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 tâ—nes 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 choisest proofes as easily as Sampson 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 plainesse 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 sitis fied with the fulnesse of thy bouse 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 Kigndomes and we have already shewed that he bath been misinformed or misinformeth of another Throne and another Kingdome 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 you 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 settethou 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 done to me for telling you the truth Now as for your answer I conâ—sse 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 alljoy 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 most 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 in heaven 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 kindnesse 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 worshippe 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 so
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 people of Israel Psal 148.14 And this as I thinke is the time of which he spake these words Verely verely I say unto you k Ioh. 1.51 Heb. 1.6 Hereafer shall ye see heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the l 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 expâ—ned unto for upon in this sense as if the Heavens were open the Angels shâ—ll 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 exposi ion 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 appaâ—ently contradict that which followes for by and by after you tell us that Cyril hath exponed it as if the heavens were open the Angels shall come downe and ascend unto my Service and that Chrysostome doâ—h 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 understands 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 strengthening him Luke 22.43 and much lesse when after his resurrection and Angel appeared at his sepulchre Matth. 28 2. For it is evident that when this prophâ—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 â—o him as 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 liâ—e a dove and lighting upon him Matth. 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 say 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 heaven to earth Doubtlesse a very tall proofe and yet it comes short of the marke you aime 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 modesâ— Christians misunderstanding of this prophecy by reason of the word upon However the learned had need beware 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 requisite 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 requites Mr. Petrie's Answer A poore proofe for as it is requisite that he be on earth whither that these messengers may descend unto hint 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 it his â—ominuance 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 our 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 fulfilled on earth as we say but
shall cast them alive into the lake of fire And therefore your application of the story of Ziseah's drumme to this argument is a very ridiculous answer The third argument But most of all clearely in chap. 11. ver 15 16. 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 the 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—â—full accomplishment of the prophecies is not on earth And so this synchronisme being false and 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 Fathers 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 and not figuratively and mystically Revel 16. 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 noysouâ—e sore is powred on the same the sift 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 wich ba h 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 it is manifest from the Text Rev. 7.8 9. c. 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
be understood of the conversion of the Jewes according to the letter because the sealed Iewes are expressely distinguisht from 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 sift 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. * Isa 49. ver 13 14 15 16. c. Rejoyce thou barren that bearest not 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. Joh. 1â— v. 51. of Angels to the * Eph. 1. v. 10 11.13 14. Rev. 10. v. 7. Joh. 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
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 it 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 iâ— 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 tiâ—â— 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 8 as all are not Israel who are of Israel in the Apostles meaning i. e. all 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 flash 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 anteâ—eden 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 againâ— the Kingdom in 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 Manâ— 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 my 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 prohabilities 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 easily have nam'd some of them as have said it and bid me looke
askt but onely for seeking to know more in it then is fitting they should know And this reason is alledg'd for the same purpose For whereas our Saviour gave a sharper answer here to the sonnes of Zebedee then he did to the Apostles and yet granted withall that the thing they spake for should be given to some it is altogether unlikely that where he used a milder reproofe he did therby deny that the thing which was askt should at any time be done especially seeing in both answers it was for the motives of their asking onely and not for the matter that they were reprehended And therefore you having not answered ought to the force of this reason but onely caught at that which was not intended I might well passe by all that you have thus impertinently spoken but yet I will say somewhat to it though not much First then I grant that these sonnes of Zebedee spake of Christ's glorious Kingdom and that the Apostles understood the same Kivgdom but I conclude not from hence as you doe that this Kingdom shall not be on earth which expositours say as well these as the Apostles did meane and that because Christ shall come in glory and reigne in glory as you may see Mat 16. verse 27 28. 2 Thess 1. verse 7 8 9 10. Heb. 1. verse 6. Jude 14 15. ver Rev. 11. verse 15. chap. 15. verse 4. Psal 72. Psal 102. verse 13. c. Isa 2. verse 2 3 4. Zach. 14. verse 4 5. c. But I thus conclude from hence against your answer to my former reason that seeing the Apostles meant the same Kingdom that these two did therefore they meant a Kingdom which should be and not a Kingdom which should not be 2. But if Christ in his answer had spoken of an earthly Kingdom how say you was it not in his power to choose his princes in that Kingdom And how doth it appeare that he spake rather of an earthly Kingdom then of one in Heaven if we say he had this power for why he should have this power on earth rather then in Heaven you cannot conceive And seeing you would have the reader take this for a currant argument from you to shew that Christ in his answer to these Zebedites did not speake of an earthly Kingdom to wit because he seemed to deny that he had power to choose his princes therein will you your selfe take it for a currant argument from us to shew that Christ did speake of an earthly Kingdom if he had power to choose his princes therein if you will not then you would have the reader to esteem better of your argument then you your selfe doe And if you will you must needs grant that you have herein argued against your selfe For whereas our Saviour said it is not mine to give he meant not that he had nothing to doe in the giving of it But this he meant that it was not his to give indifferently to any that should aske it as the words which you have omitted in this reason doe shew for he could give it to none but those to whom the Father had eternally appointed it to be given and to them he could and should give it For the Father giveth it by the Sonne in the temporal accomplishment of it and the Sonne giveth it from the Father according to the eternall appointment of it as the text it selfe in the original clearly shews For it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is not mine to give but to them for whom it is prepared of my Father Israel's Redemption Thus farre wee have argued topically by way of probability But that which seemes to me clearly to quit our Apostles from error though not from oblivion from error I say in the subject though not in cercumstance in the thing demanaded though not in the season of it's performance is because I finde my text to be a lesson read to them by our Saviour before his passion For speaking of the destruction of the Jewes They shall fall said he by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all Nations and Hierusalem shall be trodden downe of the Gentiles untill the times of the Gentiles be fullfild Luke 21. at the 24. verse ◠Isa 32.15 Act. 3.21 and at the 28. verse having before shewne what signes should immediately foregoe his appearing he left them this Cordiall when these things begin to come to passe then looke up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh Behold here Beloved the casting away of God's people for a time which wee see at this day verified and their receiving againe for-ever which shall as certainly come to passe plainly foretold The Redemption I say not onely of their soules from the bondage of sinne to the favor of God by the profession of the Gospel but consequently of their bodies too from their generall captivity to the repossessing of their countrey by a miraculous deliverance For if no more should be meant by the word Redemption but the meere conversion of the Jews in those places where now they live it cannot be conceived why this action should be accompanied with such wonderfull tokens and perplexity of all other nations as is here mentioned unlesse we shall admit no space of time betwixt this conversion and that instant in which our Saviour shall give sentence on the dead which I suppose few or none will yeeld to And if you seriously consider the evidence of the prophets I am confident you will confesse That a most righteous and flourishing estate of the Jewes in their owne land must of necessity distinguish the time of their calling and the worlds dissolution at the last judgement Mr. Petrie's Answer Who being right in his wit will learne of one word Redemption that the Jewes shall have an earthly Kingdom over all nations Our Saviour is not speaking there of an earthly Kingdom nor of the conversion of the Jewes but as he speaks and expones himselfe verse 31. Know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand and this is a matter of greater encouragement then any earthly Kingdome can be unto spirituall minded persons and therefore when they wrestle against the understanding of the Jewes conversion in these words they fight against their owne fancies Now if they cannot finde clearer texts in the new Testament for this earthly Monarchy every understang Christian will reject the misapplying of the prophets seeing every ground of faith is revealed more clearly in the new Testament then in the Old Neverthelesse let us heare the particular proofes Reply Who that enjoyes the benefit of understanding will not find how grosly you abuse the Author and dissemble with the Reader when purposely overpassing the main ground here alledged for the earthly kingdom of the Jews you make as though there were no other light for it but in this one word Redemption which hath in it self none but a borrowed light to wit as it hath
