the man that uttered this selfe-conceited query Whether doe they understand the differences betwixt Jewes and Christians pag. 1. This is one untruth to wit That I have granted that Christ hath executed his Kingly office The next is That I have said that he sits on a Throne in beaven as man which though it be in it selfe a truth for Christ himselfe saith of himselfe and am set downe with my Father in his Throne Rev. 3. ver 21. Yet it is not true that I have said these words for thus I have said that the place where he now sits is the Fathers Throne a Throne in which he hath no proper interest but as God These are your misreports of what I have idsa to which we may adde your affirming that it hath not been proved that the Prophets have spoken of a Kingdome on earth when as the Prophecies which I have alledged for it are so plame that you left them as one afraid to behold their evidence Now your contradictions follow for having also falsely affirmed that this Proposition Christ sits on a Throne in heaven as man is one thing about which we disagree you thus descant on it If these words as man be understood according to the Logicall acceptation it may be granted Thus farre you affirme that according to the Logicall acceptation Christ fits on a Throne in heaven as man and yet you subjoyne presently for what agreeth unto any man as man belongeth unto all men and indeed it belongeth not unto all men to sit on the throne of Majesty Whereby you deny that according to the Logicall acceptation Christ fits on a throne in heaven as man It so lowes and neverthelesse Christ sits at the right hand of the Father as God-Man or Mediatour Here likewise you affirme that Christ sits on a Throne in heaven as man though not onely as man but as God too and yet you immediately subjoyne and in this sense we deny this assertion to wit that Christ sits on a Throne in heaven as man as it seemes this Author takes it But surely this Author haâ—h not spoken the words and yet he will not deny that Christ doth sit there as man 〈◊〉 he should deny what Christ himselfe and the Apostles have said neither will he affirme that Christ sits there any otherwise then as God-man or Mediatâ—ur although his sitting doth properly belong unto him as man onely But you have said that Christ both sits and fits not there in a logicall acception and that be sits there as God-man and yet not as man Thus contrary are you to your selfe and withall as contrary to the truth in misapplying your distinction For whereas you say It may be granted that Christ sits on a throne in heaven as man if these words be understood according to the logicall acceptation of them it is notoriously false for the words as man in this sense doe imply somewhat essentially belonging unto man which cannot be affirmed of Christs sitting on a Throne in heaven to wit that it doth essentially belong unto his humane nature for then it should inseparately belong unto him and to all other men besides this then you should have deny'd and affirm'd onely that he sits there as such a man as Mediatour But you out of your great skill in Logique in which you will allow me no insight have first affirmed both members of your distinction and presently deny'd both such a subtile or rather simple discourse have you extracted out of your logicall principle And that the Reader may see how unseasonable and unreasonable you have alledged this Philosophicall rule as well as the Propheticall and Apostolicall writings and revelations he must know that this maxime what agreeth unto any man as man belongeth unto all men is generally true onely of meere man in opposition to other creatures and not of our Saviour who is both God and man and so as well distinguisht by his humane properties from his divine nature and by his essentiall attributes from other creatures as by his mediatory offices from other men Wherefore it followes not that what belongs unto Christ as man belongs unto all men because we usually say that all that belongs to Christ as man which belongs not to him as God which appertaines to his humane and not unto his divine nature Whether it be proper to him as man in opposition to other creatures as to laugh and to be borne of a woman or common also to other creatures as to be hungry and thirsty to eate and drinke to walke to weepe to groane c. Or proper to him as such a man as Mediâ—tour in opposition to other men As to be borne of a Virgine to dye for our sinnes to rise againe for our justification to sit on a Throne in heaven and to reigne visibly on earth overall Nations These and such like we say doe not in propriety of speech belong unto Christ as God but as man because they are the properties of his humane nature As on the contrary it belongs unto him as God and not as man to be equall with the Father to be infiâ—â—ite omnipotent omniscient â—c And thus much for your answer in grosse which is indeed a very grosse answer You goe on to catch at particulars