seasonable at this time to inform Men and to prevent the Mistakes that many are ready to make concerning the Kingdom of our Lord. Further This may indifferently serve for an Answer to several Books that have come forth since the Writing hereof particularly Mr. Richard Baxter's intituled The Glorious Kingdom of Christ It may seem strange that such great Mistakes are about the Glorious Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ on Earth and that by those that are accounted Wise c. sith the Holy Scripture is so full and plain in this Case But call to remembrance the words of our Lord Jesus Mat. 11.25 26. Luke 10.21 22 23. and that may satisfy you for the Promise of making known these great things is to them that humble themselves to do the Will of Christ Joh. 7.17 I have been solicited by several to write more fully what I understand concerning this Glorious Kingdom and the wonderful Preparatives to it i. e. those exceeding great Things that shall be wrought in a little Time or few Years before the Kingdoms of this World become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ all which have been my Meditation this many Years with great Diligence and Delight but shall forbear till I see how this will be accepted or rejected and therefore stand ready to make defence against any that shall soberly and pertinently oppose And hereafter if God permit shall answer the Desires of those above-mentioned for the Edification of the Churches of Christ All that I shall further say at present is The Time is short the great and terrible Day draws near and hasteth greatly as appears by the Signs given by our Lord and in part come to pass viz. The great Wars and Rumours of Wars in the World and the great Earthquakes in divers Places c. which are by our Lord called The beginning of Sorrows and must first come to pass Mat. 24.6 7 8. Mark 13.7 8. Luke 21.9 10 11. May we not now conclude that this Generation shall not pass before all these things shall be fulfilled Mat. 24 3â— Mark 13 2â— Luke 21 3â— What manner of Persons ought we then to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness looking for and hasting unto the Coming of the Day of God Be diligent that ye may be found of him in Peace without Spot and Blameless 2 Pet. 3.11 12 14. And remember the Words of our Lord When these things be seen to come to pass then look up and lift up your Heads for the Day of your Redemption draweth nigh Luke 21.28 And take heed to your selves lest at any time your Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness and Cares of this Life and so that Day come upon you unawares for as a Snare shall it come on all them that dwell upon the face of the whole Earth Luke 21.34 35. He which testifies these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Jesus The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen Rev. 22.20 21. FINIS ERRATA IN the Epistle Page 7. line 4. for alone read all one P. 9. l. 9. f. latter r. Letter In the Book Page 2. line 26. for Throne read Thrones P. 13. l. 13. f. the r. your P. 14. l. 37. f. fulfilled r. finished P. 15 and part of the 16 till the third Argument raze out the double Comma's in the Margent P. 18. l. 18. f. seem r. serve P. 19. l. 31. f. subjecting r. converting P. 29. l. 36. f. former r. form and. P. 31. l. 29. f. For r. From. l. 36. f. the same sense r. the same Tense Idem f. the r. your P. 35. f. be seen r. begin
THE Glorious Kingdom Of our Blessed Lord JESUS CHRIST on Earth RIGHTLY TIMED Proving it not to be till His SECOND COMING IN Answer to two Treatises The one Intituled Theopolis or The City of God By a nameless Author The other A Treatise of the New-Heavens and New-Earth By T. M. By W. S. a Servant of Christ Job 38.2 Who is this that darkneth Counsel by words without Knowledg Rev. 5.10 And hath made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the Earth Rev. 3.21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I overcame and am set down with my Father on his Throne Isa 57.14 Take up the stumbling Block out of the way of my People LONDON Printed in the Year 1693. The EPISTLE DEDICATORY To the Churches of Christ in this Nation Salutation Brethren I Cannot but lament the Disadvantages you lie under which not a little obstruct your Generation-work for certainly you are set to be the Light of the World Matth. 5 1â— but how little you have been so is too palpable 'T is also as certain that our Lord hath given a Ministry to his Church Eph. 4.11 12. for the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying of the Body of Christ Yea every Scribe instructed into the Kingdom of Heaven is Matth. 13.52 or should be like a good Housholder which bringeth out of his Treasury things new and old True it is we have had new things brought forth often in this day both in Sermons and Books but how unsound unwholesom and unhealthful some of those have been we sadly experience This Nation is wonderfully deluded with those strange Pamphlets of the Quakers that seldom have any thing of Truth in them but a bundle of Delusions whereby many Souls are misled Lamenting therefore the State of this Nation upon that account what care ought to be had by others how they preach and write But now where lies the fault or on whom shall I lay the blame The Ministers I cannot excuse for I fear they have too much neglected that Charge given to Timothy and in him to all others in the like Capacity i. e. To give Attendance to Reading to Exhortation 1 Tim. 4.13 14 15 16. to Doctrine and not to neglect the Gift given to them and to exercise their Meditations upon the Oracles of God and Mysteries of Christ even the hidden Mystery and to give themselves WHOLLY to them that their Profiting may appear to all and to take heed unto themselves and unto their Doctrine continuing in them that in so doing they may both save themselves and them that hear them Without question this Neglect hath caused so many raw and undigested Sermons and impertinent Books But now alas how should it be much better Must they make Brick without Straw Can they give themselves wholly to this Service when the Care of their Families lies upon them and little care is taken by the Churches to set them free from those Incumbrances Do we not see they are forced to leave the Work of God Nehem. 