall therefore take some pains to unfold them and shall sift them to the bran that if it be possible we may not lose one grain of truth To begin with the first 1 Cor. 15. 24. c. Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power c. This Text is one of those {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which are hard to be understood which Arians Arminians Anabaptists and Millenaries have wrested to their own destruction The Millenaries fondly gather from hence That the Church shall enjoy such a flourishing time on earth that they shall have no enemies no sin no sorrow no Rulers or Powers to molest us Whereas the Apostles drift is onely this he had before proved by many irrefragable Arguments the Resurrection of the body but some might desire to know in what condition the world should be after the Resurrection whether they should not need Magistrates and Ministers then No saith the Apostle we shall not need them Why so For then comes the end viz. of the world of which end Christ speaks Matth. 24. 3. 14. and the Apostle 1 Pet. 4. 7. Magistracy then shal cease and the Ministry shall cease the Churches Warfare shall cease for her enemies shall then be totally destroyed and she shall enjoy perfect and immediate communion with God in Heaven who will be all in all to her so that she shal have no need of Sun Moon or Stars for the Lord himself will be her light Quest But what will Christ then do Answ. He will do two things 1. He will deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father Q. D. He will Raign no longer as now he Raigns for now he Raignes in the midst of enemies now he Rules mediately by Magistrates by Ministers by Ordinances and by supplies of the Spirit But then viz. at the end of the world before the day of Judgment and not after as some would have it this present manner of administration shall cease Christ will govern no more by Officers but that Power and Kingdom which he hath received from his Father he having finisht the work which he gave him to do surrenders it up unto him again that so God may be a All in all and we may enjoy him no longer in the use of meanes but immediately in full degrees of glory Ob. But if Christ deliver up the Kingdom to his Father then he will have no Kingdom as Dr. Homes affirms and therefore lest he should lack one the Dr. hath framed one in his Utopian brain that shall last him a thousand yeers on earth Curasti probè Answ. Could the Dr. but have distinguisht he might have saved that labour Christ hath a double Kingdon 1 A Natural and Essential Kingdom due to Christ as he is God coessential and coequal with his father and this Christ possesseth with his Father and the Spirit for ever 2 Christ hath an Oeconomical and Ministerial Dispensatory Kingdom as he is Mediator between God and Man and this Kingdom which he hath received from his Father he shall surrender up again unto his Father after he hath subdued sin and death and put all his enimies under his feet Not that upon this surrender he ceaseth to be a King for when he hath delivered up this his Mediatory Kingdom yet is he a King still his Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom it hath no end Dan. 2. 44. and 7. 14. 27. Micah 4. 7. Luke 1. 33. Heb. 1. 8. John 17. 5. 1 Pet. 1. 11. Revel. 11. 15. Christ hath no Kingdom that is but of a thousand yeers continuance the Scripture plainly tells us that his Kingdom is a everlasting So that this delivering up of Christs dispensatory Kingdom is not a renouncing of his power but a changing of the present manner of administration 't is not simply a ceasing to Reigne but a ceasing to Reigne in that Mediatory manner as formerly He is still the Head and King of his Spouse onely he will not now govern her as formerly with Ordinance and Discipline for the Church then will have no more need of them being glorified and fully freed from sin and Satan Then shall Father Son and Holy Ghost in Unity of Essence and Glory begin to Raigne immediately over his Church in a new manner viz. by himself without the use of Angels men or any helps of natural or spiritual life 2. The Apostle tells us when Christ will deliver up this Kingdom viz. when he shall have put down all Rule and all Power and Authority These must now cease Christ will no longer exercise his Power and Government by others So that the words may be taken two wayes 1. Largely for the putting down of all Authority i. e. all lawfull powers and Governours which were ordeined by God for the good of the world Though Angels shal stil remain yet the Church now will have no need of them 2. Restrictively for the subduing of all these adversary Powers and Potentats which oppose the Kingdom of Christ The context seemes to carry it this way v. 25. 26 though the former sense may not be excluded for the words are general All Rule and all Authority be it good or bad The Church will then have no need of good ones and bad ones shall no longer molest her for the time of her warfare is accomplisht 3. The Apostle having told us what shall be the future condition of Christ Kingdom now he tells us what shall be the condition of Christ himself V. 28. When all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Son himself also be subject to him that put all things under him Hence the Arrians subtilly cavil thus Obj. If Christ deliver up the