which you thus alledge The 1. Particular That the Jewes are yet to receive a Kingdome in which they shall hold them captives whose captives they are Mr. Petrie's Answer Here a little change of a little word makes a great difference for the text saith whose captives they were And now they say they are The Prophet is speaking by name of the Assyrians whose Monarchy is now destroyed and the Interpreters shew the accomplishment of that Prophecy according to the Propheâ—s meaning but that prophecy speakes not of them whose captives the Jewes now are neither know we whose captives they are seeing they live as free Subjects wheresoever they live Reply It is true that the text saith whose captives they were but seeing the deliverance which the Prophecy foreshewes hath not been hitherto accomplished we may truely say whose captives they are and therefore there is no such great difference in this change as you pretend For unlesse you can prove that the whole Nation of the Jewes whose redemption this Prophecy doth concerne as these words for the Lord will have mercy upon Jacob and will yet chuse Israel doe shew Vnlesse I say you can prove that the whole Nation that all the Tribes have been set in their owne Land and at their returne thither have brought strangers with them whom they have possessed there for servants and handmaids and have ruled there over their oppressours over those who formerly ruled over them which I am sure you cannot doe it is not very materiall whether we say whose captives they were or whose captives they are And if there be any difference in the change it is onely because the Prophets expression doth seeme to point to that last generation of
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
the sealed Nations people and tongues ver 9. To which we may adde and because the sealing of these Jewes all at once before the execution of the ensuing plagues doth imply that they should be all living when the plagues begin and while the plagues continue as we find them at the sounding of the fift Trumpet chap. 9. ver 4. And because also the plagues are not ordinary plagues but extraordinary not such plagues in which the sealed persons are to be any way sharers with the unsealed but such plagues as were brought on Pharaoh and his people when Israel was wholly exempted from them Moreover St. Paul Gal. 4. ver 25. c. is so farre from making Jerusalem that was then Jerusalem in her legall and Mosaicall estate a type of Heaven or of the Christian Church that he plainely affirmes she was an enemy to the children of promise the children of Jerusalem which is above ver 26. that is of Ierusalem which is to be restor'd from above for seeing Interpreters acknowledge that this free Ierusalem is not to be understood of a Ierusalem which is locally in Heaven but of a Ierusalem on earth cal'd Ierusalem which is above in respect of its originall and spirituall endowments from thence as Pareus observes seeing I say they acknowledge thus much they might in my conceit have seene as well that it could not be understood of the Church of the Gentiles the Christian Church that now is First because this could not be cal'd Jerusalem unlesse Jerusalem had been a type of it which the Apostle denies Secondly because the Apostle ver 25. distinguisheth Jerusalem in bondage as well in time as in condition from the free Ierusalem calling her Ierusalem that now is which argueth that the free Jerusalem was not then and consequently could not be meant of the Christian Church then also in being And thirdly the Prophecie which he alledgeth ver 27. out of Isaiah chap. 54. ver 1. * Rejoyce thou barren that bearest not â—â—sa 49. ver 〈◊〉 14 15 â—â— c. c. doth infallibly declare that he meant by the free Ierusalem which is the mother of us all the Ierusalem which shall be rebuilt and inhabited by Christ himselfe at his comming from Heaven with all the Saints For first this barren and desolate Jerusalem is oppos'd to the Gentile Nations ver 3. who are not said to be her seed or naturall people but to be inherited by her seed that is to be held tributaries by the Jewes as other Prophecies doe abundantly testifie And secondly this barren Jerusalem ver 6 7. is called a wife of youth when she was refused and said to be forsaken but for a moment in respect of the everlasting and immovable kindnesse with which she shall be received which cannot possibly be meant of the Gentiles to whom the Lord was not married and whom he tooke not for his people till this wife of youth was refused and forsaken And because she was to be a long time barren and desolate after her destruction by the Romans therefore the Apostle Heb. 13. ver 14. saith of her For here wee have no continuing City but wee looke for one to come which City to come is the City the Prophet here speakes of as remarried and more fruitfull after her barren and desolate estate then before and which the Apostle calls Jerusalem which is above and the free Jerusalem and of which also he saith Heb. 12. ver 22. But ye are come unto Mount-Sion and unto the * Psal 46. v. 4. Psal 48. v. 1. 