13. â—0 11. and flee to their own Fields like the Levites in Nehemiah's time and none are yet found like Nehemiah to reform herein â— Tim. 2. â— 14 15. How then should they study to shew themselves approved unto God Workmen that need not be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth as they are charged to do Certainly the Churches must bear the Blame who are found guilty herein And now amongst other things of this kind which we have cause to bewail there is a Book extant printed 1672 intituled Theopolis or The City of God New Jerusalem c. wherein 't is asserted That the thousand Years Reign will be before the Personal Coming of Jesus Christ in a Comment upon the 20th and 21st Chapters of the Revelation by a Nameless Author The Consequence whereof is very sad tending to prompt Christians to that unchristian and unbecoming Service the Gospel no ways injoins them and to exasperate the Government against them a thing which all wise Men are as much as in them lies concerned to avoid and enter a Protest against The which erroneous Opinion I hoped had been worn out and relinquished by time that so no Man needed openly to appear against it since God Almighty hath given sufficient Demonstration of the contrary by things that do run in another way contrary to these Mens Expectations as also by what hath been writ on the contrary But now again I find this Error revived by Another in a Book printed 1680 intituled A Treatise of the New Heavens and New Earth by T. M. whereunto is added as the Author saith a true State of the thousand Years Time affirming it to be before the Second Coming of Christ Considering now the dreadful Consequence of these Mens Opinions thus published to the World in Print whereby some are already led into Error c. gives me now the occasion thus to appear that if it may be a Means to recover some that are unbiassed and not wedded to their Fancies and to prevent others from falling in with them to the great scandal of the Christian Religion and the prejudice of its Professors Which Holy Gospel is stiled the Gospel of Peace and no ways countenances the contrary Be it therefore ever remembred what our Blessed Lord said when in the hands of his Betrayers Put up thy Sword again into its place for all they that take the Sword shall perish with the Sword which Experience hath hitherto proved true I say again If this be the fruit of these my Endeavours I shall rejoice for 't is not any Prejudice against these Authors for I know them not but their erroneous Tenets that I give my Testimony against Neither would I seem in the least to reflect upon any good Service they have otherwise done particularly that Part called the first Subject of the second or last Book I mentioned i. e. the Treatise of the New Heavens and New Earth which I would have all that read me take notice I oppose not but do heartily wish there were a more diligent Search after and a clearer Knowledg of it I will only mind the Author of one or two things as to that and so pass it In p. 3 4. he tells us That in the Renewed State or Glorious Kingdom of Christ there shall be no Sun Moon or Stars in their Courses and no Temple c. Now this at best is but an unwary Harangue He gives this further as a Reason Because saith he there will be no Night there But alas how short this is of proving that for which it 's brought will appear if we consider 1st The Text doth not say There will be no Sun c. But there will be no need of it 2dly Not in every place in that time neither but in that City Again in p. 5. for Answer to an Objection he makes it a Question Whether there
and the Consideration of his Churches W. S. The ANSWER to the First Book Intituled THEOPOLIS c. SIR I Have impartially read and seriously considered what you have writ in your Theopolis c. weighing it in the Ballance of the Sanctuary according to the Rules proposed by you and find it greatly wanting insomuch that I cannot but wonder you should take so much pains to so little purpose for all that you have said in my Judgment proves nothing for which you urge it viz. That the Saints shall reign a thousand Years upon Earth before Christ's Second Coming And that you may see your great Mistake herein I shall give a brief and plain Answer to what may seem most material therein for that purpose not in the least denying but plainly acknowledging the glorious Kingdom of Christ on Earth And first you tell us page 97 98. That there is a five-fold Kingdom belongs to Christ spoken of in the Scripture viz. 1st A Providential 2dly A Spiritual 3dly A Mystical 4thly A Monarchial or Davidical Kingdom 5thly A glorious Mysphatical Kingdom viz. The Soveraignty that Christ in Person with all the Saints in their glorified Bodies with him shall upon their general Resurection and Judgment exercise here upon the Earth before all is given up into the Father's hands And for want of a right distinguishing