hath not his Verbum Domini for what he holds Even the Devil himself when he disputed with our Saviour had his Scriptum est he cited Scripture though corruptly The Dr. cites 51. proofs out of the Old Testament almost all borrowed from Doctor a Alsteed or Dr. Gouge his Treatise of the calling of the Jews p. 9. to 83. I shall set them down in order as the Dr. recites them the bare rehearsall will be confutation to the most of them for either they prophesie of Christs first coming in the flesh 2. Or of the Jews deliverance from Babylonish captivity 3. Or of the calling of the Jews when there shall be a spiritual restauration of the Church or the like To prove that Christ shall reign with the Saints on earth a thousand yeers the Dr. Quotes 1. Gen. 1. 26 27 28. collated with Psal. 8. 2. Gen. 12. 1 2 3 6. and 17. 1. to 9. 3. Gen. 18. 78. and 22. 15 16. 4. Gen. 26. 4. 5. Gen. 48. 19. and 49. 26. 6. Balaams Prophesie Numb. 24. 7. Deut. 30. 1. to 10. 8. Deut. 32. 15. to 19. 9. Neh. 1 8. 10. Psal. 8. and 110. yea the whole Book of Psalms in Three Heads 11. Isay 2. 1. c. 12. Isay 9. 6. 13. Isay 11. per totum 14. Isay 14. 1. c. 15. Isay 24. 23. 16. Isay 25 per totum 17. Isay 33. 20. 21 18. Isay 34. 1. c. 19. Isay 45. 14. c. 20. Isay 49. per totum 21. Isay 54. 11. c. 22. Isay 59. 23. Isay 60. per totum 24. Isay 63. 1. c. 25. Isay 65. 17. c. 26. Isay 66. 5. c. 27. Jer. 16. 14 15. collat. with 23. 3. 28. Jer. 30. 31. 29. Jer. 32. 37. 30. Jer. 50. 17. 31. Ezek. 28. 24 25 26. 32. Ezek. 34. 11. c. 33. Ezek. 37. total 34. Ezek. 37. total 35. Dan. 2. 31. c. 36. Dan. 7. total 37. Dan. 11. 12. 38. Hos. 1. 10. 11. 39. Hos. 3. 4. 5. 40. Joel 2. 28. c. 41. Joel 3. 1. c. 42. Amos 9. 11. collated with Obad 17. 43. Micah 4. total 44. Zoph 3. 9. c. 45. Zach. 2. 6. c. 46. Zach. 6. 12. 47. Zach. 8. 20. c. 48. Zach. 10. 3. c. 49. Zach. 12. total 50. Zach. 14. 3. c. 51. Mal. 4. total If you count these proofs they are many but if you seriously weigh them you will not find one to the purpose Obj. Though none of these Scriptures apart prove the point yet sayes the Dr. lay them all together and then they 'l do it Answ. Lay them and 51. more such proofs together for 't is easie gathering proofs to prove Christs Incarnation the a calling of the Jews Israels deliverance from Babylonish captivity and the Spiritual Glory of Gospel-times and they will never satisfie any sober Reader as to the proof of this point I must confess I seldom smile at my Study yet when I observed the Drs Learned-nonsense and his gross non-sequitors I could not forbear and let any Ingenious Reader take any one of these 51. proofs apart or altogether as the Dr. directs him and put but ergo Christ shall Reign with the Saints on earth a 1000. years and he cannot forbear smiling at least to see how the Drs. proofs hang together like ropes of sand and come as neer together as St. Germans lips which were nine miles asunder The Drs. Arguments for the Millenary fancy are like the Papists for the Popes Supremacy E. g. Peter healed the sick with his shadow ergo he was head of the Church Pauls calls him Cephas ergo he was chief of the Apostles Christ bid him put up his sword ergo the Pope hath right to both swords Or like the Quakers consequences flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven ergo there shall be no Resurrection The Saints shall judge the world here ergo there shall be no other Judgment this is Naylers Logick Obj. The Scripture holds forth that the last dayes shall be glorious dayes ergo Christ shall then Reigne personally on earth a thousand yeers Sol. It follows not for allthough the last dayes shall be glorious in respect of the great light of the Gospel and the glorious Priviledges and Liberty which the Church shall then enjoy yet in respect of the abuse of that Liberty and those Priviledges so the last dayes will be Perilous times a 2 Tim. 3. 1. True in Gospel times the bounds of the Church shall be enlarged Antichrists Kingdom shall decrease and Christs Kingdom will increase the mountain of the Lord shall be exalted in the top of the mountains and the Churches Priviledges will be advanced but that ever the Church should come to that height of happiness on earth as to be free from troubles internal and external and to Raign with Christ here for a thousand yeers in a sin-less sorrow-less temptation-less condition as D. H. phraseth it is a meer dream and hath no ground in Scripture Obj. Though many of these 51 proofs may be impertinent yet some may be pertinent Answ. I shall therefore call out the most pertinent for the bare reading of most of those Texts is confutation sufficient The first great place is Psal. 8. compared with Genesis 2. 26 27 28. which speaks of Adams dominion over the Creature in the state of innocency but the 8. Psal. speaks directly litterally and properly of Christ the second Adam if we will believe the Apostle a Heb 2. 