2. Psal 87. v. 3. Isa 60. v. 14. Ezek. 48. v. 35. City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company * Mat. 16. ver 27. 2 Thess 1. v. 7. â—oh 1. v. 51. of Angels to the * â—ph 1. v. 10 11.13 14. Rev. 10. v. 7. â—oh 10. v. 16. generall Assembly and Church of the first-borne which are written in Heaven c. which doubtlesse may well be applyed to the Church triumphant on earth under Christ her Head with whom the Angels shall come and on whom they shall visibly attend at his next appearing but not to the Church now militant on earth as Piscator and Pareus apply this also And this may serve as a Lydius lapis as a touch-stone to shew how unadvisedly the words Jew Israel Sion and Jerusalem are figuratively expounded of the faithfull in generall And indeed seeing the Iewes before the incarnation of Christ did never call the Converts of the Gentiles Iewes but alwayes Proselytes it is not likely that the Apostles would then begin to call them Iewes when the believing Iewes themselves were in respect of their Faith to be called Christians and not Iewes Neither is it likely that the words Israel Iudah Sion Jerusalem c. should have been so often us'd in the Prophets without any intimation of a figurative sense yea with such evident circumstances and contents shewing the contrary if they had been mystically intended this also I say is nothing likely seeing in the Revelation the mysticall sense of Sodom and Egypt but once spoken of and of Babylon but seldome mentioned is plainely intimated unto us in the 11. and 17. chap. And for my owne part I am perswaded that the mysticall interpretation of the plaine Prophecies which concerne the Iewes future restauration in their owne Land and our Saviours and the Saints visible reigne over them and all other Nations hath been the occasion of the various and unsatisfactory interpretations of most part of the Revelation and of some part of Daniels visions and that Divines will neither concurre in Judgement nor come neare the truth in much of these obscure Prophecies till they agree upon the proper exposition of the foresaid plaine Prophecies as Mr. Mede that renowned Author calls them in the 293. and 294. pages of his Comment on the Apocalyps where he commends this to the consideration of them that are learned and able to judge of the mysteries of Divinity to wit Whether it be not the best and easiest way of dealing with the Iewes not to wrest the most cleare Prophecies touching the affaires of Christs second and glorious comming to his first but to perswade them that they are to expect no other Messias to accomplish all those things then that Iesus of Nazareth whom their fore-fathers crucifyed For while we thus wrest those most cleare Prophecies saith he the Iewes deride us and are the more hardned in their unbeliefe And doubtlesse this and the Idolatry of Papists are the principal motives which keep us at such a distance in affection that the ordinary meanes of salvation the preaching of the Gospel is neither exercised by us amongst them nor sought unto by them amongst us But yet these stumbling blocks shall neither hinder nor delay the extraordinary meanes of their salvation at their generall conversion For the * Isa 32. ver 13 14 15. time is set in which the Spirit shall
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
Saviour shall reigne over the Iewes in their owne land and that Ierusalem shall againe be built Why should we not beleeve that both the building of the Temple of the Lord and his reigning on the Throne of his Father David shall be as properly fulfilled in Christ the antitype as they were in Solomon the type Whereas then you say further That in this sense the Disciples did beleeve the Scriptures after the resurrection of Christ I pray what scriptures this prophecy Surely it is false that they did any where cite this prophecy to prove our Saviours resurrection from the dead And the words of the Evangelist are plaine When therefore he was risen from the dead saith Iohn his Disciples remembred that he bad said this unto them to wit that he had said to the Iewes Destroy this Temple c. and they beleeved the Scripture that is the scripture which foreshewes our Saviours resurrection as Psal 16. alledged by Saint Peter Acts 2.25 c. and Psal 2.7 alledged by Saint Paul Acts 13.33 c. And the word which Iesus had said that is and they beleeved also that this saying of his to the Iewes was meant of the resurrection of his body and not as you say they did that it was an interpretation of Zechariah's prophecy which foreshewes indeed the building of the Temple of the Lord but not the desiroying of it by the Iewes nor the building of it in three dayes no nor the building of it untill the man whose name is the Branch should sit and rule on his Throne Neither did our Saviour say plainely