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 those 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 out of all Nations upon horses and in Litters and in Charrets and upon mules and upon swift beasts c. to his mountaine at Jerusalem is 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 them 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 proper sense of these words nor of any of the Prophecies upon which you strive so much to impose a figurative sense And as you have 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 turne 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 preceding verses doe shew so that to all men there is no more then to all sorts of men young and
the onely occasion of their sorrow by whose mourning this Prophecie is to be fulfill'd And our Saviour himselfe also hath foretold Matth. 24. at the 30. ver that this mourning is to be fulfill'd at his next appearing his words are Then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in Heaven and then shall all the Tribes of the earth mourne and they shall see the Sonne of man comming in the n Act. 1. v. 11. clouds of Heaven with power and great glory Whom then shall wee believe our Saviour and the Prophet or you For what though the Iewes which shall mourne for him so long after his suffering did not in their owne persons either pierce or see him pierced yet as Levi is said to pay tithes in the loynes of his Father Abraham so these are said to have done what their Fathers did and Mr. Brightman in his exposition of the 7. ver of the first chap. of the Rev. understands that too of the accomplishment of these words of Zech. which he expounds almost in the same termes as I have done pag. 16. 17. of his Rev. of the Apocalyps Israel's Redemption And what comparison is there betwixt the griefe of a few fearfull and scattered Disciples for a day or two and the solemne mourning of all Iudah and Jerusalem and that to every Family apart and their wives apart As therefore this Prophecie doth concerne the Jewes onely and chiefly the Tribes that crucified their Saviour so doubtlesse it shall then receive its accomplishment when God at their generall conversion shall poure upon them the Spirit of grace and supplications Zech. 12. v. 10. that so they may at once obtaine the forgivenesse of their sinnes and thus lament their forefathers malicious and cruell contrivance and their owne hereditary and wilfull approbation of the death of Christ who shall then descend unto them to restore their Kingdome and to reigne over all the earth as it is in the 14. chap. of the same Prophet at the 5. and 9. ver c. Mr. Petrie's Answer It is said ver 11. There shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem and ver 12. and the Land shall mourne every Fâ—mily apart c. whereby is intimated a distinction of the mourning in respect of place and as they did mourne at Jerusalem publikely so we may easily conceive that these who had resorted at these publick Feasts unto Jerusalem did likewise mourne apart after their returning and were not contented with one dayes mourning all facts that are credible are not written And therefore this Prophecie doth concerne the Jewes but not onely seeing even the Gentiles may be said to have pierced his sides by their sinnes meritoriously and to looke on him by faith and mourne for their guiltinesse c. and chiefly the persons that crucified their Saviour So doubtlesse it is great impudence to affirme that the same Prophet chap. 14.5 and 9. ver saith Christ shall descend unto the Jewes to restore their Kingdome for there is not one word of restoring nor of the Jewes Kingdome in these two verses Reply As in the preceding answer you have applied the accomplishment of Zech. words ch 12. ver 10. to the Jewes converted by St. Peters first Sermon so in this you endeavour to parallel their mourning with the great and solemne mourning so largely exprest in the following verses of the same Prophecie For it is said ver the 11. There shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem c. and ver 12. The Land shall mourne everie Familie apart c. whereby is intimated say you a distinction of the mourning in respect of place and as they did mourne at Jerusalem publickly so wee may easily conceive that these who had resorted at these publick Feasts unto Jerusalem did likewise mourne apart after their returning all facts that are very credible are not written And therefore on the contrary you have written here what is not credible For is it credible that the mourning of 3000. is any way comparable to the solemne and universall mourning of all Judah and Jerusalem for Josiah 2 Chron. 35. ver 24 25. to which the mourning in this Prophecie is compared Or is it credible that any of these Jewes who resorted unto Jerusalem out of so many Countries as are rehearst Acts 2. ver 9 10 11. were of the Families of David and Nathan when as the Tribe of Judah wat not then carryed into captivitie by the Romans And if they mourned after their returne into their severall Countries into Mesopotamia Cappadocia Pontus and Asia c. this was out of the Land whereas the mourning the Prophet foreshewes is to be fulfill'd onely in Lerusalem and in the land of Iudea and it is to be observed by men and their wives apart and what circumstance is there in the 2. chap. of the Acts from which you can gather that any of the 3000. you speake of were women yea it is to be observ'd by all the Families of the Jewes that remaine that is that are living at the accomplishment of this Prophecie and therefore the repentance of these 3000. could not possibly be the mourning here spoken of by the Prophet You say next that this Prophecit doth concerne the Jewes and chiefly the persons that crucified their Saviour but not onely seeing even the Gentiles c. And did you not tell us even now that you give no other interpretation of the Prophecies then is chiefly intended How then can you say here that this Prophecie is chiefly meant of the Jewes in a proper sense and yet meant also of the Gentiles in a figurative sense is not this to give another sense besides that which is chiefly intended and doe you thinke that both these senses are intended if so how shall we know certainly which is chiefly intended Surely to affirme that the Holy Ghost doth intend a double sense in these Prophecies is no small errour seeing it makes God to have as it were a heart and a heart to be I say as a double dealer who speakes one thing and meanes another and shall we conceit thus of God God forbid Yea let God be true and every man a lyar as truth then is but one so doubtlesse there can be but one true sense of any place in the Scripture but one sense intended by God and thefore to make the Scripture Janus-like to looke two wayes is from man and not from God and it is the readiest way that I know to foment division amongst men But there is yet the heaviest charge behinde for it is great impudence you say to affirme that Zech. chap. 14. ver 5. and 9. saith Christ shall descend unto the Jewes to restore their Kindome for there is not one word of restoring or of the Jewes Kingdome in these two verses And yet his descending and reigning over all the earth is expresly foretold in these two verses and shall he come to be King over all the earth and yet not
quite different from the other And as spirituall pleasures appertaine to the Saints on earth as well as to the Saints in heaven so doe eating and drinking agree as well with glorified as unglorified bodies as well with the state of immortality as with the state of mortality For our Saviour did eate on earth at his Disciples table after his resurrection and he saith that the glorified Saints shall eate and drinke with him at his table after their resurrection And further he saith that after the last Judgement there is in the new Jerusalem the fruit of the tree of life to be eate of and the water of the river of life to be dranke of his words are To him that over cometh will I give to eate of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God Rev. 2.7 and againe Rev. 22.14 15. Blessed are they that doe his Commandements that they may have right to the tree of life And whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely And indeed seeing God creates nothing in vaine it were vaine to thinke that the tree of life should beare twelve manner of fruites monthly unlesse they were to be fed on or that the river of the water of life should runne through the midst of the streete in the holy Jerusalem if it were not as well to be dranke of by the Saints in glory as to nourish the tree of life on the sides of it And therefore unlesse you can bring better proofes to shew that I am misinformed or doe misinforme then these texts of the Psalmist or any you have cited hitherto you your selfe will be found an over-hasty misinformer against the truth Israel's Redemption And as it is evident from his owne words that the Throne of his Kingdome is not now in heaven so it is plaine from Saint Pauls in 1 Cor. 15.12 that it shall not be thereafter the judgement of the dead his words are these As in Adam all dye even so in Christ shall all be made alive But every man in his owne order Christ the first fruites afterwards * They that are Christs at his comming-If there were not to be some distance of time betwixt the resurrection of these and other men it had been as easie for the Apostle to have said they that are dead or all that are in the grave And if there shall be a precedencie of time then no doubt but it shall be such a precedency as may bring some advantage and honour unto the Saints and therefore not onely of a few houres or dayes but of a more notable continuance and length of time of many yeares For if Christ should descend for no other purpose but to call all men to judgement then as there would he need of none so there could not well be any priority of time to distinguish their resurrection because in that act both good and bad must be assembled before him at the same time and the wicked doubtlesse should then be raised as soone to see his comming as the just to meete and accompany him therein they that are Christs at his comming and therefore not the m Zech. 14.5 1 Thes 3.13 chap. 4. ver 14 15 16. 