by which he shall reigne visibly on earth although he cannot put it into act untill he descend to take the Kingdomâ—s of this world unto himselfe Thus we finde that he had power to lay downe his life and power to take it againe before â—e did eithâ—â— John 10.18 And that all judgement even the judgement of the great day was committed unto him at his first comming John 5.22 And thus it appeares that aâ—l your answers to the consequences by which we have proved our Saviours visible reigne on earth are of no consequence at all ISRAELS REDEMPTION CHAP. II. That Christ shall reigne personally on Earth prov'd by expresse Prophesie ANd thus it hath bin proved by consequence that our Saviour shall hereafter reigne on earth You shall now heare it directly and expressely affirmed Behold saith the Angel to the Virgine Mary thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and being forth a Sonne and shalt call his name Jesus he shall be great and shall be called the Sonne of the Highest and the Lord shall give unto him the u Matth. 2.6 Acts 2.30.31 Throne of his Father David Luke 1.31 Behold saith Jeremiah in chap. 23. ver 5. c. the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch and a King shall †Ch. 33.15.16 reigne and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice x Isa 8 8. Job 19.25 Heb. 1.2 Luke 19.11 12 13 14. c. Acts 3 19.20.21 Revel 11.15 Rom. 4.13 in the * Whatsoever losse the disobedience of the first Adam brought on himselfe and his posterity that no doubt the second Adam hath recovered with advantage for himselfe and his chosen But the first Adam lost not onely his right to heaven but the happy estate too which an innocent life would for a long time have continued to him and his on earth And therefore that intercourse and familiarity with God that rule and command over men and all other creatures which Adam before the advancement of mankinde to it highest happinesse should have here enioyed if he had not fell that and farre more then that shall Christ with his choâ— inherit at his next appearing And now seeing even reason it selfe doth thus strongly conclude for our Saviours future soveraignty what unreasonablenesse were it in us any longer to misdoubt the literall accomplishment of these and all other sacred revelations which so fully describe and 〈◊〉 earely confirme it earth In hiâ— dayes Judab shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse Behold saith Zechariah in chap. 6. ver 12. the man whose name is the Branch and he shall grow up out of his place and he shall build the Temple of the Lord even he shall build the Temple of the Lord and he shall heare the glory and shall sit and rule upon his Throne and he shall be a Priest upon his Throne and the Counsel of peace shall be betweene them both And in Ezek. 34.22 c. I will save my flocke and they shall no more be a prey and I will judge betweene cattell and cattell and I will set up one Shepheard over them and he shall feede them even my Servâ— David he shall feede them and he shall be their Shepheard And I the Lord will be their God and my Servant David a Prince among them I the Lord have spoken it And in chap. 37. ver 24. c. David my Servant shall be King over them and they shall have one Shepheard and they shall also walke in my judgements and observe my Statutes and doe them and they shall dwell in the Land that I have given unto Jacob my Servant wherein your Fathers have dwelt and they shall dwell therein even they and their children for ever and my Servant David shall be their Prince for ever And in Isai 9.6 c. Vnto us a child is borne unto us a Sonne is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his Name shall be called Wonderfull Counseller the mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of peace Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end Vpon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever the zeale of the Lord of Hosts will performe this And in chap. 52. ver 13. c. Behold my Servant shall deale prudently he shall be y Psal 118.22.23 24. c. exalted and extolled and be very high As many were z Luke 2.34 35. astonied at thee his visage to wit at the time of his suffering was so marred more then any man and his forme more then the sonnes of men So to wit at his next appearing shall be sprinkle many Nations the Kings shall shut their mouthes as him for that which had not been told them shall they see and that which they had not heard shall they consider And in Micah 4.6 c. In that day saith the Lord will I assemble her that halteth and I will gather her that is driven out and her that I have afflicted and I will make her that halted a remnant and her that was cast farre a Rom. 11.12.15.32 â—ff a strong Nation and the Lord shall reigne over them in Mount Zion from henceforth even for ever And in Psal 72.6 c. He shall come downe like raine upon the mowne grasse as showers that water the earth In his dayes shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace so long as the Moone endureth He shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth They that dwell in the wildernesse shall how before him and his enemies shall licke the dust The Kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents the Kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts Yeâ— all Kings shall fall b Ps 68.29.31 Isa 45.22.23 downe before him c Psal 22.27 28. Phil. 2.10 Rev. 14.6 7. chap. 15.4 all Nations shall praise him And in Psal 102.13 c. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come for thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof So the heathen shall feare the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the earth thy glory When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appeare in his glory Now that these prophecies concerne the reigne of Christ alone I thinke no man doubts and that they are already fulfilled it cannot be proved Mr. Petrie's Answer These texts may prove something against your fellow Mr. Archer who thinks that Christ after he hath put the Jewes in possessionof their Monarchy shall ascend againe into the heavens and the Jewes in the meane time shall reigne till his third comming But they prove nothing against us who hold that Christ reigneth on
captivity amongst and subjection to other Nations Israel's Redemption The next prophecy shall be that of Joel who mentions the very fignes which our Saviour said should be the immediate fore-runners of the Jewes Redemption And it shall come to passe afterwards saith he in his 2. chap. at the 28 ver that I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophecy your old men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visions and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those dayes will I powre out my spirit and I will shew wonders in the Heavens and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoake the Å¿ Isa 24. v. 23. Mat. 24. v. 29. Rev. 6. v. 12. Sun shall be turned into darkenesse and the Moone into blood before the * Great not onely in regard of the strangenesse and dreadfulnes of events of things then to come to passe but great also in regard of the long continuance and tract of time which God in his revelations hereafter to be fulfild doth by the word Day as well without this epither as with it frequently import great and terrible t Bezk 39.8 Mal. 4.5 sude 6. Rev. 16.14 Day of the Lord come And it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be delivered for in Mount Zion and in Hierusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call And in the 3. chap. at the 1. ver Behold in those daies and in that time when I shall bring againe the captivity of Judah and Hierusalem I will also gather all Nations and will bring them downe into the valley of Jehosaphat which in the 14. verse is called the valley of decision and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the Nations and parted my Land And at the 15. verse againe The Sun and the Moone shall be darkened and the starres shall withdraw their shining the Lord also shall roare out of Zion and utter his voyce from Jerusalem and the u Isa 2.19 c. Ezek. 38.19.20 Hag. 2.22 Mat. 24.29 Rev. 16.18 ch 6.13.14 Heavens and the earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his people and the sirength of the children of Israel Mr. Petrie's Answer The Apastle Peter not onely makes use of these words but expones them and shewes the accomplishment of them in some degree as it is said in the sixth rule before for Act. 2.16 he saith This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Ioel And it shall come to passe in the last daies c. And verse 22. Ye men of Israel heare these words Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by miracles wonders and signes which God did by him in the midst of you as ye your selves know Reply The Apostle repeats but expounds not the Prophets words and consequently shewes not the accomplishment of ought that the Prophet affirms shall be done All that he shewes is this That the thing which then happened to the Apostles was the worke of the same spirit which Joel spake of but he saith not that it was the same worke The same spirit indeed was then powred out but it was not the same powring out of the spirit And for want of distinguishing betwixt the effusion of the same spirit and the same effusion of the spirit you affirme that those things which the Prophet saies the spirit shall doe not long before the Lord's second comming were then done at his first comming And the reason you bring from St. Peters words Act. 2. verse 22. to shew that the prophecy of Joel was then fulfild in part is a very strange one For the Prophet shewes what others shall doe through the extraordinary inspiration of the Spirit before the Day of the Lord comes and the words you have alledg'd doe shew what works Christ himselfe did when he was come Israel's Redemption I am not ignorant that the darkening of the Sun and Moone is sometimes taken allegorically and by way of allusion but that therefore it should be so understood here it doth not follow for where it is figuratively applyed it signifies the judgement it selfâ— which is to befall those people of whom it is spoken but where it is literally used it is put onely for a signe of an eminent destruction which shall suddenly follow it as the great and terrible Day of the Lord shall doe at the accomplishment of this prophecy Mr. Petrie's Answer Where the darkenesse of the Sun and so it may be understood of the Moone is used properly it is not put onely for a signe of an eminent and imminent destruction as it is manifest Luke 23.45 which was a Testimony from Heaven of Christ's innocency for conviction of the murtherers and chap. 21.25 the signes in the Sun and Moone and in the starres and the distresse of Nations upon the earth with perplexity and the roaring of the sea and waves are all to be understood properly as signes before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. So what is promised in the 28. and 29. verses of the second chap. of Joel was truely albeit not altogether fulfilled in the daies of Peter even how-beit the words of the 30. and 31 verses be properly understood and not wholly fulfilltil the time immediately preceding the last comming of Christ Reply That the darkning of the Sun or of the Moone properly taken especially if supernaturall as this here is a signe of an eminent and imminent destruction you confesse but that it is onely so you deny And were this true I have not spoken much out of the way But the instance you bring of the darkning of the Sun at the time of our Saviours passion makes nothing for you For whereas you say it was a testimony from Heaven of Christ's innocency for conviction of the murtherers the historie of the Gospel tels you no such thing and interpreters are against you Sicut enim Deus tenebris involvebat terram Aegyptum sicetiam nunc totam Judaeam in signum iraâ—i Dei et futurae poenae saith Pareus on the 27. chap. of Mat. at the 45. verse that is As God did once bring darknesse on the land of Egypt so likewise did he now on the land of Judea as a signe of his wrath and their ensuing punishment So Chrysostome too It was an undoubted signe of Gods anger for that which they did against him And Origen It was a presage of the future darknesse which should over-spread the whole Jewish Nation To which Dr. Mayer consents and with Origen concludes from the time of the darknesse continuance being three houres that the Jewish Nation should be in darknesse till about the Evening of the world Although then Christ's innocency may well be gathered from it yet for ought I can finde you goe alone in
signes of the extraordinary gift which the Spirit then wrought within them I can hardly thinke that any man but you will say otherwise And by your leave it was the Apostles speaking with other tongues which made the Multitude come together and at which they were confounded as the 4 5 6 7. ver c. doe shew And not the sound of the rushing winde that filled the house where the Apostles were sitting when the appearance of cloven tongues like as of fire came and sate upon each of them For this was past and St Peter speakes not of it but shewes onely that their speaking thus in divers languages was the worke of the same Spirit of which Joel had spoken And your conclusion therefore Peter citeth the words pertinently which I dare say none is so likely to doubt of as your selfe hangs as loosely to your premises as the premises doe to that which I have said Israel's Redemption And secondly because as the Prophet revealed so he repeates the powring out of the Spirit as a contemporary event with the wonders which shall be shewne in the Heavens and in the earth before the great and terrible Day of the Lord come Which Day can no way be referred to the first comming of Christ when he came to save x Luk. 19.56 ch 19.10 Ioh. 12.97 sinners and not to destroy them When he would not take upon him to be a y Luk. 12.14 Ioh. 6.15 Judge and Ruler over them For then too the donation of the Spirit must have been an antecedent of his birth of the time he lived and not a subsequent of his death and departure which hath no analogy with a day It remaines then that it is an expression of his second comming which is called a great and terrible Day in regard of the generall destruction which shall be brought on all Nations that oppose themselves against the Jews at that time For in mount Zion and in Hierusalem as you have heard shall be deliverance and in the Remnant whom the Lord shall call Mr Petrie's Answer 1. Joel saith not that the powring out of the Spirit shall not be til the great and terrible day of the Lord come but he shewes so many things preceding the comming of our Saviour neither may we thinke that all these things shall be fulfilled in the same juncture of time if all be accomplished even in sever all times the prophecy abides true 2. That day or time was terrible for it is written Act. 2.6 the multitude came together and were confounded or troubled in minde because that every man heard them in his owne language and they were all amaâ—ed and marvelled verse 22. a man approved among you by miracles wonders and sigues Whereby it is manisest that even to the sight of these Jews that time of Christ's comming was terrible albeit his second comming shall be more terrible in regard of the generall destruction which shall be on all Nations not for opposing themselves against the Jews as they imagine but for their not acknowledging God and not obeying the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thess 1.8 Reply 1. Now you tell us that Joel saith not that the powring of the Spirit shall not be til the great and terrible Day of the Lord come Neither have we said he doth for had he said so the Spirit could not at that time have been powred on the Apostles But yet Joel saith that that particular powring out of the Spirit of which he speaks is to be a figne of the neere approach of that terrible Day and therefore cannot til that time be accomplisht Although then we thinke not that all the things which Joel speaks of are to be fulfilled in the same juncture or moment of time yer we thinke that they shall be all accomplisht in a very short time But to say that one of these things shall be accomplisht in one age and anotherin the next or some hundreds of yeares after and so of the rest is to make the word of God of none effect For Joel speakes of these things as immediately to ensue if not to contemporate with each other and speaks but of one powring out of the Spirit and that also to be a forerunner of the Day of Christ's second comming and therefore it can be but once fulfilled and that onely in its proper season 2. But you will make good all that you have said by and by For the Day of our Saviou's first comming was terrible you say And that because it is written Act. 2.6 The multitude came together and were confounded because every man heard them speake in his owne language and they were all amazed and marvelled and verse 22. a man approved amongst you by miracles wonders and signes And did this make him terrible what then could make him comfortable If to save sinners to cast out Devils to raise the dead to open the eyes of the blinde the eares of the deafe to loose the tongues of the dumbe the feet of the lame to heale the lunaticke and them that had palsies in a word to cure all diseases did terrify the Jews what could he doe to make his presence delightfull unto them O what a terrible message the Angel came with when he said Behold I bring you tydings of great joy which shall be to all people Luk. 2.10.11 for unto you is borne this day in the City of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord O what a terrible noise was made when a muâ—itude of heavenly Spirits praised God saying Glory to God in the Highest on earth peace ver 13 14. good will towards men O what terrible doings there were when Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their Synagognes and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom Mat. 4.23 and healing all manner of sicknes and all manner of diseases among the people O what a terrible fight it was when so many thousands of hungry soules were fed with five loaves and two fishes These were wonders indeed but all things that are wonderfull c ch 14.23 are not terrible but such onely as are either punishments or signes of punishments otherwise though they cause amazement at the first as surpassing the reach of naturall causes yet being intended for man's good they occasion gladnesse and not feare unlesse it be a pious feare which well consiâ—â—â— with joy in the Holy Ghost For shame then recall this doctrine and thinke not to make any one beleeve that the sicke person will be afraid to heare of his health or the condemned prisoner of his pardon and til you can doe this perswade not your selfe that you can prove our Saviour's presence terrible in the Day of his humiliation wherein he was approved for so many signes miracles and wonders wrought onely to make men lay hold on the meanes of their eternall happines And if the history of these things be so wonderfully pleasant unto us what was the performance to such as
saw them and the benefit of the miracles to such as felt the vertue of them You goe on and say that the time of Christ's second-comming shall be more terrible then his first was And surely the great destroyers of the earth should else have greatest cause to climbe up to the tops of the mountaines to meet him first if such a thing might be as rayling Shimei was the first of al the house of Benjamin that met King David in his returne after Absoloms conspiracy and no need at all to call for the mountains to hide them from his presence But you will not have that day accounted terrible in regard of a generall destruction to be brought on the Nations for opposing the Jews but for their not acknowledging God and not obeying the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as it is in the 2 Thess 1.8 and had you confirmed this by shewing that the Nations should not at that time oppose the Jews you had said the whole truth but seeing you have not and indeed could not doe this for the prophecies following doe shew the contrary you have affirm'd one halfe of the truth to exclude the other halfe of it And therefore you must give us leave not onely to imagine but to beleeve that the foresaid destruction shall be for both that those I say which shall then oppose the Jews shall be the very same which the Apostle here speakes of under another notion and in other termes For though Christians may not yet faith we know shall then be very scarse amongst the Gentiles as our Saviour hath said of them Luk. 18. verse 8. Israel's Redemption And to put it out of doubt that God's bringing downe of the Heathen into the valley of Jehosaphat is meant onely of his gathering them together to a battell and consequently of a judgement on the living and on the dead to put this out of doubt I say the Prophet makes it to be a concomitant of the z Rev 16.12 13.14 Jews returne from their captivity and in the 9 10 11 and 12. ver provokes the Gentiles to prepare warre to assemble their mighty men and to breake their plowshares into swords and their pruning-bookes into speares a preparation which as it would be fruitlesse so doubtlesse they shall neither have time power or will to make when they are summoned to receive the dreadfull Sentence of Goe yeâ—cuâ—sed And for my owne part I am perswaded that this great Army here spoken of is the very same that shall be gathered together to the battell of that great Day of God Almighty by the three uncleane spirits like frogs which St John saw come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet Rev. 16. at the 13. ver Of this a Psal 2.1.2.3 Ps 46.6.8 Psal 68.30 Isa 2.12.13 c. ch 24.21.22 ch 26 20.21 ch 34.1.2.3.4.5 c. ch 40 26. ch 66.14.15.16 Mic. 4.12.13 destruction also speakes Zeph. in his 3 chap. at the 8. ver Therefore waite upon 〈◊〉 saith the Lord untill the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdome to powre upon them mine indignation even all my fierce anger for all the earth shall be devour'd with the fire of my jealousie for then will I turne to the people meaning to the Jews a pure language that they may all â—all upon the Name of the Lord. And at the 19. ver Behold at that time I will undoe all that afflict thee and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and same in every land where they have been put to shamâ— At that time I will bring you againe even in the time that I gather you for I will make you a Name and a praise among all people of the earth when I turne backe your captivity before your eyes saith the Lord. And yet more fully Zech. in his 12 chap. at the 3. verse In that Day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it In that day will I smite every horse with astonishment and his rider with madnes and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah and will smite every horse of the people with blindnesse In that day will I make the Governours of Judab like a hearth b Obad. 15.16.17.18.19.20.21 of fire among the wood and like a torch of fire in a sheafe and they shall devoure all the people round about on the right hand and on the left and Jerusalem shall be inhabited againe in her owne place even in Jerusalem The Lord all shall save the tents of Judah first that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem doe not magnifie themselve against Judah In that Day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that Day shall be a David and the house of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them And in the 14. chap. at the 12. ver This shall be the plague wherewith the Lord shall smite the people that have fought against Jerusalem their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet and their eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongues shall consume away in their mouth and it shall come to passe in that day the a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his c Ezek. 38.21 Hag. 2.23 neighbour and Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem and the d Mich. 4.13 wealth of all the Heathen round about shall be gathered together gold and silver and apparel in great abundance and so shall 〈◊〉 the plague of the horse of the mule of the camel and of the asse and 〈◊〉 all the beasts that shall be in these tents as this plague And in thâ— 38. and 39. chap. of Ezek. the same Army is foretold under tâ—â— names of Gog and Magog Mr Petrie's Answer 1. That these words are not meaned of the temporall Monarchy after Christ's comming it may be learned by the paralleld text where it is saitâ— And for my owne part I am perswaded that this great Army heâ— spoken of is the very same that shall be gathered together to the battle of the great Day of God Almighty by the three unclearâ— spirits like frogs which St. Iohn saw come out of the mouth oâ— the Dragon and out of the mouth of the false Prophet Rev. 1â— 13 If he be perswaded that this is the same battle he might likeâ—â—â—â— be perswaded that the text of Joel 3. is not after the
49.6 And he said It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give thee for a light unto the Gentles that thou maist be my salvation unto the ends of the earth and cha 52.9 Breake forth into joy sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem the Lord hath made bare his holy arme in the eyes of all the Nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God To the same purpose is chap. 60.1.3.19 and chap. 62.1 2.11 where wee see the faithfull are bidden rejoyce at the comming of Christ and so did Simeon when he saw him Christ is called the salvation of the Lord and Simeon speaking unto God saith of Christ my eyes have seene thy salvation the Messiah is called a light unto the Gentiles into all the ends of the earth and Simeon saith which thou hast prepared before the face of all people a light to lighten the Gentiles Christ is called the glory of Sion and Jerusalem and Simeon saith Christ is the glory of thy people Israel And so by the testimony of old Simeon which is approved and registred by the Spirit of God these and the like prophecies should not be restricted unto the second comming but were in part fulfilled at the first comming of Christ and therefore also all that followes in that long-tailed note is a frivolous discourse as we may see by the unanimous consent in the true worship of God betwixt the Jewes and other Nations in the same 15. chapter of the Acts where the Jewes and Gentiles conveene in the generall Synode howbeit the odds continue betwixt the obstinate both Jewes and Gentiles on the one part and the seed of Abraham beleevers both Jewes and Gentiles on the other part both in their opinion and practise of religious duties Reply Whether St. James meant Peter or old Simeon I left it as doubtfull and your maine reason touching the difference twixt Simon and Simeon is of no force to decide the Question Seeing Peter is in his 2. Epist 1. chap. at the 1. ver according to divers readings in the originall call'd both Simon and Simeon as you may see in the editi'on of the New Testament with Stephanus Scaliger's and Casaubons notes printed London 1622. And Casaubon who was as confident that he Apostle meant Peter as you are that he meant old Simeons feared not to say in his note on the 14. ver of this chap. of the Acts that your opinion in this matter is an ancient error grounded on the diversity of writing this Name His words are Simeon hic voca tur qui alibi Simon dicitur quae diversitas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fecit ut magno errore existimarint quidam êveteribus non Petrum hic intelligi sed Simeonem verum errasse eos qui ita senserunt notius est quà m ut longà refutatione opus habeat And doubtlesse if the Apostle had meant old Simeon he would not have said Simeon hath declared how God at first did visit the Gentiles But that God would first visit the Gentiles For Simeon shewed onely that they should be cal'd and not that they were cal'd and therefore the Apostle's words how God at first did visit the Gentiles having relation onely to the actuall performance of it by Peter who had told in what manner God had by him begun to visit them must needs be understood of Peter and not of Simeon who onely prophecied that it shou'd be done And yet if it had been meant of old Simeon it would have made the more with me seeing the word first alone compared with the order of Simeons words a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel had plainly shewed that a substituted part of the Gentiles should be cal'd before the Nationall conversion of the Jewes From this you proceed to shew that Simeon spake by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost which no Christian can doubt of and then repeating the prophecy you say Wee may see that he declares there the fulfilling at that time of the prophecy Isa 49. ver 6. and chap. 52. ver 9. and chap. 60. ver 1.3.19 and chap. 62. ver 1 2.11 How at that time certainly amongst prophecies touching the same thing one may be more plainly delivered then another and so may give some light for the true understanding of the other But to say that one prophecy doth shew the fulfilling of another is a ridiculous untruth seeing it is not the prophecying of the same thing but the actuall performance of it that shews the fulfilling thereof And therefore Simeon who prophecied of the calling of the Gentiles and restoring of the Jews as well as Isaiah could not herein declare the fulfilling at that time of Isaiah's prophecies unlesse you can prove that to foretel what should be done is to declare what was done And thus Simeon's words which you have alledged to prove that Isaiah's prophecies were then fulfilled doe indeed most evidently shew that they were not fulfilled And the reasons which you bring to confirme your doctrine are as meane as the doctrine is maimed For the faithfull say you are bidden to rejoyce at the comming of Christ and so did Simeon when he saw him No doubt but the faithfull that saw Christ when he was come did rejoyce that he was come and so did the faithfull too before Christ's comming and before Isa prophecied rejoyce that he should come for Abraham saith our Saviour saw my day and rejoyced Yea this was a thing ever performed by the Saints from the beginning of the world But yet it is not exprest in the text that Simeon rejoyced neither doth the Prophet in any of these texts which you have cited bid the faithfull rejoyce at the comming of Christ but chap. 52. at the 9. ver he calis to the waste places of Jerusalem to breake forth into joy for the Lord saith he hath comforted his people he hath redeemed Jerusalem Where the Prophet useth the like forme of speech as Zacharias doth in his prophecy Luke 1. ver 68. c. And therefore Zacharias speaking in the preter perfect tense Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people doth no more prove that Israel was then redeemed for which purpose you have before alledged it page 8. then this prophecy of Isaiah doth that it was redeemed when Isaiah prophecied And in confessing that this prophecy of Isaiah which agrees so well both in matter and forme with the first words of Zacharias was not fulfilled before Christ's first comming you doe as good as confesse that it is not to be fulfilled til his next comming For seeing the Prophet cals to the waste places of Ierusasalem to rejoyce and speakes of God's redeeming Jerusalem as well as of comforting his people it is manifest that this prophecy cannot be fulfilled til the city it selfe
or any man else can tell they doe not onely equall but exceed the number of these Jewes And lastly in saying that the union of the two people of the Jewes and Gentiles consists in the union of the Church under the Old and New Testament You doe herein grant first that the Church under the New Testament is the Church of the Gentiles and so not of the Jewes and Gentiles both as it should be if it did proportionably consist of the Jewes and Gentiles And secondly you doe herein grant that the Apostles words Ephes 2. ver 11. c. are meant of this union for you cannot conceive that the union betwixt the two people consists in the union of the Church under the Old and New Testament unlesse you doe conceive withall that the places which speake of their union are so to be understood And thirdly you doe herein contradict the preceding prophecies which you grant to foreshew the same uniting of the two people for these Prophecies doe plainely declare the uniting of the whole Nation of the Jewes with all the Nations of the Gentiles on the earth and not the uniting of Gentiles under the Gospel with Jewes under the Law not the uniting I say of one part of Christs mysticall bodie the Church then in heaven with another part thereof newly cal'd to the Faith on earth Israel's Redemption And besides how the bringing of the Jewes out of all Nations upon horses and in Litters and in Charrets and upon mules and upon mens shoulders can beare any other but a literall sense or how the vaile that is spread over all Nations can now be said to be destroy'd when as so many of them runne a whoring after their owne inventions I cannot conceive Yea Even unto this day saith St. Paul of the Jewes in his time when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart Neverthelesse when it shall returne unto the Lord the vaile shall be taken away 2 Cor. 3. ver 15. and 16. But we see not yet Israel return'd yea we see it fallen into more grosse ignorance and superstition and therefore the vaile is not yet taken away and consequently is not yet destroyed from all Nations Mr. Petrie's Answer Whether he cannot or will not conceive it may be doubted many 1000. have conceived both these he gives no reason of his doubting in the former and the cause of his doubting in the other is naught for albeit the vaile be not taken away from all the Jewes and from all of all the Nations in which sense it shall never be taken away seeing the Church on earth is alwayes a mixt company yet certainly it is taken away from the Jewes and all the Nations to wit so many of them as turne to the Lord which are so many as the Starres in heaven that is innumerable to men For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared unto all men Tit. 2.11 And God who hath commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ so writes a Jew unto the Gentiles 2 Cor. 4.6 Reply The reason of my doubting in the former passage is because neither you nor any other can give a reason sufficient to prove that the bringing of the Jewes for an offering unto the Lord our of all Nations upon horses and in Litters and in Charrets and upon mules and upon swift beasts c. to his mountaine at Jerusalem iâ— not to be taken in a proper sense for the best reason you can shew is as it seemes that many thousands have conceived these words in another sense which is as good a reason to prove that other sense to be the true sense of them as it is to say that Mahomet was no false Prophet because many millions have and doe erroneously conceive him to be a true Prophet And why did you not afford us a sight of that other sense which so many 1000. have taken these words in and of the important reasons that mov'd then so to doe seeing you confesse page 10. that the Scripture is properly to be taken unlesse the proper sense be dissonant from the scope of the text or contrary to the analogie of Faith or honesty of manners neither of which hath been prov'd of the propeâ— sense of these words nor of any of the Prophecies upon which you strive so much to impose a figurative sense And as you haw not brought a reason to remove my doubting in this former passage so you have not prov'd the reason of my doubting in the other to be naught For in saying that albeit the vaile be not taken away from all the Jewes and from all of all the Nations in which sense it shall never be taken away c. yet certainly it is taken away from the Jewes and from all Nations to wit so many of them as â—workâ— to the Lord c. In saying thus you say nothing to the purpose for was it not thus when the Prophet spake these words was not the vaile then taken away from as many of the Jewes and of other Nations as were then turn'd unto the Lord And when St. Paul said Even unto this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart neverthelesse when it shall returne unto the Lord the vaile shall be taken away were there not then more Jewes converted to the Christian Faith then have been ever since and yet the Apostle saith that the vaile was then upon their hearts and speaks of the removing of it from them as of a thing to be done and not then done although those were then converted which God had appointed to be then converted And therefore the Apostles words are to be understood of the removing of the vaile from all the Jewes and not from some onely And the Prophet saith likewise that God will destroy the Covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations which cannot be fulfill'd when onely a part of the vaile is destroy'd as you understand it but shall be when the whole vaile is destroyed And that it shall be wholly destroyed the Prophecie of Isaiah chap. 2. v. 2 3. which shewes that all Nations shall goe up to the mountaine of the Lords house to be taught in his wayes and the same Prophets words ch 11. v. 9. for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea And the Prophecies which shew that all Nations shal goe up to Jerusalem to worship doe with the preceding Prophecie joyntly testifie and therefore this first clause of your parenthesis doth flatly denie what God doth frequently affirme And the Scripture which you have alledg'd is us'd onely as a daring glasse to dazzle the eyes of the heedlesse or unlearned Reader for that of Tit. chap. 2. ver 11. hath relation to the severall ages Sexes and conditions of men as the