Destroy the Temple of the Lord as the false witnesses accused him nor absolutely destroy the Temple but darkely and in relation to his owne body destroy this Temple as his words touching the raising of it in three dayes doe intimate and the Evangelist doth afterwards expound it And he said also I will raise it and not I will build it which shewes the making of a Temple where was none before and therefore cannot be applyed to the quickening of our Saviours body a temple then in being and not to be corrupted in death And as for your confused exposition of the prophecy of Zech. 14.4 c. it is not onely contrary to the truth but to reason it selfe For first which is flat against the truth you ascribe the accomplishment of this prophecy to our Saviours ascending to the Saints in heaven and to the time succeeding his ascension whereas it is mâ—nifest by the words in the first verse which you have concealed And the Lord my God shall come and all the Saints with thee that it is to be sulfilled at his descending with the Saints from heaven and in the time succeeding his descension And secondly which is not onely against the truth but against reason also you affirme That by the cleaving of the Mount of Olives towards the East and towards the West is meant the shaking of all the world at the preaching of the Gospell And That by the Iewes flying â—o the valley of the mountaines is meant their imbracing of the Gospell Which is as if you had said that the Iewes did then imbrace the Gospell when they fled from it or that the Iewes in flying from the Gospell fled to the Gospell For as you interpret the cleaving of the Mount of Olives from which the Iewes were to fly of the preaching of the Gospell so you interpret the valley of the mountaines to which the Iewes were to flee of the same also And who sees not by this and by your expounding of the 6 and 7 verses Of the perpeâ—â—all light of the Gospell and the 8 verse Of the continuall flowing of the doctrine of the Gospell and all of the Gospell and of nothing but of the Gospell that by such a liberty of interpreting any one may make the plain stâ—scripture that is to say onely as he saith and so to patronize and defend any dangerous opinion against the truth clearely revealed in it The truth therefore of this prophecy is no other then that which the Prophet himselfe hath plainely told us to wit that the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst by an earthquake at the comming of our Saviour with all the Saints and that the Iewes which are gathered together neereunto it shall then flye for feare of this earthquake as they fled for feare from before the earthquake in the dayes of Vzziah King of Judah And the effect of this earthquake is described ver 10. where it is said And all the Land shall be turned as a plaine from Geba to Rimmon South 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 And menshall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but Ierusalem shall be safely inhabited And as this part so all the rest of the prophecy is to be understood likewise according to its owne stile and language which is so obvious that it needes no interpretation and the light thereof cannot be more obscured then by such a glosse as you have put upon it And thus it being undeniable that this prophecy of Zech. doth foreshew our Saviours second comming his comming with all the Saints and the things then to be performed by him it necessarily followes That he shall come not onely to conquer death first in part at the resurrection of the Saints that shall rise to meete him and to come with him and then wholly at the resurrection of all others when he shall passe the sentence of salvation on the elect and of damnation on the reprobate but in the interim in the space betwixt this first and second resurrection to be King over all the earth as this Prophet saith ver 9. to take the Kingdomes of this world unto himselfe as Saint Iohn reveals Rev. 11.15 to put downe all rule and all authority as Saint Paul affirmes 1 Cor. 15.24 and to set up that dominion glory and Kingdome at the manifestation whereof all people nations and languages shall serve him as Daniel foreshewes chap. 7. ver 14. which he shall doe by an extraordinary destroying of the most and greatest of his enemies in batteâ—l and by causing every one that is left of the Nations to goe up from yeare to yeare to Ierusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts as Zech. here and many other Prophets besides doe declare Israel's Redemption You see here that our Saviour comes not onely to conquer death which is the last enemy that he shall destroy and therefore not wholly to be destroyed till the last resurrection but also to take the Kingdomes of this world unto himselfe to put downe as Saint Paul hath said all the authority and power of other Nations that there may be one shepheard and one sheep-fold Dan. 7.27 that the Kingdome and dominion and greatnesse