2 Thes 1.10 Col. 3.4 Martyres onely Then commeth the end what presently after his comming no but when he hath delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father and when shall that be when he shall have put downe all rule and all authority and power For he must reigne till He that is the Father hath put all his enemies under his feete which will be fully accomplished when the last enemy shall be destroyed which is death and when all things shall be thus subdued unto him then shall follow that inutterable glory that height of happinesse where the Sonne also himselfe shall be subject unto him that did before put all things under him that God may be all in all Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Whether the Apostle might have said so or so Can any man gather necessarily out of these words so great a distance of time betwixt the resurrection of the godly and of the ungodly Here the Apostle nameth the godly and not the ungodly not importing any notable distance of time but because he had said ver 22. In Christ all shall be made alive which words cannot be properly and univocally meaned of the ungodly whose rising shall be for the accomplishment of the second death therefore here ver 23. he justly â—mits the mention of the ungodly and speakes of the godly as also he doth 1 Thes 4.16 17. where we find expressely an order among the godly saying The dead in Christ shall rise first and then we who are alive and remaine shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meete the Lord in the aire The Apostle in both texts speakes of the same comming of Christ as this Author acknowledgeth and applyeth the words to the same purpose pag. 50. As none will say that there shall be any notable priority in time betwixt the one and the other sort meeting Christ so and farre lesse doe these words speaking onely of them that are in Christ import two resurrections different the one from the other the space of a 1000 yeares Yea and the Apostle saying That we shall be caught up and meete the Lord in the aire and so shall be ever with him How can any imagine that we shall come downe againe from the aire to abide so long a space upon the earth and therefore he speakes there of the generall resurrection when they who are in Christ shall be ever with him not in a temporall but everlasting glory And seeing the Apostle speakes both here and there of the same resurrection certainely he speakes not here of a resurrection before the time of the generall judgement 2. pag. 49. After these words of Paul at his comming Mr. Maton inserteth and not the Martyrs onely Why inserteth he these words doth any who denyeth this earthly Monarchy say that the Martyrs and no more shall come with Christ no but some Millenaries say so And here he would marke a word against them Be it so 3. He wresteth the words thus Then commeth the end what presently after his comming no but when he hath delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father and when shall that be when he shall have put downe all rule and authority and power c. Here instead of explication is a very contradiction of the text by inserting a negative and conveighing it closely with a query The particle Then hath relation to the words preceding and the word Comes is not in the originall as yee may see by the divers characters in the translation and it may as well be rendred Then or at that time is the end when he shall have delivered up c. So that the very time when he shall deliver the Kingdome is when they who are Christs shall arise at his comming And
Jewes did enquire and search diligently will inferre this conclusion Therefore at the redemption of their bodies at the perfecting of their salvation through the revelation of Jesus Christ they shall not reigne with Christ on earth Israel's Redemption And here we may call to minde too our Saviours words to Iames and Iohn when they requested that one might sit on his right hand and the other on his left in his Kingdome To sit on my right hand and on my left said he is not mine to give but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father Mr. Petrie's answer We may call to mind too his words ye know not what you aske Matth. 20.22 and the words of the Evangelist ver 24. When the ten heard it they were moved with indignation against the brethren Which words shew that howbeit Christ had spoken of his Kingdome yet at that time Iames and Iohn were both ignorant and ambitious Reply You tell us here that we may call to mind too our Saviours reprehensive words Matth. 20.22 and the Evangelists words ver 24. touching the indignation of the ten against the brethren But surely it is best to call to mind the truth which as it is plainly taught in our Saviours direct answer ver 23. so it is necessarily implyed in the other disciples indignation who doubtlesse would rather have marvelled at the strangenesse of their suite then have been any whit offended with them for it had they sought that which no man should at any time enjoy And therefore although you may charge the two brethren with ambition for seeking to be preferred above the other disciples and with an erroneous conceit touching our Saviours unlimited choise of the persons that should sit at his right and left hand yet you cannot charge them with ignorance touching the subject and matter of their request to wit that there were such places to be had which they aimed at Israel's Redemption Which saying as it doth shew that our Saviour had before acquainted the Apostles of his Kingdome so it intimates that his Kingdome is to be held on earth where onely this may be fulfilled for in heaven it cannot be done unlesse we will grant that other men shall be as highly exalted there as our Saviour is to wit to the right hand of God Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Albeit never one shall sit on his right hand nor his left yet nothing in these words is for this purpose seeing he saith not there that any shall sit but onely To sit on my right hand is not mine to give 2. Matth. 19.28 he speakes of sitting on the Throne of his glory which must be in heaven seeing he speakes absolutely his glory and his glory is greater in heaven then can be on an earthly Throne And he saith unto his Disciples When he shall sit on that Throne ye who have followed me in the regeneration shall sit upon twelve thrones And may not some of these thrones be on his right hand and some on his left hand I enquire not now what these thrones may be but there ye see multitude of thrones in glory as Kings in their State may have thrones for their greatest Peeres Reply 1. Doubtlesse if never one shall sit on Christs right hand nor his left there can be nothing in our Saviours answer to prove this for no scripture doth teach that that shall be done which is never to be done But how shall we know whether any shall sit at his right hand and his left but from scripture And if the scripture is to be sole Iudge in this case as indeed it is our Saviours answer is an unquestionable evidence to prove this For he saith not onely as you answer for him It is not mine to give but he saith It is not mine to give but to them for whom it is prepared of my Father What! were the places on his right hand and on his left then prepared of his Father to be given by him to some and yet can you say that never one shall sit on his right hand nor his left and that nothing in these words is for this purpose Alas that of all Gentiles a Christian of all Christians a scholar of all scholars a Divine should so wilfully and presumptuously beare false witnesse against Christ himselfe 2. 'T is true that Matth. 19.28 our Saviour speakes of sitting on the Throne of his glory and that he said unto his Disciples when he should sit on that Throne they also should sit not on multitude of Thrones but on twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel And therefore that Throne of his glory is not to be in heaven as you say but on earth as we say seeing neither our Saviour nor the Disciples shall judge any in heaven And we willingly grant that some of these Thrones are to be on his right hand and some on his left And therefore we say also thâ—t they cannot be in heaven because then some of the disciples if not all should be as highly exalted there as our Saviour to wit to the right hand of God Which is a dignity that no creature but the Sonne of man shall have Israel's Redemption Which is a Prerogative peculiar to the Sonne alone a preheminence I say which the chiefest of the Angels never enjoyed For to which of the Angels said he at any time Sit on my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole Heb. 1.13 Mr. Petrie's Answer Christ sitting on a Throne sits on the right hand of God but to speake absolutely To sit on a Throne in heaven is not to sit on the right hand of God no more then any Prince is advanced to the right hand of a King albeit be sit on a Throne and inferiour to the King and his eldest Sonne Reply 'T is true that Christ sits on a Throne in heaven as he himselfe saith Rev. 3 21. and t is true likewise that he sits on the right hand of God as the Apostle saith Heb. 1.13 and chap. 10. ver 12. but it is not true that I have said To sit on a Throne is to sit at the right hand of God And therefore this instance as it is alledged by you being a meere perverting of my words you answer your selfe not me And yet your answer is but a bundle of superfluous words For who knows not that to sit on a Throne onely is one thing and to sit on a Throne at the right hand of a King is another thing and therefore that though to sit on a Throne onely be not to be advanced to the right hand of a K ng yet to sit on a Throne or out of a Throne at the right hand of a King is to be advanced to the right hand of a King As Bathsheba was to the right hand of her sonne Solomon 1 King 2.19 Israel's Redemption And the same Apostles words in 2 Tim. 4. may not be forgotten I charge thee saith he before