6 7 8. So that the Drs. collating of these places is invalid 'T is true what is here spoken of Christ is proper to the Saints by vertue of their union with Christ the dignities belonging to Christ the head appertain to his mystical body the Church which â—s called Christ 1 Cor. 12. 12. All is theirs because they are Christs Now what do Millenaries gather hence Why 't is this that since Christ is thus exalted and the Saints in him to have dominion over the creatures c. Ergo they shall reign with Christ a thousand years on earth Who sees not the vanity of such Logick Obj. Heb. 2. 5. The Apostle speaks of a world to come ergo he speaks of this thousand yeers raign to come Answ. What a sad thing is to father our vain fancies on the Prophets and Aposties and to make them speak what never so much as came into their thoughts By the world to come is meant the Church of Christ under the Gospel which is called the world to come 1. In relation to the Church that lived before and under the Law who longed to see this world John 8. 56. 1 Pet. 1. 10 11. 2. Because of the restauration of all things by Christ begun already 2 Cor. 5. 17. and shall be finisht hereafter at the Resurrection which is called the time of the restitution of all things â—phes 1. 10. Q. D. O ye Hebrews
Kingdom to his Father then he is inferior to his Father and his Kingdom is not everlasting and by consequence the Deity of Christ is over thrown Answ. This doth not follow for though Christ do resigne his Mediatory and Dispensatory Kingdom so that he rules not by external Organs and Instruments yet he Raigns still as God in his Essential Kingdom with his Father for his Kingdom is eternal Isay 9. 7. 2. Obj. They cavil thus He that is subject to his Father is inferiour to him but Christ is so ergo Answ. Christ must be considered according to his twofold nature viz. his Humanity and his Deity As he is God so he is Gods equal Phil. 2 6. as man so he tells us the Father is greater then he John 14. 28. As he is God so all Creatures are subject to him but as he is our Mediator so he is subject to his Father together with his Mystical body the Church Not as if he were not subject to his Father before but because then he shall in the sight of men and Angels publickly deliver up the Kingdom and so declare his subjection more openly for then things in Scripture are said to be when they are publickly manifested to be Psal. 2. 7. Now let us see what Dr. Homes his Aquiline eyes can spy in this Text for this 1000. yeers Raigne on earth 1. His first profound Observation from hence is this That after the Ultimate day of Judgement Christ shall have no Kingdom nor Power but how doth he prove this Why from 1 Cor. 15. 28. and how else Why the same again and again usque ad ravim till he dote again like a Cuckow Eandem cantilenum canit he tells you the same story over and over that he might boast and say He is now become a Fool in Folio Onely he desires you to observe according to his wonted Elegancy That 't is a Hath put all things in subjection Mark saith he 't is the time past 2. Shall be subdued mark again 'T is the Future time With such Learned Observations as if he were reading a Lecture to some School-boyes is the Drs. Folio stuft 2. The Drs. Observation hath two parts 1. That there shall be two dayes of Judgement and therefore he tells you here of an ultimate day of judgment But how doth he prove it Why {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Dr. Homes says it ergo 't is true 2. Christ hath no Kingdom and Power How whence that I pray you Why the Dr. tells you 't is after the ultimate day of Judgement New Light indeed if the Dr. vent this ignorantly he 's to be pittied if willfully to be punisht that goes about to deceive people in the Fundamentals of Religion But how doth he proves this Why by a witless worthless reason p. 89. viz. Christ must have his Kingdom before the ultimate day of Judgement or else he 'l have no Kingdom Why so For then 't is the Fathers Kingdom As if the Father and the Son though they be two persons yet were not one God and the Father had a Kingdom without the Son Quest But what saith the Text Answ. Why Then comes the end c. Every word a Dagger Quot verba tot verber a and stabs the Drs. cause at the heart 1. The Apostle tells us Then comes the end viz. of the world i. e immediately after the Resurrection He doth not say then comes the Reign of Christ for a thousand yeers on earth But then comes the end of the World 2. When he shall deliver up the Kingdom viz. his Mediatory not his absolute Kingdom And therefore the Drs. Logick is very faulty in arguing from a particular to a general ergo because Christ hath no Oeconomical Kingdom ergo he hath no Kingdom Non sequitur ergo because one Dr. is Episcopal ergo all are Episcopal Or because one Dr. observes the times ergo all do so Is but sorry Logick 3. The Apostle tells us Christ must Raigne in his Mediatory Kâ—ngdom till the last enemy which is death be destroyed but this will not be till the day of Judgement where then is the Drs. thousand yeers 4. Then Christ hath no power What more folly yet Cannot Christ lay