of the Kingdome under the whole Heaven may be possest by the people of the Saints of the most High That is as the former prophecies doe expound it by the i Psal 148.14 people of Israel And this as I thinke is the time of which he spake these words Verely verely I say unto you k Ioh. 1.51 Hereafer shall ye see heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Heb. 1.6 sonne of man Mr. Petrie's Answer That these words shal be fulfilled or have been fulfilled it is most certaine and it is as certaine that they shall never be fulfilled in the proper acceptation of the words seeing the body of Christ is not so tall as that 〈◊〉 shall reach from heaven to earth for this cause some as Cyril on this place have exponed unto for upon in this sense as if the Heavens were open the Angels shall come downe and ascend unto my Service So doth Chrysostome apply these words to the Angels ministring unto Christ in time of his passion and resurrection Others thinke it to be an exposition of that vision of Iacob Gen. 28. whereby was signified that Christ is the Mediatour making way betwixt heaven and earth Col. 1.10 And these expositions for the matter doe agree with other Scriptures Reply It seemes by your first words that you are doubtfull of the accomplishment of this prophecy for that it shall be fulfilled or hath been fulfilled it is most certaine you say And your next assertion that it shall never he fulfilled in the proper acceptation of the words doth apparently contradict that which followes for by and by after you tell us that Cyril hath exponedii as if the heavens were open the Angels shall come downe and ascend unto my Service and that Chrysostome doth apply it to the Angel ministring unto Christ in time of his passion and resurrection And is not this a proper exposition of the prophecy then shew us one more proper And doubtlesse it is to be understood as Cyril understand it of the Angels ministring to our Saviour But yet we beleeve not that it was fulfilled when in his agony there appeared an Angel unto him streng hening him Luke 22.43 and much lesse when after his resurrection an Angel appeared at his sepulchre Matth. 28 2. For it is evident that when this prâ—phâ—cy shall be fulfilled they that are in our Saviours presence shall as plainely see heaven open 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the starry firmament part asunder and the Angels ascending from and descending to him 〈◊〉 they shall see each other as plainely I say as Saint Stephen looking stedfastly into heaven saw 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the heavens open and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Acts 7.55 56. And as Saint John Baptist saw the heavens opened unto Christ and the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him Mattb. 3.16 And Saint Paul assures uâ— Heb. 1.6 That when God againe bringeth in the first begotten into the world he sayth And let all the Angels of God worship him And to what time then can our Saviours Hereafter can this visible attendance of the Angels on him belong but to the time of his next appearing of his comming againe into the world the time and place of which God hath said that all the Angels of God shall doe homage unto him And besides it is more then probable that the Evangelist would as well have recorded the accomplishment as the prediction of this thing if he had knowne of the fulfilling of it But the acute reason of your denying the proper sense of the prophecy is yet behinde and may well remaine to posterity as the wonder of your worke and the monument of your wit For the Angels you fay shall not ascend and descend upon the Sonne of man seeing the body of Christ is not so tall as that it shall reach from beaven to earth Doubtlesse a very tall proofe and yet it comes short of the marke you aâ—me at For surely the proper acceptation of the prophecy as it depends not on so it is not proved but infallibly disproved by the proper acceptation of the word upon which preposition having relation onely to the participle descending the full expression had been thus ascending from and descending upon or unto which is meant by upon in this place And which the originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth as well signifie as upon and might have been here so exprest as well as it it is Luke 10.6 and chap. 19. ver 5. and in other places had there been any likelihood of a modest Christians misunderstanding of this prophecy by reason of the word upon However the learned had need bewaâ—e that in translating the scriptures they follow not the common liberty of speech in the smalest word when as the wilfull are so ready to make it an occasion of venting their vaine conceits Israel's Redemption For that this may be fulfilled it is requifite that he be on earth whither these messengers may descend unto him and from whence againe they may ascend which argues too his continuance here for a greater space of