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 fellowshâ—p 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 Neiâ—her 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 Jerusalem where f Davids Throne was For his feete shall stand in that day Isai 33.20 â—hap 50. ver â— 2 3.9 10. Psal 122 5. to wit 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 flâ—e 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 de 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. Ioel. 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 Loâ—d 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 Ceba to Rimmon South of Ierusalem and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her pl ce 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 Then 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 he 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 last 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 or Olives hath been cloven 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 And 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 margine 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 Iudan to wit they have been astonished at the wonderfulnesse of Gods workes And the Lord hath come And so forth as it followes in Zach. 14. where he shewes the perpetuall light of the glorious Gospell ver 6 7. and the continuall flowing of the wholesome waters in the Kingdome of Christ ver 98. and the removing of all impediments for the security of the elects conversion and salvation You see here that our Saviour came not onely to conquer death which is the last enemy that he shall destroy and therefore not to be destroyed 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 exponed it by the faithfull Israel Rom. 14.12 bowbeit all hath not been possessed at the same period of time Reply Was ever scripture more apparently wrested more impertinently alledged Behold saith Zechariah 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 c. chap. 6. ver 12. This is the prophecy and your interpretation this Christ said Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it up againe c. John 2.19 And interpretation 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 Saviour shall
recompence when this Kingdome of God shall 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 sully expired The second testimony 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 raise 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 not the last resurrection 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 â—n Adam himselfe and was at that time the daily effect oâ— the preach ng of the Gospell The third text is that of Saint Paul in Phil. 3.11 If by any meanes I might aâ—t â—ine to the resurrection of the dead To which you answer these words name hâ— dead generally c. Certainely no more generally then the same Apostles words in 1 Cor. 15.42 c. doe Where he saith Sâ— 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 need full for Saint Paul to use his utmost care and endeavour that he might attaine to rise at that time when thâ— 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 everlastingly 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 last argument for we know not who doth affirme the contrary to wit that the Saints shall after their resurrection be either mortall or sinneâ—ull so in your first argument we first deny your translation 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 inheaven 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 freedome 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 expâ—ct 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 Chr st 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
that should be beheaded Therefore by the word they lived is meant the living of them that had been beheaded the rising of men after their death and not the regenerating of them that should be beheaded the rising of men before their death For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they lived must needes be opposed to the death of the body to the death of the bâ—headed the death here mentioned and not to the death of the soule the death of men before they are regenerated a death not here mentioned 4. This argument is a meere petitio principii a begging of the point in question for it supposeth that the first resurrection is to be understood spiritually which in the very subject of the controversie And therefore it is just as if you had said If the first resurrection be that which we say it is then it goes before the Saints death as we say it doth surely if interpreters do expound the first resurrection of the Saints of the forsaking of Antichrist's errours of their not worshipping of the Beast nor receiving his marke and of their constant profession c then they doe understand it of the effects and consequents of the spirituall resurrection and not of the spirituall resurrection it selfe For the regeneration of the Saints is the change and renewing of their soules by the infusion of sanctifying and saving graces of their regeneration And they doe herein put a tautology upon the text which according to this interpretation must be thus paraphrased And I saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his image neither had received his marke upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived that is and they worshipped not the Beast not his image nor received his marke c. And if for the word they lived you say they were regenerated I demand when they were regenerated were they regenerated again after they were beheaded c. after they had in their life time refused to worship the Beast c For all this was revealed as past when St. John saw their soules and yet it was after he saw their soules that they lived and reigned with Christ a 1000 yeares Thus then is the text by your interpretation deprived both of truth and sense which taken in its proper signification doth of it selfe speake in this manner to every understanding And I saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and the soules of them which had not in their life time worshipped the Beast neither his image and they lived that is and they that were thus beheaded lived againe in their bodies they rose from the dead and reigned with Christ a 1000 yeares But the rest of the dead lived not till the 1000 yeares were finished That is till the resurrection of the dead described ver 12 13. c. And now who hath shewed himselfe the strange wrangler hath this Authour or Mr. Petrie Israel's Râ—demption It is said also that they lived and reigned with Christ a 1000 yeares But how can it be that they should reigne immediately after their resurrection or beginne their reigne all at ouce or continue it but a thousand yeares which things these words imply if by their resurrection should be understood their regeneration and by their reigne their being in heaven Or if by the word they lived should be meant onely they were converted how can they reigne so long as a thousand yeares seeing the place of their reigne must be on earth for if they should be any where else how can they be encompast againe with warre when the thousand yeares are expired as ver 9. declares they shall Mr. Petrie's Answer If by their living and resurrection be meant their constant profession as is said and by their reigning their prevailing over these heresies all these mists are soone scattered to wit they reigned before their death and not after their resurrection they began their reigne not all at once but in their severall ages even as the Millenaries doe imagine that the Saints in that conceited Monarchy shall not live all at once but in their severall ages dye againe and succâ—ed one age to another for the space of a 1000 yeares and so they reigne not every one throughout the 1000 yeares and so long space have some ever opposed the errours of the Beast and they reigning on earth have been encompast with warre againe as it was foretold and Ecclesiasticall histeries declare Reply This answer is a fallacy of the same straine with the fourth part of the former answer So that all it signifies unto us is this That if you say the truth then you say the truth And seeing you affirme that by the Saints living and resurrection is meant their constant profession and by their reigning their prevailing over heresies I pray tell us whether amongst Christians there were to be constant professours and prevailers over heresies the space of a 1000. yeares only and no more if there were to be such longer then this cannot be the meaning of the Saints living and reigning with Christ a 1000 yeares And if there were to be such no longer then when did the 1000 yeares begin in which these constant Professors should be if they began in the time of the Apostles then there are no constant professions and prevailers over heresies now nor have been in some hundreds of yeares before this If they began not at that time then you will exclude the Apostles themselves out of the number of constant professours and prevailers over heresies unlesse you will divide the 1000 yeares and say that it is not meant that they lived and reigned a 1000 yeares together but at severall times and yet thus also you must exclude some ages from having any constant professours in them which is quite contrary to the word of God which shewâ— that when Satan should most prevaile should have most power to deceive there should be some elect whom he should not deceive And whereas you say That those constant professours reigning on earth have been encompassed with warrâ— againe I pray tell us when they were exempted from it the space of a thousand yeares or when they have beene onely encompast with it Surely they have knowne but little peace and have not been onely encompast but often destroyed and made away by the fury of their adversaries whereas in the time of the Saints 1000 yeares reigne on earth with Christ they are to enjoy peace so long and when after these yeares they shall be encompast by their enemies not one of them shall perish but their enemies shall wholly be destroyed by fire from God out of heaven as Rev. 20.7 8 9. doe manifest And consequently all that you have said or can say touching the present accomplishment of this prophecy touching the fulfilling of it before our Saviours appearing neither hath nor
elect onely be gathered together and the rest left behinde seeing that great Assist it to be hâ—ld 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 Elect and taking them up as also 1 Cor. 15.23 yet they speake not exclusively as if the ungâ—dly shall not be judged nor raised but they speake of separation and â—hereby of taking the elect into the â—are 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 shâ—ll the righteous shine forth c. The particle then shewes that the wâ—ckâ—â— shâ—ll bâ—â—ast into the furnâ—â—e of fire as soone if not sooner as the righteous shall shine in the Kingdome of the 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 doâ—inion 4. If Christ at his comming shall hold that great assise chieâ—ly 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 Savâ—ours reigne on earth which is all one 2. The Evangelists speake here onely of the gathering of the elect to meete 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 gathered out 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 iâ— 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 fetcht 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 resurrection 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 in 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 together 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 be at 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 fallaciously 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 appâ—are 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 condemnation 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 which consists in this that