down his Mediary Kingdom but he must loose his power with it Cannot he change the manner of Administration but he must cease to be a King Is he not God and Man still Is he not King and Head of his Church still Is he not as High and Mighty as ever And is it not he that even in the Text puts down all power by his divine Almighty power How then comes it to pass that Christ hath no power as the Dr. blasphemously at least very ignorantly affirms 5. He tells us of the Saints living on earth for a thousand yeers without Ordinances Answ. This is as true as the rest But the Dr. doth very ill to harden Atheistical Sectaries in such conceits For 't is not to be expected whilst the Saints live on earth that they should live without or above Ordinances In Heaven indeed when the Saints shall enjoy God immediately they shall not need them for God will be all in all as 't is in the Text but that is not in this world but at the end of the world Then comes the end viz. immediately after the Resurrection as the context shews when the Saints shall be received to bliss then God will be all in all immediately and not till then Obj. Revel. 21. 22. 'T is said of the New Jerusalem i. e of the glorious estate of the Church neer the end of the world that there shall be no Temple there Answ. These words yea and the whole chapter may be considered two wayes 1. Literally and properly for the Churches glory in Heaven for there 't is that all tears shall be wiped from our eyes there shall be no Sun or Moon no Temple there we shall not need Preaching Sacraments Ordinances for God will be all in all To expect an immediate enjoyment of God in this world without Ordinances is a Satanical delusion True in the Church Triumphant Prophesies shall cease 1 Cor. 13. 8. But in the Church militant we must not despise Prophesying and Preaching of the word To expound this chapter Literally of any Church either in Heaven or Earth will not hold for there is no Gold Silver Precious Stones Rivers c. in Heaven 2. If we consider the words Allusively and Allegorically for the a glorious estate of the Church upon earth after the calling of the Iews then there shall be no Temple there q. d. the Worship of God shall be more Pure Spiritual and Heavenly then ever before So that the words must not be taken simply for then they would contradict other places of Scripture which tell us that the Church on earth will always have need of the Ministery both to convert such as are not yet converted
themselves but also on them that tolerate them As for that Text in 2 Tim. 4. 1. 't is so plain that any man except such as are wilfully blind and are wedded to their fancies like the Donatists Quod volumus Sanctum est all is holy that they hold be it never so unholy may see that it speaks not of any coming of Christ to raigne on earth but of his coming to judge the quick and the dead in great power and glory And we shall oft find in Scripture that the appearing of Christ in glory and his coming to judgment are joyned together as being one and the self same thing at the same time Matth. 24. 30. 2 Tim. 4. 8. Colos. 3. 4. So that this appearance of Christ in his Kingdom is nothing elss but a more full and clear manifestation of his glory when he shall come to judge the world We read but of two signal comings of Christ viz. one in the flesh 1 Tim. 2. 16. and his second appearing to judgement Heb. 9. 28. He shall appear the second time for the salvation of his Elect. But if Christ should come to Raigne a thousand yeers then it should have been said he will come the third time for your salvation But the Scripture never mentions but two comings of Christ corporally viz. once to merit salvation and at the last day to perfect it for ever Thus we have seen the Drs. vanity We have a saying as the Fool thinks so the Bell clinks As Dr. Homes thinks so the Scripture clinks Doth he read of an appearance of Christ Oh 't is his appearance to reigne a thousand yeers Doth he read of a Kingdom Oh 't is an earthly visible Kingdom c. The last and chiefest place which this Millenarian Dr. cites is Revel. 20. 1. to 7. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and they lived and raigned with Christ a thousand yeers but the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand yeers were finished this is the first Resurrection This Text is the master prop in this building overthrow this and you overthrow all Vindicate this Text from their vain glosses and you vindicate all There is no Text that seemingly speaks more for them yet upon due search we shall find that the Text hath much against them 'T is true the Dr. the better to insinuate himself and make way for this his beloved Tenet highly extols the 20. chapter of the Revelations calling it a Golden Key to unlock the Bible we had need of a better hand then the Drs. to turn it especially the Old Testament 'T is true one place of Scripture helps to illustrate another but how this 20. of the Revelation should be such a Key as to make us understand the whole Bible the better especially the Old Testament shews plainly that the Dr. is led as his whole book shews him to be by Fancy and not by judgment Yet the Dr. having some skill as it seems in the Mathematicks tells us that he will pitch the foot of his Compass on Revel. 