the true Throne of David Reply This answer is a double confession of the truth you oppose for first in saying That these texts prove something against Mr. Archer who thinks that Christ after he hath put the Jewes in possessionof their Monarchy shall ascend againe into the heavens you plainely acknowledge that they prove his abode amongst them to governe their restored Kingdome And consequently that you your selfe are in an errour in denying the restauration of their Kingdome as well as Mr. Archer was in denying Christs personall and immediate government of it And secondly in saying That they prove nothing against you who hold that Christ reigneth on the true Throne of David You acknowledge likewise that these prophecies doe prove that our Saviour was to reigne on the true Throne of David and consequently that seeing he hath not yet he shall hereafter reigne over the whole Nation of the Jewes in their owne d Ier. 33.15 16 17. land The Throne of Israel on which David reigned being the true Throne of David and no other But to say that Christ now reigneth on the true Throne of David is to affirme that he is now reigning over the Jewes in the Land of Judea and what can be further from truth then this Israel's Redemption For neither did Christ at his first comming sit on Davids Throne nor any other of Davids linage or of that Tribe or of the other Tribes For the Scepter was then departed from Judah and a Law giver from between his feete Mr. Petrie's Answer He fits on the right hand of the Throne of Majesty in heaven Heb. 8.1 which was typified by the Throne of David Reply You told us even now That Christ reigneth on the true Throne of David And you tell us here That he sits on the right hand of the Throne of Maj sty in heaven which was typified by the Throne of David And doth he reigne then on both these Thrones at once on the true Throne of David the type and on the Throne of God the antitype too But I pray what scripture doth teach you to call the Throne of David a type of the Throne of God Surely if this were so Christ must needes have reigned on the Throne of his Father David before he could have been exalted to the right hand of the Throne of Majesty on high Because the possession of the typicall Throne must needes proceede the possession of the typified Throne This therefore is an unwarrantable conceit and we know that these prophecies speake onely of his reigning on the Throne of his Father David and not of his reigning on the Tarone of God And if by the Throne of David which is promised to Christ is meant the Throne of God what then is meant by the Throne of the House of Israel which is promised to him Jer. 33.17 Is not this all one with the Throne of David if it be then by the Throne of David cannot be meant the Throne oâ— God unlesse you will say that by the Throne of Israel the Throne of God is meant also And if the Throne of Israel be not meant of the Throne of David then tell us what it is and why you take it to be all one with the Throne of David pag 26. where you alledge this text of Jeremiah to shew that the promises of the Priesthood and of the Kingdome are conjoyned and mixed after the same straine And tell us too what is meant by the Kingdome of David upon which Christs government is said to be as well as upon the Throne of David Isai 9.7 And besides what reason can you alledge wherefore we should not as well take that part of these prophecies in a proper sense which speakes of our Saviours reigning on the Throne of David as that part which speakes of his being borne of the seede of David the one being revealed unto us in as plaine termes as the other Israel's Redemption Neither were Judah and Israel then in the Land together Mr. Petrie's Answer There is neither Jew nor Greeke neither bond nor free neither male nor female but we are allone in Christ Jesus and if ye be Christs then are ye Abrahams seed and heires according to the promise Gal. 3.28 Reply In the 23 chap. of Jer. we reade this prophecy Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch and a King shall reigne and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice on the earth In his dayes Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be saved The Lord our righteousnesse In which words there are these particulars foretold first that Christ should be borne of the seede of David I will raise unto David a righteous Branch Secondly that he should reigne And a King shall reigne and prosper Thirdly how he should reigne to wit civilly as other Kings which is set forth first by the quality of his administration And shall execute judgement and justice Secondly by the place where he should doe it On the earth Thirdly by the people amongst whom the Jewes the Tribes of Judah and Israel And fourthly by the time when to wit when the Jewes should be redeemed out of captivity and setâ—ed in their land When Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely Now of all these particulars there is but one already accomplisht which is that touching our Saviours incarâ—ation and the rest remaine to be fulfilled at his next appearing Amongst which I have alledged onely the last to prove that our Saviours reigning here foreshewed was not fulfilled at his first appearing to wit because Israel was not then in the land with Indah To which you give no other answer but this There is neither Jew nor Greeke neither bond nor free nor male nor female but we are all one in Christ Jesus and if we be Christs then are we Abrahams seed and heires according to the promise And what then doth this make the prophecies of God of none effect may the reader conclude from hence Therefore Iudah and Israel shall not dwell safely in the land together nor Christ be sent to reigne over them on the Throne of David Surely he may as well conclude Therefore amongst Christians there are no men nor women no masters nor servants no Iewes nor Gentiles But the Apostles words will countenance no such contradictory inferences for his meaning is That grace doth conjoyne and assimulate those whom naturall and civill respects doe difference and div de For they that have put on Christ are not distinguisht in him he saith as they are in the world by nation sexe and condition but they are all one They are one in denomination and title being all Christians they are one in ranke and society being all of one mysticall body they are one people being all Abrahams seed and they have one inheritance being fellow-heires according to the promise And what though the beleeving Gentile be
one in Christ with the beleeving Iew was he not so before Christs incarnation as well as since was he not Abrahams seed before as well as since was he not heire according to the promise before as well as since What hinders then but that the Iewes may notwithstanding this spirituall union and fellowship with the beleeving Gentiles be as heretofore so at their generall conversion againe advanced above all other Nations by many not onely outward favours and priviledges but by a greater measure of inward gifts and abilities also Israel's Redemption Neither was the Temple then destroyed but afterwards and therefore the things here spoken of are all to be accomplished at his second comming and that not in heaven but on earth On earth I say and in e Isai 33.20 chap. 50. ver 1 2 3.9 10. Jerusalem where f Psal 122 5. Davids Throne was For his feete shall stand in that day towit when he comes or if God himselfe be here by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 figuratively described when he brings him to receive his appointed Kingdome on the Mount of Olives which is before Ierusalem on the East from which Mount our Saviour ascended and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the East and toward the West and there shall be a very great valley and halfe the mountaine shall remove toward the North and halfe of it toward the South And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountaines for the valley of the mountaines shall reach unto Azal yea ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the Earthquake in the dayes of Uzziah King of Judah And the Lord my God shall come and all the g Iu dc ver 14 15. Rev. 19.11 12 13 14 15 16. Saints with theâ— And it shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be cleare nor darke but it shall be one day which shall be knowne to the Lord not day nor night but it shall come to passe that at evening time it shall be light And it shall be in that day that h Psal 46.4 Eze. 47.1 c. Incl 3.8 living waters shall goe out from Jerusalem halfe of them toward the former sea and halfe of them toward the hinder sea In Summer and in Winter shall it be and the Lord shall be King over all the earth In that day shall there be one Lord and his Name one All the Land shall be turned as a plaine from Gebâ— to Rimmon South of Ierusalem and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place from Benjamins gate unto the place of the first gate unto the corner gate and from the Tower of Hananiel unto the Kings wine-presses And men shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but Ierusalem shall be safely inhabited Zech. 14.4 c. Mr. Petrie's Answer Christ said Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it up againe Tâ—en said the Iewes Forty and sixe yeares was this Temple in building and wilt thou reare it up againe in three dayes but he spake of the Temple of his body saith the Evangelist Iohn 2.19 So the true Temple is Christs body which the Iewes destroyed and be raised it up againe and in this sense the Disciples did beleeve the Scriptures after the resurrection of Christ ver 22. And therefore the things spoken in these Scriptures are accomplished at his first comming not onely in heaven but on earth according to the different portions thereof In heaven and on earth I say and in true Ierusalem and on the true Throne of David for his feete stood in that day to wit when he went to receive the fuller accomplishment of his Kingdome on the Mount of Olives which is by Ierusalem on the East from which also he ascended and the Mount of Oliver hath been eloven in the midst thereof toward the East and toward the Wâ—st when not onely the members of the Church but all the world was shaken at the powerfull preaching of the Gospell even more gloriously then at the giving of the Law Heb. 12.26 So that nothing could hinder the course thereof And the Iewes have fled to that valley of the mountaines when they did imbrace the Gospell which is low in worldly mens esteeme and of high esteeme before God Aâ—d the valley of the mountaines hath reached unto Azal For the preaching of the Gospell hath been an excellent stone marke shewing the righ way as it is exponed 1 Sam. 20.19 on the mâ—rgine of the late translation to the Kingdome of heaven Yea they have fled like as they did flee from before the earth quake in the dayes of Vzziâ—h King of Iâ—dah to wit they have been astonishâ—d at the wonderfulnesse of Gods workes And the Lord hath come And so forth as it followes in Zach. 14. where he showes the perpetuall light of the glorious Gospell ver 6 7. and the continuall flowing of the wholesome waters in the Kingdome of Christ ver 9 8. and the removing of all impediments for the security of the elects conversion and salvation You see here that our Saviour câ—me not onely to conquer death which is the last enemy that he shall destroy and therefore not to be dâ—stroyed till the last resurrection but also to take the Kingdomes of the world unto himselfe and hath made them all acknowledge his authority and hath put downe all contrary power and authority for all Nations have praised Christ and given laud unto him Rom. 14.9 10.11 That there is one shepheard and one sheepfold that the Dominions Kingdomes and greatnesse of the Kingdomes under the whole Heaven have been possessed by the People and Saints of the most High that is as the Gospell hath expaned it by the faithfull Israel Rom. 14.12 bowbeit all hath not been possessed at the same period of time Reply Was everscripture more apparently wrested more impertinently alledged Behold saith Zechariah theman whose name is the Branch and he shall grow up out of his place and he shall build the Temple of the Lord even he shall build the Temple of the Lord c. chap. 6. ver 12. This is the prâ—pâ—ecy and your interpretation this Christ said Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it up againe c. John 2.19 An intergreâ—ation doubtlesse as wide from the sense of the Prophet as the Iewes apprehension was from the meaning of our Saviours words For shew us where the Temple of the Lord is in all the old Testament which was then all the scripture taken in any other sense then for the house of Gods worship at Ierusalem Or the building of the Temple of the Lord in any other sense then for the building of that Temple Yea looke but into the 14 and 15 verses immediately following and it is unquestionable that the same words are there taken for the Temple of the Lord in Ierusalem And besides seeing the Prophets shew so plainely that our
which we have brought and can bring for it And therefore we both have and can prove by scripture even expresse scripture that the restored Ierusalem shall be the place of Christs Throne although it be beyond our power to make you acknowledge that we can and have proved it it being the peculiar act of the Spirit of God to doe this of that Spirit I say whose apparent testimonies you so presumptuously resist and so lightly esteeme ISRAELS REDEMPTION CHAP. III. That the Kingdome of Israel and the thousand yeares reigne of the Saints shall concurre ANd thus even one prophecy of Zech. doth clearely unfold all that we a verre touching our present subject to wit That our Saviour shall reigne on earth and in Jerusalem For as it tels us That the Lord shall be King over all the earth that in that day there shall be one Lord and his name one So it saith too that at the very instant of our Saviours descending All the Land shall by an earthquake be turned as a plaine from Geba to Rimmon fouth of Jerusalem and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place from Benjamins gate unto the place of the first gate unto the corner gate and from the tower of Hananiel unto the Kings wine-presses c. Moreover another notable content of this prophecy is That when our Saviour comes to reigne over all the earth he comes not alone but brings all the Saints with him Mr. Petrie's Answer We see neither that be shall come to reigne after that manner over all the earth neither that he shall bring all his Saints with him and for this last point be alledges no text of scripture but will have it to be taken on his bare word which we refuse to doe We reade that when be shall come to judge be shall bring all the holy Angels with him Matth. 25.31 and all Nations shall be gathered before him and that be shall send his Angels to gather the elect from the foure winds but that they shall come with him into an earthly Monarchy we finde no where And neverthelesse as if it were unquestionable he addeth Reply Unlesse you had made a covenant with your tongue to deny every thing that we prove you could not have said That we alledge no text of scripture which shewes that Christ shall bring all the Saints with him For what is the meaning of these words Zech. 14.5 And the Lord my God shall come and all the Saints with thâ—â— Or what meanes Saint Paul when he saith 1 Cor. 15.23 Afterward they that are Christs at his comming doth he not meane that all the Saints departed shall then rise and can they rise in their bodies at Christs comming and yet not come then from heaven to be reunited to their bodies These texts we have alledged in expresse termes and do you take them for canonicall or apocrypha if for canonicall then surely your foresaid report of us is apocrypha And yet this is not all that we have to say touching this point for as you read Matth. 25.31 That Christ shall bring all the holy Angels with him so you may read too in 1 Thes 3.13 these words At the comming of our Lord Jesus with all the Saints And chap. 4.14 Them also that sleepe in Jesus will God bring with him And Jude ver 14. out of the prophecy of Enoch Behold the Lord commeth with ten thousands of his Saints And therefore that Christ shall bring all the Saints with him is not our bare word but the plaine word of God And so it is too that they shall come to reigne with him on earth as we have already proved and the texts following doe further declare And besides how can you choose but beleeve that Christ shall bring all the Saints with him though there were no expresse scripture for it seeing you beleeve that all the dead shall rise at the same time surely you must either deny this or grant that Israel's Redemption Which words as they doe establish the literall sense of the r Luke 14.14 ch 20.35 36. IOh. 6.39.40.44 54. Phil. 3.11 1 Thess 3.13 ch 4.14 c. Ezek. 37.12.13 first resurrection mentioned in the 20 chap. of Rev. So they make the Kingdome of israel and the 1000 yeares reigne of the Saints there spoken of to synchronize and meete together for why shall the Saints come with him but because they have a share in his Kingdome and are to be his assistants in it as he told the Disciples Luke 22.28 Mr. Petrie's Answer The first resurrection of bodies imports a second resurrection and so either these who rise shall dye againe and rise againe at the second resurrection or they who shall rise at the first shall not dye at all and others shall rise againe at the second resurrection This Authour makes it no where manifest which of these two he holdeth and Mr. Archer boldeth the first opinion but neither of them hath any warrant from Scripture and the testimonies that are cited here on the margine shew that there shall not be such a resurrection of the righteons for it is said Luke 20.35 They who shall be accounted worthy to obtaine that world and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage neither can they dye any more for they are equall unto the Angels being the children of the resurrection If they can dye no more and be equall unto the Angels then they shall not rise at a second resurrection neither shall they live an earthly life which in the best degree is inferiour unto the life of the Angels John 6.39 This is the Fathers will that of all that he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day and ver 44. No man can come unto me except the Father who hath sent me draw him and I will raise him at the last day If the last day be the day of the gener all judgement as certainely it is even sepponing the temporall Monarchy for a 1000 yeares and the elect shall not be raised till the last day as these words imply then there shall not be a first and second resurâ—ection unlesse the second resurrection be after the list day and consequently there not being a resurrection of the children of God till the last day the first resurrection mentioned Rev. 20. cannot be understood of the bodies but rather a rising from siane whereof mention is made Ephes 5.14 and Col. 3.1 He cites Isa Phil. 3.11 It by any meanes I might attaine unto the resurrection of the dead These words name the dead generally an make nothing for a first and second resurrection but ver 20. it is said Our conversation or freedome is in heaven whence also we look for the Saviour who shall change our vile body that it may be like unto his glorious bodâ— If the freedome POLITEVMâ— of the godly the in heaven then they expect not a Mona chy on earth and
understood as if Christ had said My Kingdome is not from beneath but from above I am not to be made a King by the power of mortall men but by the power of the immortall God onely So that in his former words My Kingdome is not of this world the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of doth not indeed intimate any difference in time or condition betwixt our Saviours Kingdome and other Kingdomes but in the cause and authour of them which sense it carries in our Saviours word Marth 21.25 The baptismeâ—o John whence was it from heaven or of men and in the saying of Sâ—int John 1 Epist chap. 2. ver 16 For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world And thus My Kingdom is not of this world is no more but my Kingdome is not of men if my Kingdome were of men then would my Servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews but now is not my Kingdom from hence from the men of this world 2 You tell us next That if Christ had said that in the time of his Kingdome the Kingdome of the Romanes should be no Kingdome they might have had more pretext for condemning him But surely Christ had no need to answer to that which was not askt neither did the Romanes but the Jewes desire his death And yet as before he spake openly to the world so now he spake plainely to Pilates demand too for when Pilate said unto him Art thou a King then he answered Thou sayest that I am c. Which forme of answering was taken for an affirming of that which was askt And therefore where Saint Matthew writes Jesus said unto him Thou hast said chap. 26. ver 64. Saint Marke hath And Jesus said I am chap. 14. ver 62. And doubtlesse Pilate by this answer tooke him for such a King to whom the Throne of Israel did belong and yet he made it not a pretext to condemne him but sought to deliver him And it is false also to imagine that the Kingdomes of this world shall not be taken out of the hands of their severall Governours of their mortall Kings when they shall become the Kingdomes of Christ himselfe when they shall be governed by him and the glorified Saints that shall come with him Israel's Redemption And to all such places that mention only the dissolution of the elements and the last judgement I answer that these are but a part of those things which shall be done by Christ at his next appearing and that as other scriptures shew oneâ— that he must reigne on earth and what shall be done at the beginning of his reigne so these shew onely what shall be left undonâ— till the close of his Kingdome when he shall deliver it up to God even the Father Mr. Petrie's Answer This shift will not serve their turne for the scriptures teach us That at Christs comming shall be the end and he shall deliver up his Kingdom 1 Cor. 15.23 24. c. I forbear to write any more of Mr. Petrie's objections here because I shall repeat them all in my reply Reply You alledged even now such scripture against our Saviours reigning after his comming as doth infallibly prove it to be then and not before to wit that text Matth. 16.28 which shewes that the Sonne of mans comming in his Kingdome is when he comes in the glory of the Father with his Angels as by comparing it with the former verse it is evident And yet here you call it a shift to say that some of the prophecies which concerne the Day of our Saviours appearing are to be accomplished at the time of his comming and some in the time of his abode on earth some at the close of his Kingdom And to countenance your censure you heape up these objections following against us First you say That the Scriptures teach us Object 1 that at Christs comming shall be the end and he shall deliver up his Kingdom 1 Cor. 15.23 24. But that Text shewes onely Sol. 1 that the Saints shall rise at Christs comming and not that the end shall be then For it saith That the end shall be when after his comming he hath reigned till God hath put all his enemies under his feete which will be fully accomplisht when death the last enemy is fully destroyed at the last resurrection as we have shewed before Secondly you say Object 2 That Christ shall come in a time when men looke not for him and all shall rise again both godly ungodly and then is the shutting of heaven as the parable of the ten Virgins teacheth Matth. 25. But there is no mention of the rising of the godly and ungodly together but of the gathering of all Nations before Christ Sol. 2 and the separating of them into two companies whereof one company the elect shall be received into life eternall and the other company the reprobate shall be sent away into everlasting punishment which separation we say shall be made at the close of our Saviours reigne at the last refurrection when he is to give up his Kingdome to the Father For we read Matth. 24.30 31. of the gathering of none but the elect at his comming to take possession of his Kingdome And as for the day and houre of his comming we know that it is unknowne to any but it will not follow from hence that he shall not reigne after his comming And the parable of the ten Virgins doth shew onely That those which at our Saviours comming are thought to be faithfull Christians and are indeed but hypocrites shall not be partakers of his Kingdome Hypocrites being of all others most odious to our Lord and his Christ Thirdly you say That where Christ is Object 3 the faithfull then shall be with him John 14.3 And so say we for they shall be with him in his reigne on earth Sol. 3 Fourthly you say Object 4 That the heavens must containe him till the time of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his Prophets since the world began But the Prophets have foretold the last judgement and that he shall convince all the ungodly Jude ver 14 15. Therefore he shall not returne till that time And that is most plaine Psal 110.1 Sit at my right hand till I make thy enemies thy footestoole That sitting at Gods right hand is his reigning and it is not said His enemies shall be subdued and then he shall reigne but he shall reigne till then so that be reigneth conquering and he conquereth reigning Surely we doe not say that Christ shall reigne on earth before he returne to the earth againe Sol. 4 but when he doth returne we say that then he shall exercise a civill judgement over all in the time of his reigne and that he shall execute an extraordinary temporall judgement on all the
CHRISTS Personall Reigne on Earth One Thousand Yeares with his SAINTS The Manner Beginning and Continuation of his Reigne clearly proved by many plain Texts of Scripture and the chiefe Objections against it fully answered Explaining the 20 of the Revelations and all other Scripture-Prophesies that treat of it By Robert Maton Preacher of the Word Containing a full reply to Mr. Alexander Petrie a Scotch Minister who wrote against his Booke called Jsraels Redemption Divided into two Parts The first concernes the Jewes Conversion to the Faith and Restoration into a visible Kingdom in Judea and the second our Saviours visible Reigne over them and all other Nations at his next appearing Joel 3.2 In the Valley of Jehoshaphat c. pointing out the very place Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them LONDON Printed and are to be sold by John Hancock in Popes-Head-Alley 1652. ISAIAH 49. v. 13. c. SIng O Heaven and be joyfull O earth and breake forth into singing O mountaines for God hath comforted his people and will have mercy upon his afflicted But Sion said The Lord hath forsaken mee and my Lord hath forgotten me Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Sonne of her wombe yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palmes of my hands thy walls are continually before me Thy children shall make haste thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall goe forth of thee Lift up thine eyes round about and behold all these gather themselves together and come to thee as I live saith the Lord thou shalt surely cloth thee with them all as with an ornament and bind them on thee sa a Bride doth For thy waste and thy desolate places and the Land of thy destruction shall even now be too narrow by reason of the Inhabitants and they that swallowed thee up shall be farre away The children which thou shalt have after thou hast lost the other shall say againe in thine eares The place is too straight for mee give place to me that I may dwell Then shalt thou say in thine heart Who hath begotten me these seeing I have lost my children and am desolate a captive and removing to and fro and who hath brought up these Behold I was left alone these where had they been c. ROM 11. VER 28. c. As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sake but as touching the election they are beloved for the Fathers sake For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance For as ye in times past have not believed God yet have now obtained mercy through their unbeliefe Even so have these also now not believed that through your mercy they also may obtaine mercy For God hath concluded them all in unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all TO THE READER Courteous Reader THere are two main obstacles which debarre men from the apprehension of Gods word the one a strange language the other a strange interpretation The first is proper to Papists the other is common to Protestants and Papists and is indeed the more dangerous seeing an unknowne tongue doth onely bide the truth from the unlearned and so may somewhat easily be avoyded but a false interpretation doth equally deprive both the wise and the simple of it and so causeth the blind to leade the blinde For whatsoever text of Scripture is expounded any otherwise then God meant by it it is according to its interpretation the word of man and not of God and consequently in adhering to such interpretations we believe not what God saith but what man doth make him say Now of Scriptures that are misunderstood some are so difficult that it is not possible to give a peremptory interpretation of them of which sort are some passages in Daniel in the Revelation and here and there in other parts of the Scripture and in these we should either confesse our ignorance or deliver our thoughts as evidences only of our desire to attaine to the perfect knowledge of Gods word Others againe are so plaine that every common and ordinary understanding if left to it selfe cannot choose but take them in their true sense and not in that which is thrust upon them by a false glosse And of these some have been a long time controverted and others have as long past unsuspected amongst which are the many Prophecies which God hath reveal'd touching the future restauration of the Jewes and the personall reigne of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth And surely whatsoever was the ground of the misinterpretation of these Prophecies at the first whether an hatred of the Jewes whom alone in their proper sense they doe concerne or some sinister and selfe-respects whatsoever I say was the ground of it at the first the continuance of it hath been occasioned by the inconsiderancie of the ungrounded application of the words Jew and Israelite indifferently to the Jewes and Gentiles and of the words Israel Sion and Jerusalem to the Church of the Gentiles when as there is not one text in all the Scripture wherein a Gentile is cal'd a Jew or an Israelite or wherein the Church of the Gentiles is cal'd Israel Sion or Jerusalem Those texts Rom. 2. ver 28. and 29. and chap. 9. ver 6. and 7. are both by Piscator and Pareus understood of the Jewes only And these words Gal. 6. ver 16. upon the Israel of God are both by the ordinary and interlineary glosses understood likewise of the Jewes onely so that it is as if the Apostle had said And as many as walke according to this rule peace be on those Gentiles and mercy and peace and mercy on those Jewes And surely if that text be not thus distinctly understood of the faithfull Jewes and Gentiles there will either be a tautologie in the words or else the last words must be understood of the Israel in blindnesse to whom the Apostle doth here also wish mercy according to that which he saith of them Rom. 10. ver 1. That his hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel was that they might be saved And that the Tribes of the children of Israel Rev. 7. ver 4. are properly to be understood Ribera and others acknowledge and Pareus though he enclines to an allegorical interpretation of them in his commentaries on the Revelation yet in his explication of the 18. doubt of the 11. chap. to the Rom. he thus resolutely determines against it Quod Oraculum ad literam de conversione Judaeorum planè intelligendum videtur quoniam Israelitae signati in frontibus ibi disertè discernuntur a signatis gentibus populis linguis reliquis ver 9. Which Prophecie saith he doth plainely seeme to be understood of the conversion of the Jewes according to the letter because the sealed Iewes are expressely distinguisht from
they were not to reigne on Earth because 't is said in these texts that they beleeved the remission of their sinnes and the salvation of their soules after their departure Certainly wee are taught otherwise Verily I say unto you that yee which have followed mee in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit on the Throne of his glory ye also shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel said our Saviour to his Disciples Matth. 19. ver 28. In which words there is their reigne Ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel And the time of their reigne said to be first in the regeneration that is in the time when the sinnes of the Jewes shall be blotted out in the time when Christ shall come and turne away ungodlinesse from Jacob as St. Paul writes Rom. 11. ver 26. and secondly which is coincident with this when the Sonne of man shall sit on the Throne of his glory That is when Christ himselfe shall come to reigne when at the last Trumpet the Kingdomes of this world shall become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ This is the Masters voyce and the voyce of his servants is like unto it If we suffer we shall also reigne with him saith St. Paul 2 Tim. 2. v. 12. and chapter 4. ver 8. Henceforth there is layd up for mee a Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to mee onely but to them also that love his appearing And Rev. 5. ver 10. Thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne on Earth saith St. John Now the first of these texts shewes that the Saints shall be Kings the second when they shall be Kings to wit at Christs appearing when they shall receive their Crownes And the third besides this shewes where they shall be Kings to wit on Earth I say besides this for it shewes expressely also that they shall be Kings and infallibly too when they shall be Kings seeing it is said and we shall reigne on earth Which propheticall words doe signifie unto us a reign that the Saints should enjoy on Earth and not a reigne that they did then enjoy and consequently a reigne to follow their resurrection and not to goe before it And when the Apostle Hâ—b 11. ver 14.15.16 doth alledge this as a reason to shew that the Patriarchs did desire an Heavenly Countrey to wit because they did not returne to the Countrey from whence they came out which they might have done if they would what Countrey is this heavenly Countrey so likely to be as the Land of Canaan which they did expect to possesse when they and it should be restor'd to an heavenly condition for doubtlesse had Heaven it selfe been meant by the heavenly Countrey which the Apostle here speaks of they might as well have obtain'd the joyes of Heaven in their owne Countrey where their predecessors had obtain'd them if they had returned thither as they could in that where they lived as Pilgrims But seeing Christ was promised to be their seed and the Land of Canaan to them and their seed for a peculiar possession they could not leave that Land and returne to their Countrey with any confidence to be made partakers of the blessings which God had promised to bestow on them and their seed in Canaan onely and for the expectation of the accomplishment of which promise he had cald them out of their owne Countrey to live as strangers in that I say they could not returne to their countrey salvâ fide with a firme and stedfast faith in the promises made and to be fulfilled unto them in the land whither God had cal'd them although otherwise they had opportunity to have done it although they had no outward and worldly hinderance and inconvenience to keepe them from returning So that the Apostle doth here set forth unto us the faith of all the Patriarchs as he did before the faith of Abraham onely verse 8.9.10 to wit in this because through the hope they had that they should after receive that place for an inheritance they chose rather to live as strangers in it at that time when they were liable to the injuries and hostility of the Canaanites then to returne to their owne Countrey where with their kindred and acquaintance they might have lived in more outward security and contentment And it is observeable that the Apostle calls not this their desire an earthly hope as you terme the Saints hope to raigne on earth but an Heavenly hope a desire of an Heavenly countrey And well might he call that land an Heavenly countrey which as Ezekiel foreshews chap 36. verse 35. shall become like the garden of Eden and in which the glorified Saints and Christ himself on whom the Angels shall visibly ascend and descend shal be inhabitants And well might he call Jerusalem also in relation to the time in which it is to be restored under Christ a * This I conceive to be the meaning of these words although in my note page 47. I have referred it to the new Jerusalem the City not made with hands For I see not why Abraham sojourning in the Land of Promise should be a more forcible Argument of his looking for Heaven then if he had remained in his owne Countrey City whose builder and maker is God verse 10. because as it shal be rebuilt by Christ so it shal be built according to the figure and platforme which God himself hath described by Ezekiel And this may suffice here to shew how perversly you call this hope of the Saints an eartly hope and how frivolously you seeke to destroy this hope by such texts as mention their beleif of the forgivenesse of their sins and of our Saviours suffering for sin and their desire to depart out of this world and their dying in the faith as if this were all the happinesse of the Saints that is revealed unto us in the Scriptures whereas this is to precede their resurrection and their resurrection to precede their raigne and their raigne to precede their highest glory in the new Jerusalem And besides this you give the Reader notice how apt you are to wrest the Scriptures by the plaine conversion which you have made of the text Acts. 15. verse 11. for you apply it to the Jewes under the Law saying they beleeved that through the grace of our lord Jesus Christ they should be saved even as we when as St. Peter saith Wee beleeve that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shal be saved even as they and so shews the Jewes under the Gospell that they should as well be saved by faith in Christ without the ceremonies of the Law as their Fathers had been by this faith under the ceremonies of the Law and the text Psal 34. verse 22. which you apply to the redemption of the faithfull from
etternall torments by the death of the Messias is meant of Gods delivering of them out of temporal calamities and afflictions as the foregoing verses doe plainely shew And lastly your argument touching old Simeon that he craved no longer life to raigne with Christ on earth doth make as much against his beliefe of Christs spirituall as his personall raigne and against his beliefe of Christs suffering as against either of these and surely though he prayed to depart because it was revealed unto him that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord Christ yet the testimony he gave of Christ that he should be the glory of his people Israel which doth as well intimate the generall conversion of the Jewes and Christs raigning amongst them as his being a light to lighten the Gentiles doth imply the conversion of the Gentiles this testimony I say doth shew that Simeon did hope to live againe to raigne with Christ although he did then desire to depart having seen him And to this hope of the Saints as well as to the hope of the glory which shall follow their reigne St. Paul alludes when he saith that others of the faithfull Jewes were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection Preface Fourthly And neverthelesse many Iewes sought righteousnesse by the workes of the Law and not by faith Rom. 9.32 and they look'd upon the promises with a bedily eye onely as if the Messias were to erect an earthly Monarchy at Ierusalem And looking thorow these spectacles they could not think that Jesus Christ is the Messias and so they stumbled at his worldly basenesse and being miscaried in their braines they could not see his spiritual power and benefits After their miserable example others acknowledging Jesus Christ to be the promised Messias and not considering the difference of the promises have not attained feely unto the truth of them and so have erred in mistaking his natures and benefits Thus Ebion thought him to be a man and not God as if all the promises could have been performed by a man endowed with singular grace Cerinthus likewise held that Christ is onely a man and because he saw him not sitting on the throne of David he held that Christ is not risen from the dead as yet but shall rise and reigne in Jerusalem a thousand yeares and all his Subjects shal be satisfied with all manner of pleasures in meate drinke marriage festival dayes and offer oblations and sacrifices Euseb lib. 3. chap. 25. Answer That the Jewes were in an error which sought righteousnesse by the workes of the Law we willingly acknowledge but that they did erre in taking the promises touching Christs Kingdom and their owne deliverance in a proper sense wee cannot think For wee know that the multitude would have made Christ a King Joh. 6. verse 15. and that Nathaniel that righteous Jsraelite said unto our Saviour Rabbi thou art the sonne of God thou art the of King Israel Job 1 verse 49. and it were too in jurious to our Saviours innocency who came into the world to beare witnesse unto the truth Job 18. verse 37. to imagine that he would not upon these occasions have shewed them that they were mistaken in his Kingdom if he waâ— never to be such a King as the Jewes thought he should be and would then have made him had he not avoided it by hiding himselfe from them And indeed by the parable Luke 19. touching the Noble-mans going into a farre countrey to receive for himself a Kingdom and returne which he put forth of purpose because the Jewes did looke for the immediate appearing of his Kingdom by that parable I say he did as good as tell them that they did rightly conceive of the nature of his Kingdom but not of the time when it should appeare that they truely thought he should raigne visibly over them on earth though they were deceived in expecting the accomplishment of it then at his first coming For what was the Kingdom of God which the Jewes thought shuld immediately appeare was it the glory that shall follow the Judgment of the dead doubtlesse they thought not that the Judgment of the dead should immediately ensue Or was it the meanes of salvation that they lookt for doubtlesse then they knew that they had long injoyed this even as their peculiar The Kingdom of God then which they so earnestly and so soone expected must needs be the Kingdom which God had foretold that Christ should govern personally on earth when he should be set by him on the Throne of his Father David For indeed Christ can bring with him no other Kingdom for himself that is no other Kingdom to govern as man but this from that farre countrey whither he is gone to receive for himself a Kingdom and to returne And therefore t was not their looking through these spectacles as you phrase the proper exposition of the prophecies that made them to deny that Jesus was the Christ but rather stumbling at his meane condition onely they did to him what Gods hand and Counsell had determined before to be done And as the Jewes were no example of misbeliefe in looking for their deliverance from captivity and for our Saviours personall raigne amongst them so doubtlesse the proper acception of the prophecies concerning our Saviours raigne did no more occasion Ebion and Cerinthus to mistake his natures and deny his divinity then the proper acceptions of the prophecies concerning his incarnation suffering did and therefore seeing it is not possible that the true understanding of one part of the Scripture should thrust us into the misapprehension of another part thereof we may well thinke that it was the want of a due consideration of those texts which doe demonstrate the divine nature of Christ and not the truth they held touching his raigne that drew them into this error For it is either through the want of a carefull searching into the Scriptures or by reason of some sinister and by-respects onely that all errors have both their rise and continuance in the Church of God Preface Fiftly Vpon this oceasion the Apostle John wrote the Gospel again and more largely then any other of the Euangelists speakes of Christs Godhead his wonderfull workes his Kingdom resurrection and his coming againe especially that the Sonne of man is now glorified chap. 13.31 that he hath overcome the world chap. 16.33 that his Kingdom is not of this world and if his Kingdom were of this world his servants would fight that he should not be delivered unto the Jewes but now is his Kingdom not from hence chap. 18.36 And of the condition of his Subjects he saith Remember the word that I said unto you the servant is not greater then the Lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you chap. 15.20 verily I say unto you yee shall weepe and lament and the world shall rejoyce and you shal be sorrowfull but your sorrow