suffer for them nor that they should reign with him as well as suffer with him what shall we think that they were not to reigne on Earth because 't is said in these texts that they beleeved the remission of their finnes 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 Heb. 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 hâ—â—â— speaks of they might as well have obtain'd the joyes of Heaven in their owne Countrey where their predecessors had obtain'd them 〈◊〉 they had râ—â—â—â—â—â—d thither as they could in thâ—â— wâ—â—â—â— they lived as Pilâ—â—â—mâ— Bâ—â— seeing Christ was promised to be thâ—â—r 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 blessâ—â—gs which God had promised to bestow on them and their seed in Canaan onely and for the expectation of the accoâ—pâ—â—â—â—ment of which promise he had cald them out of their oâ—â—â— Countrey to live as strangers in that I say they could not returne to their countrey salva fide with a sâ—â—â—â— 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 oâ—tward and worldly hinderance and inconvenience to keepâ— them from returning So that the Apostle doth herâ— set forth uâ—to 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 pâ—â—ce for an inheritance they chose rather to live as strangers in it at that time whâ—â— they were liable to the injuries and hostility of the Câ—â—â—â—â—tes then to returne to their owne Countrey where with their hindred and acquaintance they might have lived in moâ—â— outward security and contentment And it is observeable that the Apostle calls not this their desire an earthly hope as you turne the Saints hope to raigne on earth but an Heavenly hope a dâ—â—â—â—e of an Heavenly countrey And well might he call that Lâ—â—d an Heavenly couâ—trey â—â—ich as Ezekiel foreshâ—â—â— chap. 36. verse 35. shall becoâ—â— like the 〈◊〉 of Eden and in which the glorified Saints and Christ himself on whom the Angels shall viâ—â—â—ly ascend and descend sâ—â—â—be inhabitants And well might he call Jerusalem also in 〈◊〉 to the time in which it is to be reâ—â—ored under Christ a * This I conceive to be the meaning of these words although in my 〈◊〉 page 47. I have reâ—â—â—â—â—â— iâ— to the new Jerusalem the City not made with hâ—â—â—â— For I see not why Abrahâ—â— sâ—jourâ—â—â—â— in the Land of Promise should be a more foâ—â—ible Arguâ—â—â— of his looking for Hâ—â—â—â—â— then if he had remained in his oâ—â—â— Coâ—â—â—â—ey City whose â—â—ilder 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
is mount Sion and Psal 87. v. 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob c how then could you say that these can very hardly be understood of the materiall Jerusalem on earth Certainely as they speake of no other Jerusalem so they are to be understood of no other place or thing but that And being prophecies they are not to be understood of it as it was then in the time of Davids reigne but as it should be in the time of Christ's raigne The Second rule As the Priests were types of Christ in respect of his Priestly-office so were the Kings of his Kingly office and therefore as the Kings were anointed so Christ is called David Ezek. 34.23 which is exponed Ioh. 10.11 and typified by Solomon Psal 45. And he is said to sâ—â— on the Throne of David not of Nebuchadnezzar or any other because their kingdoms were cursed kingdomes and were not established on righteousnesse and knowledge of the true God as David's Throne was and for this cause when he is said to sit on the Throne of David it is not to be understood that he had or shall have the same earthly Throne of David but that which was typified so Mat. 2. he is called a Nazarite not that he did use their rites and customes for he dranke wine and they did not but because he was typified by the Nazarite Samson for he slew more by his death then by his life and was severed from all sin and pollution Answer The anointing of Kings Priests and Prophets was a type of Christ's anointing and not of his being called David Which name was given him by God because he was to be borne of the seed of David to whom he was promised And it is because he is the Sonne of David and not of Nebuchadnezzar or any other heathen Prince that he is to sit on David's Throne And that by his sitting on David's Throne is meant his government of that people which David governed it is evident for what need was there that God should binde him selfe with an oath to David Acts 2 verse 30. that he would set Christ upon Davids Throne if he meant onely that he would set him upon his owne Throne Or why may wee not say also that where it is foretold that Christ should be the Sonne of David it is meant onely that he should be the Sonne of God as well as say that where it is foretold that he should sit on Davids Throne it is meant onely that he should sit on God's Throne And it is as strange a mistake as any of the rest to quote the 2. chap. of Mat. to prove that Christ was called a Nazarite because he was typified by the Nazorite Samson for the text saith plainly that it was because he dwelt with his Father Joseph in the city of Nazareth And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets He shal be called a Nazarite verse 23. And lastly that Christ saved many both in his life and death the Gospel cloth aboundantly declare but that he slew many is a tradition I dare say never till now heard of amongst Christians And of such rules as this you might have set downe as many as there are severall types in the Scripture The third rule It is usuall in the Scriptures to name the type and understand the thing signified by the type And therefore as it is said Heb. 6.2 Christ is the Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle that is of that which truly was signified by the Tabernacle so he may be said the true David and his Throne the true Throne of David and his Kingdom the true Jerusalem and the true Sion Answer We acknowledge that in the Scriptures the signe is sometimes taken for the thing signified and the thing signified some times for the signe But yet we know too that such figurative expressions are easily discerned from those which are plainly and properly delivered And therefore we cannot acknowledge that the Throne of David and Jerusalem or Sion are figuratively to be understood of the Throne of God and of Heaven or of the Church seeing the Spirit of God doth no where intimate unto us such a sense of them but alwaies the contrary The fourth rule As Christ is said to be the Lambe of God slaine from the beginning of the world Rev. 13.8 not only in the decree of God but by vertue and efficacy seeing by vertue of his blood at that time to be shed were Adam and Abel reconeiled unto God and delivered from the power of Satan So Christ's Kingdom began then for in Christ Adam Abel and we are one body and members of the same Kingdom howbeit in extent and largenesse it did most flourish and appeare since the Incarnation in which respect it is said to begin at or after his incarnation Answer It is true that the Gospel of Christ which he calls the Kingdom of God Mat. 21. verse 43. began in Adam to whom it was first preacht and by whom it was first embraced but it is not true that it did flourish more at Christ's incarnation then it did when all the Tribes were in the land together and undivided as in the times of Samuel David and Solomon Nor that it did begin againe when after Christ's ascension it was spread amongst the Gentiles for that was onely a translating of it from the Jewes to the Gentiles as our Saviour witnesseth Mat. 21. verse 43. The Kingdom of God shal be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruites thereof And therefore this is your bare affirmation not onely besides but against the expresse word of God The fifth rule The promise made to Abraham Gen. 13.16 I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth and chap. 15.5 looke towards Heaven and tell the number of the starres if thou be able to number them and so shall thy seed be These promises I say are not to be understood of the children of Abraham according to the flesh but as they are exponed Rom. 4.15 not of that onely which is of the Law but of them who are of the faith of Abraham which is the Father of us all as it is written I have made thee a Father of many Nations And Gal. 3.28 There is neither Jew nor Greele neither bond nor free neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus and if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heires according to the promise And therfore the promises made unto the children of Abraham Isaac and Jacob are not to be restricted unto the Jewes according to the flesh aâ— the Jewes and Millenaries expone all these promises but of the faithfull And hither belongeth that distinction of the Jewes Rom. 2.28 He is not a Jew who is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but
and a figurative sense is the literal or primarily intended sense 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 it 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 same 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 saith 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 sight 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 somtimes 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 ouâ—â— and hereby the large note on the margine of Page 9. is frustrated 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 expositioÌ„ of the prophesies which coÌ„cerne our Saviours 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 Savâ—ours 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 or 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 spirituall blessinges too and being so interpreted you understand them of the Gentiles as wel or rather then of the Jewes And this 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 oppression 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