20. and so draw a right circle about it as if he meant to conjure us into his opinion I have but little skill in the Mathematicks yet I shall endeavour to get the Dr. out of his circle and doubt not but to make it appear to any unprejudiced Reader that his Clavis aurea as to his intent and purpose est planè plumbea The Dr. is hard put to it when his best refuge is an allegorical mistical Text one of the darkest difficultest Texts in all the Bible containing in it almost as many Mysteries as Words and hath almost as many interpretations as there be Interpreters 1. Therefore I shall forgive you the plain and genuin sense of the place 2. I shall shew you the vanity of the Drs. glosses and how inconsistent they be with the very letter and meaning of the Text V. 1 And I saw an Angel come down from Heaven c. q. d. Whereas I John in my former Vision had seen the Dragon persecuting the Church under the Tyrannical rule of the Heathen Emperors now I saw an a Angel come down from Heaven having power and commission from God to chain up and imprison the Dragon that old Serpent the Devil and to restrain his power for the space of a thousand yeers after Constantines restoring Peace to the Church which Angel did restrain him from his open rage and slaughtering of the Saints as he had done before by the Heathen Emperours and from his prevalent seducing and deceiving of the Nations by his Sorceries and Oracles until the thousand yeers be finisht for then he must be let loose for a a short time for some further exercise of Gods children and the harding of the wicked Vers 4. And now I saw such Glory and Majesty put upon the Faithful in the time that Satan was shut up as that they sate upon Thrones and the power of Judgement was committed to them to manage the affaires of Gods Church and to execute due censures upon offenders And I saw those Faithful and Holy Martyrs which were ready to lay down their lives for the Testimony of Jesus and his Gospel and abhorred the Idolatry of the times these lived and reigned a successively with Christ in a spiritual sanctified and comfortable estate here upon earth all this time of the thousand yeers of Satans restraint In which time some truth remained in the Churches as touching the main points of Christian Doctrine Vers 5. But the rest which lay dead in their sins did not at all recover this spiritual life nor attain to the saving knowledge of the truth nor did they witness against Antichrist This which we now speak off viz. the abandoning of the corruptions of the times and attaining to the saving knowledge of the Truth is the first Resurrection Vers 6. Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in it for on such the second death which is eternal destruction shall have no power But they shall be wholly consecrated to the service of God and his Christ and shall a reign with him here on earth b successively in their several ages for the space of a thousand yeers when they shall rejoyce in God and in the peace of a good conscience whilest the rest of the world lyes in spiritual slavery and misery V. 7. 8. But when these thousand yeers are expired Satan shall be let loose again and suffered to raise great troubles in the Church raising up secret and open enemies to molest it as he did about the yeer 1000. after Christ as the Histories of those times do testifie when Pope Sylvester the 2. arose who gave his soul to the Devil for the Popedom and not long after him succeeded Pope Hildebrand that brand of Hell about the yeer 1070. a alias Pope Gregory the 7. he was notoriously vile a Monster of men a
the enemies of Gods Church which are in all the Regions of the Earth both Scythians Turks and unbelieving Christians and shall gather them to battle against the Church of Christ Here we see the people of God are in a worse condition then they were before now it cannot be imagined that Christ should come down for a thousand yeers amongst us and then leave us in a worse condition then he found us and after the Church had been sinless and sorrowless as Dr. Homes affirms then that it should be again deceived by Satan and besieged by his Instruments who can believe this So that this Text makes much against the Millenarian opinion I shall therefore shut up all with this Argument That Exposition of a Text which contradicts the whole current of Scripture is contrary to all Analogy of Faith to the Scope of the Text to Piety of Life to the comfort of the Saints and to the concurrent Judgment of Gods Church that Exposition is not right But such is the Millenarian Exposition of this Text as will appear in the following Arguments ergo Let us now sum up all and then we shall easily see the folly of these mens arguing from this Mystical Text 1. St. John speaks of the Saints living with Christ ergo 't is a corporal living 2. He speaks of their raigning with Christ ergo 't is a corporal and visible raigning 3. He mentions a Resurrection ergo t is a corporal