not be long delayd Walke you therefore in holinesse with sincerity and cheerefulnesse as it becomes the heires of so great salvation and give all diligence to make your calling and election sure for so an entrance shal be ministred unto you aboundantly not into an earthly Monarchy but the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Answer Beloved in the Lord you are told here by Mr. Petry that this historical Narration of the original of the Millenarian Tenet and his refutation of my booke are for your good And had it been so indeed I had not now answered the one or repli'd unto the other yea I had rather laid my hand upon my mouth or empoly'd it about the publique retractation of mine own opinion But I find not in either ought of that sincere and upright dealing as is pretended in these words That which I finde is this that Mr. Petrie is too much of the minde of the Lawyers in the Gospel of whom our Saviour said Luk. 11. verse 52. that they had taken away the key of knowledge that they entred not in themselves and them that were entring in they hindred And that as the Pharisees best project to discountenance our Saviours miracles was to say that he did cast out Devils through Beelzebub the Prince of the Devils and their most prevalent motive to disgrace his doctrine was to say that he was a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of publicans and sinners So Mr. Petrie's chiefest sleight to disparage the truth we hold is to say that it hath no other Father nor abettours but heretiques that it is preacht by such as have in their Congregation grosse Anabaptists and are friends to whatsoever Novellers And that it teacheth the voluptuous carnall living of the raised Saints and their dying againe after they are raised And doubtlesse beloved if you should be as ready to receive these tares into your hearts as Mr. Petrie is to sow them there your eares would be stuffed with prejudice and your hearts choakt up with indignation against us but as we wish better things unto you so we hope better things of you even such things as accompany salvation We hope I say that you are as wise as the Bereans of whom the Apostle saith that they were noble in that they received the word with all readinesse of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so And if you examine our words by this rule by which the Bereans examined St. Paul's and were so highly commended by him for it we doubt not but you will with one consent affirme That in the point in Question we and not our adversaries doe say as God saith And that we make not the meate that perisheth but everlasting life the reward of the glorified Saints although we truly affirme that these Saints may and shall eate drinke after their resurrection As it is said Mat. 26. verse 29. and Luk. 22. verse 16.18 And that you will affirme too that we truly hold that the Kingdom of God is not yet come although our Saviour Luk. 17. verse 20. answered the Pharisees who demanded when the Kingdom of God should come that the Kingdom of God was within or amongst them For that which our Saviour there cal'd the Kingdom of God is not meant of the Kingdom it selfe of which the Pharisees inquired but of the outward meanes by which that Kingdom is obtain'd As it is Mat. 21. verse 43. and thus also Rom. 14. verse 17. righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost are cald the Kingdom of God because these things doe intitle men to that Kingdom and manifest unto others that they doe belong unto it neither of which the observing or not observing of difference in meats and drinks can doe And in the 1 Cor. 4. verse 20. it is said The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power that is our interest in the Kingdom of God is neither obtained nor attested by our discoursing preaching and professing of the truth onely but by our carefull and conscionable performance of those things which wee are commanded And therefore beloved that you may not mistake the meanes and evidences of God's Kingdom for the Kingdom it selfe but may by the injoyment and effectual use of these be assured in your selves and make knowne unto others that you are heires of that that you have an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God we beseech the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that the word of Christ may dwell in you richly in all wisdom and that our Lord Jesus Christ himselfe and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace may comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and worke AN answer to M. Petries Rules for interpreting of the Scripture inserted pag. 8. 9. 10. 11. after his answer to the prophecy of Amos ch 9. ver 11. c. which partly because they were devised of purpose to enthrall the readers judgement that hee might not perceive the true meaning of the scriptures as the preface was to perswade him that the scripture is not the ground of the Millenarian Tenet and partly because I would not disjoyne my replies by such a large digression I thought fit beloved to present unto thee in this place His introduction to them is this Mr Petrie And here for understanding this and such cher prophecies I add these undoubted rules Answer Undoubted rules must be grounded on undoubted authority but these for the most have none either from Heaven or of men The first rule The land of Canaan was a type of the Kingdom of Christ and so was Jerusalem and Sion because these were types of this Kingdom so glorious things were spoken of them Psal 46.4.5 and 48.1 2. and 87.1 2 3.5 which texts are more safely understood of Christ's Kingdom then of that earthly Jerusalem and Sion yea very hardly can they be understood of them Answer You have brought no text to shew that the land of Canaan was a type of Christs Kingdom but we bring many to shew that it shall be the proper inheritance of Christ the Saints in the time of his Kingdom And the glorious things which are spoken of Jerusalem or Sion in the 46.48 and 87. Psalmes and in many other places of the scripture are spoken of it because it was to be the City of the great King as is foretold Psal 48. v. 2. that is of Christ in the time of his personall raigne over the whole earth and therefore these words which texts are more safely understood of Christ's Kingdom then of that earthly Ierusalem and Sion yea very hardly can they be understood of them are as falsely as faintly spoken by you for is it not said in the foresaid verse Beautifull for situation the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion and Psal 87. v. 2. The Lord loveth the gates of
these words And contrarily unto this rule the Jewes and others expone the descriptions and prophesies of the glory and power of Christ and his Church after an earthly manner and so straying from the true meaning they transforme his spiritual Kingdom into an earthly and temporary which as it is ungodly so it is repugnant unto Scripture testifying plainly that his Church is all glorious within and not of this world and therfore these comparisons that are taken from earthly Kingdomes must be understood figuratively and in a spiritual sense at least it must be diligently observed what portion of every passage is to be understood properly and what figuratively seeing many times that which is spoken figuratively is exponed by the words preceding or following and all figurative speeches have some tokens of the use unto which they are directed or another text may be found where the fame matter is more clearely handled These general rules being premitted it shall be easier to expone all the promises of Christ's Kingdom and especially that text Amos 9.15 They shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them faith the Lord thy God For these words may be cleared by the words Jer. 4.1 If thou wilt put away thy abominations out of my fight then thou shalt not remove Where we have the same promise but expressed with a condition and it is usual in the Scriptures that earthly promises are expressed sometimes with a condition and sometimes without it but alwaies are understood conditionally 2. By the acceptions of the word land which as it is not alwaies exponed of the earth so sometimes it is put for the grave as Iob 10. verse 21. The land of darknesse and shadow of death And for Heaven Psa 27.13 I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living And especially that land was a type of the Kingdom of Christ as it is said in the first rule and of the true inheritance of the Saints and true gift of God Deut. 4.1.38 And so whether the word land be taken properly or typically the promise is manifestly true both before and after the comming of Christ to suffer for they were brought againe into their land and they who were brought were not pulled out of their land and they are planted in their true land whence they shall no more be pulled out and hereby the large note on the margine of Page 9. is frustrate◠Answer Let this rule then which is a compound of several rules laid downe by others for the right interpreting of the Scriptures decide the matter in controversie betwixt us And doe not say but shew that the proper expositiō of the prophesies which cōcerne our Saviouts and the Saints visible reigne on earth the conversion deliverance and establishment of the Jewes in their owne land the destruction of their opposers and subjection of all other Nations unto them in a word which reveale unto us the chiefest events and alterations that shall come to passe over the whole world til the world it selfe shall passe away doth teach things contrary to the analogy of faith to honesty of manners to other cleare texts things frivolous and not belonging to godlinesse For surely if our proper exposition of these predictions doth teach ought of all this we may well be accounted for publishers of a new Gospel but if it doth teach nought of this you your selfe are worthy to be accounted but a partial preacher of the Gospel a preacher but of a part of the Counsell of God tel us therfore what article of faith or plaine text of Scripture or moral duty is destroy'd or oppugned by the beliefe of our Saviours coming with the Saints to reigne on earth or of the Jewes conversion and returne or of the calling of all Nations to the faith of Christ and the knowledge of God And tel us too whether the knowledge of these things be a frivolous and unnecessary knowledge or a knowledge not belonging unto godlinesse Certainly we cannot conceive how the personal reigne of Christ on earth should any way abridge 〈◊〉 weaken his spiritual power or abbreviate his Kingdom or that his Church should be lesse glorious when he comes into the world unto it then it hath been since he departed out of the world or can be as long as he is absent from it And we know that by our proper exposition of these prophecies we doe make a just distribution of the word of God that we give unto the Jew whatsoever belongs unto the Jew and to the Gentile whatsoever belongs unto the Gentile whereas you by your proper interpretation of the prophecies which concerne the Gentiles and your figurative exposition of the prophecies which concerne the Jewes doe keepe your owne things to your selfe and make the mercies prepared for others to be common mercies yea to be as much or more yours then theirs And as you hereby impose a figurative sense upon the spiritual part of the promises made unto the Jewes so you impose a double figurative sense upon the temporal part of the promises made unto them For first you interpret those outward and earthly promises as you call them of spiritual blessinges too and being so interpreted you understand them of the Gentiles as wel or rather then of the Jewes And thus you make figurative speeches where you finde none and may indeed as easily make a figurative speech of any speech as thus interpret these prophecies But it is not the figurative and metaphorical expression of a prophecy that doth make the prophecy to carry a figurative sense for both temporal and spiritual promises may be figuratively and metaphorically exprest but yet they are not to be figuratively understood that is prophecies of temporal things however exprest are not to be understood of spiritual blessings neither are prophecies of spiritual or temporal things whether figuratively or properly exprest to be understood of any besides those of whom they are plainly prophecied In a word prophecies however exprest are to be understood of what they speake where they speake of temporal things they are to be understood onely of temporal things and where they speake of spiritual things they are to be understood onely of spiritual things And of whom they speake where they speak plainly of Christ they are to be understood of Christ onely and where they sptake plainly of the Jewes they are to be understood of the Jewes onely and where they speake plainly of the Gentiles they are to be understood of the Gentiles onely and where they speake generally and indifferently of both they are to be understood of both And in like manner where they speake plainly of Canaan and Jerusalem or Sion they are to be understood of them onely Thus much for your rules which whosoever shall embrace he will doubtlesse be no better friend to the truth we hold then you your selfe are that which follows is your explication
drinke bitter not that every thing is such but their senses are distempered another who hath not distempered senses finds in the same thing a diversity of colour and relish 3. Why doubt they here whether there be more voices for the one then for the other seeing afterwards it is said p. 50. as all the Prophets speake of nothing more so they have nothing which can be applied to our Saviours second comming as a comfortable effect so generally foreshewne but this Reply 1. If the heathers be a more in partial judgement then Jewes or Christians are the greater is our shame the more their commendation But as I have not hitherto so I trust I never shall shew such irreverence and uncharitablnesse towards the Church of God as to think much lesse to say that there are no impartial men in it And therefore I need not goe out of the Church to seeke for such to submit to But although there are many impartial judgements amongst Christians yet it behoves the reader to take notice here that you confesse you are none of the society and therefore to be the more suspitious of the sincerity of your dealing a taste where of we had in your former answer And it is observeable too that you make a difference betwixt Turks and heathens as if Turks were not heathens 2. That all rigid Antimillenaries find not many voices for that we plead for nor indeed any at all we need not marvell for you have told us they have no impartial judgments And therefore I might returne your comparisons on your selves but I leave them to the judicious reader to bestow them where he sees most cause 3. Surely these words I finde not more voices for the one then for the other have no doubtfull sound Neither have they relation onely to a part but to the whole word of God Not to one Testament onely but to both And therefore the Prophets being not the adequate subject of this search you have vainly transferr'd hither what elswhere I have spoken as from the Prophets onely Yea and very impertinently too for the prophecies spoken of there doe concerne the restoring of the Jewes onely but the voices spoken of here are such as do concerne the comming of Christ onely And that first in the forme of a servant to teach and suffer on earth and next in Kingly glory to reigne and rule on earth And grant there should be more Scriptures to shew one of these commings then the other yet seeing there is plaine Scripture for them both we have good reason to beleeve both Israel's Redemption F or they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdom to Israel Mr. Petrie's Answer Any who is not distempered in his braines may see the ground of this Monarchy very unsure to wit a meere Querie Acts 1.6 The disciples asked him Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom of Israel a querie neither affirmeth nor denieth and neverthelesse how great a Kingdom is built on it If they can finde a surer ground why will they not choose it for their text better they have not and therefore they must be doing with this Reply No good Christian will be either asham'd or affraid to suffer for the truth's sake And therefore we had much rather be defam'd revil'd and if God hath so appointed it worse handled by you or any others then reclamante conscientiâ against our owne knowledge yeeld to be deluded by you this answer being in very deed conpounded of nought but falsehood and deceit For first the ground of this Monarchy is not unfure although a Querie it being grounded not on what the Apostles knew not and would have knowne to wit the time when the Kingdom should be restor'd but on what they knew and doubted not of to wit that the Kingdom should be restor'd Which had they not knowne or at least not thought they could not have asked when it should be restor'd And had they but thought it they would for their better assurance first have ask whether before they would have aske when it should be restored Neither can we grant this to be a * Queries as Rhetoricians do distinguish them are either simple or figurative and effected Simple Queries are such as are proposed for instruction and know ledge-sake and are either meerly simple when there is no more in them but what is doubted of as what is truth Iohn 18 verse 38. or not meerly simple when there is no more in them then what is doubte of as where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eate the passcover Mat. 26. verse 17. in which querie the doubt is not touching the subject it selfe whether the passeover should be prepar'd but touching a circumstance belonging to the subject touching the place where it should be prepar'd and such a querie is this of the Apostles the subject the restoring of the Kingdom is not doubted of nor the person that should restore it but the circumstance of time onely when it shold be restored And these queries though they do not expresly formally affirme or deny yet they do implicitly vertually affirme or deny meere querie untill you have defin'd what a meere querie is for you seeme to me by this proposition A Querie neither affirmeth nor denieth to take all queries to be alike if you doe not you say it onely fallaciously to make the unlearned reader thinke so that by this meanes he might the more readily beleeve all you say against us and if you doe you are very much mistaken as all your rhetoricians will shew you who reckon up many sorts of Queries among which there is one so opposite to your words that it more certainly and vehemently affirmes or denies then a bare affirmation or negation can doe and such a one is that in St. Mat. chap. 7. verse 16. Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles which is a farre more forcible deniall then St. Lukes Of thornes men doe not gather figs nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes chap. 6. verse 44. so on the contrary Is there no balme in Gilead is there no Physitian there Jer. 8 verse 22. doth more movingly affirme then the bare affirmation doth And of this sort of interrogatory asseverations and negations the Scriptures have very many especially God's answer to Job and the prophecy of Micah And therefore untill you can bring better proofe to shew this ground unsure we need not seeke for another text to build so great a Monarchy on although we bring many other to strenghthen beautify and finish the building Israel's Redemption The words you see are a Querie And such propositions imply three things First a person or persons proposing it Secondly a matter or subject proposed Thirdly a person or persons to whom it is proposed The persons here are the disciples asking the question and our Saviour answering them as the context declares the matter enquired of is the
restauration of the captivated Soveraignty of the Jewes as the text it selfe doth informe us These are the parts yet because it would be impertinent in this businesse to speake any thing of the persons but onely as their joynt authority may help somewhat to justifie the truth of this proposall I shall omitting this division onely glance at them in the ensuing confirmation of the subject Which comprehends in it these two assertions First That the Kingdom of the Jewes shall againe be restored unto them Secondly That our Saviour at his comming shall restore it Mr. Petrie's Answer The Querie comprehends neither of the two because as I said it affirms nothing And the asked matter comprehends them not Not the first because it is of the Kingdom of Israel and not of the Jewes and as all are not Israelites who are of Israel Rom. 9.6 so neither are they all Israelites or the children of God who are of Israel according to the flesh but the children of the promise are counted for the seed therefore the Kingdom of Israel mentioned there may he another then the Kingdom of the Jewes Neither is the other assertion comprehended in the question because it askes not of his second or third comming but of now wilt thou now restore the Kingdom Reply The Querie comprehended both because both are intimated in the Querie and doe necessarily follow from the Querie And you have not shewed us any Querie that affirms nothing nor in what sense this Querie doth affirme nothing In the asked matter there is the Kingdom to be restored and from hence proceeds the first assertion And the person that should restore it and from hence proceeds the second assertion But the first is not here comprehended you say because the Querie is of the Kingdom of Israel and not of the Jewes as if the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of the Jewes were not to be understood of the same people No say you For all are not Israelites who are of Israel Rom. 9.6 a worthy reason for it is as if you should say by the Kingdom of Israel cannot be meant the Kingdom of the Jewes because all that are Israelites by birth are not elect Israelites Israelites according to the flesh and according to faith also For this onely is the meaning of the text cited by you Rom. 9.6 and so proves not that the Kingdom in the text belongs to any other people language or nation but the Jewes of whom alone interpreters doe understand it And therefore you should have spoken out and told us plainly what the other Kingdom you speake of was For we know of no more but two besides this in Question betwixt us And these are commonly cal'd the Kingdom of grace by which is meant the Saints or Church on earth before Christs appearing And the Kingdom of glory by which is meant the Saints or Church in Heaven And that neither of these Kingdoms is meant in the text I prove thus Not the Kingdom of grace for at that time the Jewes themselves alone were this Kingdom and that could not be restored unto them which as yet they had not lost and not the Kingdom of glory for that likewise could not be restor'd which as yet they had not And none can imagine that the Apostles Querie is thus to be paraphrased Lord wilt thou at this time take all the faithfull up with thee into Heaven And therefore seeing it could not be meant of either of these Kingdoms it must be meant of the Kingdom of the Jewes on earth or of none Which is our first assertion And the other is comprehended here too For although the Querie askes not of his second comming but of now yet seeing Christ was to restore it and did it not while he was on earth it necessarily follows that he shall doe it at his descending againe to the earth Which is our second assertion and thus both are found in the text And besides if you take the word â— as all are not Israel who are of Israel in the Apostles meaning i. e. all not are not faithfull Israelites that are descended of Israel then it is an apparent tautology to add so neither are they all Israelites or the children of God that are of Israel according to the flesh and if you doe not take the Apostles words in this sense then it is notoriously false to say that all are not Israelites to wit by nation who are of Israel by birth And is it not a pretty inference All Israelites are not Israelites therefore the Kingdom of Israel there may be another then the Kingdom of the Jewes Surely you might as well have said therefore the Pope shall be St. Peters successour For this conclusion hath as much dependence on the anteceden as the other Israel's Redemption CHAP. I. Of the restoring of Jerusalem and the Jewes returne ANd first of the first That the Kingdom of the Jewes shall again be restor'd unto them For they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdom to Israel So evidently doe these words expresse an earthly Kingdom I meane onely a Kingdom to be held on earth that no expositor which I have met with doth deny it and therefore seeing they could not but imbrace the sense me thinks they should not so rashly have rejected the consequence And that for these reasons Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Me thinkes you speake non-sense Many expositours expone these words otherwise seeke and you shall finde Secondly why may wee not thinke that the Apostles meaned as Simeon did Luk. 2.30 31 32. or as the repenting thief did Luke 23.42 or as Christ did verse 43. certainly these did not meane of an earthly Monarchy neither is there any word in this text shewing that they meaned otherwise Thirdly albeit no expositour would deny that the Apostles did understand an earthly Kingdom yet it followse not They thought so therefore it shall be so No more then it follows The Apostles did not for a time beleeve the calling of the Gentiles Act. 11.3 therefore the Gentiles are not called But the consequence hath reasons he saith whereof the first two are topicall and by way of probabilitie pag. 5. When the Authour saith The reasons are probable and I may say childish will any Christian change his faith for them certaine faith should have sure grounds lest the wind of tentation blow it away and therefore I might leave these probabilities as not worthy of reading or answer neverthelesse consider them Reply 1. Me thinks you might as wel have shewed the non-sense as said it was non-sense But many expositours you say expone these words otherwise This shews not that I have spoken non-sense in saying that I have met with no such But I doubt it shews that you speake an untruth which is worse then non-sense For you might as easisy have nam'd some of them as have said it and bid me looke them out And had there been any I
thus distinguished but onely in respect of the distinct times of their calling the children of Ifrael here comprehending all such Israelites as were then departed or should afterwards depart in the true faith of Christ before the casting off of that Nation before the giving of it up to a generall captivity and infidelity and the receiving of the Gentiles in their stead and the remnant of his brethren comprehending all the faithfull Israelites whose conversion is presently to follow the accomplisht conversion of the substituted Gentiles And besides seeing the Babylonish captivity whither the Jews were carried away captives for their idolatry is foretold in the 4. Ch at the 9. and 10. ver why should we think that here again the same captivity is threatned and not rather as some Expositors say their captivity by the Româ—ns for crucifying their Saviour with the story of whose â—â—â—e usage amongst them thâ— words of the Prophet do so panctâ—â—â—lly agree For they shall smite the Judge of Israel with a rod 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 saith Miâ—ah v. 1. And when they had blindfolded him they stâ—â—k him on the face and asked him saying propheste who is it that smote thee saith Lâ—ke 22. v. 64. which woâ—â—â— you have craftily conceal'd and the words of S. Paul also 〈…〉 25. alledged to shew that by She which travaileth is meant the calling of the substituted Gentiles And yet for all this as i◠〈◊〉 were plain on your side and nothing so on ours you 〈…〉 conclude therefore this Exposition not agreeing with the text 〈◊〉 that fellows upon it hath no grouâ—d in the text Of which now the matter hath been pleaded on by both let the indifferent judge Israel's Redemption And this the next verse doth confirm which tels us that at the time of this return He that is the Judge of Israel before spoken of that he I say shall stand and feed or rule in the strength â—f the Lord in the Majestie of the Name of the Lord his God and they that is the Jews shall abide for now that is at this coming of our Saviour he shall be not as when he took our nature upon him of no form a Isa 53.2 3. nor comlinesse a man despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs but he shal be b Zech. 9.10 Psal 72.8 great unto the ends of the earth that is over all the world untill he and his shall at the last judgement exchange the earthly Jerusalem the Throne c Jer. 3.17 Ch. 14.21 of his Kingdom which is to be d Jer. 31.38 built again by men for that e Rev. 21. empireall Jerusalem not made with hands eternall in the heavens Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. He is the ruler of Israel mentioned ver 2. and not the Judge mentioned v. 1.2 They are not the Jews but rather the brethren of whose return he spake in the words immediately preceding 3. Now signifieth not the time of Christ's second coming â—ut the time of the abiding or of the Christians constant persevering in the faith And in this sense is our Saviour great over all the world seeing all the Centiles praise him and all people do laud him as it is written Rom. 13.10 11. But at his second coming men shall not build a throne to him but he shall judge the quick and the dead 2 Tim. 4.1 Reply 1. He is both the Ruler mention'd in the 2. vers and the Judge mention'd in the 1. ver and therefore call'd the Judge of Israel and not of Judah or Jerusalem because Israel comprehends all the Tribes which in the time of our Saviour's reign are again to be reunited As Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel do shew 2. They are the Jews and so are the remnant of his brethren whose return is mention'd in the words immediately foregoing For the beleeving Gentiles can neither be said to return to the faith which the Nations of whom they came never had Nor in respect of their faith to the Israelites to whom they had before no relation And their abiding is meant of the place where they should dwell from whence they should be no more remov'd as in former times and not of the perseverance of faith in any from which no true beleever hath ever been remov'd 3. Now is apply'd here to the time in which Christ shall be great unto the ends of the earth that is both known fear'd and obey'd over all the earth and so signifieth the time after his second coming and not the time that now is in which he is acknowledged but of a few Nations and amongst them too fear'd and obey'd by a very small company And yet you can rell us without blushing that he is already great over all the world seeing all the Gentiles praise him and all people do laud him What Turks Arabians Chinois and heathens of America I pray apply the Scriptures more pertinently For St. Paul did not alledge those prophecies touching the Gentiles Ch. 15. v. 10 11. to shew that all Gentiles did praise God when he wrote that Epistle or that they should do so at any time before Christ should come to reign over both Jews and Gentiles too but to shew that God had as well appointed Christ to be a Saviour to the Gentiles as to the Jews that so he might move them both to agree the better together and to bear with the infirmities of each other and to receive one another as Christ had received them to the glory of God in suffering for both and in sending the Gospel to be preacht indifferently to both And whereas you say that at Christs second coming men shall not build a Throne to him but he shall judge the quick and the dead I say that as well the first as the last must be done And for the building of Jerusalem see Jer. 31. v. 38. c. and Ezek. 48. v. 15. 30. c. and Zech. 14. v. 10 11. and then hear also what Jer. hath said Ch. 3. v. 17. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord and all the Nations shall be gathered unto it to the Name of the Lord to Jerusalem neither shall they walke any more after the imagination of their evil heart c. and therefore surely more must be done by Christ at his second comming then you meane by the judging of the quicke and the dead Israel's Redemption Another prophecy much like unto this is that of Amos in his 9. chap. at the 8. verse Behold the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinfull Kingdom and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob saith the Lord. For loe I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all Nations like as corne is sifted with a seive yet shall not the least graine fall upon the earth And at the 11. verse In that day will Iraise up the Tabernacle of David
wealth then they themselves which would be a hard matter for you to prove And that you may not thinke you have any interest in it by reason of this prophecy you must know that the gathering together of the wealth spoken of in Zech. is against the time when the Lord shall descend and all the Saints with him Which being at the time of the victory there foretold shewes your application of this prophecy to the spirituall and corporal victories of the faithfull Gentiles to be a meere wresting of the Scriptures Israel's Redemption And if this be not to cry Peace peace when there is no peace If this be not to call evil good and good evil to put darkenesse for light and light for darkenesse bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter What is Mr Petrie's Answer This is a pitifull exclamation if it were true but exclamations are not alwaies victorious When we teach it shall be well unto the children of God and there is no peace unto the wicked and set your hearts on things above and not on things on earth is this to cry peace when there is no peace or to call good evil or is it not rather to put darkenes for light when spirituall promises are restrained to a temporal prosperity of a carnal people and when God teacheth faith by sense that because we cannot understand heavenly things til he insinuate them into our affections by pleasing and knowne things should we thinke that God hath no higher sense in these promises All the earth belongeth unto Christ and in the midst of Scythia some have liv'd happily even more happily then many have done in Judea The promises then are not tied to Judea but belong unto all them who are mentioned Joh. 11.51 he prophecied that Jesus should die for that Nation and not for that Nation onely but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad that is through the world as the same Apostle expones himselfe 1 Joh. 2.2 But it may be that this exclamation was made against the conjecture of Cornelius a Lapide then he should distinguish the persons Reply Having spent your store and your stomack so vainly that any one may perceive your wilfull mistake you are forc't in the close to shift it off with this pitifull excuse but it may be that this exclamation was mape against the conjecture of Cornelius à Lapide then he should distinguish the persons How it may be and he should distinguish the persons Surely there is no other Commentatour spoken of and almost a whole page is spent to shew that he is out in his exposition of the Prophecies of Zech. which I have rehearst and so contrary to the true meaning of the Prophecie which I have alledg'd out of Zeph. that he interprets the pouring out of Gods fierce anger on the Nations of his great mercy in sending the Gospel to be preach't unto them upon which groundlesse exposition I have inferr'd the words you are so much offended with And it may be you had more reason to be so then you will be knowne of however in stead of confirming that exposition which perhaps you may too much favour you take occasion to tell us how conscionably you dispence the word of God And may we believe you what made you then so scornfully to call that remnant of the Jewes whose temporall prosperity the Prophets have so frequently foretold a carnall people when as God himselfe saith of them I will bring it health and cure and I will cure them and I will reveale unto them abundance of peace and truth and againe I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me and the remnant of Israel shall not doe iniquity nor speake lies c. Yea the regeneration of their persons is almost as often foretold as the restauration of their Land their deliverance from captivity or their Lord-ship over other Nations And when you call them carnall whom God so oft calls spirituall yea spirituall in a farre greater measure then we Gentiles are doe you not put evill for good darknesse for light and bitter for sweet And to what purpose doe you tell us that some have liv'd more happily in the midst of Scythia then many have done in Judea Doth this prove that these Prophecies shall not be historically fulfill'd or that when they are fulfill'd the Jewes shall not live so happily in Judea as the Nations shall in other Countries And it is to as much purpose that you tell us out of the 11. ch of John at the 31. ver that Caiaphas prophecied that Christ should die for the Jewes and not for them onely but that he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad through the world for doth any one deny this or doth this prove that the Prophecies touching the Jewes are not to be understood of the Jewes doubtlesse it doth rather prove that they can be no otherwise understood seeing the Jewes cannot be made partakers of the benefits of Christs death till they be call'd out of the darknesse of unbeliefe in which they have liv'd so many hundred yeares into the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ by the effectuall working of Gods Spirit in them as the Prophets have said Israel's Redemption But enough of the perplexity which shall happen to other Nations when the Jewes returne Now againe of their returne and of the prosperity which shall then happen to themselves And it shall come to passe in that day saith Isa chap. 11. ver 11. c. that the Lord shall set his hand againe the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left from Assyria and from Egypt and from Paphros and from Cush and from Elam and from Shinar and from Hamath and from the Islands of the Sea and he shall set up an Ensigne for the Nations and shall assemble the out-casts of Israel and f Isa 49. ver 12.25 ch 30. uer 18 19. chap. 62. ver 10 11 12. Ezek. 20. ver 32 33 34. c. gather together the dispersed of Judah from the foure corners of the Earth the envy of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vexe Ephraim and the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian Sea and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river and shall smite it in the seven streames and make men goe over dry-shod and there shall be an high-way for the rennant of his people which shall be left from Assyria g Mic. 7. ver 15. c. like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt You see here that the Prophet speakes plainly of a miraculous recovery of Gods people of the recovery I say of Judah not from Bâ—bylon but from the foure h Jer. 16.