them out And had there been any I presume you would too seeing it is not likely that they would have brought an exposition different from that which was commonly received by others and have given no reason for it or one no better then a why may we not think so 2. If you thinke that these places here quoted be diversly interpreted as your disjunctive conjunction OR intimates and yet say why may not this Kingdom be taken as the thiefe meant or as Christ meant or as Simeon meant any one may perceive that you are altogether unresolved what sense to take it in but had rather take it in any sense then that we take it in And if you thinke that all these places have but one meaning as the last words of this part of your answer imply you should have shewed us what it had been For in our Saviour's and Simeon's words the word Kingdom is not found And the words which you take to be equivalent with it are diversly expounded Paradise in our Saviour's words is interpreted to be Heaven And salvation and Glory in Simeon's song doe signify Salutis et gloriae authorem the authour of glory and the authour of salvation to wit Christ himselfe So that if the Kingdom in the Apostles Querie be expounded either of these two waies it is all one as if they had said Lord wilt thou at this time restore Heaven to Israel or Lord wilt thou at this time restore thy selfe to Israel And as for the Kingdom the theife spake of we thanke you for mentioning of it And doe willingly grant that the Apostles understood it as he did But how was that surely as all other Jewes did of a Kingdom on earth and not in Heaven For his words in the original are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when thou commest in thy kingdome that is in thy Kingly power as it is Mat. 16. verse 27 28. for by those words the theife could not meane his ascension into Heaven as it is comonly expounded seeing he was wholly ignorant of it And therefore it must needs follow that he understood it of an earthly Kingdom which all Jewes expected and as it seemes by the Apostles Querie all beleeving Jewes thought should suddenly appeare after his resurrection But because it was not to be so therefore it was that our Saviour promised the theife the present happinesse of his soule in Heaven where it should remaine in his presence until at his comming in his Kingdom of which he had spoken he should bring it with him to be reunited to his glorified body and so according to his request he should in his whole manhood be made partaker of his Master 's glorious reigne on earth 3 You must give us leave to thinke that no expositour doth deny it until either we can find or you or others shew us such a one But It follows not you say the Apostles thought so therfore it shall be so But this follows therefore we must beleeve the Apostles before Mr. Petrie or any others who thinke it shall not be so Yea and this follows the Apostles thought so and our Saviour who knew their meaning reprehended them not for misunderstanding it therefore it shall be so And whereas you say that the Apostles for a time beleeved not the calling of the Gentiles and referre these words for a time to the time after our Saviours ascension it is not so For doubtlesse from the very time in which our Saviour said unto them Goe teach all Nations Mat. 28.19 they did beleeve it although perhaps they might not thinke that they should have been cald so soone yea if the words of St. James Acts 15. verse 14. should be meant of the song of old Simeon as you doe say page 26. there is no doubt but they knew it from the time they first heard of that prophecy Neither doth the text you quote speake of the Apostles doubting of it but of other beleeving Jews And therefore you have shewed your selfe very bold with the Apostles mistooke the ground of your argument and denyed what afterwards you confesse And lastly when the Authour doth take the Apostles words in that sense which interpreters doe give unto them and shews by reasons first and Scriptures afterwards that the Apostles did not out of any carnal minde or misconceit of our Saviours Kingdom uâ—ter this Querie and when that Mr. Petrie doth neither flatly affirme or deny any sense of the Apostles words nor give a reason worth the naming much lesse reading or answering against any of these reasons albeit but childish as he saith will any reader thinke that Mr. Petrie will prove a better guide to him herein then this Authour doubtlesse no man taking a journey will choose him for a guide that is in doubt which way to goe and no good Christian will be lesse carefull in his way to Heaven To the Law then and to the Testimony to the plaine word of God this is the sure ground of thyfaith and therefore sticke to it for if men speake not according to this it is because there is no truth in them Isa 8.20 Israel's Redemption First because the Authours of this demand were not babes either in yeares or understanding but the Apostles themselves men who had followed f Mat. 4. v. 19. our Saviour from the very time that he manifested himselfe to the world g Mat. 13. v. 36. Mar. 7.17 by preaching and miracles and suffered not so much as a parable to escape their knowledge Men to whom h Act. 1.3 he had shewed himselfe alive after his passion by many infallible proofes being seene of them forty daies and speaking to them of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God And yet that these men should now at their last conference with him be mistaken in a matter of such importance as this is which concerns the purpose of God touching the whole Nation of the Jewes is as I beleeve and as I thinke you will all say a thing altogether unlikely and and so it is too that all the Apostles should be of the same mind unlesse it had been a truth formerly taught and not as it is imagined an error then newly vented by them Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. It is unlikely they could be mistaken and therefore it is likely that they understood of the true Kingdom of Israel as Christ did 2. And neverthelesse seeing after the last conference they were mistaken in a matter of great evidence so many times foretold as the calling of the Gentiles it is not unlikely that before Christ's ascension they might been miscaried with that opinion of the Jewish Monarchy which was not a new opinion invented nor vented by the Apostles Reply 1. The question is not what Kingdom the Apostles meant in their Querie which Divines generally consent to be an earthly Kingdom But whether they did not erre in meaning thus So that this part of your answer having relation onely to what Kingdom they
meant is nothing to the purpose and wee have answered you in that already more then wee need have done unlesse you had named plainly what other Kingdom they spake of and stood to that onely 2. What you give with one hand you plucke backe with the other In the former part of this answer you say that it was likely the Apostles understood of the true Kingdom of Israel as Christ did and yet here you tell us that it was not unlikely that before Christ's ascension they might be miscaried with that opinion of the Jewish Monarchy What and yet when they askt the Question understand it too of the true Kingdom of Israel which you by opposing this part of your answer to the former doe take to be a different Kingdom from this surely it is a plaine contradiction for they could not understand it both waies at the same time And therefore impossible it was that they could and could not meane an earthly Kingdom when they askt the Question But Romae Tibur amas veniosus Tibure Romain you say and unsay because you know not what to say And as for the instance you bring to confirme this part of your answer to wit the Apostles not beleeving for a time the calling of the Gentiles it hath been already shewed to be false And if by the words as Christ did in the former part of this answer you meane his reply to the theife which you have quoted before it hath been shewed already too that it could not be meant of this Kingdom but if by these words you meane otherwise you should have told us what it was Israel's Redemption A second reason which makes me disi ast the censure here cast on our Apostles is because our Saviour's answer is alledged as a sufficient ground tor it whereas it will appeare even to a weake judgement that by his answer the Apostles opinion is as much established as their curiosity is reprehended for they askt whether he would at that time restore againe the Kingdom to Israel To which he answered It is not for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power As if he should have said it is enough for you to know that such a thing shal be done and by whom but as for the time when it shall be done this the Father hath put in his owne power and therefore ought not to be enquired of by you nor to be reveal'd by me This is the whole meaning of the reply and now give you your verdict whether you finde the Apostles hereby condemned for holding of an untruth or rather for an over curious affection to acquaint themselves with the very day in which they should behold the glorious accomplishment of so great a blessing Mr. Petrie's Answer This cause is a mistaking as if the Question were granted for albeit they did meane so yet Christ's words have nothing of that point but â—nely taxeth the disciples of their curiosity and therefore the paraphrase following in this reason is vaine Reply This cause is no mistaking for the Question must needs be granted and that even because Christ's words have nothing expressely of that point unlesse you will be so irreverent as to think that Christ who reprehended them onely for a curious desire to know when this thing should be would not much rather have reprehended them for misunderstanding of the thing it selfe if it should not have been Yea doubtlesse if it should not have been he could not have said It is not for you to know the times and the seasons Seeing that which shall never be can have no time nor season And thus while you grant that Christ did reprehend their curiosity in seeking to know the time when Israel should be restor'd and yet deny that he did therein grant Israel should be restor'd you make him say that there should be a time for that which should never be and so in effect put the ly upon him So much have you over-shot your selfe in denying that the subject in the Question is granted because our Saviour doth expresly say nothing of it And besides if the Question be an untruth and so nothing meant by it then what doth our Saviour's answer meane doth that meane nothing likewise you will not say it for you tell us that it taxed their curiosity and therefore surely it meant something for an answer that meanes nothing doth taxe nothing And therfore also the Apostles meant something that was true for that knowledge is not curious which thinks it knows something when it knows nothing or which knows the truth but that which would know more then it ought to