Resurrection 4. He speaks of the first Resurrection ergo there shall be two bodily Resurrections 5. The Saints shall Reign a thousand yeers on earth ergo it shall be the same numerical Saints and not a succession of Holy men in their several ages Est fallacia consequentis The very repetition of those things is confutation sufficient Against the Doctors Thesis I shall set down this Antithesis THat Christ shall not Reign personally with the Saints or Martyrs here on earth for a thousand yeers neither before the Day of Judgement in the Day of Judgement nor after it If ever there be such a Raigne it must be in one of those times But 't is in neither 1. It cannot be before the Day of Iudgement for these reasons 1. Because the last dayes will be perilous not pleasant dayes a 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 3. they will be full of security sensuality and iniquity insomuch that when Christ comes he shall scarce find any faith on earth Luke 18. 8. Matth. 24. 37 38. wickedness will most abound towards the end of the world 2. If the Church of Christ on earth be a mixt Society consisting of good and bad to the end of the world then it cannot subsist for a thousand yeers only of good men But the Churh of Christ on earth to the end of the world is a mixt society consisting of tares and wheat good and bad a Gog and Magog to molest the Saints to the end of the world Matth. 13. 40. Rev. 20. 7 8. 2. If Christ remain in heaven till the day of judgement then he cannot reign corporally a thousand years on earth before that day But the antecedent is true and therefore the consequent Acts 3. 21. John 14. 3. Whom the heaven must contain till the time that all things be restored i. e. until the time of his coming to judgment when he shall appear again for the full consummation of the glory of his elect and perfect accomplishment of his Kingdom then all shall be repaired which sin hath disordered and the creature be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God Rom. 8. 21. 't is from heaven and not from earth saith our Creed that Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead 3. If Gods Church whilst in this world must look for afflictions tentations persecutions then this imaginary reign without sin or sorrow cannot be expected here But Gods Church whilst on earth must look for afflictions tentations and persecutions here 2 Tim. 3. 12. All Christs disciples must take up their cross daylie though they be righteous yet must they look for many troubles Psal. 34. 19. Acts 14. 22. 4. Christs kingdom is not of this world John 18. 36. And therefore when the Iews would have made him a King he conveighed himself from amongst them John 6. 15. His Kingdom in this world is spiritual not carnal 't is without any worldly pomp neither doth it consist in meat drink or marriage Matth. 22. 30. 1 Cor. 6. 13. Rom. 14. 17. A wo is denounced against those that have their carnal delights and their portion of pleasures here Luke 6. 25. Iames 5. 5. 5. That tenet which is contrary to the judgement of all the Churches of Christ ought to be suspected by us for the judgement and practise of the Churches of God ought to have great weight with us as you may see 1 Cor. 11. 16. 22. and we should fear to offend them 1 Cor. 10. 22. especially by broaching such tenets as are contrary to the analogie of faith as this is true Churches may err but not so soon as a particular person two are better then one and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety Solitary birds are birds of prey Affectation of singularity is the high way to heresie it savours of pride for a particular person to broach new tenets which are directly contrary to the old received Truths of the Churches of Christ 6. Ab absurdo many absurdities follow this fancy I shall produce twelve 1. It derogates much from the honour of Christ for him who is head of his Church and hath all power given to him to come down from heaven the place of happiness where all is in subjection to him to come live in a corner of the earth in the new Ierusalem of the Millenaries inventing 't is a debafing of Christ The wiser sort of Millenaries fore-seeing this folly labour to avoid it by deâ—ying in a sort any personal reigne of Christ on earth yea Dr Homes boggles at it and therefore he comes in with his peradventure Christ will appear to the Saints at the beginning and ending of this thousand years But how doth the Doctor prove this Why Ipse dixit Dr Homes says so Ergo 't is so Christ must come go ascend and descend as Doctor Homes would have him 2. As there is no necessity of such a reigne on Christs part so neither on the Saints part they are Denizens of heaven their birth is from above and thither they aspire the Church ascends out of this wilderness like pillars of smoke Paul though a martyr yet desires to be dissolved and to be with Christ in heaven he knew nothing of this 1000. years reigne on earth Phil. 1 23. and 3. 20. and tells us that he looks for a dwelling in heaven and not on earth 2 Cor. 5. 1. 6. and that when Christ appears they shall appear with him in eternal glory Colos. 3. 4.