ver 14 15. chap. 23. ver 7 8. corners of the Earth and together with Ephraim with the ten Tribes from Assyria which as i Joh. 7. ver 35. yet never came back and therefore this is not yet fulfil'd Mr Petrie's Answer 1. There is no mention of returning here but of recovering of the remnant of his people 2. Who be these his people Looke the tenth verse In that day there shall be a roote of Jesse which shall stand for an Ensigne of the people to it shall the Gentiles seeke and his rest shall be glorious And behold how the Apostles expones these words Rom. 15.12 Esaias saith there shall be a root of Jesse and he that shall rise to reigne over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust Now whereas the Apostle expones his people to be the Gentiles may they not be ashamed who will underst and onely the Jewes so that there is meaned the recovery of Gods people or the Gentiles from Assyria Egypt or wheresoever they be Reply 1. There is mention of recovering the remnant of his people from Assyria Egypt Paphros Cush Elam Shinar Hamath and the Islands of the Sea and of smiting the River that men may goe over dry-shod and of a high-way for the remnant of his people that shall be left from Assyria like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the Land of Egypt And how much doth this recovering differ from a returning 2. Who the people be that are meant in this Prophecie the words Israel Judah and Ephraim doe shew and not the tenth verse where the Gentiles are mention'd For why should those things which concerne the Jewes here be understood of the Gentiles which are onely mentioned by the by as it were rather then that which is said of the Gentiles be understood of the Jewes of whom so much is spoken in this Chapter And where have you learned to take Judah and Ephraim or Israel for the Gentiles Surely the Apostle expounds not the Jewes by the Gentiles nor the Gentiles by the Jewes but rehearseth the 10. ver of this chapter to shew that Christ was to bring salvation to the Gentiles as well as unto the Jewes and this Prophecie of the Gentiles being mixt with that which concernes the Redemption of the Jewes is more likely to be meant of the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles at Christs next appearing then of the comming in of the substituted part of the Gentiles in the time of the Jewes blindnesse And therefore seeing God hath made mention of the Gentiles by name in those Prophecies which concerne them and of the Jewes by name in those which concerne them it behoves us to give to the Jew the Prophecies that beare the Image and superscription of the Jewes and to the Gentile those which beare the Image and superscription of the Gentiles and not so needlessely so irrationally and so unjustly to give unto the Gentiles all that belongs unto the Jewes Whereas then the Apostle quotes this Prophecie out of Isaias onely as a testimony to prove that Christ came as well for the good of the Gentiles as the Jewes if you had any regard of what you say you would never have cal'd it an exposition nor have publish't it to the world as a rule to interpret the Prophecies which concerne the Jewes of the Gentiles The objections which you have alledg'd against your selfe out of the foresaid Prophecie are these The first objection It is said He shall assemble the out-casts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah Mr Petrie's Answer The Gospel which is Christs Standard hath been preached unto them Jam. 1.1 and so their assembling is into the bosome of the Church Reply And so you separate these words from the rest of the Prophecie and apply them to the calling of the Jewes at the first preaching of the Gospel of purpose to delude the Reader for the Prophecie speakes of their returne into their owne Countrey and not at all of the preaching of the Gospel unto them in other Countries as any one may perceive And yet although the Gospel was in the first dayes thereof preach't to the Jewes scattered abroad what effect had it amongst them surely St. Paul Act. 13. ver 45 46. and in the 1 Thess 2. ver 14 15 16. doth testifie that such was their malice against the Apostles for preaching of it that they laboured all they could to raise up enemies against them thereby to hinder the growth of the Gospel not onely amongst their owne Nation but amongst the Gentiles also so that even in this sense Israel and Judah the twelve Tribes are not yet assembled And it is observable how palpably you here contradict your former words for here you expound Israel and Judah properly of the Iewes onely as your quoting of the first chap. and first ver of the Epistle of St. James doth shew and yet in the second part of your Answer you tell us that both the Prophet and St. Paul doe expound his people to be the Gentiles The second objection It is said the envie of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off c. Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. The meaning is whereas there had been contentions twixt the Tribes one against another and both against the Gentiles and Gentiles against them both under Christ shall be an end of that malice 2. In the citation of this Prophecie the 14. ver is omitted because they cannot see how it can be verified of the peaceable Kingdome which they imagine but seeing the words preceding and the words following containe one and the same Prophecy and these words in the middle part cannot be exponed of that Monarchy it is evident that no part of this Prophecie can be understood of that Monarchy but the meaning is plaine if they be exponed of the Christian Church thus The Apostles flee that is quickly preach unto other Nations and brought them in a short space unto the obedience of Christ not going in troopes from Province to Province but at the same time they went one by one into severall Nations 3. This ver being omitted the 15. ver is quoted and out of it they doe imagine that a way shall be made for the Jewes through the Sea and all floods shall be dried up before them But if these words shall be exponed properly what kind of Miracle shall that be shall the Jewes who are scattered into all the corners of the Earth have a dry passage through every river and the Egyptian or Red-sea be destroy'd Or is it not rather in a spirituall sense that the Lord will remove all impediments which may hinder the course of the Gospel and he hath opened a way into that Kingdome of Heaven from which we were exiled in Adam and spirituall Pharaoh is drowned or destroyed in the Red-sea or bloudy death of Christ and by a mighty wind of preaching the Lord hath made his power
understood 3. The 25. ver may be more easily understood in the spiritual then earthly sense to wit the land that I have given unto Jacob and they shall dwel therein for ever and my servant shall be their Prince for ever for that land was not given unto Jacob neither doe the Millenaries say that the Jews shall dwel for ever in Jerusalem but for a 1000 yeares and then Christ's Kingdom shall cease But expone that one word land typically for the thing typified thereby and all the other words goe currently even to the end of the chap. as we see the Apostle expones the 27. ver of the Corinthians as a part of these people 2. Cor. 6.16 Now seeing certainly Christ is the King and Shepherd and the people are the Jewes and Gentiles who were strangely divided but now are one Church by faith in Christ therefore the people of Israel and Ephraim who after the division were alwaies idolatrous may well be exponed typically for the Gentiles and so the union is easily understood which otherwise very hardly or scarcely can be conceived seeing now through many ages Ephraimites are not knowne in any part of the earth As for that text of Hosea it is exponed of the Gentiles Rom. 9.25.26 and therefore the Prophet changeth the word Israel into Jezreel that is the seed of God signifying that the time wherein the Lord shall gather his seed or the faithfull in all Nations from the bondage of the Devil shall be very great and wonderful to all the world Reply 1. Surely your further clearing is no other then a further clouding as the very reading of this prophecy and that which our Saviour hath said Joh. 10. ver 14 and 16. is of it selfe sufficient to discover For Ezek. speaks of uniting the Jews together under one King in their owne land and our Saviour speaks of uniting the Jews and Gentiles into one Church after a certaine number of elect Gentiles should be cald Other sheepe saith he I have which are not of this fold that is other elect servants which are not of this Nation them also I must bring and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd Where it is to be noted by the words them also I must bring that he speaks onely of such elect Gentiles as were to be cald before the Jews and Gentiles should make one sheepfold and not after they were one sheepfold For when they are all brought then it is that there shall be one sheepfold and not while they are bringing No the words of our Saviour Mat. 21. at the 43. ver will not admit of such a meaning for The Kingdom of God saith he shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruit thereof Whereby it is evident that the Other sheepe he speaks of in the 10 chap. of St. Iohn should be brought to the faith when the Nation of the Iewes should be deprived of the meanes of salvation and consequently when it could not possibly be one Church And therefore in saying that the Iewes and Gentiles are at this time one sheepfold you contradict our Saviour and affirme that the Iewes are now saved without the ordinary meanes of salvation For this they have not but shall have it when the time comes in which the Jews and Gentiles shall be one sheepfold And then also the Jews shall be one Kingdom agane in their owne land and Christ shall reigne over both Jews and Gentiles together And thus our Saviour's words doe neither expound Ezek. prophecy nor shew that the Jews and Gentiles are now one sheepfold But rather point out the time when Ezek. prophecy shal be fulfilled to wit when the Jews and Gentiles shal be one fold under one Shepheard So much have you mist your aime in alledging these propheticall words of Christ 2. The words David King and Shepheard will no more prove that the temporal prophecies or temporal part of the prophecies in which they are used are to be spiritually and figuratively understood then Gods words to David Thou shalt feed my people Israel 2 Sam. 5. ver 2. will prove that David's Kingdom was not a temporal Kingdom nor he a temporal King Or then David's owne words of his people But these sheep what have they done will prove that the whole Kingdom of the Jews were all faithfull persons 3. Being conscious that all which you have said before to make men take these prophecies in a mysticall sense will nought availe you if the word land in the prophecies should be properly understood of the land of Canaan you now endeavour to perswade them to take this figuratively also and your first reason to induce them to it is like to that by which Jereboam dissuaded the Israelites from going up to Jerusalem because it may be more easily understood you say in the spiritual then an earthly sense But what is that spiritual sense which may so easily be understood and yet was so hard to be described that you could not tell us what it was But sure I am that God hath told us by the Prophet what land he minds to joyne the Tribes together in even in their owne land ver 21. in the land upon the mountaines of Israel ver 22. in the land that he gave unto Jacob his servant ver 25. which circumstances doe infallibly manifest that it can be meant of no otherland or place but Judea And therefore the second reason you bring to shew that it is best to take the word land spiritually is both false and impious For that land you say was not given to Jacob. No did not God say to Jacob in a dreame The land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it and to thy seed c. Gen. 28.13 and hath he not said here in this prophecy the land that I gave unto Jacob my servant no marvel thâ—n that you can so lightly reject all the plaine texts of Scripture that speake for us when as you dare thus affront God himselfe and tell him to his face that he did not doe that which he saith he did doe Neither will the words for ever in the text any whit excuse you seeing the Lord saith plainly that he gave That land to Jacob of which he saith that they and their children and their childrens children should dwell in it for ever And yet the very next words wherein your Fathers have dwelt doe put it out of doubt that it is meant of Judea and consequently the dwelling of their childrens children in it for ever is to be understood of their dwelling in it successively and the word for ever is to be taken finitely for a long time to wit as long as men shall succeed each other on the Earth as it is in many other places of Scripture and not infinitely for time without end And whereas you say that St. Paul in the 2 Cor. 6.16 expounds the 27. verse of this Prophecie of the Corinthians as a part of the People
the Prophet here speaks of it is not so for as the words which St. Paul makes use of are rather taken out of the 26. of Leviticus at the 13. ver where they are more fully delivered then out of this Prophecie so they are not alledg'd by the Apostle to make the Corinthians thinke that they were part of the people spoken of in those places where any of the words that the Apostle quotes are us'd which is evidently false but to shew that the Faithfull whether Jewes or Gentiles had all the same spiritual fellowship with God therefore should have the like care not to defile their bodies which are the Temples of God with the unfruitfull works of darknesse of which he gives a particular instance to the Corinthians touching the consorting with unbelievers and Infidels in their Feasts and rites celebrated in honour of their Idols and that these words were onely thus applyed in the Epistle to the Cor. the very next verse in Ezek. doth declare wherein the Israelites are oppos'd to all other Nations so farre were other Nations from being included in the Prophecie as a part of them And therefore this proofe is too weak also to support your conclusion that the Jewes and Gentiles who were strangely divided are now one Church by Faith in Christ yeâ— doubtlesse they were never divided with greater hatred one against the other then they have been since the preaching of the Gospel and our Saviour hath told us that the meanes of salvation was to be taken from the Jewes that a part of the Gentiles even the Gentiles that have been a long time the Church of God might be saved by it before it should be given to them againe and St. Paul in the 1 Thess 2. ver 16. saith also that wrath is come upon them to the uttermost And can yet all the spirituall and temporall Prophecies which concerne them be at the same time the time of their unbeliefe and of Gods wrath against them fulfilled in them these are grosse contradictions and 't is not the conversion of a few Jewes in many ages or of all that have hitherto been cal'd by the Gospel that will solve the doubt for the Prophets speake of a Nationall conversion and deliverance And besides you your selfe doe tell us that through many ages Ephraimites are not knowne in any part of the Earth and how then can they help make one Church with the Gentiles as you say if there are now no such people on the earth can there be a union betwixt something and nothing But this flam was brought in as a reason wherefore the people of Israel and Ephraim should be expounded typically for the Gentiles And if there were no Jewes left yet why should these Prophecies be the rather expounded of the Gentiles for that were it not better to say that they were conditionall Prophecies and should have been rulfill'd if the Jewes had been obedient to Gods word then without any necessitie to make them types of the Gentiles salvation And yet we doe not grant that there are no Ephraimites now although none are cal'd so for none of the Jewes are now cal'd after the names of their particular Tribes at least by the Gentiles and why should that Tribe rather then the rest or why should this prove that Tribe to be consum'd rather then the rest doubtlesse it 's sufficient to prove them remaining if the twelve Tribes are remaining and they were remaining in the Apostles dayes as St. James c. 1. v. 1. St. Paul Act. 26. v. 7. doe witnesse and St. Joh. Rev. 7. reckons them up as remaining neere the time of Anti-christs confusion as then cal'd to the Faith as some Interpreters understand that vision where though Ephraim be not mentioned yet Joseph is which is all one and Mr. Mede saith that he is cal'd by this name as unworthy to be called by his own name in that catalogue of Converts because he had been a ring-leader to Idolatrie and perhaps also now the Tribes should againe become one Kingdome his name was conceal'd for that he had formerly been the occasion of the dividing of the Tribes into two Kingdomes and how could you tell us here that through many ages Ephraimites are not knowne in any part of the earth when as you say but a little before page 18. that all malice betwixt the Tribes and betwixt them and the Gentiles should be at an end under Christ For if this bealreadie fulfill'd as you teach what should consume the Ephraimites after all malice betwixt them and all others was departed and if it be not yet fulfill'd as indeed it is not you must either recall what you before affirme should be done under Christ or else confesse that the Ephraimites must needs remaine to the accomplishment of it Now as for the Prophecie of Hâ—sea it is to be understood of the Jewes as well as this of Ezek. and the word Jezreel which signifies the seed of God will help you nothing For shall we think that God will make his power known after a wonderfull manner in the redeeming of an unbelieving Nation nay but because the Jewes shall then be even the whole Church on earth because I say they shall be believers when almost all others are fallen into unbeliefe therefore great shall be the day of Jezreel of the deliverance of this seed of God Israel's Redemption For though this of Hosea be understood by some Expositours of the vocation of the Gentiles that is of the Christian Church in these our dayes yet doubtlesse they are much mistaken in this exposition for seeing this and the former Prophecie concerne one and the same thing to wit the uniting of all the Tribes under one King therefore they must needs receive their accomplishment at one and the same time and so this must be referr'd to the Jewes as well as the other Mr. Petrie's Answer This is a quarrell against the Apostle and now let all the world judge whether he or the Millenaries being contrary shall be followed especially seeing now we have found that our Saviour exponing the former Prophecie of Ezekiel and the Apostle exponing this like Prophecie of Hosea doe accord harmoniously Reply That we neither quarrell with the Apostle nor with any man else may be seene by our words for of the Apostle we speake not and the worst that we say of others is that they are mistaken and whether this be so worthy to be cal'd a quarrell as your calling it a quarrell against the Apostle is to be cal'd an egregious untruth let all the world judge and let it judge it too whether our Saviours words in the 10. chap. of St. John doe expound the former Prophecie of Ezekiel of which he speakes not a word And though the Apostle alledgeth some of the words of this Prophecie yet it is not to shew that the Prophecie is to be understood of the Gentiles but to shew that God did reject some and choose others
the force of any Argument and expound any text of Scripture as you list Now in the last place you taxe me for omitting the 12. and 13. ver in the testimony of Jer. chap. 33. and for overslipping likewise the 18. and 22. ver But not one of these verses was in that part of the chapter which I have cited and therefore they were neither overslipt nor purposely omitted as you have purposely omitted in the 12. verse these words againe in this place which is desolate without man and without beast and in the 13. verse these and in the places about Jerusalem shall the flocks passe againe under the hands of him that telleth them that so you might make way for your mysticall interpretation in the entrance whereof you doe so sawcily flour at the glory of Christs Kingdome saying what is this the glory of Christs Kingdome that sheep shall lie in his Cities certainly the chiefest glory of Christs Kingdome is that mercy and truth shall meet together and peace and righteousnesse kisse each other but yet the promised fertility and pleasantnesse of the Land of Canaan and the encrease and prosperity of man and beast upon it shall help set forth the glory thereof also seeing the glory of a Kingdome on earth doth as well consist in the abundance of outward and temporall blessings whereby the evills that would come through want and povert are prevented as in the abundance of inward and spirituall blessings whâ—reby the evills that would follow upon riches and plenty are avoided yea it is more glory for the servant of God to keep himselfe holy and righteous in the midst of prosperity and delight then when there is a scarcity of the creatures which conduce to the pleasure and welfare of his body And whereas you say further that the Lord understands here the spirituall sheep of Christ c. as he expoundeth it Ezek. 34. v. 31. Ye flock of my pasture are men I am your God You doe herein apparently bely God for although God doth in that chapter of Ezek. call the Jewes his sheep and his flock yet it doth not therefore follow that by flocks in this chap. of Jer. he understands men also yea the words which you have omitted doe cleerly shew that this word is here to be taken properly for why doth God say in the 12. verse Againe in this place which is desolate without man and without beast and in all the Cities thereof shall be an habitation of shepheards causing their flocks to lie downe but to shew that there should be againe an increase of men and of beasts in that land and what doth God meane when he saith in the 13. ver that in the Land of Benjamin and in the places about Jerusalem and in the Cities of Judah shall the flocks passe againe under the hands of him that telleth them Doth he meane that Ministers should tell their Congregations as Shepherds tell their flocks or rather that there should be againe both flocks and men to looke to them and to tell them as formerly they had done and so the concealing of these words doth plainly witnesse against you that you made the foresaid impious flourish against your owne Conscience And as you could not be ignorant that by flocks here cattell are meant and not men so you had no ground in the Text wherefore you should conceit that sheep shall lie in the Cities as the inserting of the words there even c. into the Text doth declare for the Lord saith In this place and in all the Cities thereof shall be an habitation of Shepherds causing their flocks to lie downe Whereby it is manifest that Shepherds shall dwell in the Cities but not that their flocks shall have their folds there but by the Cities where their feeding shall be and in that there shall then be Shepherds as well is the cities as in other places it shewes what a great increase of cattle shall then be and besides who knowes not that cattell may be driven into Cities to be sold there or for some other occasion and so may passe under the hands of him that telleth them in the cities themselves But suppose that these words in Jer. were mystically to be understood what would you gaine by it when 〈◊〉 is expressely said that for the Shepherds of these flocks shall be an habitation in this place that is in the Land of Judea and afterwards more particularly in the Cities of the Mountaines in the Cities of the Vale and in the Cities of the South and in the Land of Benjamin and in the places about Jerusalem and in the Cities of Judah doth not this prove that these faithfull Congregations if the Prophecie were to be mystically taken must needs be Inhabitants of Judea and not of other Countries And yet you can shew no reason wherefore we should take spirituall promises in these Prophecies for spirituall blessings and not temporall promises for temporall blessings and must we thinke neverthelesse that when God saith I will strengthen the house of Judah and will save the house of Joseph and I will bring them againe to place them and they shall bee as though I had not cast them off And I will cause you to dwell in the Cities and the wastes shall be builded and the desolate land shall be tilled whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by and they shall say This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden and the waste and desolate and ruined Cities are become fenced and inhabited And I will cause the showre to come downe in his season then shall be showres of blessing and the tree of the field shall yield her fruit and the Earth shall yield her increase and they shall be safe in their land and shall know that I am the Lord when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them out of the hands of those that served themselves of them and they shall no more be a prey to the Heathen neither shâ—â— the beasts of the Land devoure them but they shall dwell safely and 〈◊〉 shall make them afraid Must we thinke I say that in these and such like promises God hath the same meaning as he hath where he saith I will cleanse them from their iniquitie whereby they have sinnes against me and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned against me and whereby they have transgressed against me And is those dayes and in that time the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sinnes of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve I will sprinkle cleane water upon you and ye shall be cleane from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my Statutes and you shall keepe my judgements and doe them Hath God in those
children of Israel bring an offering in a cleane vessell into the house of the Lord. And I will also take of them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord. For as the new Heavens and the new earth which I will make to wit at the judgement of the dead when this Heaven and Earth shall passe away as it is in the 20. chap. of the Rev. at the 11. ver and in the 21 chap. at the 1. ver as these shall remaine before mee saith the Lord so shall your seed and your name remaine to wit after their foresaid returne from captivitie And it shall come to passe that from one new Moone to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to z Psal 68. ver 29.31 Psal 100. v. 1 â— 4. worship before me saith the Lord and they shall goe forth and looke upon the carkasses of the men that have transgressed against me for their worme shall not dye neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh Read also in the 61. chap. the a Isa 53. v. 12. 4 5 6 7. verses and in the 60. chap. the 9 10 11 b Jer. 12. ver 14 15 16 17. 12 13 14 15 16. verses and in the 49. chap. the 22 23. ver and in the 25. chap. the 6 7 8. verses and in the 14. chap. the c Dan 7. ver 18.22.27 1. d Isa 55. v. 5. Zech. 2. v. 9. 11. 2. e Ezek. 39. ver 10. 2. ver and in the 2. chap. the f Isa 49. v. 6. chap. 60. v. 3. 1 Tim. 2. v. 4. 2 3 g Psal 46. v. 9. Hosca 2. v. 18. 4. verses The same Prophecie also you may finde in the 4. chapter of Micah at the 1 2. verses and not much unlike unto this is that in the 8. ch of Zechariah at the 20 22 23. verses and that in the 14. chap. at the 16 17. ver c. Mr. Petrie's Answer It is now manifest that these forenamed Prophecies are not of the earthly prosperity of the Jewes onely and we know certainly that the Gentiles are partakers with the Jewes so that the proofe of this point iâ— needlesse and neverthelesse he filleth up some pages with Prophecies to this purpose Reply Now we are come to the Prophecies that decide the difference for the very ground of the controversie is Whether the Jewes and Gentiles are already joyn'd into one Church which you affirme and we denie and yet both agree that these Prophecies doe foreshew their uniting And what then doe they say of it certainly they say not that the Jewes and Gentiles were united into one Church whilist the Church was amongst the Jewes onely and some Gentiles were cal'd into it as it was before Christs comming neither doe they say that they are united into one Church whilst the Church is to be amongst the Gentiles onely and some Jewes cal'dinto it as it hath been since Christs comming but this they say that at their uniting the whole Nation of the Jewes and all Nations of the Gentiles that are left shall worship God after the same manner at Ierusalem This they shew of themselves and compaâ—'d with the Prophecies which concerne our Saviours reigne on earth they infallibly declare too that at their uniting all Nations in the world shall make but one Church and Kingdome under the government of our Lord Jesus Christ which is enough to shew that in the ensuing discourse you doe but vainly kick against the pricks and manifest an obstinate apostasie from the truth But left the unlearned Reader should mistake mole-hils for mountaines and shadowes for substances wee must proceed to examine your Answers And first you tell us It is now manifest that these forenamed Prophecies are not of the earthly prosperity of the Jewes onely What is it manifest that these forenamed Prophecies speake not onely of the prosperity of the Jewes because the prosperitie of those dayes belongs not to the Jewes onely because I say these Prophecies here doe shew that the Gentiles shall be partakers with them in the peace piety and plentie of that time who sees not this non sequitur the independencie of this inference These last Prophecies shew that the prosperous estate of the Gentiles shall be dependent on their voluntary submission to and union with the Jewes therefore those forenamed Prophecies touching the Jewes returne unto and prosperitie in their owne Land are not of the prosperitie of the Jewes onely such bald untruths and sophisticall Arguments doe stop many a breach in this worke of yours and help very much to gaine the simple and to hold up the confidence of the prejudicate Christian You goe on and say we know certainly that the Gentiles are partakers with the Jewes Partakers of what of the happinesse which the accomplishment of the Prophecies here alledg'd was to bring forth unto them You must first prove that these Prophecies are fulfill'd before you can affirme that they are partakers of the contemporating happinesse reveal'd in them and unlesse you meane that they are partakers with them of the happinesse foreshewed in these Prophecies you doe but equivocate in saying that the Gentiles are partakers with the Jewes And yet you conclude so that the proofe of this point is needlesse and neverthelesse he filleth up some pages with Prophecies to this purpose Doubtlesse this is spoken of purpose to baffle the Reader from a serious consideration of the union which these Prophecies speake of which is so obvious that every ordinary apprehension may of it selfe perceive that it is not yet accomplished and this you knew very well and therefore have not so much as quoted the Chapters or bookes where these Prophecies are reveal'd Was not this after all your braving to plead guilty For if this point was needlesse you might so much the rather have afforded the Reader a sight of or at least a direction unto the Prophecies so needlessely alledged seeing you could not have wisht for a greater advantage against me But when you passe over the former Prophecies untoucht and keep these wholly out of sight who will not conclude from hence that you could not possibly disprove the proper and historicall accomplishment of them and consequently that the time of their accomplishment is not yet come Israel's Redemption I know that most of these Prophecies are chiefly interpreted of the joyning together of the Jewes and Gentiles in one Church and rightly Mr. Petrie's Answer If they be chiefly and rightly interpreted so why should we not acquiesce shall we goe about to inerpret them unrightly that were to put out our eyes and deceive our selves and others Reply As I say that Interpreters doe rightly affirme that these Prophecies doe concerne the joyning together of the Jewes and Gentiles into one Church so I say also that they doe wrongfully apply the accomplishment of these Prophecies to the time of the substituted Gentiles calling And therefore by
your fallacious dividing of these words from that which followes you doe wilfully put out your owne eyes that so you may the better beguile others of the truth For first the union foreshewed in these Prophecies is not to begin untill the Nations which shall oppose the Jewes after their returne be miraculously overthrowne at the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ as the foresaid Prophecie of Isaiah chap. 66. at the 15 16 19. ver c. compar'd with the 38. and 39. chapters of Ezek. with the 3. chap. of Joel and with the 19. chap. of the Rev. at the 11 12 13 14 15 c. doth plainly declare And secondly at the accomplishment of the union foreshewed by these Prophecies All Nations must goe up to worship before the Lord at Jerusalem as the latter part of the 66. chapter of Isaiah doth shew to which we may adde the Prophecies in the 8. chap. of Zecha at the 20. ver c. and in the 14. chap. at the 16. ver c. The words are Thus saith the Lord of Hostes it shall come to passe that there shall come people and the Inhabitants of many Cities and the Inhabitants of one Citie shall goe to another saying Let us goe speedily to pray before the Lord of Hostes I will goe also yea many people and strong Nations shall come to seeke the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Hostes In those dayes it shall come to passe that ten men shall take hold out of all Languages of the Nations even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying We will goe with you for we have heard that God is with you And it shall come to passe that every one that is left of all Nations which came against Jerusalem shall even goe up from yeare to yeare to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and to keep the feast of Tabernacles and it shall be that who so will not come up of all the. Families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts even upon them shall be no raine And thirdly at the accomplishment of this union the Jewes shall not seeke unto the Gentiles but the Gentiles in generall unto the Jewes onely for instruction in the wayes of God as Isaiah saith chap. 2 ver 2. and 3. and Micah chap. 4. ver 1. and 2. It shall come to passe in the last dayes that the mountaine of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountaines and shall be exalted above the billâ— and all Nations shall flow unto it and many people shall goe and say Come yee and let us goe up to the Mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us his waies and wee will walke in his pathes for out of Sion shall goe forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem And fourthly at the accomplishment of this union and throughout the whole time of its continuance which it exprest Rev. the 20. ver 2 3. there is to be an uninterrupted peace over all the world as the following words of the foregoing prophecy of Isa Micah doe manifest And he shall judge amongst the Nations shall rebuke many people they shal breake their swords into plowshares their speares into pruning books nation shal not lift up sword against Nation neither shall they learne warre any more With which agreeth that of Hosea chap. 2. ver 18. In that day I will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of Heaven and with the creeping things of the ground And I will breake the bow and the sword and the battell out of the earth and will make them to lie downe safely And to this wee adjoyne the prophecy Psal 46.8 9. Come behold the workes of the Lord what desolations he hath made in the earth He maketh warres to cease unto the ends of the earth be breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sunder he burneth the chariot in the fire And fiftly at the accomplishment of this union the converted Jew shall not be governed by the ecclesiastical and civill lawes of the Gentiles as it is now but the Gentiles by the ecclesiastical and civill lawes of the Iewes as is before shewed by their going up to Ierusalem to worship and to be instructed in the wayes of the Lord. And as touching their civill grovernment it is further evidenced by the prophecies in which the Gentiles great subjection to the Iewes is revealed Of which sort are the prophecies Isaiah chap. 14.1 2. chap. 49.22 23. chap. 60.9 10 11 12. c. and chap. 61.4 5 6 7. And thus good reader thou hast the true sense and scope of the prophecies with which as Mr Petrie saith I have needlesly filled many pages and doubtlesse it was very needfull for him to say so seeing their perspicuity is so irresistible that he could finde no mysticall paraphrase against it to puzzle thee withall Israel's Redemption But to say that this is now fulfilled in the time of the substituted Gentiles vocation is to overthrow what was before affirmed and to take great paines to beguile our selves and others of the truth it is I say to put out our owne eyes and bid others follow us for St Paul in the 11. of the Rom. tells us plainly that the Jews are broken off from their Olive tree and that we are graffed in for them that they are cast away that they are hardened that God hath concluded them all in unbeliefe and that through their fall salvation is come unto us to provoke them to h Deut. 32.21 jealousie And therefore it cannot possibly be maintained that the Jewes and Gentiles are as yet one i Ioh. 10.16 sheepfold Mr Petrie's Answer The Apostle saith not that all the Jewes are broken off but rather the contradictory ver 1. and 5. neither saith he that God hath shut up all the Jewes in unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all the Jewes but as our former translation saith conforme to the originall God hath shut up all in unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all whereunto the words of the same Apostle Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath concluded all under sinne that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them who beleeve Here the Apostle is not speaking of the Jewes onely but generally both of Jewes and Gentiles and so farre must his words be extended thereto seeing he is speaking of them ver 30. and 31. and so the meaning of ver 32. is It was the counsel of God to suffer both Jewes and Gentiles to fall into unbeliefe or disobedience as the word Apeitheia likewise imports and the word sin teaches Gal. 3. that he might save all his elect both of Jewes and Gentiles after one way not by their workes but of his mercy onely And therefore I cannot