herein proceed as you humbly apprehend all the mistaken Notions and Differences about the Kingdom of Christ treated of in your Book And truly I do acquiesce with you herein for I conclude your wrong Distinction or Misapprehension of a five-fold Kingdom of Christ as thus distinguished by you is the great cause of all those your mistaken Notions about the Kingdom of Christ in your Book for to say nothing of four of your five I cannot yet see by all that you have said that the Holy Scripture speaks of your fourth Kingdom as distinguished by you from the fifth Kingdom which fourth you call a Monarchial or Davidical Kingdom that is to take place here over the Nations before the Second Coming of Christ but rather that the Holy Scripture is wholly a stranger to it And now I shall answer your Arguments urged on that account The first sort you direct your Reader to â—0 31 32. as most fit to be taken notice of in the first place are in number five urged by you to prove at least consequentially or in the second place That Christ will not come in Person at the beginning of the thousand Years Arg. 1 Your first Argument is Because his Personal Coming is not to be till the Judgment-Day And that say you is not to be till after the thousand Years and after the Battel of God and Magog meaning Gog c. Rev. 20.8 Answer The first part of this Argument I grant viz. That his Personal Coming is not to be till the Judgment-Day But the two last Branches I deny viz. That the Judgment-Day is not to be till after the thousand Years after the Battel of God and Magog For 't is evident to all that will not shut their Eyes that the Judgment-Day begins at the beginning of the thousand Years Rev. 20.4 AND I SAW THRONES AND THEY SAT VPON THEM AND JVDGMENT WAS GWEN VNTO THEM c. with the Chapter before compared with Dan. 7. where the same thing is spoken of He beheld the little Horn viz. the Man of Sin or great Antichrist make War with the Saints till the Antient of days comes and one like the Son of Man came to the Antient of days yea near before him and until the Throne were set or PITCHED DOWN so it is in the Original not thrown down And the Antient of days did SIT ver 9. with his Son brought near before him or set by him with the Saints ver 10.22 THE JVDGMENT WAS SET ver 10.26 Arg. 2 Because when he comes in Person 't is not to such a Work as this viz. to fight and subdue Enemies with material Swords nor to put his People as the Lamb's Army and Followers upon any such Service at that time being then all to be in the Resurrection and glorified State made like himself in Glory and as the Angels of God Neither will any of his Enemies be in a Capacity to make Resistance or Opposition who in their own Persons shall be destroyed by Fire and the very Earth they inhabit and all its Works burnt up and consumed at whose Presence the Earth and Heaven flee away Answer If by those words not to such a Work as this you mean not at all then I deny it and tell you 'T is to do such a Work as that Reason 1 You reason First Because Christ's People will be all in the Resurrection and glorified State made like himself in Glory and as the Angels of God Answer Now this Reason of yours I also deny and tell you You are greatly mistaken herein for although all the Saints that died in the Faith and are found alive in it when Christ comes in the Clouds c. shall then be raised changed and glorified and so said to be in the Resurrection c. yet all Christ's People that shall stand with him Rev. 14.1 Zech. 14.4 and follow him in that Army when he shall come down and stand upon Mount Zion and upon the Mount of Olives will not then be in the Resurrection viz. raised and glorified c. For part of those People and Followers or Army will be of the Jews who will not be converted till after the Resurrection of the fore-mentioned Saints and therefore not raised and so changed with them 'T is conspicuous enough that their Conversion will not be fully wrought till the Deliverer viz. Christ comes to Zion Isa 59.20 Rom. 11.25 26. Then shall he turn Vngodliness from Jacob Or more fully thus Our Lord Christ appearing in the Clouds of Heaven and the Saints Resurrection and Ascension up to him together with the wonderful things that shall be wrought then and Christ's coming down with his glorified Saints and Angels to deliver the whole House of Israel then remaining from the hand of their strong and mighty Enemies Isa 59.19 Ezek. 38.9.16 Zec. 14.2 3. that will come in like a Flood a Storm and Cloud to cover the Land yea all Nations gathered against Jerusalem to battel These things I say will produce the Jews Conversion or be the means to bring forth that Nation and therefore not till these things be accomplished shall that Nation be converted Ergo Not raised and changed but still in their mortal State Therefore according to your own Argument may under Christ do such a Service as above specified We are likewise told the Jews the number of whom Rev. 7.4 to the 8 Verse Verse 9. even of all the twelve Tribes of Israel will be one hundred forty four thousand who are distinguished from the innumerable Company of glorified Saints as you may clearly see Chap. 14. 1. These are said