time then the judgement of the dead requires Mr. Petrie's Answer A poore proofe for as it is requisite that he be on earth whither that these messengers may descend unto him so I may say it is requisite that he be in heaven whence they may descend on him and whither they may ascend to him and so taking the words in that sense they may be fulfilled albeit he never were on earth even as they may be fulfilled when he is on earth and not in heaven but according to the first exposition he was on earth when they were fulfilled farre lesse is his continuance on earth necessary for these words Reply A poore proofe you say And surely were it not much more powerfull then the answer it were poore indeed For may you say as well from the order of our Saviours words That it is requisite he be in heaven whence the Angels may descend from him and ascend to him as we may that it is requisite he be on earth whence they may ascend from him and descend to him Certainely nothing can be said more direct against the truth For such a conclusion doth necessarily change and pervert out Saviours words into this contrary forme Hereafter ye shall see heaven open and the Angels ascending to and descending from the Sonne of man Whereas our Saviour said ascending and descending to the Sonne of man which necessarily proves that he is not to be in heaven at the accomplishment thereof seeing he must be the terminus a quo the person from whom and not to whom the Angels shall ascend and the terminus ad quem the person to whom and not from whom they shall descend And therefore taking these words no otherwise then our Saviour spake them they may be sulfilled on earth as we say but it is not
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
besides your selfe unlesse it be that father of lies who suggested it unto you And therefore the reader had neede beware how to take your words upon trust for doubtlesse if he hearken to your bare word he shall never beleeve what God hath foretold nor know what we hold The last text is Ezekiels vision of the dry bones chap. 37. And if it betokens the Jewes returne from their captivity as ver 11. doth seeme to interpret it where it is said These bones are the whole house of Israel Yet it is observeable first that the deliverance here foreshewne is of all the Tribes of the whole house of Israel Secondly that it is to be after such a long and tedious captivity as should make them even despaire of a deliverance as ver 11. doth declare And thirdly that at the time of their deliverance they shall become an exceeding great Army as it is said ver 10. which observations doe infallibly manifest that this prophecy hath not been yeraccomplished and consequently that when you say this vision doth for eshew the returne of the Jewes from their captivity notwithstanding the exireamity of their misery you doe unawares confesse that they are not yet returned but shall returne at the accomplishment of this prophecy For when were the Jewes delivered out of a captivity of such a long continuance as is here intimated by these very dry bones and by the raising of them out of their graves or when did all the Tribes the whole house of Israel returne to their land or when did any of them that I say not all that I speake not of so great an Army as is here foretold make their way into their owne countrey by force of armes since their forty yeares march into Judea out of Egypt And therefore as all the other texts have relation to the first resurrection onely so hath this last to the suture Redemption of the Jewes out of captivity to their returne againe into their owne land against the time of their redemption of the Saints bodies out of their graves at our Saviours appearing And that which followes in the chapter doth as plainely reveale the uniting of all the Tribes in their owne land under one King and our Saviours personall reigning over them there as the vision of the dry bones doth their returne to their land Israel's Redemption And as the Elders in Revel 5.10 said in the hearing of Saint John Thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we Å¿ Rom. 5.17 ch 4.13 Luk 19.17.19 2 Tim 2.12 ch 4.8 1 Pet. 5.4 shall reigne on * Sanctorum super terram regia dignitas authoritas in hoc mundi stot â— nulla estised exiliuÌ„ perpetuae calamitates ac perse uâ—â—ones quas à tyrannis mundi hujus reg bus paâ—â—untur De altero â—gitur mundt statu hoc accipiâ—ndum Quod si vero super terram regnabunt sancti utique ea non abolebitur vel aunâ—hilabitur in id enim quod non est creaturae dominium non est Eodem videtur Christus respexisse Matth. 