expresly foretold in these two verses and shall he come to be King over all the earth and yet not restore the Kingdome of the Iewes what City then shall be the royall Citie of this great King if not Jerusalem whose extraordinarie restauration is promised in the verses immediately following and to which all the Nations shall goe up to worship as the latter part of the chapter doth foreshew And what people shall be the choycest subjects of this great King if not the Saints that shall come with him and the Iewes his brethren according to the flesh whom he shall then deliver from their enemies as the judgement reveal'd in the 12 13 14 and 15. verses doth declare Certainly you must needs grant that the Prophet hath here foretold the restoring of the Iewes though he useth not these very words which I say not unlesse you will denie that the 9. verse is meant of our Saviours reigning on earth as man and how can you doe this when as the Prophet saith plainely that our Saviour shall be King over all the earth after his descending to the earth and not while he is in Heaven Thus then the great impudence of my innocent assertion is nothing but the gracelesse imprudence of your cholerick accusation and this one Prophecie which first shewes our Saviours comming with all the Saints and then his reigning over all the earth doth infallibly prove all your answers to the other part of the Treatise to be as the answers to this but meere shifts and evasions Israel's Redemption CHAP. IIII. Of the restoring of the whole Creation to its originall perfection ANd thus much of the felicity of that remnant of the Nations which shall outlive the rest at the Jewes returne Now a word or two of the alteration of the sensitive and senselesse creatures at that time The wolfe saith Isaiah in his 11. chap. at the 6. ver shall dwell with the Lambe and the Leopard shall lie downe with the Kid and the calse and the young Lyon and the fatling together and a little child shall leadt hem And the Cow and the Beare shall feed their young ones shall lie downe together and the Lyon shall eate o Gen. 1.30 ch 6. 20 21. straw like the Ox◠And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the aspe and the weaned child shall put his hand on the Cockatrice den They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountaine for the earth shall be p Hab. 2.14 full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea And in the 65. chap. at the 25. ver The wolfe and the Lambe shall feed together and the lyon shall eate straw like the bullocke and q Gen. 3.14 dust shall be the serpents meate they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountaine saith the Lord. Where wee may observe against such as understand by these expressions the effects of preaching on the hearts of cruel minded men that they are a part of those prophecies which concerne the Jewes deliverance and therefore can have no relation to the calling of the Gentiles Mr Petrie's Answer As wee have nothing as yet of the felicity of the Nations at that imagined time so these insuing prophecies make nothing to that purpose for i◠Isa 11.10 immediately after the forecited words it is said In that day there shall be a roote of Iesse which shall stand up for an ensigne of the people to it shall the Gentiles seeke c. Marke 1. he saith In that day so he conjoyneth the preceding and following things into the same time 〈◊〉 He speakes expressely of the calling of the Gentiles as it is also cited Rom. 15.12.3 In the words preceding ver 1. he speakes of the first comming of Christ A rod shall come forth out of the stemme of Iesse and a branch shall grow out of his rootes 4. In the words following that testimony he speakes of the calling of the Jewes and Gentiles together as was exponed before And therefore this prophecy concerneth not the Jewish Monarchy and these words may be better exponed allegorically then properly Reply As it is very untrue that you have had nothing from us of the felicity of the Nations in the day of the Jewes deliverance for wee have brought you many unaccomplished prophecies out of Gods word to confirme it so it is very true that the reader hath had nothing from you of this felicity seeing you have wholly conceal'd from him those prophecies in which it is reveal'd And these ensuing prophecies doe speake of the restauration of the creatures both sensible and insensible at that time for which purpose they were alledged and not to shew the felicity of the Nations which yet may well be gathered from the large mercy which God keepes in store even for the dumbe and insensible creatures in that Day in that day I say so frequently foretold by God and not falsely imagined by us But to prove that these prophecies doe not concerne the restoring of the sensible creatures to their primitive innocency at the redemption of the Iewes you bring foure raw and trifling reasons For reciting the 10. verse In that day there shall be a roote of Iesse which shall stand for an ensigne of the people to him shall the Gentiles seeke You bid us Marke first that be saith in that day so be conjoynes the preceding and following things to the same time And wee say that the restoring of these creatures to their originall perfection the comming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles and the redemption of the Iewes are all to be performed in that day Secondly you say that he speakes expressely of the calling of the Gentiles as it is cited Ront 15.12 And wee say that as some Nations of the Gentiles were for long agoe cal'd to the knowledge and obedience of the Gospel so at our Saviour's next appearing all other Nations of the Gentiles shall be cal'd unto it Thirdly you say that in the 1. ver he speakes of the first comming of Christ A rod shall come forth out of the stemme of Iesse and a branch shall grow out of his rootes And this wee say too and yet wee say with all that as the foure verses immediately following may as well if not rather be understood of his actions at his second comming then at his first so all that follows in the 6 7 8 9 10. 12 13. ver c. is to be fulfilled onely at his second comming which the first part of the 10. ver speakes of And you may not thinke it strange that both the first and second comming of our Saviour are revealed in the same chap. whenas wee finde them elswhere revealed within the compasse of two or three verses as Isa 9.6 7. and chap. 52.13 14 15. and in other prophecies Yea you doe seeme to me to acknowledge it in that you forsake the 10. verse out of which you gather your two former observations
and in which the roote of Jesse is expressely mentioned and fall backe to the first verse as the onely place in this chap. that shewes the first comming of our Saviour And fourthly you say that in the words following that testimony he speakes of the calling of the Jewes and Gentiles together as was exponed before And wee have before shewed this exposition to be notoriously false and that from the 11. ver to the end of the chap. nought but the wonderfull redemption of the Jewes is foretold As then you have not yet disproved the proper senfe of these prophecies so doubtlesse you cannot fit them with an allegoricall paraphrase For first as here are many severall kinds of beasts mention'd so you must finde out as many severall degrees or dispositions of men to expound them by And secondly seeing in an allegoricall sense these prophecies are apply'd to the conversion of men you must tel us why after their conversion some are cal'd Wolves Leopards Lyons Beares and Cockatrices and others Lambs Kids calves and oxen I say after their conversion for these names they are distinguished by when they are said to lie downe together and to feed together and to doe no hurt And thirdly you must give us the meaning of these phrases The sucking childe shall play on the hole of the aspe and the weaned child sâ—â—l put his hand on the cockatrice den The Lyon shall eate straw like the 〈◊〉 And dust shall be the Serpents meate And fourthly seeing here is mention not onely of irrationall creatures but of rationall also of mankind as well as of beastes you must tel us first what Convert are alluded unto under the names of these severall sorts of beastes and what Converts are meant by the little child the sucking châ—â—â— and the weaned child and secondly why the names of these beaâ—â—â— are not to be taken properly for the beastes themselves whâ—â—â— the things here rehearst doe so well agree with them and they are plainely distinguished from mankind too And unlesse you can give us reasonable satisfaction in all this you doe but vainely say that these words may be better exponed allegorically then properly Yea the proper sense of these Prophecies is further confirmed by the food which God created for every beast of the earth and every fowle of the aire and every thing that creepeth on the earth to live by to wit the green herb Gen. 1. ver 30. and by restraint of the wilde beasts and fowles both from their ravenous disposition and feeding the whole time of their being in the Arke for seeing Noah was to provide foode for them as well as for himselfe and his Family Gen. 6. ver 21. it must needs be granted that as the Wolfe the Lamb and the Leopard the cow the Lyon and the Beare c. did then lie downe together so they did feed together too and that the Lyon did eate straw or hay like the Oxe this I say must needs be granted unlesse we can imagine that Noah did take in flesh into the Arke for the ravenous creatures to live by at that time Israel's Redemption And besides is there no hurt nor destruction in all the Christian world that we should thus flatter our selves with such vaine fancies or rather when was there none or where is the Nation shall I say or the Citie yea the village amongst us where cruelty is not practised where such mischiefs are not to be found as can scarcely be parallelled in the Common-wealths of the most barbarous heathen And as for those words for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord which seeme to have been the occasion of the former interpretation in my conceit they imply but this that therefore God will restore to these creatures their primitive obedience and cause them to be no more offensive to his people because he hath determined to make himselfe at that time so well knowne over all the earth that his people shall no more offend him and so the feare of God shall at once be put againe into the hearts of men and the feare of men into the hearts of the creatures for the enmity of the creatures is but the issue of mans sinne and therefore when God shall pardon the house of Jacob and cleanse them from all their iniquities as hath been said the sinnes of men which are the cause and the curse of the creatures which is the effect shall depart together Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Albeit this Author will not give glory unto God in fulfilling his promises yet wee see that others are not so ingrate as Act. 9.31 Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and in other times we finde that the Christians had their halcyonian dayes twixt these ten great persecutions and afterwards in the dayes of Christian Emperours and godly Kings 2. Neither doe the Prophets or Revelation speaking of these times say There shall never be hurt nor shall ever any man destroy one another but rather the propertie of the Church in this world is to be militant and neverthelesse Wolves and Lyons forsake their crueltie in the person of many converts and therefore these hyberbolicall complaints might well been spared 3. It doth puzzle the Author that Esay saith chap. 11.9 For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord and therefore fancieth a private conceit for exponing these words of which he gives no reason but we have given sufficient reasons for the allegoricall interpretation which is confirmed by these words to wit that the abundance of the knowledge of the Lord is the cause why wicked men leave their wickednesse and adjoyne themselves unto the meek of the earth as our Saviour saith Matth. 10.16 I will send you as sheep among Wolves Of whom certainly many became sheep of Christs fold which is a more proper effect of knowledge then the changing of beasts affections Reply 1. We thinke that God is best pleased with us and most glorified by us when we confesse the truth albeit against our selves and therefore as wee are not so ingrate to denie that God hath given particular Churches rest not onely from foraigne enemies but homebred also not onely from heathenish persecutors but from hereticall too so we are not so ungodly to denie our owne unrighteousnesse and unthankfulnesse towards God notwithstanding such mercy conferred upon us For even when these Churches have had such rest then have they provok't God afresh by more then heathenish impieties and oppressions so that rest from persecution hath been the very seed-time in which the tares of all impietie and injustice of all manner of misgovernment and misbeliefe have been sow'd afresh amongst us and the spring-tide in which that cursed and numerous brood of the flesh which St. Paul reckons up Gal. 5. ver 19. c. hath been manifest in us as adultery fornication uncleannesse lasciviousnesse Idolatrie witchcraft hatred variance emulations strife seditions Heresies envyings
murthers drunkennesse revilings covetousnesse and such like For it was in the time of Israel's rest that the faithfull Citie became an harlot and full of murderers that her Princes grew rebellious and companions of theeves that every one of them loved gifts and followed after rewards that they judged not the fatherlesse nor the cause of the widow that they joyned house to house and field to field till there was no place that God looked for Judgement but behold oppression and for righteousnesse but behold a cry that the Harpe and the Viol and the Tabret and Pipe and wine were in their Feasts but they regarded not the worke of the Lord nor the operation of his hands Esa the 1. and 5. chapters And have Christians made any better use of their rest from persecution and destruction surely no. For it was in the very infancie of the Church that Ephesus was threatned for leaving her first love Pergamos for the Doctrine of Balaam and the Doctrine of the Nicholaitans Thyatira for suffering Jezabel to seduce the servants of God to commit fornication and to eate things offered to Idols Sardis for that her workes were not found perfect before God that is to proceed from a sincere heart and an upright affection and Laodicea for her lukewarmenesse in Religion Rev. the 2. and the 3. chapter And seeing it was thus in the first and best age of the Christian Church how bad thinke you hath it been since surely the same Apostle will tell you chap. 9. ver 20 21. And the rest of the men that were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the workes of their hands that they should not worship Devills and Idols of gold and silver and brasse and stone and wood which neither can see nor heare nor walke neither repented they of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their fornication nor of their thefts And 't is this great wickednesse of Christians themselves 't is their envying at their contention with and their defrauding of each other 't is the mischiefe they devise against and the hurt they daily doe one to another that I have spoken of and not of the hurt they receive from others not of suffering by their heathenish neighbours before the whole Empire became Christian or by heathenish Nations since that time and therefore in this part of your answer you have quite mistooke the marke and brought a record of some particular Churches rest from suffering instead of their rest from sinning 2. In the next you give but a false fire for we are discoursing of what doth inevitably follow from these Prophecies according to the allegoricall interpretation of them and therefore if the Rev. or the Prophets doe speake otherwise of the times to which you referre these Prophecies then these Prophecies doe it is an undeniable evidence against you that either the allegoricall sense is not the true sense of them or that these Prophecies are not to be accomplisht in the time to which you apply them as indeed they are not for they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountaine saith the Lord which words doe infallibly shew that the innocencie of the creatures whom this is spoken of shall be such as cannot possibly consist with the many mischievous that I say not unnaturall actions of Christians amongst themselves but may very well be fulfill'd in the generall agreement and gentlenesse of the dumb creatures at the appearing of our Lord Jesus at which time it is that these Prophecies which reveale the Jewes prosperitie in their owne land and those which reveale the joynt-embracement of the truth by all Jewes and Gentiles and these which reveale the reducement of the dumbe and insensible creatures to their originall perfection are all to be accomplished and therefore although it be the propertie of the Church to be militant in this world that is untill the appearing of Christ yet in that new world she shall be triumphant she shall be rid of all her adversaries of all her disturbers as is plentifully declar'd by the Prophets and implied in the first part of the 20. chap. of the Rev. But whereas you have alledg'd these words as a reason to prove that there shall be alwayes hurt done by Christians in this world for these you say are the beasts of whom these Prophecies are to be understood certainly you are much mistaken in this argument for it will not follow that Christians must needs be hurtfull to themselves because it is the property of the Church to be militant in this world that is till our Saviours comming to receive hurt from others And yet though we denie your Argument wee denie not what you would infer from it to wit that Christians are hurtfull to each other yea we say and that without an hyperbole that they are so hurtfull that even for this very cause these Prophecies cannot be understood of them For wee dare not with you first to make them contradict other Scripture by wresting of them to a false sense and then to uphold our errour by a flat denyall of that which God hath spoken in them by affirming I say that these words they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my mountaine are thus to be understood they shall hurt and destroy in all my holy mountaine Yea wee hold it much safer to denie the allegoricall sense of them and so their present accomplishment withall neither of which any other Scripture or any circumstance in these Prophecies doth enforce then to denie what God hath so plainely reveal'd in them 3. And yet you goe on like a Conquerour and beare the Reader in hand that the words in the 9. ver for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord doe puzzle the Author and that therefore hee fancieth a private conceite for expounding these words of which he gives no reason But surely it doth not puzzle the Author so much as to make him contradict any thing that God doth say as you have done to justifie the allegoricall interpretation of these Prophecies and therefore it is evident that your exposition is the private conceit seeing it crosseth the text and not mine which though you accuse you could not shew to be contrary unto the text Yea the reason which I have given for it for you wilfully belie me in saying I have given none is not onely very agreeable unto the proper sense of these Prophecies but to reason it selfe for what could more illustrate the wisedome Justice and mercy of God in the restauration of these creatures then to ordaine that man the creature whose disobedience had been the occasion of subjecting all other inferiour creatures unto vanitie should againe by his obedience springing from the abundant knowledge of his maker become the occasion of delivering them from this bondage of corruption and therefore though it be true that the saving knowledge of the Gospel hath made and doth still make wicked men to leave
their wickednesse yet it is not true that the calling of men out of the state of nature into the state of grace is foretold in these Prophecies and the words of our Saviour I send you as sheepe amongst Wolves Matth. 10. ver 16. are flat against you for they are meant of the most obstinate enemies of the Gospel they are meant I say not of such as should become sheep but of such as should kill the sheep and use their utmost endeavour to keep all others out of the sheepfold as the verses following doe declare and interpreters acknowledge and albeit there hath been now and then one such Wolfe as St. Paul was that of a savage persecutor hath become a pious Saint yet besides all these Wolves that have still kept their owne hue and habit and besides those who being bred up in the Church have still retain'd their innocent garments there have been many who being without the Church have exchang'd their habit for sheeps clothing for no other end but to have the benefit of the Sheeps pasture and the better opportunitie to destroy the sheepe and to destroy the more sheep And besides although the word Wolves doth in the saying of our Saviour signifie men yet it followes not from hence that it is so to be understood in these Prophecies for it must be some circumstance out of the Prophecies themselves that must prove this and not the allegoricall acception of this word in another place And as I say not that the change of beasts affections from bad to better from evill to good is to be the proper effect of any knowledge of God in themselves so I say that God hath here reveal'd that this change shall as well bee the effect of mans pleasing him by obedience as the change of them from better to worse from good to evill was of mans displeasing him by sinne Israel's Redemption As then there can be no sufficient reason alledg'd for the allegoricall interpretation of these Prophecies so if wee believe Gods revelations touching the Jewes returne there can be no reason urg'd to the contrary that will force us to forsake the literall sense of them By which sense I am sure that passage of St. Paul in the 8. chap. of the Rom. at the 21. ver is so well explain'd that the great strife about the signification of the word Creature there may be soone decided and by which too the opinion of those who from that place would make the sensitive creatures copartners with us of that glorie which followes the last resurrection falls to the ground For is not the exchange of a ravenous disposition for a quiet and peaceable and the freedome from the abuse of sinne A delivery of the sensitive creature from the bondage of corruption and the glorious r Dan. 7. ver 21.22 libertie of the Sonnes of God what is it but the flourishing estate of the Jewes before spoken of under Christ their Head who accompanied with all the Saints departed and then living shall come and receive dominion and Å¿ Dan. 7. ver 14.27 chap. 2. ver 44. Rev. 15. v. 4. ch 20. v. 4.6 glory and a Kingdome that all people Nations and Languages may serve him as you shall heare anon Mr Petrie's Answer 1. The truth of God needeth not the boulstering of mans devises 2. The Apostle is speaking there of the finall deliverance of the creature from the bondage of corruption which is not cleared by that cohabitation of beasts unlesse wee will be content with a small portion of deliverance for the generall deliverance of the creature which kind of contentment these Authours will not acknowledge in the accomplishment of the promises no nor in a fuller measure The Authour collecteth nothing particularly from that text Isa 65.25 neither is there any word there of the Jewish Monarchy and seeing it hath the same allegorie with that chap. 11. wee goe forward Reply 1. The truth of God say you needeth not the boulstering of mans devices And mans devices say wee are not a boulstering but a bereaving are not an upholding but a destroying of the truth of God But what is the device which you have found here is it not the comparing of one place of Scripture with another which speakes plainly of the same thing and is not this warranted by the generall approbation of Divines for a very remarkable rule in the right interpreting of the Scriptures you cannot denie it The device then which you speake of is but a device of yours to make the Reader baulk the onely light Gods word holds out unto him for the true discoverie of the Apostles meaning that so he may stick the closer to that sense which mans device hath put upon it 2. The Apostle saith the creature it selfe also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption c. and the Prophet saith the Wolfe shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie downe with the Kid and the Cow and the Beare shall feed together Whereby he shewes both what these creatures bondage of corruption is and what their deliverance from it whereby he shewes I say that the wild untamed and hurtfull disposition which these creatures are now subject unto is their bondage of corruption and that the re-estating of them into that mild peacefull and harmlesse condition in which they were first created shall be their deliverance from it And when shall this be fulfill'd shall it be after the generall judgement of the dead mention'd Rev. 20. ver 12 c. surely no for then this earth out of which these creatures were made shall passe away and be no more found Revel 20. ver 11. then this earth and the workes the creatures that are therein shall be burnt up 2 Pet. 3. ver 10. And we read not of any Starres in the new heaven or of any beasts on the new earth yea besides men and Angels we reade of no more creatures then of a tree of life and of a river of life in that holy Jerusalem which shall descend from God unto the new earth the earth with which there shall be no Sea created and consequently these creatures deliverance is to be fulfill'd at the restoring of Judes and Jerusalem cal'd here by Isaiah the holy mountaine and chap. 2. the mountaine of the Lords house and the mountaine of the Lord. And thus by conferring these two Prophecies of Isaiah and St. Paul it is manifest what these creatures deliverance from the bondage of corruption is touching which you say onely that the Apostle is speaking of the finall deliverance of the creature from the bondage of corruption which is not cleared by that cohabitation of beasts unlesse wee will be content with a small portion of deliverance for the generall deliverance of the creature So that you grant that the cohabitation of the beasts is their deliverance from the bondage of corruption and consequently that the foresaid Prophecies in which it is reveal'd are properly to
the world * These first words may not unfitly be referr'd also to the time of the Saints reigne on earth for it is their priviledge at their entrance into their Kingdome and throughout the whole space of their reigne to judge the world that is all Nations of the Gentiles with the Judgement of Government and Reformation with the exercise of a Civill and temporall power over them as in the Prophecies of the Gentiles subjection unto them it may plainely be seene And it is their priviledge at the last resurrection to judge the world and the Devill that is all evill as well Angels as men by a joynt approbation of their finall and perfect condemnation of the full accomplishment I say of their eternall reprobation that is the wicked men that have been their oppressours and judge the Angels that is the evill spirits that have been their tempters and therefore shall not be thrust downe to the barre amongst them but advanced to the bench against them an addition doubtlesse to their former happinesse and no abatement of it Mr Petrie's Answer Some word of Isaiah 35.10 must be taken in another then the proper signification for if the word Sion be not taken for the Christian Church but for that hill within Jerusalem and the word Returne be meaned of bodily returning of the Jewes the words everlasting joy being taken for worldly joy contradicts the tenet of the thousand yeares Monarchy which shall end with an insurrection of the Gentiles against the Jewes but if the redeemed of the Lord be exponed for the faithfull whom Christ our Lord hath redeemed with his bloud and their returning and comming to Sion be their repenting and joyning to the society of the Saints then the everlasting joy is cleare by the words of our Saviour John 16.22 Ye now have sorrow but I will see you againe and your heart shall rejoyce and your joy shall no man take from you And as the Judgement is unquestionable so it is justly doubted whether the Apostle meaneth the Jewes 1 Cor. 2.3 seeing our Saviour saith Matth. 19.28 Ye who have followed me in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit on the Throne of his glory shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel where the twelve Tribes are not Judges but judged But certainly he meaneth not of their judging in the temporall Monarchy seeing the Angels shall not be judged before the universall Judgement And the Apostle saith how much more things appertaining unto this life whereby it appeares that in the first part of the verse he understands a Judgement not in this life And in both respects these words of the Apostle are a diminution doubtlesse unto that imagined Monarchy Reply Without doubt if the Reader will take all to be true that you say he shall never finde you in an errour But if you have no better reason to prove that the words Sion and Returne must be taken in another then a proper signification but because you conceit that the words everlasting joy cannot consist with the insurrection of the Nations at the expiration of the thousand yeares you doe but deceive your selfe with this reason For though the thousand yeares peacefull reigne shall be terminated by the Gentiles insurrection at the loosing againe of Satan yet the joy of the Jewes here reveal'd is not limited by it For we read indeed of the surrounding of the Saints by the Nations Rev. 20. ver 9. but we read not there of any feare in them or hurt done unto them yea wee read onely of the finall overthrow of their enemies And whereas the better to countenance your Argument you call the everlasting joy here a worldly joy I pray what reason moves you to imagine that the joy promised by God to the converted Jewes whom he calls his elect and whom others he saith shall call the holy people and the seed which the Lord hath blessed should rather be a worldly joy then such a joy as our Saviour promised his Disciples John 16. ver 22. Is it because the Jewes are to be Inhabitants on the earth after they receive this everlasting joy and were not the Disciples Inhabitants of a more sinfull world then these Jewes shall be when they were made partakers of the joy which no man could take from them This reason then cannot prove your Epithite to belong rather to the joy of the Jewes then to the joy of the Apostles and yet unlesse this be the reason of your calling it a worldly joy I cannot conceive why you should thinke that after the Jewes are so plentifully inspir'd with the Spirit of God as the Prophets doe foreshew they shall be their joy should not be as spirituall and inseparable as the Apostles was And although it be unquestionable from the passage of St. Paul in the 1 Cor. chap. 6. ver 3. that the Judgement of all evill as well Angels as men is at the last resurrection to be passed on them by the joynt-approbation of the whole number of the elect yet seeing it is not unlikely that by the world ver 2. the Apostle meanes rather the Nations of the Gentiles in the time of Christs reigne on earth then the number of the reprobate at the generall Judgement of the dead it may justly be doubted whether by the word Saints in that place also the Nation of the Jewes be not comprehended with the faithfull which our Saviour shall bring with him as well as in the 20. chap. of the Rev. where it is foreshewed that the Nations of the foure quarters of the earth shall be gathered together against the Saints at the end of the thousand yeares And the words of our Saviour to his Disciples Matth. 19. ver 28. Ye who have followed mee in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit on the Throne of his glory shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel doe help to confirme and not to confute the Government of the Gentiles by the Jewes For as the Apostles shall be made the supreme Governours of their owne Nation under our Saviour so doubtlesse shall other glorified Saints both of the Jewes and Gentiles be chiefe Governours under our Saviour over other Nations according as it is satd Rev. 5. ver 10. and chap. 20. ver 4. and as the parable Luke the 19. of the Noble-mans distributing of ten Cities to one servant and five to another doth imply for who is that Noble-man which is gone into a farre Countrey to receive for himselfe a Kingdome and to returne but our Saviour whom the Heavens must receive untill the times of restitution of all thing c. Act. 3. ver 21. who also spake that Parable because he was nigh unto Jerusalem and because the Jewes erroneously thought that the Kingdome of God should immediately appeare should be set up then at his first comming And as the glorified Saints shall be chiefe Judges under Christ so wee may well thinke
that many of the unglorified Saints of the Jewish Nation shall be imployed by them in the administration of their Government seeing Isaiah chap. 14. ver 2. saith plainly that they shall take them captives whose captives they were and shall rule over their oppressours And suppose that none of the unglorified Jewes should be imployed in this government yet when our Saviour himselfe shall be King over all the earth and all the Saints that come with him Princes under him when the Nation of the Jewes shall be his naturall Subjects and all other Nations tributaries and servants unto them when they shall be comprehended by the name of Saints with those undefiled ones that Christ shall bring with him when all this shall be what Nation shall the Gentiles be said to be governed by but by that which they live in subjection unto and of whom their King came and amongst whom he shall reigne And thus much touching your first pretence that the Gentiles shall not be judged by the Jewes because the Jewes are to be judged by the Apostles Which is all one as if you should say that a Nation that lives under any government it selfe cannot governe other Nations that are in subjection unto it Your next pretence is that our Saviours words are not meant of the Apostles judging in a temporall Monarchy seeing the Angels shall not be judged before the universall Judgement But where doe you finde that our Saviours promise to the Apostles is not to be fulfill'd before the judging of the Angels And what shall we understand by the twelve Tribes of Israel according to your opinion shall wee take them for the rest of the glorified Saints no no they cannot for they shall be all Judges at the universall Judgement as well as the Apostles Shall we take them then for the reprobate of the Jewish Nation Surely wee finde no such signification of these words in all the Scripture neither doe wee find it taught by any that the reprobate of one Nation shall be judged by some of the Saints onely and the reprobate of another Nation by others of the Saints but that all the Saints shall joyntly judge all the reprobate both Angels and men onely by assenting to the Judgement that our Saviour himselfe shall give against them and this may be gathered from the Apostle who saith not thus Know yee not that the Apostles or Prophets but know yee not that we shall judge the Angels he speakes of all and not of some Saints only seeing then the twelve Tribes of Israel as you apply this saying to the universall Judgement can neither be taken for the rest of the glorified Saints nor for the reprobate Jewes it must needs follow that you are out in your application and consequently the twelve Tribes of Israel must be taken for the Nation of the Jewes over which the Apostles shall sit as Judges in the time of our Saviours reigne on earth And how else should this promise of our Saviour implie a priviledge to the Apostles above the rest of the glorified Saints for their following him in the time of his temptation if it did not constitute them alone to be supreme Judges under him over that Nation which shall be nearest and dearest unto him in his Kingdome for seeing all other Saints shall joyne with them in judging of the reprobate Angels much more shall they in judging the reprobate Jewes which cannot be so much honour unto the Disciples as the judging of the reprobate Angels and so the great priviledge which our Saviour promised the Disciples shall according to your opinion be farre inferiour to that which St. Paul affirmes to be common to all the Saints And whereas you say that the Apostle saith how much more things appertaining unto this life whereby it appeares that in the first part of the verse he understands a judgement not in this life Wee grant your conclusion for we know that the Angels were not to be judged by the faithfull Corinthians and the rest of the Saints before their departure out of this life or before the redemption of their bodies at our Saviours appearing but that they shall be judged by them after their reigning with Christ after their judging of the world a thousand yeares And so the glory of the Kingdome of Israel is not yet diminished by any of your feeble fancies and indigested imaginations Israel's Redemption And this is as much as I need say though not above halfe that the Prophets say concerning the Kingdome in the text I will therefore shut up all with that solemne protestation of God in the 31. chap. of Jer. at the 35. ver Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sunne for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moone and of the Starres for a light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roare the Lord of Hosts is his name If those Ordinances u Jer. 33. ver 20.25 depart from before me saith the Lord then shall the seed of Israel also cease from being a Nation before mee for ever Thus saith the Lord If heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord. And with that humble complaint of Israel whom God in the 7. of Micah at the 8. ver makeâ— to prophecie thus of her selfe Rejoyce not against me O mine â—â—â—my when I fall I shall rise when I sit in darknesse the Lord will be a light unto mee I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and execute Judgement for me He will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold 〈◊〉 righteousnesse Mr Petrie's Answer We acknowledge both in their owne sense and truth but nothing 〈◊〉 in them nor collected out of them for proofe of this purpose Reply If you will acknowledge them both in their owne sense you must acknowledge them to be for our purpose for you must acknowledge that the Nation of the Jewes which now fits in darknesse which now beares the indignation of the Lord because she hath sinned against him shall againe be brought forth to the light by him as Micah saith here And the foresaid protestation of God by Jer. chap. 31. touching the preserving of the Jewish Nation will force you to acknowledge your errour page 20. where you say that now through many ages Ephraimites are not knowne in any part of the earth Israel's Redemption And so I passe from the thing to be restor'd which is the Kingdome of Israel to the Person by whom it is to be restor'd which is Christ the Lord at his next appearing For they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdome to Israel Mr. Petrie's Answer If the temporall Kingdome of the Jewes could be demonstrated out of the Scriptures the question a nent the King might