know touching some truths And thus it appears that the paraphrase in this reason which you have cunningly conceal'd from the readers sight is not vaine but valid Israel's Redemption Another reason which makes for our Apostles is the answer our Saviour gave the sonnes of Zebedee when they besought him that one might sit on his right hand and the other on his left in his Kingdom or as Saint Marke paraphraseth it Mat. 20.21 22. ch 10.37 in his glory ye know not said he what ye aske this reproofe you will grant goes neerer to the quicke then that before used to the Apostles and yet if you marke what follows you shal find that the matter of their petition is allow'd of and onely the motives thereof condemned to wit their ambition in seeking the highest roome and their unadvisednesse in supposing that Christ could then give that to any which none could have but they for whom it was from all eternity prepared of his Father And therfore seeing this is all Mat. 20.23 that these two were rebuk't for by such a sharpe reply how can wee mistrust that more then this should be included in a milder answer Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. These two spake of Christ's Kingdom in his glory and therefore we may justly thinke that they meaned of his greatest glory or of his Kingdom of Heaven and not of an earthly Kingdom 2. If Christ in his answer had spoken of an earthly Kingdom how was it not in his power to choose his Princes in that Kingdom and seeing they weâ—â— only taxed for their ambition and unadvisednesse concerning the glorio as Kingdom of Christ and the Apostles were taxed for their curiosity concerning the particular time of that Kingdom how shall we mistrust that they understood any other Kinngdom Reply 1. Not this reason nor any other was brought to shew what Kingdom the Apostles meant which interpreters grant to be an earthly Kingdom but to shew they did not thinke amisse in looking for such a Kingdom which is that that interpreters doe accuse them of and that because our Saviour gave them such an answer from which answer my foregoing reason doth shew that no such harsh conclusion doth arise seeing the Apostles are not excepted against by our Saviour for not rightly understanding that about which they
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 whered and in the meane time the Jewes shall be Kings Till these into questions be decided we might supersede and neverthelesse let us heare what they can say for a temporary Kingdome of Christ whether oâ—er 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 setcht interpretations doe draw over it and thereby set free from that disgrace and contempt which you strive so much to bring is 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 sew Millenaries 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. 31 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 â—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 soule 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 whereas 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 he 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 he 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 as 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 confidered 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 â—o God yee did reigne that we also might reigne with you For I thinke that God hath set forth us the Apostles last â—s 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 Even unto this present houre we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have
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 distinct Thrones will any man besides you say that they may be 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 fit with him therfore also not the Throne where he now fits because no man can sit in that but himselfe And therefore also the Throne as well of his Monarchicall 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 reigne 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 he hath 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 â—â—â—der his sees For in that he hath put all things in subjection under him he lofe 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 last words say all things are not put under him If the idst words say so they must be contrary to the former words but the words are we see not all things put under him weâ—ther is the word Receive there which is the point in hand Noâ— these two are fâ—rre 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 proofe convinceth the foolish Tenâ—s It way be this is more â—â—â—are in c. 10.12 13. where it is said He saâ— downe on the right hand of God There the height of glory expecting from henceforth 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 his greatest enemies as it is granted before but as â—â—ng as this world contunâ—es new enemies shall be arising and can be not subdue them as be hath doen others unlesse he erect and sit on an 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 allthings 〈◊〉 subjection under his seete For in that he put all in subjection under him be left nothing saith the Apostle that is 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 form all 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 me 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 you answer Iâ— 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 Prophetie all expression of the Psalmist who speakes of that which was to come as if it had been then done Who fore shews onely what great power was designed unto our Saviour 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 crowmed with glory and honour And thus the Apostle shews what of that Prophecy of David was then fulfilled in Christ after his ascension to wit this that he was then â—â—â—nod 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 doth evidently 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 testified 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 fallacious 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 had offered one sacrifice for sinnes for ever
your answer for surely I doe not say That this image doth signifie a temporall Monarchy of the Jewes but I say That our Saviâ—ur prefigured by the stone that brake the image in peeces and became a great mountaine filling the whole earth shall set up in the place of the foure Monarchies represented by the gold the silver the brasse and the iron and of the Kingdomes represented by the mixture of iron and clay into which the last and iron Monarchy was to be divided a Kingdome over all the world which is the point in hand And whereas to prove that the Kingdome of Christ here foretold was not to succeed these Kingdomes you alledge ver 44. in which it is said In the dayes of these Kings shall the God oâ— heaven set up a Kingdome which shall never be destâ— yed and the Kingdome shall not beâ—â—eft to other people but it sh ll breake in peeces and consume all these Kingdâ—mes the iron the b asse the clay the silver and the gold and it shall stand forever Certaiâ—ely you could not have urged a plainer text to prove the contrary For first seeing the Prophet saith that the Kingdome here spoken of is to be set up in the dayes of these Kings that is after the iron Romane Empire should be divided as the preceding verses declare the setting of it up cannot possibly be meant of a Kingdome to be set up at our Saviours first comming and consequently not of the preaching of the Gospell by the Apostles For this was done while the Empire was entire and in its height it being in the reigne of Augustus Caesar that Christ was borne and of Tiberius that he was crucified And therefore the Kingdome that was to be set up after this Empire should be divided into severall Kingdoms and yet not prâ—sently after but in the dayes of these Kingdomes that is after they should be of some remarkeable continuance must needs be understood of ouâ— Saviours visible reigne on earth to whose kingdome these Kingdomes shall give place as the former Kingdomes did successively to each other And secondly seeing the Propheâ— saith That the Kingdome shall not be left to other people It necessarily followes that when the God of heaven shall set up this Kingdome some one people shall have the sway over all other pâ—ople from whom the dominion shall not be taken away as it was from the successively prevailing Nations of the foure severa l Empires And what people should this be in whose hands the rule shall continue so firme and stedfast but the Jewes the people of whom Christ the person prefigured by the stone cut out without hands har should smite the image was to be borne And to whâ—m at the expiration of the time allotâ—â—d to the four Kingdom s revealed in another vision chap. 7. The Kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given ver 27 And thirdly seeing the Prophet saâ—th That this Kingdome shall breake in peeces and consume all other Kingdoms to wâ—â— the iron the brasse the clay the silver and the gold it is maâ—ifest that it is by it self alone to succeed and follow after all these for how shall all these be broken in peeces by it if this be not to succeed them in the place where it breakes them in peeces And how shall all these be so consumed by it that no place shall be found for them if either of them shall continue with it And fourthly seeing it is unquestionable that the Kingdomes which the image represented and which this Kingdome should breake in peeces were all temporall and visible Kingdomes It must needes be granted that this Kingdome by which these temporall Kingdomes were to be destroyed and succeeded in their place for the stone having smote the image filled the whole earth must it selfe be a visible and for the place and manner of government a temporall Kingdome also Because no temporall and politicall Kingdom can be overthrown and succeeded in its place but by another of the like nature over-mastering it You goe on and say It shall breake in peeces the silver and gold then it shall be before the brasse and iron And of what King say you can that be understood but of Christ who saith Isai 10.12 I will punish the stout heart of the King of Assyria and chap. 37. ver 29. Because of thy rage against me I will put my hooke in thy nose c. Here are a few words but full of very grosse and contradictory untruths For first hâ—ving immediately before recited out of the Prophet It shall breake in peeces the iron the brasse the clay the silver and the gold You presently affirme It shall breake the silver and the gold then it shall be before the brasse and the iron And shall we beleeve you when you speake against the Prophet or when you speake with the Prophet When you say of your selfe It shall breake in peeces and succeed but two of the four Empires or when you say as the Prophet doth