5.5 Est hoc observandum quod sancti aiunt regnab mus non regnants Quo digitum inteadunt ad allerum seculum Nam ne sancti quidem in coelo corstituâ—i jam regnant super terram quia cum paâ—â—entia adhuc expectant liberationem fratrum quam accefer are non possunt Apoc. 6. v. 10.11 They are the words of Mar. Frid Wendelinus cha 21. of the 2 Sect of his Naturall Contemplations pag 429.430 urged in defence of an accidentall change of the world against the esseatial abolition of it both which Tenets are as I think very true if referr'd to their proper seasons if shunning both the improvident consounding and pernicious wresting of Scripture we affirme a marvellous renovation of this Heaven and Earth at the beginning of our Saviours Kingdome and a creation of new at the end thereof that is at the last judgement when as it is in the 20. of the Rev l. and the 11. v r. This heaven and earth shall fly away and no place be found for them and if they shall have place no more then surely they can have beeing no longer for place is an inseparable anection of their being and consequently this Scripture proves an absolute aunihilation of the first world which I suppose no man will deny if he doth observe when this passing of the first heaven and earth is to be accomplisht to wit above a thousund yeares after the renewing of them for they are to be renewed at our Saviours entiance into his Kingdome but they are not to paste away till the giving up thereof to God the Father at the last Judgement and so it stands firme that these words imply no lesse then a perishing which yet may further be establisht by three other undeniable testimonies One of the same Apostle in the next chap. at the 1. vers And I saw saith he a new beaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more set Which last clause expresly affirming an utter abolition of the sea doth plainely informe us that by the dying and passing away of the first earth which with the sea makes but one globe is meant a substantiall perishing of it Another of Mâ—ses in the 8. chap. of Gen. at the 22. vers While the earth rema neth seed time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and wiater and day and night shall not cease and therefore when seed-time and harvest and summer and winter and day and night shall cease as it is most certaine they shall at the laft Judgement the earth it selfe must of necessity then cease also A third of Job in his 26. chap. at the 10. vers He hath compassed the waters with bounds untill the day and night tome to an end Deut. 11. vers 21. which words being compared with the precedent testimony wherein day and night are shewne to be of equall duration with seed time and harvest and with that of the 22. of the Revel where it is said of the new Ierusalem and the inhabitants thereof there shall be no night there and they neede no candle neither light of the Sunne must needs be taken for a plaine and positive proofe that the day and night shall come to an end and consequently that the starres and so the sublunary creatures too whose generation and continuance doe more or lesse depend upon celestiall influence being all made onely for the use of man while he is to have his refidency and abode on this earth shall at mankinds removall from hence together with this earth with which they were created be brought againe to nothing earth Mr. Petrie's Answer That these words Rev. 5.10 signifie the hoâ—â—ur and priviledges of the godly on earth it is out of doubt But the question is whether John saw these Elders in heaven and whether they shall come from the
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
which I find the doctrine of my text to be encompast I here give over the pursuit of these meditations and commend to as many as wish well to themselves and to Zion these instructions following Mr. Petrie's Answer If you be throughly satisfied why have you so oft used the words of probability conjectures my conceit it may be thus or thus these words smell not of satisfaction nor of that certaine knowledge and stedfastnesse which is required 2 Pet. 3.17 As for that double jury it may evidently appeare that both Prophets and Apostles are contrary to such fancies It may be the Vses of this doctrine are commendable yet if wrong premisses be powerfull to perswade Neverthelesse heare all Reply We bring not onely probable but demonstrative and necessary arguments also to justifie the truth of our tenet And besides all this we alledge for it a large Catalogue of cleare and invincible prophecies from which as we receive full satisfaction our selves so that we might shunne the guilt of keeping backe any part of the counsell of God Acts 20.27 we hold them out to others too that as many as God hath appointed by our Ministery to call to the knowledge of this truth may be partakers of the like satisfaction with us And what though I have in some places used the word probable and once the word conjecture and somtimes said in my conceit shall that therefore of which I so speake be suspected for an untruth I pray tell me why my conceit may not be as agreeable to the truth as any others or why without any disadvantage to the truth I may not use such expressions as the pen-men of holy writ have done How much was Saint Peter beside the truth when in answer to our