more easily be resolved and neverthelesse these few millenaries cannot agree concerning the person of their King for Mr. Maton thinkes that Christ shall continue visible King of this Kingdome and Mr. Archer thinkes that Christ shall restore the Kingdome unto the Jewes and returne into the Heavens till the thousand yeares be expired and in the meane time the Jewes shall be Kings Till these two questions be decided we might supersede and neverthelesse let us heare what they can say for a temporary Kingdome of Christ whether over Jewes and Gentiles Reply The temporary Kingdome of the Jewes hath been already demonstrated by such evident Scriptures and unanswerable Arguments from them as you durst not to examine and it is now praised be God for his good leave and assistance delivered also from that darknesse which your deluding allegories and farre fetcht interpretations doe draw over it and thereby set free from that disgrace and contempt which you strive so much to bring it into amongst the Gentiles And our next taske is to discover the like fraudulent dealing in your Answers to those texts and reasons by which wee have prov'd that our Saviour who shall restore this Kingdome shall also reigne over it on earth And first that the Reader may not take distaste at us before he heare us you tell him here that these few Millenuries agree not concerning the person of their King for Mr. Maton thinks that Christ shall continue visible King of this Kingdome and Mr. Archer thinkes that Christ shall restore the Kingdome unto the Jewes and returne unto the Heavens Herein indeed wee agree not and as I heartily wish that all Christians did so rightly understand the word of God that there might be no difference at all amongst them so seeing offences must needs come and that there must be heresies and divisions amongst us that they which are approved may be made manifest 1 Cor. 11. ver 18 19. I had rather differ from any man in opinion then for any by respect to depart from one jot or title of the truth which is either plainely reveal'd in the Scripture or may be gathered from it by infallible consequence And sure I am that as wee find often mention of our Saviours comming againe so Job tells us chap. 19. ver 25. that his Redeemer shall stand at the latter day upon the earth to wit at the day of his next appearing and the Saints resurrection as these words immediately following doe declare And though after my skinne wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God c. And St. Luke ch 1. v. 3.1 records that the Lord shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and Jer. chap. 23. ver 5. that he shall reigne and prosper and shall execute Judgement and Justice in the earth and so say Isaiah and Zechary yea and we conceive it to be for this reason especially that Judea is cal'd the Land of Immanuel Isaiah 8. ver 8. and we reade not of his departure from the earth againe untill the earth it selfe shall passe away at the last resurrection Yea unlesse our Saviour should as well reigne over the Jewes as restore their Kingdome to them wee cannot conceive why he should descend before the universall Judgement seeing he can as well restore the Kingdome of the Jewes in Heaven where he is as if he should descend unto the earth to doe it But yet your collection from this difference to wit that till these two Questions be decided you may superside is a very dangerous Doctrine For though superside be a very fine word yet as you use is it hath a very foule consequence for you would have the Reader conceive that there is no truth in the subject wee treat of because there is some difference betwixt us in the stating of it whereaâ— indeed all truth is made the more firme and manifest by difference else what shall wee say of our Religion there being scarce any one head or Article in Divinity about which there hath not been or is not now some difference or other amongst Christians if then wee must superside from if wee must let passe if wee must have nothing to doe with those things in which there is not a full agreement amongst us we must omit the use of the Lords Supper because Papists differ from Lutherans and Calvinists from both about the presence of Christ in the Sacrament Wee must not beleeve our election or Justification because Divines doe differ about the materiall and formall canses of the one and the moving and meriting causes of the other and because there is a difference betwixt you and us about the manner and place of our Saviours Kingdome we must not believe that he hath any Kingdome yea we must quite cast off the worship of God because we cannot agree about the forme of it some being for a set forme and others against it some againe for premeditated and others for extemporary prayers And thus to make one truth odious you stick not to make a shipwrack of the faith even at once to destroy our whole Christian practise and beliefe so contrary is your advice to that of the Apostle in the 1 Thess chap. 5. ver 21. Prove all things hold fast that which is good Now for conclusion of this first part I will adde Mr. Brightmans words touching the 7. and 8. ver of the 66. chap. of Isaiah and the 3. ver of the 110. Psal Many such places of Scripture saith he might be brought to this purpose he meaneth to shew the generall conversion of the Jewes and perhaps it would be profitable to bring them at least for this end that our Writers might have occasion thereby given them to consider more diligently of these places from the right interpretation whereof I feare mee that we wander when as we make them to speake of things that be past whereas they doe fore-tell of things yet to come In his Revel of the Apoc. chap. 19. on the 8 and 9. verses pag. 791. and his words on the 11. ver of the 6. chap. of the Cant. Time saith he will teach many things to be in the Prophets which we commonly interpret â—â— though they were past whose event is yet to come and especially as it seemeth to mee in the calling of the Jewes which verily little considered of ours hath darkned I will not say perverted the proper and naturall meaning of the Prophets in many places 1 COR. 4. v. 8. c. NOw yee are full now ye are rich ye have reigned as Kings without us and I would to God yee did reigne that we also might reigne with you For I thinke that God hath set forth us the Apostles last is it were men appointed to death for we are made a spectacle unto the world and to Angels and to men We are fooles for Christs sake but yee are wise in Christ we are weake but yee are strong ye are honourable but wee are despised
the Nations under whom the Jewes shall remaine captives immediately before their deliverance But because you could not shew the accomplishment of this Prophecy touching the Jewes you tell us that Interpreters doe shew the accomplishment of the Prophecy touching the Assyrian at the end of this chapter and that that Prophecy speakes not of them whose captives the Jewes now are No Doe none of the Jewes then continue captives in Assyria surely the reports and writings of Travellers and Traffickers in those parts doe testifie the contrary And what though the Emperiall power hath been translated from one Nation to another since the Jewes were carried captives by the Assyrian yet may we truely affirme that the Jewes remaining in that Countrey are now captives to the Assyrian because by the Assyrian in the Prophecy is meant the Inhabitant of Assyria whither the Jewes were first carried captives of whom the Lord hath said I will breake the Assyrian in my Land and upon my mountaines tread him under foot then shall his yoake depart from off them that is from off the Jewes and his burden from off their shoulders And have Interpreters shewed the accomplishment of this according to the Prophets meaning Me thinkes then you should not have hid it from us for the story is worth the hearing which can shew when the Jewes were in their owne Land wholly set free from the bondage which the Assyrian first brought them into and the Assyrian himselfe made subject to them And what though no Jewes were now captives in Assyria what were this to the aforesaid Prophecy touching the Jewes redemption which speakes indefinitely of their deliverance from their oppressours and of their taking them captives whose captives they were and not particularly of the Assyrian or of any other Nation It followes neither know we whose captives they are seeing they live as free Subjects wheresoever they are But doe you know that God calls them captives and their dwelling in strange Countreys a captivity this then would have made you account them captives too if you had had but a graine of that divine reverence towards Gods word of which you would make others beleeve that you have no small measure And what was it that made the Jewes captives at first was it not the losse of their Countrey and their living under the dominion of another people and doth not this still continue upon them wherein then are they now lesse captives then they were heretofore what priviledges have they now which they enjoyed not under Nehuchadnezzar Cyrus Darius Artaxerxes Ahasuerus and others It seemes then that you take them not for captives unlesse they should be put under great slavery under an Egyptian bondage This indeed were to make their captivity more grievous and burdensome unto them but captives they are without this and God onely knows how soone also the civill power under which they live may be turned against them The 2. Particular He tooke our nature on him as well to performe his Kingly office therein amongst us as his Priestly or Propheticall the glory of this being c. Mr. Petrie's answer It is manifest that he reigneth in us seeing the faithfull can say with the Apostle Gal. 2.20 The life which I now live I live by faith in the Sonne of God and Christ lives in mee but that the glory of an earthly Kingdome is the reward of his contempt and torment we cannot thinke seeing such a glory is not answerable to his sufferings who being equall with God made himselfe of no reputation and humbled himselfe even to the death of the Crosse Wherefore his reward is not deferred so long but now God hath exalted him highly and given him a came which is above every name Phil. 2. And he for the joy that was set before him endured the Crosse and is set downe at the right hand of the Throne of God Heb. 12.2 which is a greater honour then of an earthly threne Reply It is manifest that the faithfull before Christs incarnation could say also as well as we The life which we now live we live by faith in the Sonne of God and Christ lives in us For they were haptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did eate the same spirituall meate and drinke the same spirituall drinke which we doe for they dranke of the spirituall rocke that followed them and that rocke was Christ 1 Cor. chap. 10. ver 2 3 4. So that if you will call the adoption sanctification regeneration and justification of the Saints a reigning which the Apostle calls a living Christ doth no otherwise reigne over them now then he did from the beginning of the world to wit by his holy Spirit But the reigne in question is his reigning visibly in his humane nature on earth In which sense it is and for which end it was that he was borne a King an heire apparant to the Throne of David For unlesse he had been to reigne as man on earth and as the Sonne of David over Israel there had been no more necessity of his being borne of that Tribe and Family of the Jewes which had sole interest and title to the Crowne of Israel to qualifie him for the execution of his Kingly office in your spirituall sense for the distributing of his Spirit unto and the guiding of the Church therewith then there was of his being born of the Tribe of Levi to fit him for the execution of his Priestly office in laying down his life for our sins and making intercession for us now unto the Father And as Herods destroying of the Infants of purpose to destroy our Saviour that he might thereby translate the Kingdome of Israel from the House of David and fasten it to himselfe and his Posterity had been a plot as sottish as it was savage if he had not understood that the Scepter did belong onely to our Saviour So doubtlesse if he had not therein truely conceived what King Christ should be the Evangeâ—ists would as well have recorded that Herods misapprehension of our Saviours Kingdome was the occasion of his bloudy fact as he hath related his malicious attempt to defeate our Saviour of his right And although we doe not say that this Kingdome of our Saviour on earth is all the reward of that contempt and torment which he hath endured for us yet we say that it is all the reward which he is to have here on earth And we say also that this reward is very agreeable though not equall to his sufferings that I say God hath very righteously appointed that our Saviour should by the Posterity of the same persons be there worshipped and obeyed where by their Predecessours he had been so scornefully despightfully handled and that at the end of this reigne he should there judge those persons also who had formerly adjudged him to death And the scriptures which you have brought doe not gainesay this for that Heb. 12.2 doth shew onely what
reward he hath already in beaven and so doth the 9 ver of the 2 chap. to the Phil. but the 10. and 11. verses doe rather shew what reverence he shall have in the Day of his reigne on earth then what he hath already The 3. Particular His owne words doe clearely prove it Rev. 3. ver 21. Mr. Petrie's answer Can any man see in these words any thing for an earthly Kingdome for albeit the Throne of the Father and the Throne of our Saviour were diverse yet may they not be both in heaven Reply Can any man choose but see in these words two distince Thrones will any man besides you say that they maybe both in heaven What Can our Saviour have an idle Throne in heaven Throne in which he doth not now sit For he now sits in his Fathers Throne and when then shall he sit in that other Throne which you say may be in heaven besides his Fathers Throne Certainely you cannot tell us To put you out of doubt then that the Throne which our Saviour here calls my Throne is a distinct Throne from the Fathers and yet not in heaven you must remember first that this Throne is our Saviours Throne of judgment which he shall receive when he comes to judge the quicke and the dead and therefore is to be on earth and not in heaven And secondly That it is the Throne in which the Saints that overcome shall sitwith him therfore also not the Throne where he now sits because no man can sit in that but himselfe And therefore also the Throne as well of his Monarâ—hicall government as of his judging the dead at his delivering up of the Kingdome to the Father because it is in the time of his reigâ—â— onely that the twelve Apostles shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel as hath been shewed before The 4. Particular That which he calleth his owne Throne be bath not yet received Heb. 2.8 and Ch. 10.12 13. Mr. Petrie's answer The words Heb. 2.8 are Thou hast put all things under his feet For in that he hath puâ— all things in subjection under him be left nothing that is not put under him but we see not yet all things put under him Here is a twofold Vniversality all things are put under him and nothing is not put under him What more would you have The 〈◊〉 words say all things are not put under him If the last words saysâ— they must be contrary to the former words but the words are we see not all things put under him neither is the word Receive there which is the point in hand Now these two are farre different we see not all things put under him and he hath not received all things to be under him So this Text in stead of proefe convinâ—eth the foolish Tenâ—â— It may be this is more cleare in c. 10.12 13. where it is said He set downe on the right hand of God There the height of glory expecting from benceforth till his enemies be made his foote stoole What is here for an earthly Throne or another Throne his enemies are made subject unto him even bis greatest enemies as it is granted before but 〈◊〉 long as this world continues new enemies shall be arising and can be not subdue them as he hath done others unlesse he erect and sit on 〈◊〉 earthly Throne Reply You have here strived all you could to obscure two texts which I have quoted in the margine of my booke out of the 2 and 10 chap. of the Epist to the Heb. that Heb. 2. ver 8. is this Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feete For in that he put all in subjection under him he left nothing faith the Apostle that 〈◊〉 not put under him But now we see not yet all things put under him Out of which words you frame your objection thus Here is a two-fold Vniuersality all things are put under him and nothing is not put under him What more would yee have The last words say All things are not put under him This is your formall argument and your wise answer is this If the last words say so they must be contrary to the former words but the words are we see not all things put under him No the words are But now we see not yet all things put under him And if they were as you here alledge them why did you object before that the last words say All things are not put under him seeing you deny that they say so in your answer Is not this first to speak otherwise then the text speakes and then to reprehend your self for mis-alledging of it yet this I hope is neither false Logique nor false Divinity in you And what I pray is the meaning of these words But now we see not yet all things put under him if this be not the meaning of them that all things are not put under him And yet by your leave they are not contrary to the former words for the Apostles former words have relation to the Propheticall expression of the Psalmist who speakes of that which was to come as if it had been then done Who foreshews onely what great power was designed unto our Swiour by the Father and not when the manifestation and exercise thereof should be So that the whole meaning of Saint Pauls words is this For in that God hath fore-appointed to put all in subjection under Christ he hath left nothing he hath exempted no creature that is not to be put under him But now we see not yet this fulfilled we see not yet all things actually put under him But we see already Jesus for the sufferings of death erowned with glory and honour And thus the Apostle shews what of that Prophecy of David was then fulfilled in Christ after his ascenfion to wit this that he was then crowned with glory and honour And what was not then fulfilled to wit this the actuall subjection of all creatures unto him which is not to be fulfilled till the manifestation of the world to come to which time it is that the Apostle referres the accomplishment and exercise of Christs dominion over the creatures which the Psalmist reveales as the comparing of the 5. verse of this chapter with that which follows dothevidently declare For having said in the 5. ver For unto the Angels hath be not put in subjection the world to come whereof he speakes he presently assumes But one in a certaine place testifiâ—d saying What is man that thou art mindfull of him or the Sonne of man that thou visitest-him c. And thus this text shews not our Tenet to be foolish but you to be as fallacions in seeking to obscure it as your owne mouth doth pronounce you prophane in calling that truth foolishnesse which Christ the Prophets and Apostles have so plainely and plentifully set forth In the other Text Heb. 10. ver 12 13. it is said But this man after he
which now be doth not Mr. Petrie's Answer If this be not to deceive with words I know not what it is to deceive One and the same throne is called the throne of God and of the Lambe Revel 22.5 and therefore his Fathers throne is his owne throne as be saith generally John 17.10 All my things are thine and all thine are mine and so both parts of the proefe fall to the ground In one Kingdome is but one throne and that throne belongeth to the Father and to the Sonne and now be fits on his owne throue as it is said expressely unto the Sonne Heb. 1.8 Thy throne is for ever and ever and he prayeth for no other glory but that which he had before the woâ—ld was John 17.5 Reply It doth ill become a deceiver to cry out against deceit Our Saviours words Revel 3.21 are very plaine they are no parable To him that overcometh saith he will I grant to sit with mee in my Throne loe here a Throne in which the Saints shall sit with Christ it follows Even as I also overcame and am set downe with my Father in his Throne Loe here a Throne in which no man can sit but himselfe and therefore here are two distinct Thrones But you object That one and the same throne is called the throne of God and of the Lambe and therefore say you his Fathers throne is his owne throne And therefore say we you are slipt from the matter in question for whereas you should prove that the Throne which Revel 3. Christ calls my throne is not a distinct Throne from that which he calls the Fathers throne you prove onely that the Fathers Throne is Christ's owne Throne which no Christian will gainsay For it is his by proper interest as he is God and by purchased interest as I may say as the Lambe of God as a crucified Saviour and yet it is not that Throne which properly belongs unto him as he is man as he is the Sonne of David For this he is to receive on earth where others where they that overcome shall sit with him And in oppofition to this Throne on earth it is that he calls the Throne in heaven the Fathers throne Revel 3.21 which Throne Revel 22.3 after the expiration of the time of his reigne on Davids Throne he calls the Throne of God and of the Lambe And so your argument being mistaken the scriptures alledged to confirme it are of no force to beare downe the truth of a double Throne mentioned Rev. 3.21 The 6. Particular He hath a throne which belongeth unto him as man and to the throne of the Father he hath no proper interest but as God Mr. Petrie's Answer Shew then any text that speakes of his two thrones yea if he have or shall have any throne as man and not as God it must be given unto him but it is now given unto him to sit on his Fathers throne and his given throne is the throne of his Father Reply You here sall backe to somewhat that you had left behinde but unlesse you had proposed a wiser challenge it had been more for your credit to have let it alone For is it not strange that one so well read in the seripture as you seeme to be should call on us to shew any text that speakes of Christs two thrones Surely we have shewed you already one unanswerable text Rev. 3.21 and yet you will not beleeve it To shame you then if not to satisfie you we will shew you others For what are the Thrones of which Saint John saith Rev. 20.4 And I saw thrones and they sate upon them and judgement was given unto them Are not these the Thrones in which they that overcome shall sit with our Saviour And are not the Thrones on which the Disciples shall sit judging the twelve Tribes of Israel some of these Thrones doubtlesse they are For as it is said Matth. 19.28 That the Disciples shall sit on thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel which necessarily shews a government over others so it is said Revel 10.4 That they sat on thrones and judgment was given unto them not on them that is They were made Judges over others not others over them And where should the Saints departed sit on seateâ— exercising judgment over others but on earth and when but in the time of our Saviours Kingdome who shall bring them with him when I say but in the time of his 1000. yeares reigne as it is Luke 22.29.30 and Rev. 20 4 For in heaven they cannot sit judging any because there are none to be judged by them there are none but themselves and at the judgement of the dead they shall not judge any any otherwise then by way of approbation because this is our Saviours priviledge onely as his words John 5.22.27 and the single throne Rev. 20.11 doe declare and indeed it is not likely that the Saints who are saved onely by our Saviours righteousnesse shall pronounce glory to themselves and perdition unto others The time therefore in which our Saviours Throne shall be accompanied with the Thrones of the Saints must needes be the time of his 1000 yeares reigne on earth after which time and the little season of the selfe-ruining in surrection of the Nations that must follow it he is to sit alone on the white Throne spoken of Rev. 20.11 to give sentence on the dead and taking the full number of the elect with him into the new Jerusalem to sit againe in the Throne of God and of the Lambe in the height of glory Rev. 22.3 And thus we have laid before you other texts which shew that our Saviour shall have a Throne on earth and consequently that he hath another Throne besides that where he now siâ—s And that his Throne on earth is a Throne given unto him the words of the Angel Gabriel Luke 1.32 doe witnesse And the Lord shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David And his owne words John 5.27 And hath given him authority to execute judgement also because he is the Sonne of man But you by your wily if not rather weake arguing would perswade us to thinke that Christ cannot have another Throne given him because the Throne where he now sits is a given Throne Which is just as true a reasoning as this King James was first crowned King of Scotland therefore he could not afterward be crowned King of England Israel's Redemption And the reason of it as is intimated in the first words is because the time in which all that shall overcome are to be called is not yet at an end and this also the answer which was made to the soules under the Altar who cried for vengeance against their persecutours doth fully confirme For it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled Revel 6.11 and when this iâ— done
g Rev. 11.15.17 then shall Christ sit in his own Throne and they that overcome shall sit with him For he that overe meth and keepeth my words unto the end to him saith he will I give power over Nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I rrceived of my Father Rev. 2.26 Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. The force of this reason is Christ shall not be a King till all his Subjects be called and overcome but his Subjects are not all yet called which forme is alike with this Ferdinand shall not be Emperour till all his Subjects be boâ—ne and he victorious whereas some of his Subjects are comming daily into the world and it may be more of them are daily departing This is a rediculous reason and so is the other 2. Neither doth the prayer of the Saints make mention of his earthly Kingdome but of subduing or rivenging their enemies which shall be without an earthly Monarchy to wit by punishing them in hell 3 That text Rev. 11.15 speakes not of a proper Kingdome of Christ and farre lesse of an earthly Kingdome but of the Kingdome of our Lord and his Christ if it had been said of our Lord and Christ or of our Lord Christ it might be thought to be the proper Kingdome of Christ which he as man governes or shall governe but when it is said of our Lord and of his Christ we see a distinction of persons and unity of power And therefore it is cleare that the text Rev. 2.26 it impertinently cited for proofe of that thing which is not and is imagined to be on earth whereas that power is in beaven Reply 1. Doubtlesse you take this for a very witty comparison but the truth is it is a very ignorant one For the force of this reason is not as you make it say that Christ shall not be a King till all his Subjects be called and overcome But it is this That Christ shall not receive his Kingdome till all those Subjects those glorified Saints which shall come with him in his Kingdome are called and have overcome So that the forme is like this Ferdinand shall not be Emperour till all those Subjects those Nobles that shall waite on him at his coronation be borne and able to attend him And Ferdinand being a mortall King is to be accompanied by mortall attendants but our Saviour being an immortall King is to be accompanied with immortall attendants with all those beleevers which have already or shall hereafter overcome the temptations and afflictions of this world before his appearing and his Kingdome which Saints being but a part though the choisest part of our Saviours Subjects are indeed ridiculously compared by you to all Ferdinands Subjects borne and unborne 2. Though the prayer of the Saints Rev. 6.10 doth not mention our Saviours Kingdome on earth yet seeing the revenge they call for is deferred till the number of those that shall be slaine for the word of God be fulfilled we know that it is not to be executed till our Saviours comming And in what manner it is then to be done by hâ—m the 14. chap. of the Rev. from the 14. ver to the end doth declare And the 19. chap. also at 17. ver c. Where the fowles of heaven are summon'd to the Supper of the great God to eate the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captaines and the flâ—sh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all both bond and free both small and great And surely this judgement on the Saints enemies is to be a temporall judgement on earth at our Saviours comming with the Saints to receive his Kingdome as the 11. and 14. verses of this Prophecy doe shew and not an eternall judgement on their bodies and soules in hell which is not to seize on them till the giving up of Christs Kingdome at the Judgment of the dead till above a 1000 yeares after this overthrow in which the fowles are to feast on their carkasses as in the 20 chap. of the Rev. at the 11 verse c. it is revealed 3. That text Rev. 11.15 speakes not you say of a proper Kingdome of Christ but of the Kingdome of our Lord and his Christ And by this reckoning our Saviour hath no proper Kingdome at all and consequently is not properly a King for what Kingdome belongs to Christ which may not as well be called the Kingdom of our Lord as the Kingdom of his Christ But certainly the Kingdom which this text saith shall become the Kingdomes of Christ are the Kingdomes of this world and therefore Kingdomes on earth and proper Kingdomes both which you deny And they are to become Christs Kingdomes at the sounding of the seventh Trumpet and not before that is at the time of his appearing againe and therefore they are to be his to governe as he is man and so by your owne confession to be properly his Although then we grant that these words the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ doe intimate a distinction of persons and unity of power which is more then Pareus grants who enclines to a distinction of natures and unity of persons yet it will not follow from hence that the Kingdomes of this world which our Saviour at his comming shall receive into his owne possession as he is man shall not be his proper Kingdomes For they are said to become the Kingdomes of our Lord not because they are not now his buâ— fist because at the accomplished donation and actuâ—ll subjection of them unto Christ God shall more marvelloufly declâ—re his supreame power over them then ever he did And secondly because they shall then â—e his after a more speciall manner then they are now his because I say he shall the be worshipped and obeyed in them all according to the righteous rule of his owne Lawes And yet they are said to become the Kingdomes of Christ onely in regâ—â—d of the administration of the immâ—diate government of them For Christ alone shall then be visible King over them as now others are and therefore shall be as properly a King on earth as any of them who now beare rule in these Kingdomes And this the next words of the text doe confirme which say not and they but and he that is Christ alone shall reigne for ever and ever And therefore that text Rev. 2.26 is verâ— pertinently cited for proofe of that thing which shall be on earth and is not now in heaven For our Saviour though then in heaven did not say that he had given the Saints in heaven or Saints on earth power over the Nations on earth but that he would give them power over them And surely we cannot thinke that the Martyrs Rev. 6.10 would call on God to hasten the time for the avenging of their blâ—ud on them that dwell on the earth if
approved Authors bred in approved schooles who have all confessed the same truth that I speake for and stucke to that proper interpretation of these scriptures which I follow For not to speake of the primitive Christians or of many of the Fathers after them there have been many approved men for learning in these latter-times that have been witnesses of this truth amongst whom are Brightman Alstedius Wendelinus and Mede whom you your selfe pag. 14. commend for a renowned Author although you shake off his choifest proofes as easily as Sampfon shooke off the Philistins cords and breake through his strongest arguments as forcibly as Sampson did through the gates of Azzah which he carried away in a triumphing manner such wonders doe you worke by your canonicall or rather carelesse arguing And yet for all this you must give me leave to make so bold with you againe as to tell you That as the plainenesse of this text in hand and of the fore-cited scriptures doth compell us to acknowledge the proper sense of them so I trust both the love of the truth the feare of God and a desire to keepe a good conscience will ever constraine us to sticke to it For it is manifest by your taunting termes that you could finde neither scripture contradicting nor necessity forbidding the proper sense of our Saviours words for the confirmation whereof this rule is here alledged Israel's Redemption For besides that there is little analogy and resemblance betwixt a perpetuall l Rev. 22.3 praising and worshipping of God and the businesse of a politicke government here spoken of besides this I say we are already informed that though our Saviour be now in heaven yet he sits not there in his owne Throne and consequently is not yet in the Kingdome which the Father hath appointed him Mr. Petrie's Answer What impudence is here Doth not David say Psal 16 11. In thy presence is the fulnesse of joy at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore and Psal 17.15 I shall be satisfied when I wake with thy likenesse and Psal 36.8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fulnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them drinke of the river of thy pleasures These and many more are spoken of the joyes in heaven by resemblance with earthly Kingdomes and we have already shewed that he hath been misinformed or misinformeth of another Throne and another Kingdoms Reply Here you startle the Reader with a very foule exclamation but an evill tongue as it doth not become you so it will nothing benefit you Yea it deepely staines your innocency before God very much impaires your reputation amongst men especially upright men and sets up your wounded conscience as an irreconcileable Judge against you Looke into the Epistle of Saint James chap. 3. ver 6. and you may see both the abominable off spring and originall of it So is the tongue saith he amongst the members that it defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire of hell That therefore it may not burne hereafter in those flames from whence it is now too much inflamed thinke seriously on this passage and from henceforth give better language to others though your enemies then you have doâ—e to me for telling you the truth Now as for your answer I confesse these texts to be Davids words and that there are some metaphoricall phrases in them But I deny that they have any resemblance with the civill affaires of an earthly Kingdome or that there is any comparison to be made betwixt them and our Saviours saying Luke 22.28 so that the impudence you speake of may well recoile on your selfe For the text Psal 16.11 shews onely that the fulnesse of all joy and delight is in the enjoyment of the sight of God and to be at the right hand of God doth betoken the highest place of honour and glory in heaven which is proper to our Saviour who is said to sit at the right hand of God in allusion to a custome amongst men who are wont to set those whom they will mâ—st honour whom they most delight in at their right hands And that Text Psa 17.8 shews that David after the resurrection when he shall have a glorified body as Christ now hath shall be perfectly happy shall be as he would be For these words to awake after thy likenesse are all one with those of Saint Paul in 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. To rise in incorruption in glory in power to rise with a spirituall body For if we have been planted together in the likenesse of Christs death we shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection saith the same Apostle Rom. 6.5 and because we are laid into our graves as one that lies downe in his bed to sleepe and shall be raised out of them as one that riseth out of his bed from sleepe therefore it is that the Prophet useth awake in stead of arise And the text Psal 36.8 is referred by Musculus to Gods bountifull provision in this life for all men indifferently and by Calvine better as well to the outward and temporall as to the spirituall and eternall benefits of God towards the faithfull his words are Some restraine it to spirituall graces but unto mee it seemeth a more likelyhood that under it are comprehended all Gods benefits that pertaine as well to the use of this present life as to the eternall heavenly blessednesse And so refers it as well to joyes on earth as to joyes inheaven And happily seeing the Prophet makes mention here of the house of God it is best understood of the great comfort which men shall receive through Gods loving kindness towards them in the time of our Saviours Kingdome on earth when Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord shall again be rebuilt and all Nations shall flow unto it as it is Isai 2.2 or as it is Zech. 14.16 shall goe up from yeare to yeare to worâ—â—ippe the King the Lord of Hosts and to keepe the feast of Tabernacles When I say in the mountaine of the Lords house in the restored Jerusalem the Lord of Hosts shall make unto all people a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well refined And shall destroy the face of the covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations Isai 25.6 c. And besides every understanding man knowes that to drinke of the river of thy pleasures is a metaphoricall expression seeing pleasures are not the nourishment of the body and so properly and corporally dranke of but belonging to the soule to which they are as comfortable as sweete and wholesome waters to a thirsty body But to drinke wine to eate the Passeover to eate and drinke at our Saviours table to eate bread in the Kingdome of God to sit on seates and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel are all proper expressions