that it shall succeed and breake in peeces the whole image all four Empires and the Kingdomes of the last divided Empire Secondly in saying that the stone the type of our Saviours manhood was to be before the brasse and the iron you make Christ to be borne before the Grecian Empire was in being whereas it is evident by the history of the Gospell that he was borne in the dayes of the Romane Empire to which the Jewes were then tributaries Thirdly by the instances which you bring out of Isai 10.12 and chap. 37. ver 29. c. to coâ—sâ—â— me your argument You first make the stone to be Christ in his God-head to whom you attribute this threatning and not in his manhood of which alone it is to be understood For the stone cut out without hands is Christ borne of a Virgin and the mountaine out of which he was cut is the Jewish Nation the Inhabitants of Mount Sion the place which God had chosen to put his Name there And secondly you hereby make the accomplishment of the vision which shewed things then to come to be before the revelation of it For the threatning against Senacherib was fulfilled before Judah's captivity and this vision was in the time of their captivity under Nebuchadnezzar who was the head of gold in the image And thirdly you make the destruction of the Assyrian Empire to be by an extraordinary meanes by an Angel sent from God whereas it was by an ordinary meanes by the army of Cyrus Prince of the Mâ—des and Persians And what could you have said more contrary to the dreame and the interpretation thereof then all this 2. You have nothing to say against the evidence of ver 35. which shewes that the Kingdome of Christ was to succeed the four Empires in time and place as they had succeeded each other to wit by force of armes but this that ver 35. is not contrary to ver
delivered then all this is in the texts 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 pâ—culiar 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 averre 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 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 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 he 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 thee 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 tâ—xts we have alledged in exprâ—sse 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 beleâ—ve 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 fiâ—st resurrection mentioned in the 20 chap. of Rev. So they make the Kingdome of Israel and the 1000 yeares reigne of the Sainâ—s 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 be holdeth and Mr. Archer holdeth 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 righteous 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 generall judgement as certainely it is even supponing the temporall Monarchy for a 1000 yeares and the elect shâ—ll 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 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 arising from sinne whereof mention is made Ephes 5.14 and Col. 3.1 He cites also Phil. 3.11 If by any meanes I might attaine unto the resurrection of the dead These words name the dead generally and 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 body If the freedome POLITEVMA of the godly be in heaven then they expect not a
whether John signifieth by them the godly on earth If these words make any thing for this purpose these Elders were in heaven but all the interpreters even the Authour of Commentat Apocalypt pag. 8. expone them to be the godly on earth The words Rom. 4.13 are The promise that he should be the heire of the world was not to Abraham and to his seed through the law but through the righteousnesse of faith Certaintly albeit the Land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and his seed yet he never having possession of that land and his seed or the faithfull are more properly called the heires of eternall life Tit. 3.7 And heires of that Kingdome which he hath promised unto them that love him Iam. 2.5 And heires of God and joynt-heires with Christ Rom. 8.17 Which Kingdome was typified by Canaan and of this promise without doubt speakes Paul there The words of Luke 19.17.19 are a part of a parable and we know that every part of a parable is not argumentative These texts then serve nothing for this Monarchy On the margine is cited also a testimony of Windelin but we regard not the testimony of parties in their own cause and far lesse doe we regard the consequences of that testimony wherewith the next page is filled and with that question of the essential or accidentall change of the Elements seeing for one we may bring five thousand testimonies in this urpose Reply The question is you say whether Saint John saw these Elders in heaven And that he did the text it selfe doth witnesse For that these Elders were the same with the Elders in chap. 4. the continuation of the vision doth infallibly evince And that Saint Iohn saw those Elders in heaven the 1 ver of the 4 chap. doth clearly prove where it is said After this I looked and behold a doore was opened in heaven and the first voyes which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with mee which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter Now what heaven was it in which Saint John saw a doore opened but the starry heaven the same heaven which Saint Stephen saw opened Acts 7.56 And what heaven was it from whence he heard a voice talking with him but the third heaven in the third heaven it was then whither Saint Paul was once caught up that Saint John heard and saw such wonderfull visions and revelations as soone as he was in the spirit that is as soone as hee was carried up by the spirit whither he was before called by the voice And consequently he saw these Elders in heaven and this also the 6 and 7 verses of the 5 chap. doe confirme which shew that these Elders were there where our Saviour represented by the Lambe that had been slaine was when the booke of Revelation was given unto him And as Saint John faw these Elders in heaven so Pareus makes report also of two sorts of interpreters who by these Elders doe understand Saints in heaven One which takes them for foure and twenty and no more for twelve Patriarches and twelve Apostles Another which takes them for all the Saints then in heaven to which interpretation he himselfe enclines And Piscator understands by them all the faithfull under both Testaments under the Law and under the Gospell and so makes these 24 Elders to represent not onely the Saints then departed but all others also which should depart before Christs appearing And now seeing the text shews that Saint John saw these Elders in heaven and interpreters say that they represented the Saints departed how can their words we shall reigne on earth be understood any otherwise then of their reigning after their resurrection Yea let them be taken for the Saints on earth and yet their words cannot be otherwise understood For if they did represent the Saints militant on earth they did then reigne spiritually when they spake these words And therefore seeing notwithstanding their spirituall reigne they said not we doe but we shall reigne on earth it is evident that their words cannot be meant of a reigne which they should enjoy on earth while they were in their bodies before their death which by your owne confession can be no other but a spirituall reigne but of a reigne which they should enjoy on earth when they are againe reunited to their bodies after their death And whereas the words in Rom. 4.13 For the promise that he should be heire of the world c. are by you thus interpreted That he should be heire of eternall life Tit. 8.7 When you can prove that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the visible world doth signifie eternall life we shall approve of this exposition In the meane while we shall understand it of the joynt-government of the world by Abraham and the rest of the raised Saints in the time of Christs reigne on earth At which time also they may well be said to be heires of eternall life and coheires with Christ seeing they shall rule the world with him and can dye no more The other words Luke 19.17.19 are a part of a parable and every part of a parable is not argumentative you say true that part which crosseth some truth plainely delivered in the scripture but that which agreeth with the plaine scriptures as this doth with the prophecies touching our Saviours and the Saints reginâ—ing on earth is argumentative â—iâ—e why iâ— iâ— said that our Saviour taught them in parâ—â—â—es if parables do comâ—â—â—e no certaine truth And what is the scope of this parable but to shew that Christ was not to reigne over the Jâ—wâ— then aâ— his first comming when the Jewâ—s should refuse to have him â—eignâ—â—ver them saying We have no king but Câ—sar but at his comming againe from heaven with power and great glory at which time he would make those that had in their life time improved his spirit all stocke governours under him And lastly your sâ—â—ighting of Wendelinus testimony as a party and of this murgâ—â—â—ll note as too meane for your meditation is a fine sleighâ— to excuse your not answering of them To which doubtles you had nothing to say for else we may well thinke that you would have been nibling at this marginall note too as well as you are at others and that among so many thousand opposite testimonies you would have pickt out an answer to this single â—â—stimony of Wendeliâ—us Israel's Redemption And this will appeare to a diligent eye even out of the controversed place in Rev. â—0 for besides that the opposition betwixt the first and last resurrection doth impose the same sense on both besides this I say the vision represented not unto St. John perfect men at the first that is men that should be beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus but soules onely and that aâ— of men already beheaded which most manifestly shewes â—â—at the resurrection after mentioned did follow their death and not goe before it And therefore
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 lest 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 de 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 devicâ—s 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 Christâ— 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 manhood for as he is God they were alwayes his and all will grant that this Scripture doth plainely 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 Châ—ist 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 words import Nâ—w is no Kingdome but our Lords and his 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 reigne 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 Jewes reigne bare and this answer we shall likewise see the vanity of that observation on the margine upon