Saviours demand touching the two creditours Luke 7.42 43. Tell me which of them will love him most he said I suppose he to whom he forgave most Certainely nothing at all for Christ replyed Thou hast rightly judged Or what was Saint Pauls counsell the worse for saying I suppose that this is good for the present distresse 1 Cor. 7.26 Or will you say that it was doubtfull whether Saint Paul had received the Holy Ghost because ver 20. he saith And I thinke also that I have the Spirit of God Or can you imagine that the Apostles tooke not the best course for the pacifying of the difference that was risen in the Church of Antioch betwixt the Gentiles and some beleeving Iewes about circumcision Acts 15. because they wrote in this forme It seemeth good unto us ver 25. and againe ver 28. It seemeth good unto the Holy Ghost and to us If you dare not say or once imagine that these words doe argue unstedfastnesse or uncertaine knowledge in these then how can that be true which you say here that words equivalent with these smell not of satisfaction And if these words argue uncertaine knowledge and unstedfastnesse in us then what do they argue in you who even in the second and third pages have your may be me thinks why may we not thinke thus or thus it is likely it is not unlikely Certainely as to cavill at words and phrases shewes the weakenesse of your cause so to blame another for that which you your self may as well be blamed doth shew the malice of your mind Israel's Redemption First to praise God for his abundant mercy who through the fall of the Iewes hath brought salvation unto us Gentiles that together with them we might partake of the roote and fatnesse of their Olive tree Mr. Petrie's Answer Whether is it more to the praise of Gods mercy and bountifulnesse that the godly shall come againe from the heavens to abide so long on the earth or to abide in that glory of heaven for ever and ever certainly the gift of the greater and uninterrupted glory deserveth the greater praise and while they were on earth they professed themselves to be strangers from home and pilgrimes on their journey towards their home Heb. 11.13 and shall they come as pilgrimes againe Reply Doubtlesse God is not to be taught by us what reward is most to the praise of his mercy and bountifulnesse towards the godly But we are to account that reward most to the praise of his bountifulnesse and mercy towards them which we find in his word to be appointed unto them And we doe conceive that the glory of the Saints after their reunion to their bodies will be greater because more perfect though they live on earth then the glory of their soules is now without the fellowship of their glorified bodies And we know not what should interrupt their glory on earth when as Christ himselfe on whom the Angels shall visibly attend shall be on earth with them and God himselfe also may here manifest his glory unto them in what measure hee pleaseth And though Abraham and some other of the Patriarches to whom God had promised the possession of the Land of Canaan did in their corruptible estate here live as strangers and pilgrimes in that land yet they shall not after their resurrection possesse it as strangers and pilgrimes but as heires and coheires with Christ And whereas you say That it is a greater gift of God that the godly should abide in that glory of heaven for ever and ever then to come againe from the heavens to abide on earth You seeme to me to imagine that the godly shall never againe come from thence as your denying also pag. 54. that Christ shall bring all the Saints with him doth testifie against you which conceit is contrary to all the scriptures that affirme the resurrection and the Saints appearing with Christ And I pray where doe you finde in scripture that the Saints shall after their resurrection live in a place separate from the earth Certainely they are after the last judgement to be translated into the new Jerusalem and that City is then to descend to the new earth as we read Rev. 21.2 3. And lastly what affinity hath ought that you have said here with the use you answer what I shall we not praise God for his mercy in making us partakers of the fatnesse of the Jewes Olive tree while we are here although it were a greater happinesse for us to be ever in heaven after our departure then to come againe to the earth Israel's Redemption Secondly to beware of unbeliefe which was the cause that the Jewes were broken off from their Olive And if God spared not the naturall branches much lesse will he spare us if by faith we continue not in his goodnesse Mr. Petrie's Answer It is greater unbeliefe to despise the revealed truth of God then to despise the fancies of men as this Monarchy is proved to be Reply 'T is true that it is greater unbeliefe to despise the revealed truth of God then to despise the fancies of men And it is as true that it is a sinne but little inferiour to that against the Holy Ghost wilfully