And therefore there shall be no notable distance of time betwixt the resurrection and the generall judgement and consequently these words of Paul doe clcarely prove that the reigne of Christ as God-man doth not beginne after his next comming nor can without contradiction unto the Apostle any notable space of time be betwixt his next comming and the last subduing of all things The 25 verse proveth the same for when it is said For he must reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feete thereby is teached more clearely in the originall language that now he reigneth and continues reigning and consequently he is not to begin his reigne even as it is said Heb. 2.8 Thou hast put all things under his feete and when they who are in Christ shall be made alive death the last enemy shall be destroyed and then is the end of administration Reply 1. The reason which you alledge against the distance of time betwixt the resurrection of the godly and ungodly to wit that the last clause of the 22 verse So in Christ shall all be made alive is not properly and univocally meant of the ungodly whose rising shall be to the accomplishment of their second death this reason is a meere mistake or rather a groundlesse untruth For as in Dan. 12.2 the words Sleepe and Awake are indifferently applyed to the death and resurrection of the just and unjust as in this chap. ver 20. the word Sleepe is indifferently applyed to all that are dead and ver 12 13.15 16.21.29 The dead are opposed to the living in generall to all that live a naturall life on earth and so are meant of all that are departed out of this life both elect and not elect In like manner the word Shall be made alive ver 22 is opposed onely to the first and naturall death of the body to the corruptible state of it in the grave and not to the spirituall death of the soul or to the second and supernaturall death of the body and consequently doth equally comprehend the resurrection of the good and bad as the 21 verse doth further confirme For since by man came death to all both good and bad by man came also the resurrection of the dead of all both good and bad So that the Apostle discoursing here of a proper and bodily resurrection speakes onely of such a death as is common to all which is a bodily death and such a resurrection as is common to all which is a bodily resurrection And having proved the resurrection and shewed also in what order it shall be fulfilled towards the end of the chapter he tells the Saints with what bodies they themselves shall arise to wit with incorruptible with glorified with spirituall bodies And as for the text in 1 Thes 4 16 17. it doth shew onely that the Saints which are living at our Saviours comming shall not be caught up to meete Christ before those that are dead For when the Saints who are dead shall be raised out of their graves then the Saints that remaine alive shall together with them be caught up into the cloudes to meete the Lord. So that this order as you call it is an order betwixt the Saints remaining alive at our Saviours comming and the Saints deceased before his comming and not an order touching the distinct rising of all those that are dead which is that which Saint Paul affirmes in the 1 Cor. 15.23 c. And whereas you would make it a matter incredible that our Saviour and the Saints shall come downe againe from the aire to abide so long space on earth onely because it is said That they shall meete the Lord in the aire and so shall ever be with the Lord. You doe shew your selfe to be either very forgetfull of what you have read in Gods word or that you tooke but little notice of it when you did read it For doth not Zâ—ch 14.5 tell us That the Lord shall come and all the Saints with him Seeing then the Saints shall meete the Lord in the aire as Saint Paul saith and seeing also when they are met the Lord shall come and all the Saints with him as the Prophet saith whither shall they come but from the aire to the earth Surely whatsoever you or any other through your perswasion may imagine of it Job makes no doubt of it For chap. 19. ver 25 26 27. he saith I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reines be consumed within me And Jeremiah seconds him chap. 23. ver 5. in expresse termes touching our Saviours abode on earth Yea seeing our Saviour at his comming with his heavenly host shall take the Beast and false Prophet alive in battell and make a feast of their Armies for the fowles of heaven as it is revealed in the 19 chap. of the Revel and tread them in the winepresse of his wrath that the bloud shall come even unto the horse-bridles by the space of a 1000 and 600 furlongs as it is foretold Revel 14.19 20. Shall be descend to the earth to doe this thinke ye or shall he not And why also may not the Saints when they have met the Lord as well be ever with him though he first descend with them to reigne on earth as if he should goe immediately backe with them into heaven Nescis haud dubio nescis 2. You might well have spared this passage unlesse you could have shewed that I had markt any thing against the truth But doth the Apostle prove them onely to be in an errour who hold that none besides the Martyrs shall rise reign with Christ at his coming Surely he markes a word against those too who hold that all the dead shall rise at Christ comming for every man saith he in his owne order Christ the first-fruites afterwards they that are Christs at his comming Loe here the order of the Saints that dye before Christs appearing is to be the next that shall rise after Christ himselfe And when then is the order of the rest of the dead but when the time of Christs 1000 yeares reigne on earth is finished when the last enemy is destroyed which is death which shall not be utterly destroyed till the last resurrection till all men be raised from the dead For seeing the Apostle without any relation to the severall estates of the just and unjust after their resurrection speakes here onely of the rising of their bodies which equally and univocally belongs to them all why should we thinke that he would not as well have mentioned the resurrection of the unjust too at Christs comming as he doth the resurrection of the just if they were to rise at the same time with these if the words But every man in his
armes but this that ver 35. is not contrary to ver 44. And doubtlesse it is not nor ver 44. to such a setting up of our Saviours Kingdome as we hold For whereas you say That this Kingdome shall be set up in the dayes of these Kings and not after them It is as if you had told us That a King cannot overcome and succeed other Kings in their Kingdomes while they reigne but after their reigne When as indeed they cannot lose their Kingdomes but while they have them but in the dayes of their reigne and not after them And so you have not yet shewed us any reason why this phrase It shall breake in peeces and consume these Kingdomes should not as well be taken properly when it is attributed to the setting up of our Saviours Kingdome as when it is attributed to the setting up of the other Kingdomes And therefore we have still good reason to beleeve that the forcible and destroying fall of the stone upon the image doth betoken no lesse then a conquest and succession by force of armes Israel's Redemption And as the falling of the stone upon the feete of the image upon the last and divided Kingdomes of the iron Empire doth probably imply Mr. Petrie's Answer The dreame implyeth nothing contrary to the exposition and therefore leave probabilities that are contrary to certainties Reply Doubt lesse the dreame implyeth nothing contrary to the exposition but both dreame and exposition doe point out our Saours personall reigne on earth For the confirmation and manifestation of which truth we bring not probabilities onely but certainties too yea such certainties as all your wit and wilinesse are not able to answer or obscure and therefore me thinks you have no cause to be offended with such variety of testimonies And had I said also that this which I called onely a probability had been more then a probability I had not overlasht For seeing God by this image foreshewed Nebuchadnezzar what Kingdoms should succeed his unto the second comming of Christ all which time the Jewes should remaine captives and tributaries And that the falling of the stone on the feete of the image did intimate both the second appearing of Christ for the first was when he was borne of a Virgine when he was cut out without hands and the expiration of the time allotted to the Kingdomes represented by the image It necessarily followes that when the stone should fall on the image when the Kingdome of God should be set up as it is expounded the Kingdoms prefigured by the image should be no longer should all be subdued and that the mountaine filling the whole earth the visible and Monarchicall Kingdome of Christ on earth should succeed alone Israel's Redemption For if the Kingdome of God there spoken of were to be understood of a Kingdome which should so be set up in the dayes of these Kings that their reigne should notwithstanding continue together with it as not onely these but all former Kingdomes also have done with the Church militant with the Kingdome of grace which therefore cannot be the Kingdome there foreshewne then doubtlesse it should have been represented by some part of the image it selfe as the contemporating Kingdomes of the divided Empire are by the mixture of iron and clay and not by a thing so different from it and adverse unto it by a stone I say so wonderfull for its beginning operation and encrease For it was cut out without hands and when it had smote the image became a great mountaine and filled the whole earth Which the Churches as yet never did whose fall and growth too as they import a more powerfull speedy and generall conquest over these Kingdomes by this Kingdome then either the gold received from the silver the silver from the brasse or the brasse from the iron so they imply the utter extirpation and totall abolition of that manner of policy and government which these Kingdomes have usâ—d of which it is said That they became like the chaffe of the Summer threshing-flores and the winde carried them away that no place was found for them ver 35. And with this sense of the interpretation of the vision very well a greeth that in the second Psalme ver 8. Aâ—ke of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession Thou shalt break them with a rod r Rev. 2.27 ch 19.15 of iron thou shalt dash them in peeces like a potters vessel And that in Psal 110.2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion rule thou in the midst of thine enemies The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through Kings in the day of his wrath He shall judge among the heathen he shall fill the placer with dead bodies he shall wound the heads over many Countries He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therefore shall he lift up the head Yea and that too in Psal 149.2 Let Israel rejoyce in him that made him let the children of Zion be joyfull in their King Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people To binde their 1 Sam. 1.9.10 Psal 47. Psal 99. Kings in chaines and their Nobles in fetters of iron to exâ—eute upon them the judgement written This bonour have all his Saints Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Then teach God hâ—w he should eveale his will 2. It is revealed in expcesse words ver 44.3 There was reason to expresse it by a different thing because the foure were of one quality and this was of another quality My Kingdome saith he is not of this world John 18.36 It is more wonderfull more powerfull and more generall then any of them and all the Kings who will not serve this King shall perish he shall breake them with a rod of iron Psal 2.8 he shall strike them through in his wrath Psal 110 5. and binde them with chaines and their Nobles with fetters of iron Psal 149.8 Reply 1. We leave this presumption to your selfe who have so boldly told God what is most for his glory pag. 15 16. and what is most to the praise of his mercy and bountifulnesse pag. 68. 2. It is revealed in expresse words ver 44. That God shall set up a Kingdome in the dayes of these Kings But not that these Kings and the Kingdomes which God shall set up are to continue together Yea the Kingdome of God could not breake in peeces these Kingdomes could not succeed them by conquest unlesse they should be in the possession of their severall Kings when the Kingdome of God is thus to be set up And seeing these Kingdomes are to be broken in peeces are to be consumed by the Kingdome which God shall set up how can you once imagine that their conversion and not their confusion that their instruction and not destruction that
Epistle was in possession of it and the Aposile did then hope for the house not made with hands eternall in the heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 And therefore that world is not a distinct world but even the same in which as Mediatour he shall give up the Kingdome to the Father Reply That the Apostle speakes of a world to come as well in respect of Christ as of himselfe it is evident first from Psal 8.4 c. which shewes that the world which the Apostle calls the world to come is the world in which those workes of God are that he made for man to have dominion over is the world I say in which the beasts of the field the fowles of the aire and the fishes of the sea doe inhabit And secondly it is cleare from the originall word by which it is exprest which is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the superiour world the third heaven as you take it but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inferiour world the terrestriall globe the dwelling place of men and all other mortall creatures as we read Matth. 24.14 and Acts 17.6.31 And therefore the Kingdome of heaven in your sense that is Christs possession of heaven and his reigning over the Saints departed cannot possibly be meant by it but the Kingdome of heaven in our sense that is the heavenly Kingdome which Christ shall here visibly reigne over in time to come In the day the great day in which God hath appointed to judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the world in righteousnesse by him as it is Acts 17.31 that is to execute judgement and justice on the earth as the Prophet Jeremiah expresseth it chap. 23. ver 5. So that the Apostles words are as if he had said For not unto the Angels hath be appointed this inferiour world of which we spake before chap. 1. ver 6. to be subject in time to come but unto Christ as one in a certaine place testified saying What is man that thou art mindfull of him or the sonne of man that thou visitest him Thou madest him a little lower then the Angels thou crownedst him with glory and honour and didst set him over the workes of thy hands c. And thus it is manifest that your referring of the words whereof we speake to ver 3. is but a private fancie crossing the Apostles explication of the world to come by the prophecy of David Psal 8.4 c. And imposing such a signification on the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as is not to be found in all the Scripture And therefore we still conclude that the world which the Apostle speakes of is to be a distinct world in time from this we now live in and both in time and place from that in which our Saviour shall give up his Kingdome to the Father And as for those who by the world to come doe understand the time of the Gospell betwixt Christs first and second comming they doe hereby make the Apostle either to call the time in which he himselfe lived the world to come or to distinguish the time betwixt Christs first and second comming into two worlds at the least Whereas the scripture doth divide the whole time appointed to the heavens and earth that now are but into three worlds or parts of time the first whereof containes the time from the creation to the floud and is the old world of which Saint Peter speakes 2 Epist chap. 2. ver 5. the world long since past The second containes the time from the floud to our Saviours next appearing and is the world that now is The third containes the whole day of judgement the 1000 yeares and little season mentioned Rev. 20. which is to beginne at our Saviours next appearing and to end with the world it selfe at the last resurrection and this is the world to come of which the Apostle here speakes Israel's Redemption or that which is to be given up is already past Mr. Petrie's Answer That which shall be given up is not past as yet neither shall it be given up altogether but in some manner as the Millenaries acknowledge at the end of their 1000 yeares Reply That which shall be given up is not past as yet you say true and that which shall be ginne is not come as yet But surely it is false to say that we acknowledge Christs Kingdome shall not be given up altogether that we acknowledge I say that Christ as man as the Sonne of David shall not then cease to reigne when the generations of men over which he must reigne shall cease And this earth on which he must reigne shall passe away In a word when at the last resurrection he shall take the elect with him into eternall glory and delight and turne the reprobate from him into endlesse horrour and contempt For we know that the Apostle in 1 Cor. 15.24.28 teacheth otherwise saying Then commeth the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father c. And when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Sonne also himselfe be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be allin all Israel's Redemption And it is no where said that the new Jerusalem the City of eternall glory shall be subjected to Christ as a creature but that Christ as a creature shall after the judgement of the dead be there subject to the Father Mr. Petrie's Answer He as God-man saith Matth. 28. To me is given all power in heaven and on earth And thus all the consequences for proving the earthly Monarchy of the Jewes are naught Reply That the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the power our Saviour speakes of Matth. 28.18 was given to him as man and not as God for so he had it from all eternity interpreters agree And what though all power in heaven and on earth was then given to Christ as man What doth this make against my words which affirme that Christ as man shall after the judgement of the dead after all things are subdued unto him surrender againe this power as having no further use of it and in the new Jerusalem not reigne as man but be himselfe subject to the Father Or what doth it make against Christs 1000 yeares reigne on earth that he had then all power in heaven and on earth given unto him unlesse it will follow from hence that if he had been to reigne visibly on earth he might and would have done it at that time But certainely this will not follow for though our Saviour had then all power given him yet he was toexercise it to doe all that was to be done by it in that order and manner which God had appointed it to be done and no otherwise And therefore as we acknowledge that God had from all eternity the same power of creation which in the beginning of this world he first of all put into act and exercise so we acknowledge likewise that Christ hath now that power
beginne And it being evident from the text that this Kingdome of God is to be a Kingdome in which there shall be eating of bread that is according to the signification of this phrase in the Gospell of such creatures as God hath ordained for mans food on earth this Kingdome of God must needes be meant of a Kingdome on earth and consequently the recompence our Saviour spake of is to be given on earth and the resurrection of the Saints to enjoy this Kingdome is to precede the rising of all others which shall not be till the time of this Kingdome be fully expired The second restimony is in Joh. 6.39 40 44.54 of which the last ver is this Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will vaise him up at the last day And these last words are the close of the other verses also whence you argue thus If the last day be the day of the generall judgement as certainely it is even supponing the temporall Monarchy for a 1000 yeares and the elect shall not be raised till the last day as these words imply then there shall not be a first and second resurrection unlesse the second resurrection be after the last day And what coherence is there in this argument what appearance of truth certainely it savours not of your great skil in Logique For neither the first nor the last refurrection shall be till the last day and yet both shall be in the last day seeing the last day shall beginne with the first resurrection and end with the last But yet we have good reason to beleeve that our Saviour spake here only of the first of these resurrections because in v. 54. he speakes onely of raising them that should be worthy partakers of the Sacrament of his body and bloud which Sacrament is to shew forth the Lords death till he come as Saint Paul affirmes 1 Cor. 11.26 and for ought we yet know no longer If therefore you have no better arguments to support the spirituall interpretation of the first resurrection Rev. 20.4 5 6. then this it were farre better that you did lay your hand on your mouth then plead for it And indeede how could you imagine that God should reveale unto S. John the rising of men from sin as a secret then unknown unto the world that I say he should foreshew this as a thing then to come which began in Adam himselfe and was at that time the daily effect of the preaching of the Gospell The third text is that of Saint Paul in Phil. 3.11 If by any meanes I might attaine to the resurrection of the dead To which you answer these words name he dead generally c. Certainely no more generally then the same Apostles words in 1 Cor. 15.42 c. doe Where he saith So also is the resurrection of the dead it is sowne in corruption it is raised in incorruption it is sowne in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sowne in weakenesse it is raised in power it is sowne a naturall body it is raised a spirituall body And doe any besides the just rise in glory in power and with spirituall bodies or do you thinke that it was needefull for Saint Paul to use his utmost care and endeavour that he might attaine to rise at that time when the unjust should rise The resurrection therefore which the Apostle strove so much to attaine unto was no other then the resurrection of the dead in Christ then the first resurrection of which it is said that he who hath a part in it the second death hath no power over him As on the contrary all that dye before this resurrection and are not raised in it shall perish ever lastingly But because you had no more to say to the text which I have quoted you alledge the 20 ver of the same chapt out of which you raise these arguments If the Politeuma the freedome of the godly be in heaven then they expect not a Monarchy on earth And if their bodies shall be like unto Christs glorious body they shall not live an earthly life nor dye againe But as we allow your lâ—st argument for we know not who doth affirme the contrary to wit that the Saints shall after their resurrection be either mortall or sinnefull so in your first argument we first deny your trâ—nslation of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which you make the ground of your argument For it signifies not there a freedome or priviledge but a manner of living as by the Apostles opposing of his owne conversation to the conversation of some carnall minded Ministers of the Gospell it is apparent and therefore it is rendred by Piscator word for word for our civill life or behaviour is in heaven that is is as temperate as if we were in heaven in the presence of God and the holy Angels And secondly we deny the argument it selfe For though we suppose that the godly have now no outward frecedome on earth for an inward and spirituall freedome you must needes grant them seeing he that is called in the Lord is the Lords free-man as it is said 1 Cor. 7.22 and all the royall dignity which you allow the Saints consists in this though then we suppose I say that they have now no outward freedome for this also they have as appeares in 1 Cor. 7.21 and chap. 9. ver 19. yet it will not follow from hence that they expect none on earth hereafter when Christ shall change their vile bodies that they may be like unto his glorious body The two next texts are one in 1 Thes 3.13 and the other chap. 4. ver 14 15 16 17. in both which the Apostle speaks of the rising of none at Christs comming but of the dead in Christ And seeing the resurrection of their bodies doth equally belong to the godly and the ungodly why should we not thinke that he would as well have spoken of the resurrection of these also as of the other if they had been to rise at the same time with the other Doubtlesse you could shew no reason why the Apostle should speake so much and so often of the resurrection of the godly at Christs comming and nothing of the resurrection of the ungodly if they had been to rise all together And therefore you have here also strugled onely with your owne fancy and now the third time strangled this deformed issue of your slanderous imputation to wit that the raised Saints shall dye againe and rise againe For this opinion is indeed altogether inconsistent with the truth which we hold touching the reigning of the raised Saints with Christ a 1000 yeares before the last resurrection And suppose any one had vented this errour yet it is an argument of your malice to prosecute the confutation of it in your answer unto me I say thus to prosecute it as if it were the common opinion of us all But as yet I know no father of it
our Saviours appearing neither hath nor can have any truth in it And lastly as for the contents of your parenthesis certainely we doe not imagine that the raised Saints the Saints which the Lord shall bring with him whom alone Rev. 20.4 doth concerne shall not live throughout the whole space of a 1000 yeares reigne for we know that they can dye no more after their resurrection But we beleeve that the converted Jewes and all the Gentiles that are left to wit after the extraordinary destruction which for their generall opposing the Jewes shall light on them at our Saviours appearing we beleeve I say that these and their posterity shall live in the like mortall condition as we doe now though they shall live much longer then we doe now Israel's Redemption And lastly The reigne of Christ doth not beginne till Antichrist is destroyed so that a metaphoricall interpretation of the first resurrection would make good this conclusion That most of the Saints shall rise many hundred yeares before their reigne there being no lesse distance of time betwixt the houre of their calling and Antichrists confusion Mr. Petrie's Answer I have before made it cleare that Christs Kingdome is already begun for he reigneth in the midst of his enemies not onely by his power over-ruling disappointing and turning all their plots upon their owne pates but also in comforting the hearts of the godly so that they are a terrour to the whole earth even to their enemies who are many times more afraide at the prayers of the godly then at the cannons of other enemies and subdue the spirits of the world and binde Kings in chaines stronger then iron And therefore that assertion falleth The reigne of Christ beginneth not till Antichrist be destroyed and that absurdity following that assertion is falsely imputed to that interpretation Reply You have before alledged Psal 110. to shew that Christ doth now reigne in the midst of his enemies and we have shewed that that prophecy is not to be fulfilled untill he comes from the right hand of his Father and therefore you have onely said and not proved that Christs Kingdome is already begun And That he doth now by his divine power over-rule and dispose of the actions of men and by his Spirit comfort the hearts of the godly is nothing to the question in hand For thus he governed the whole world and his Church in the world as much before his incarnation as he hath done since But the prophecies which foreshew our Saviours Kingdome on earth doe clearely manifest that he is to reigne over the world in the same manner as temporall Kings doe over their Subjects to wit visibly and civilly that in the time of his Kingdome I say the acts of his government are to be the immediate acts of his manhood onely although they proceede originally from his Godhead And surely this Kingdome is not yet begun nor shall beginne till Antichrist be destroyed and consequently the foresaid absurdity touching the great distance betwixt the rising and reigning of the Saints doth inevitably follow upon the spirituall interpretation of the first resurrection And whereas you say That the enemies of the godly are many times more afraide of their prayers then at the cannons of other enemies you herein contradict experience it selfe for what doe the Mahometans or any Pagan Nations regard the prayers of Christians whose very faith they account foolishnesse or what doe persecuting Christians themselves regard the prayers of the persecuted whom they thinke to be worthily punished by them doubtlesse they are no more afraide of them then Saint Paul was when through a mistaken zeale he was so exceedingly madde against them that he punished them in every Synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme persecuted them to strange cities And therefore though the prayers of the righteous may prevaile very much with God for their owne and their enemies good or for the disappointing of their enemies devices and attempts yet certainely their enemies can neither see nor regard this unlesse God open their eyes as he did Saint Pauls to behold the perversnesse of their own wayes and the innocency and uprightnesse of them whom they so much despise Israel's Redemption The assumption is grounded on Rev. 11.15 which shewes that till the time of the seventh Trumpet with the beginning whereof the last viall doth concurre The Kingdomes of * The Kingdomes of this world It is not said The Kingdome of heaven to wit of the third heaven the incorruptible habitation of Saints and Angels or of another world I say of another in substance But the Kingdomes of this world that is this world which is now shall till then be divided into many Kingdomes shall wholly become Christs and be made by him one heavenly Kingdome a Kingdome in which men shall live after an heavenly estate and condition a Kingdome in which Gods Will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven For seeing that cannot possibly become any mans possession which doth utterly cease to be what other construction can be given of these words but this that the government of all the Kingdomes of the world is hereafter to be taken into Christs owne hands as he is man And indeede how else should they then become his after such a manner as they are not now his if not by a subiection to his manbood for as he is God they were alwayes his and all will grant that this Scripture doth plaincly foreshew a deposing of all the Kings of the earth at the accomplishment thereof A deposing of them I say in such a way that their Kingdomes may become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ which cannot be by abolishing and dissolving the earth on which they must reigne but may and shall be by subduing and conquering them and the Kingdomes over which they must reigne this world doe not become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ Mr. Petrie's Answer The assumption he would say assertion but it is marked before the Author is no Logician is grounded on Rev. 11.15 the words are The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ Here it is not said Our Lord and his Christ shall not reigne till this time but this is all that the wâ—rds import Now is no Kingdome but our Lords and bis Christs And if it be objected It is no where said so of Christs reigne till this time of the seventh trumpet and therefore it cannot be true that our Lord and his Christ doe reigne till then I answer ye have heard before that in the midst of these Kingdomes doth Christ reâ—gne even among them and over them But all their Kingdomes shall be utterly destroyed and his Kingdome shall be for ever and ever saith John and therefore not for a thousand yeares onely Now if we lay together what is said of the Iewes reigne here and this answer we shall likewise see the vanity
of that observation on the margine upon these cited words which is It is not said the Kingdome of heaven to wit of the third heaven or of another world I say of another in substance but the Kingdomes of this world that is which is now and shall till then be divided into many Kingdomes shall wholly become Christs and be made by him one heavenly Kingdome c. For if we remember what is said that here Iohn speakes of the Kingdome of our Lord and of his Christ he speaks not of the Kingdome of the Iewes on earth seeing he makes a distinction of two persons our Lord and his Christ that is the Father and the Sonne and that Kingdome is for ever and ever Reply As little Logicke as the Authour hath left he can tell that Assertion is not a logicall but thetoricall terme And he doth remember also that in the schooles where he was bred they were wont to call the minor proposition the Assumption as he hath done here and can make it evident by this syllogisme If the reigne of Christ as man doth not beginne till Antichrist is destroyed then the spirituall interpretation of the first resurrection doth make most of the Saints to rise many hundred yeares before their reigne But the reigne of Christ as man doth not beginne till Antichrist is destroyed Therefore c. Now what will you call this minor proposition will you call it an Assertion or an Assumption if an Assertion you call it as no Logician calls it if an Assumption then why may not I call it so too without any offence to the learned in Logicke Your answer followes in which you say It is not said here our Lord and his Christ shall not reigne till this time But this is all the words import now is no Kingdome but our Lords and his Christs And surely this comment is a great deale more obscure then the text For if you meane onely that at the accomplishment of this prophecy there shall be no Kingdome over which the Lord and his Christ shall not reigne this is no more then what you affirme to be done by our Lord and his Christ already for you say That at this present time Christ reigneth in the midst of these Kingdomes even among them and over them But you must needes acknowledge a difference betwixt his reigning over them now and his reigning over them then or else you make this prophecy to be no prophecy to foreshew nothing at all And wherein can this difference consist but in his reigning over these Kingdomes hereafter in his humane nature which he doth now over rule only by â—is divine providence for if by your foresaid words you should mean that at the accomplishment of this prophecy there shall be no Kingdom but a spirituall Kingdome which is all the Kingdomes you will allow Christ this is not onely contrary to the light of the text but of reason it selfe For there can be no spirituall Kingdome on earth unlesse there be withall a temporall a civill Kingdome in which it may be setup And the text speakes not of spirituall Kingdomes but of temporall for it saith The Kingdomes of this world that is the temporall and civill Kingdomes which the Kings of this world doe reigne over These Kingdomes it saith be they the Kingdomes of Christian or of heathen Princes shall become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ that is shall by the Lord be put under the government of his Christ as he is man And therefore the Kingdomes themselves shall not be then utterly destroyed as you say but be made one Kingdome under Christ as we say And indeede if we doe but call to minde the time when this prophecy is to be fulfilled which is at the sounding of the last trumpet when Christ himselfe shall descend from heaven we cannot imagine that the Kingdomes of this world should then become the Kingdomes of Christ any otherwise then by a subjection unto his manhood then by submitting themselves to the rules of that Ecclesiasticall and civill policy which he their King sâ—â—ll then command to be observed by them And now if the reader consider this and remembers also what cleare prophecies there are for the restoring of the Kingdome of the Jewes he will plainely perceive that the time when the Kingdomes of this world shall become the Kingdome of Christ is to be the very same in which he shall restore againe the Kingdome of Israel And your precious subtilty touching a distinction of two persons our Lord and his Christ that is the Father and his Sonne doth make nothing against this synchronisme For they are said to be the Kingdomes of the Lord partly because he shall then make it more manifest then ever he did that they are his to dispose of and partly because no other Lawes but the Lords shall be observed in them And of his Christ because no man but he shall be supreame Head and Governour over them And surely the Kingdomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of this world cannot be the Kingdomes of the Father and the Sonne for ever if you take this word in an unlimited sense seeing neither this world in which they are not the civill societies of men of which they doe consist shall be of an infinite duration And I thinke too that you will not say that by the Kingdomes of this world that Kingdome of eternall glory is meant in which the Sonne also himselfe shall after the judgement of the dead be subject unto the Father unto him that before put all things under him Israel's Redemption And this also is intimated by the binding up of t Rev. 20.1 2 3. c. Satan a thousand yeares with which the reign of the Saints contemporates Mr. Petrie's Answer He said before This chapter is controverted to wit by the Millenaries on the one part and all Christians on the other and now he saith This his concâ—it is intimated in the binding up of Satan which is as if he had said It is all undoubted what he saith and all is false that all Christians say whereas Christians have given better warrants of their exposition then Millenaries are able to doe Reply I say not that the whole chapter is controverted for doubtlesse no Christian will deny that the latter part thereof doth speake of the judgement of the dead at the last resurrection But I speake of a controverted place in this 20 chapter which is that touching the first resurrection And yet suppose the whole chapter had been controverted I might neverthelesse say that this or that truth is not onely intimated but plainely exprest in it as the first bodily resurrection is plainely exprest in ver 4 5. notwithstanding the disagreement of expositours about it And as the deliverance of the Jewes the restoring of their Kingdome and our Saviours personall reigne on eath are all so plainely exprest in the propheticall scriptures as that nothing can be more plainely spoken although
then why shall the elect onely be gathered together and the rest left behinde seeing that great Assise is to be hold chiefly for the condemnation of ungodly men Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Here is nothing to prove the Monarchy of the Jewes 2. The two Evangelists speake there of the gathering of the Erect and taking them up as also 1 Cor. 15.23 yet they speake not exclusively as if the ungodly shall not be judged nor raised but they speake of separation and thereby of taking the elect into the aire and heavens whereas the wicked shall not be taken up but left on the earth and be condemned and sent to hell Matth. 13.40 41. and it followeth ver 43. Then shall the righteous shine forth c. The particle then shewes that the wicked shall be cast into the furnace of fire as soone if not sooner as the righteous shall shine in the Kingdome of their Father 3. If the righteous shall be taken up and the ungodly left on the earth that is the one taken away from the earth and the wicked left on the earth then the godly shall not have earthly dominion 4 If Christ at his comming shall hold that great assise chiefly for condemnation of the wicked how then shall the godly be quickned and the wicked be left in their graves after them for the space of a 1000 yeares These things cannot agree Reply 1. Here is nothing you say to prove the Monarchy of the Jewes But here is something we say for the confirmation of our Sav ours reigne on earth which is all one 2. The Evangelists speake here onely of the gathering of the elect to mâ—ete Christ at his comming and not at all of the raising and judging of the ungodly because that is not to be done at the beginning but at the end of his reigne And then it is that the whole number of the elect and of the reprobate shall be separated one company on his right hand and the other on his left and not one part caught up to the aire and the other left on the earth And we confesse that the casting of the wicked into hell mentioned in that parable Matth. 13.42 shall be at the entrance of the time in which the righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father But we deny that this casting of the wicked into hell is meant of their casting in after their resurrection when they shall all at once receive the sentence of dâ—mnation from Christ himselfe For first it is not said here that they shall be gathered together before Christ as it is said Matth. 25.32 c. But that the Angels shall gather them out of Christs Kingdome and cast them into a furnace of fire that is shall destroy them in every place over the world where they then are and cast their soules into hell as is intimated by the binding of the tares in bundles to burne them That is as they finde them here and there in the field And secondly it is said that they shall be gatheredout of Christs Kingdome and cast into bell that is shall be taken away from the place where and from among the men over whom Christ shall then reigne And therefore this gathering of the wicked is to be at the beginning of Christs Kingdome and before their last judgement and not at the end of Christs Kingdome when they shall be setcht out of hell againe to receive their last judgement And that the foresaid judgement is meant of a temporall destruction on all obstinate sinners that are living at Christs comming and not of the eternall destruction of their bodies and soules together at the last resurrection it is evident also from Rev. 20.9 where it is revealed that all the ungodly that are to oppose the Saints at the end of the thousand yeares reigne shall be devoured by fire from heaven before the last resurection so that there shall be none of them living on the earth when they are to be gathered before Christ at the last judgement and consequently that gathering of them cannot be the same with this gathering of them when they shall be on the earth Matth. 13. And so by the Kingdome of their Father mentioned ver 43. must needes be meant the Kingdome of Christ spoken of ver 41. which is called the Kingdome of their Father because Christ with whom these Saints shall reigne shall receive it of God who is both his and their Father 3. The righteous shall be caught up to meete Christ and to come along with him to the earth And not to stay with him in the aire or to be carried up to heaven from thence as hath been shewed already more then once And therefore this is but a trifling argument 4. This argument is a supposition of that which we deny For it is our argument against you That seeing the elect onely shall be raised and gathered to gether at Christs comming and the ungodly which are left in their graves and that the mischievous ungodly which are living shall be left also to perish extraordinarily as it is Matth. 13.41 42. and the rest to be eye-witnesses of Gods wonders at that time and to become converts by it as it is Isai 66.19 20. Joel 2.32 Zech. 14.16 Rev. 11.13 and in other places Therefore the last judgement the great Assise which is to be held chiefly for the condemnation of ungodly men cannot beat or presently after Christs comming but shall be at the end of his reigne And so this part of your answer is a meere perverting of my words which agree so well in themselves and with the word of God that you had nought to say against that which they prove and therefore you fall aciously make them to grant what they doe indeed disprove Israel's Redemption Who doubtlesse are not to be left that the evill Angels may fetch them for they shall be partakers with them of that judgement and therefore will be as unwilling to appeare before that barre as they Neither is it likely that they shall be left because the good Angels cannot at once assemble them to the place of judgement and the elect to meet the Lord in the aire if these things were to be done at the same particular time And therefore as I suppose they shall be left either to perish in that generall destruction which shall come upon all Nations that fight against the Jewes whom our Saviour shall then redeeme or to be eye-witnesses of Gods wonders in all countries at that time Mr. Petrie's Answer What can either good or evill Angels doe without the Lords Authority and what can they not doe when he willeth but certainely the wicked shall both be witnesses of Gods wonders and likewise perish in that generall destruction that cause of their emdemnation is touched before Reply We know that neither the good nor bad Angels can doe any thing without the Lords Authority but what is this to the force of my words
dominion for ever and ever Amen Amen Mr. Petrie's Answer Whether can these more confidently beseech God for the conversion of the Jewes who thinke that the Jewes may daily be converted or these who thinke that they shall not be converted till the comming of Christ the former sort may be confident to be heard daily which these others cannot And moreover the former sort seeth as the Fathers did see Heb. 11.13 everlasting glory presently at hand and thereupon they doe minde and seeke heavenly things as they are commanded Col. 3.1 2. and the other sort are out of hope of glory in heaven at least yet for the space of a thousand yeares and they set their affections on things on earth Yea and it gives encouragement unto the wicked that they shall not be judged nor their bodies tormented these thousand yeares to come yet and on the other side the feare of imminent judgement and punishment is a more powerfull motive to depart from iniquity For which cause the Lord would not give unto men the knowledge of that time but will have us to be alwayes preparing and waiting for that comming to judgement Wherefore we pray unto our Lord Jesus who even now is King of Kings and reigneth in the midst of his enemies and is offended at the foolish conceites of unstable hearts That he would make his power manifest by conforming them whom he hath called and gifted with the knowledge of his eternall Gospell and by reducing all his elect both Jewes and Gentiles who goe astray and that he would now even now give us heavenly hearts and tie us all together in the acknowledgement and obedience of his truth to the praise of his Name and our spirituall comfort both now and evermore Come Lord Jesus and change our vile bodies that they may be like unto thy glorious body according to thy working whereby thou art able even to subdue all things unto thy selfe Reply Surely they that deny the generall conversion of the Jewes as you doe cannot pray at all for this conversion But they that beleeve it may confidently beseech God for it and be confident too that they are delightfully heard of him in it For as we ought alwayes to pray for that which may be done we know not how soone so though our prayers cannot hasten the accomplishment of any future blessings to our selves or others yet we are daily heard in them seeing by such a manifestation of our obedience towards God who taught us to pray for them and of our faith and hope in his promises which reveale them and of our charity towards all that are to be partakers of them we daily improve Gods mercy towards us here and our owne weight of glory with him hereafter And whereas you seeme to lay claime to heaven for your selfe and others of your minde onely and to shut us out of it because according to the tenour of Gods plaine revelations we affirme That the raised Saints are to beginne the eternity of their immortall and glorified estate in a regall condition here on earth with Christ where He and They have been formerly so much reviled and so vilely handled whereas I say you would for this exclude us from having any portion of the joyes of heaven with you till the 1000 yeares reigne be finisht Be it knowne unto you That we hope through Gods free mercy towards us in Christ Jesus to be received into the society of the Saints in heaven even as others if God hath appointed that our earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved before the appearing of our Lord Jesus if not we hope together with the whole number of the elect to be made Inhabitants of the new Jerusalem in that time in which God hath purposed to bring us thither and not before And we cannot conceive that we doe set our affections on things on earth in the Apostles sense Colos 3.2 when we doe with patience expect the accomplishment of the promises made to us in Christ albeit they are in part to be fulfilled on this earth And by the way it is worth the Readers observation That to confirme your seeing everlasting glory presently at hand you cite Heb. 11.13 where it is said These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seene them afarre off c. What! is to see the promises a farre off all one with the seeing of glory presently at hand But you goe on and tell us that our Tenet gives encouragement to the wicked that they shall not be judged nor their bodies tormented these thousand yeares to come yet Which is a confused and corrupt report of our words For though we say That the last judgement of the wicked the judgement of their bodies and soules together shall not be till the end of the thousand yeares reigne on earth yet surely we beleeve even as others That their soules are cast into hell immediately after their departure out of their bodies And doubtlesse if they will not forsake their evill courses for feare of the imminent damnation of their soules for feare of this partiall and particular judgement at their death which doth infallibly binde them over to the eternall damnation of their bodies and soules together at their generall and contemporating judgement they will neither forsake their wickednesse the sooner for their ignorance nor continue it the longer for their knowledge of the large space of time that is yet to precede their generall judgement For what comfort can it be to them that it shall be yet so long before their bodies be tortured in hell when as their soules may suddenly be adjudged to such torments as are agreeable to the number and nature of their sinnes which the more and greaâ— they are the more and greater will the punishment of their bodies be too at the last And therefore if you had said the truth you would have acknowledged that our Tenet doth warne all those that shall live in the time of the Jewes conversion and deliverance not to oppose them lest to the augmentation of their endlesse woe they therby perish from the earth by a fearefull death And iâ— doth perswade men likewise to take off their affections from things on earth seeing it puts them in minde that if they now walke not after the flesh but after the spirit if they fashion not themselves to this present world they shall together with their Saviour be heires and inheritours of the earth when the whole creation shall be delivered from its bondage of corruption and when by the meanes of Christs and their government on it judgement shall runne downe as waters and righteousnesse as a mighty streame And thus the impartiall reader may plainely see what little alliance there is betwixt the title of your answer and the contents of it For you pretend to fetch him out of darkenesse into the light but doe indeed lead him out of the light into darkenesse And as the Syrians eyes were
were all appointed to contemporate with the last time of the Beast onely Mr. Petrie And the rather may we judge so that we finde such agreement in the principall termes of the seven trumpets and seven vials the second trumpet with the second viall the third trumpet with the third viall the fourth trumpet with the fourth viall the fixt trumpet with the fixt viast and the seventh trumpet with the seventh viall Now seeing the first trumpet is of the same time with the beginning of the Beast as he saith synchro 1. par 2. the first viall must be of that same time also and all the other synchronismes and expositions of texts that are grounded on the seventh synchronisme of the first part are wrong Answer If there be such agreement betwixt the trumpets and vials as you pretend the trumpets cannot possibly contemporate with the whole time of the Beast as you hold seeing the vials containe the last plagues that are to befall the Beast which could not beginne to be powred out while the Beast was to remaine in her height and much lesse could they beginne to be powred out as soone as the Beast began Whensoever therefore the trumpets were to beginne sure I am that there is not that agreement betwixt the trumpets and vials as you imagine For as the effects of the first and fift trumpets and vials agree not so neither doe the effects of the third fourth and fixt For at the sounding of the third trumpet the third part of the rivers and fountaines of waters doe become so bitter that men dye of them because they are made bitter Whereas at the powring out of the third viall the rivers and fountaines of waters are turned into bloud And at the sounding of the fourth trumpet the third part of the Sunne Moone and Starres is smitten with darkenesse whereas the fourth viall is powred on the Sunne onely and power given him thereby to scorch men with fire so that by reason of their great heat they blaspheme the Name of God which hath power over these plagues And at the sounding of the fixt trumpet the foure Angels bound in the great river Euphrates are loosed who with an extraordinary and miraculous Army destroy the third part of men whereas at the powring out of the fixt viall this river is dried up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared and the Kings of the earth and of the whole world are then also drawne together to the battell of the great Day of God Almighty by the Satanicall delusion of the Beast and false Prophet Which Army is destroyed by the plague of the seventh viall and not in the time of the fixt viall And therefore there is no such agreement in the principall termes of the seven trumpets and seven vials as will either conclude that they are of the same time or that all the other synchronismes and expositions of texts that are grounded on the seventh synchronisme of the first part are wrong Mr. Petrie Which I marke because the late Millenaries have been moved by the appearance of these synchronismes to embrace this opinion Answer The many proofes and prophecies which we alledge out of the Prophets the Evangelists the Acts and the Epistles as well as out of the Revelations doe abundantly testifie what moved us to embrace this opinion Even the same authority which moved this renowned Authour to embrace it and to take so much paines for the confirmation of it The fift Synchronisme of the second part followes whose arguments Mr. Petrie thus proposeth and answereth The first Argument FIrst he saith Doe not these words Qui Bestiam non adoraverant shew that this Kingdome of Christ did succeed unto the Beast his image and them that were marked with his marke For why should it be said of the sonnes of that Kingdome that they had not worshipped the Beast unlesse the Beast had gone before And truely the good office goeth before the reward in time c. Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Our former translation is more consonant unto the Greeke which saith They did not worship the Beast which is not the plusquamperfect time but so that at the same time the Beast is deceiving the world and the children of God doe not worship the Beast 2. The reward of them who worship not the Beast is in heaven and they follow the Lambe whithersoever he goeth Reply 1. Whether it be rendred They did not worship the beast or They had not worshipped the beast the difference is not materiall For if it followes from this last transtation that the Kingdome of Christ spoken of in Revel 20. succeedes the Kingdome of the Beast it will follow as well from the first translation For doubtlesse They that did not worship the beast had not worshipped the beast And indeed though it be true That at the same time the beast is deceiving the world and the children of God doe not worship the beast Yet it is not true that the children of God are to receive their reward for not worshipping the beast at the same time in which they do not worship the beast And therefore seeing this vision did represent unto St. John the reward of the Saints for not worshipping the beast it must needes succeed the time in which the beast had power to torment them for not worshipping of him 2. That reward which the soules of them who worship not the beast are to receive while their bodies are in the graves is in heaven But the reward which is presently to follow the resurrection of their bodies at our Saviours appearing is to be with him on this earth for the space of a 1000 yeares and upwards as the contents of Revel 20. doe shew The second Argument This appeares yet more fully by the song of the Elders and beasts sung at the destruction of Babylon chap. 19.6 Hallelujah for the Lord God Almighty reigneth c. Mr. Petrie's Answer When the Bohemians saw the Armies of the Pope and the Empeperours turning their backes at the tench of Ziscah's drumms had they not just reason to sing Hallelujah for the Lord God Almighty reigneth let us rejoyce c. And so may the godly at every victory over the Popish Armies even before the resurrection Reply No doubt but the Bohemians had great reason to rejoyce and to praise God when they say the Armies of their enemies flye at the sound of Ziscah's drumme But yet as I cannot thinke that those Bohemians were represented by the great multitude which Saint John heard sing the hymne Rev. 19.6 7. or that they did then sing this hymne so I know that this hymne of praise is not referred by the Holy Ghost as you referre it to every particular victory over the Popish Armies but onely to the victory immediately recorded in the same chapter which is the victory which Christ himselfe shall have over the beast and false prophet when at his descending from heaven to enter his Kingdome on
earth he shall cast them alive into the lake of fire And therefore your application of the story of Ziscah's drumme to this argument is a very ridiculous answer The third argument But most of all clearely in chap. 11. ver 15 36. c. where at the sound of the seventh trumpet the dayes of the witnesses and the mouthes of the Beast and Nations being out-runne were great voices in heaven saying The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of the Lord c. This is the consummation of the mystery of God foretold by the Prophets Mr. Petrie's Answer This indeed is the consummation of all the promises foretold by the Prophets and Apostles and therefore it is not to be understood of any earthly Kingdome seeing thâ— full accomplishment of the prophecies is not on earth And so this synchronisme being false all the like synchronismes and all expositions following upon them must faile with it Reply This argument shewes that the Kingdomes of this world are to become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ at the sounding of the seventh trumpet and not before That is at the time of our Saviours descending from heaven at which time the reigne of the beast shal end And consequently it provs first that this reigne of Christ must needes follow the reigne of the beast seeing it beginnes not till his appearing by which the Beast shall be utterly destroyed And secondly it proves that this reigne must needes be on earth seeing the Kingdomes which shall then become his are the Kingdomes of this world And thirdly it proves that the time in which these Kingdomes shall become Christs cannot possibly be the time in which he shall deliver up his Kingdome to the Father seeing they shall then cease to be his And so the time of our Saviours reigne over them must needes be the interim the time betwixt the reigne of the Beast and the delivering up of his Kingdome to the Father To these consequences you had nothing to say and therefore you catch at these words which follow the argument to wit This is the consummation of the mystery of God foretold by the Prophets which you thus pervert This indeed is the consummation of all the promises foretold by the Prophets and Apostles and therefore it is not to be understood of any earthly Kingdome But surely as the mystery of God foretold by the Prophets and recorded chap. 10. ver 7. is meant onely of Christs reigne on earth at his next appearing when the Kingdomes of this world are to become his so you can shew us no promise either in the writings of the Prophets or Apostles which after the resurrection of mens bodies is to be enjoyed by them in heaven in your sense that is in a place of glory separate from the earth For as the raised Saints that are to come with Christ shall be on this earth all the time of his reigne so at the delivering up of his Kingdome to the Father the whole number of the elect shall be with him in the new Jerusalem which is the Paradise of God on the new earth whither it shall then descend And so this synchronisme being true all the like synchronismes and all expositions following upon them must be true also The Authors Judgement of the Contents of the Trumpets and Vials which he commends to the serious consideration of every intelligent READER THat the plagues of the vials should be literally and properly interpreted Revel 16. and not figuratively and mystically these reasons doe in my conceit require 1. Because there is no necessity of interpreting them otherwise 2. Because God hath already shewed many such wonders as the vials speake of 3. Because the last plague is properly to be understood and we may not take one plague properly and the rest improperly 4. Because the powring out of all the vialls shall not take up so much time as the mysticall sense of them doth allow to the powring out of one of them For 1. We finde that on the same persons on which the first viall the plague of the noysome sore is powred on the same the fift viall is powred For ver 10 11. it is said And they gnawed their tongues for paine and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their paines and their sores And at the powring out of the fourth viall also ver 9. it is said And men were scorched with great beat and blasphemed the Name of God which hath power over these plagues c. not over this plague whereby it is intimated That the men who were to feele the fourth plague were to feele more of the plagues besides that And it is very likely that the same persons may live to be the objects of all these plagues For 2. The vials are not to be powred out till after the Jewes conversion whose returne to their countrey is apparently exprest at the powring out of the sixt viall they being the Kings of the East that are to passe dry-shod over Euphrates as the comparing of the 12 verse with the latter part of the 11 chapter of Isaiah doth prove And whose full deliverance from all their enemies is plainely revealed in the extraordinary destruction of the Armies in Armageddon at the powring out of the last viall the time of our Saviours descending as the â—9 chapter doth evince For what are the Armies of the Beast and of the Kings of the earth against which our Saviour is there said to descend but the Armies of the Beast and of the Kings of the earth which here are said to be gathered into Armageddon And indeed who can thinke that God who shewed such great signes and wonders at the deliverance of his people out of Egypt from the slavery of that one Nation will not shew as great wonders as those yea as great as any the vials or trumpets doe containe at their redemption from their captivity in all countreys And as for the plagues of the Trumpets Rev. 7.8 9. c. it is manifest from the Text That they were not to be powred out till after the sealing of the 144000 of all the Tribes of Israel Which if it be understood of the generall conversion of the Jewes as many learned Expositours understand it it is cleare That the things contained in the Trumpets are not yet begunne and consequently that they are literally to be taken also Now that the 12 Tribes of Israel there are to be properly understood these reasons doe evince 1. Because there is no necessity to interpret them otherwise 2. Because the 12 Tribes of Israel cannot in the same place be taken both properly improperly Properly for them that are to be saved of all the Tribes of Israel and improperly for them that are to be saved of all other Nations 3. Because it is not probable that by one Nation by the 12 Tribes of Israel all Nations and kindreds and people and tongues should be meant Or that Saint John knew not
ungodly that shall oppose him at the entrance and end of his reigne and aneternall judgement upon them and all other ungodly sinners at the last resurrection of the dead All which judgements the Prophets doe foreshew to be in the last day and not the last of these onely And therefore our Saviours comming shall not be at the last of these but at the first And whereas you alledge Psal 110. to shew that Christ shall not come till the last judgement it is false that this Psalme doth teach us any such thing for it shewes onely that Christ shall not come till that day in which God hath appointed to make his enemies his footstoole of which day the last judgement is but the last act And it is false also that Christs sitting at the right hand of God is his reigning For the Apostle Saint Paul saith That he sits not there reigning over his enemies but expecting the time in which they shall be made his footstoole Heb. 10.13 that is in which God shall bring him to reigne over them And that which followes in the Psalme doth shew what is to follow Christs comming from the right hand of God and not what is to goe before it as is shewed before Fifthly you say Object 5 That Christs Kingdome is an heavenly Kingdome 2. Tim. 2.17 and the reward of the godly is in heaven Matth. 5.10 11. as our Saviour spake of it and never of an earthly Kingdome unlesse by way of aversation Who made me a Judge saith be Luke 12.14 and the godly have prayed and wished to be with him in the heavens and never prayed to reigne in his earthly Kingdome 2 Cor. 5.1.6 Phil. 1.3 And we say that the Kingdome of Christ is to be heavenly in condition Sol. 5 and no way earthly but in place And that the reward of the godly departed before Christs comming is to be both in heaven and on earth Although the text Matth. 5.10 is meant onely of Christs Kingdome on earth called the Kingdom of heaven partly because of the heavenly constitution thereof but especially because the God of heaven shall mightily manifest his power in the setting of it up and because Christ and the Saints now in heaven shall come from heaven to geverne it And we confesse that Christ at his first comming refused to be made a King and to undertake the actions belonging to his Kingly office because that was not the time in which he was to sit on the Throne of David but when he should come againe into the world as hath been plentifully proved And as Saint Peter Acts 2.30 31. doth plainely prove from the prophecy of David Psal 16. That Christs sitting on Davids Throne was not to foregoe but to follow his resurrection And what though the godly living in this world have prayed and desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ in heaven did they not therefore expect and wish to come with him againe from heaven certainely it is notoriously false to affirme that the godly never prayed to reigne in Christs Kingdome on earth For what is it that Christ raught them to aske in these petitions Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven and what was it that the sonnes of Zâ—bedee and the penitent theife sought for or what was it that the Elders sang praise to the Lambe for Rev. 5.9 10 was it not because by his death he had purchased for them a Kingdome then to come on earth Sixthly you say That God hath raised up Christ from the dead Object 6 and set him at his right hand in the heavens farre above all principality and power and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feete and gave him to be the head over all things Eph. 1.20 21 22. Whence it is manifest that seeing our Saviour governeth his Church and all Spirits are subject to him which authority is given unto him and so as God-man his Kingdome is not to beginne as yet But certainely it is not manifest from hence Sol. 6 that Christ doth now governe his Church any otherwise then he did before his incarnation that is outwardly and openly by mortall agents and inwardly and secretly by his Spirit and divine power Neither is it manifest from hence that all things are actually put under his feet or that all things are now thus subject to his manbood For who can better expound the Apostles meaning then the Apostle himselfe who in Heb. 2.9 saith We see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and bonour that is raised from the dead and set at the right band of God in the heavenly places farre above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come as it is exprest in Ephe. 1.20 21. But now we see not yet all things put under him saith the Apostle too Heb. 2.8 which words are quite contrary to these And hath put all things under him c. Ephes 1.22 What shall we say then that the Apostle speakes contradictions God forbid For they are put under him in a propheticall sense by a certaine appointment of it which is the meaning of the Apostle in the Ephesians where he speakes as the Prophet doth of what God intends to doe as if it were already done And they are not put under him in a proper and grammaticall sense by an actuall performance and visible mâ—nifestation of it which is the meaning of the Apostle in the Hebrews nor doubtlesse shall they be thus put under him untill that world to come of which the Apostle speakes Heb. 2.5 c. shall be put under him And then also he shall be visible Head over all things to the Church For then he shall sit and rule upon his Throne on the Throne of David on which God hath sworne with an oath to set him Acts 2.30 And shall be a Priest upon his Throne as Zechariah hath foretold chap. 6. ver 13. Seventhly Object 7 you say That when Christ shall descend from beaven with a shout and voice of the Arch-Angel with the trumpet of God the dead in Christ shallrise first and they who are alive and remaine shall be caught up together with them in the cloudes to meet the Lord in the aire and so shall be ever with the Lord 1 Thes 4. Here he is speaking of the same resurrection whereof be speakes 1 Cor. 15. as appeares by ver 52. and here he shewes the rising of the dead and change of the living to be together and that they both together shall meet the Lord and be ever with him And what then Sol. 7 will you conclude from hence that therefore these Saints shall not live with Christ on earth no you cannot for though they shall meet
the Lord in the aire yet they shall neither stay with him there nor ascend with him to heaven from thence but come with him as Zechariah affirmes chap. 14. ver 5. And the Lord my God shall come and all the Saints with thee And as the Apostle in 1 Thes 3. saith At the comming of the Lord Jesus with all the Saints and chap. 4. Even so them also which sleepe in Jesus will God bring with him Bring with him when but when they with the living in Christ have met him in their bodies And whither but to the earth whence they were caught up to meet him and where he hath appointed them to reigne with him Eightly you say Object 8 And that the Saints being raised shall not abide on earth to reigne with the Jewes in earthly pleasures it is manifest because the Apostle teacheth us 1 Cor. 15.42 they shall rise in incorruption ver 43. in glory and in power ver 44. in spirituall bodies And when Christ shall appeare we shall appeare with him in glory Col. 3.4 But it is certaine that incorruptible glourious powerfull and spirituall bodies cannot live a naturall life And it is as certaine that you are slâ—pt from the question Sol. 8 for we make not our Saviours Kingdome to be a Mahometicall Paradise to consist of chambering and wantonnesse of riotous and voluptuous living this agrees not with the holy and righteous government of Christ and the Saints and much lesse doe we thinke that the glorified Saints shall be defiled with such doings or that they shall live againe such a life as they did before their death this is your slanderous imputation And therefore if you will conclude any thing against us you must prove that the glorified Saints shall not live on earth any more nor eate and drinke any more which things we affirmâ— And not that they shall dye no more or marry no more or sinne no more all which we deny as well as you Ninthly you say Neither can the faith of Christ is Object 9 that Christ is come already stand with that imagination of Jews and Chiliasts This is all one as if you had said Sol. 9 that the faith of Christs first comming cannot stand with the faith of his second comming But you bring two proofes to confirme your words Mr. Petrie's 1 proofe of the 9 Object Seeing Jacob said The Scepter shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh come and unto him shall the gathering of the people be This place cannot be understood of the departing of the Sceptor for a time as it was in the captivity of Babylon which because it was but a short time and the Scepter was restored againe it was not thought to be the accomplishment of the prophecy but now seeing the Scepter is departed and the Nations have been gathered unto Christ who should doubt of the accomplishment thereof and so that Scepter cannot be restored unto the Jewes Answer What not restored doth Jacobs prophecy then foreshew that the Scepter should no more be restored to the Jewes after Christs comming or doth it foreshew onely that it should not depart till Christs comming certainely it foreshewes this last thing onely And therefore the accomplishment of Jacobs prophecy hath no affinity with your argument And in saying that the Scepter was departed from Judah in the captivity of Babylon you plainely contradict Jacobs prophecy which saith that it should not depart from Judah till Shiloh came And as this prophecy shewes that it was not to depart till then so others do shew that it was to returne againe as that of Hos 4.5 which shewes that the Israelites should abide many dayes but not alwayes without a King and without a Prince and without a sacrifice c. And all the prophecies which foreshew the Jewes deliverance the uniting of the Tribes under one King and our Saviours reigning over them doe witnesse the restoring of the Scepter And Saint Pauls application of that prophecy Rom. 11.26 doth shew when the Scepter is to be restored to wit When the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in For then he saith All Israel shall be saved as it is written There shall come out of Sion a Deliverer and shall turne away ungodlinesse from Jacob. And so he plainely declares that the accomplishment of this prophecy shall be at Christs last comming at his comming I say after the the gathering of the substituted Gentiles who were in the Jewes stead to become Gods people in the vacancy of the Scepter and at the gathering of all other Gentiles who are to become Gods people with the Jewes at the restoring of the Scepter And agreeable to this are Saint Peters words to the Jewes Acts 4.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sinnes And his words to them in his 1 Epist chap. 1. ver 13. Wherefore gird up the loines of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ Mr. Petrie's 2 proofe of the 9 Object The Apostle saith 1 Thes 2.16 Wrath is come upon the Jewes to the uttermost This is not understood of spirituall wrath seeing as yet the Lord hath mercy upon them as the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 11.5.28 and therefore it must be understood of temporall wrath and consequently a temporall Kingdome shall not be restored unto them Answer Did you consider what you said when you thus expounded the Apostles words Certainely the Apostle speakes of a wrath which was come upon the unbeleeving Jewes who persecuted their beleeving brethren not of a wrath which was come upon the beleeving Jews that were persecuted whom the losse of their countrey and the departing of the Scepter did concerne as well as it did the other Iewes And therefore doubtlesse the wrath is to be understood of a wrath peculiar unto the unbeleeving Iewes of whom alone the Apostle speakes and consequently of a spirituall wrath especially and of a temporall wrath no otherwise then as it is an inseparable effect and concomitant of the spirituall wrath which is come upon them And though this expression of the Apostle doth imply that a great wrath and a wrath of long continuance was come upon them yet it doth not shew that the wrath which was befallen them should be an endlesse wrath And therefore whatsoever the kinde of it be it will no more follow from this passage of the Apostle that the temporall Kingdome of the Iewes shall not be restored unto them then it will that their spirituall blindnesse shall never be removed from them Of the departure whereof the Apostle Rom. 11. speakes so much and so manifestly shewing that as there was adminishing and casting away of them so there should be also a fulnesse of them a receiving of them againe And the 5 and 28 verses of this chapter which you alledge to shew that the foresaid