to stand with the Lamb upon Mount Zion 〈◊〉 19 20. when the Sickle shall be thrust into the Harvest yea when the Wine-press shall be trodden without the City Jerusalem in the Valley of Jehoshaphat 〈◊〉 3.2 12 〈◊〉 14. when the Lord shall plead and decide the Controversy of his People and thresh the Nations by his Thresher 〈◊〉 4.13 i. e. the Daughter of Zion viz. the Inhabitants of Jerusalem or Jews yea at that Day when the Lord shall set his Feet upon the Mount of Olives which you acknowledg to be at the Personal Coming of Christ â—â—ech 14.4 4. and Day of Judgment p. 101. Then Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem Reason 2 Your next Reason is Because there will not be any of Christ's Enemies in a Capacity to make Resistance or Opposition at his Personal Coming Ergo. Answer The Answer to this shall be short by denying what you have said and I tell you That Enemies may be in a Capacity to oppose though not to overcome yea 't is well known a Child may oppose a Man a Dwarf a Giant But you tell us They will be destroyed by Fire then I confess they will be then incapable indeed when they are burned to Ashes But pray what is this to the purpose Will they not be in a Capacity before Or 2dly Will all Christ's Enemies be burned up before his Coming that none shall be left to make Resistance or Opposition at his Coming You have brought no Text to prove it and I know not of any Text that will do it therefore I conclude none are bound to believe you Reason 3 Lastly You tell us The very Earth they inhabit and all the Works thereof shall be burnt up and consumed at whose Presence the Earth and Heaven flee away Ergo No room for such a Work Answer But pray where doth Holy Scripture tell us so i. e. That the Heavens and Earth shall be consumed Doth not your Second in his Treatise p. 5. tell us That the Scripture doth not express an Annihilation thereof c. Again what though the Scripture speaks of such great things to be done in that great Day of the Lord yet doth it not follow from hence that all these shall be done in the first Hour of that Day and that before the Enemies make opposition Thus much in answer to the Reasons brought to prove your second Argument Arg. 3 Because such an Apprehension would make three Personal Comings of Christ whereas we read but of two Heb. 9.28 Who will appear the second time c. because it is expresly said He sits at the Right-hand of God till his Enemies be made his Foot stool Answer What such an Apprehension make three Personal Comings Yes it may be so if such a skilful Artist as your self had it in hand who have got the knack of Distinction who can divide and subdivide till you have made ten Corporal Resurrections of one as may be seen in your 53d page For without making three of two or two of one I am sure it cannot be done Again if but two Personal Comings then you infer this at the beginning of the thousand Years cannot be the second Personal Coming because say you 't is expresly said He sits at the Right-hand of God till his Enemies be made his Footstool Here you think you have your Antagonist fast and are invincible I confess you are safe enough yet whilst you have not here told us where 't is thus expressed and since I must also acknowledg if my Memory fail not 't is expresly said so in all the Books that ever I read about this Subject and they are more than a good many I mean those Books written for a thousand Years Reign before the Coming of Christ to the everlasting Shame and Consusion of your Faces who have time after time affirmed That this is expresly written in the Holy Scripture as we well know you intend in this place and as you else-where in your Book affirm for this is three times at least affirmed by this Author in his Book by which you have miserably deceived your selves and others as some in my hearing have confest Be not offended for herein I must be plain with you take it as you please Is it not to be wondred at that ever any Men of Learning and Conscience should bear the Face to affirm such a thing when I dare be bold to say there is not one place in all the Bible that saith so To mistake at some times in the business of Interpreting of Scripture is an Infirmity we cannot help though Caution had need be had therein especially in Cases of this nature but to transgress in this kind looks too much like Presumption This may serve for an Answer at present till I meet with it again Arg. 4 This conquering fighting Work is not by Christ in Person at this time of his glorious and terrible Appearing Answer This I deny but I will now hear your Reason Reason Because the Execution then upon the Enemies will be say you sudden and speedy like Travail upon a Woman with a Child as a Thief in the Night like Lightning as it was in the days of Lot and Noah with sudden Destruction and as a Snare will he come upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth This Work at Christ's Personal Coming will be done at an instant suddenly at the Sounding of a Trumpet in the Twinkling of an Eye whereas this Work asks time gradually to be performed And you comprehend in the first the Preparation for and Judgment of the great Whore c. Answer First I must tell you You have comprehended more into the thousand Years than will be for this Judgment of the great Whore will be before the thousand Years and not executed by Christ's Followers 〈◊〉 17.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 14. but by them that afterward will give their Kingdom to the Beast and afterward make War with the Lamb. Secondly You say the Work of the beginning of the thousand Years asks some Time c. Ay And so will that also which will be done when Christ comes in Person for although 't is told us Christ shall come as a Thief c. viz. very suddenly and unexpectedly yet 't is not any where told us That Work that he shall then do shall be done as suddenly as a Thief cometh nay that very Similitude if you will follow it so far le ts us know the contrary for though a Thief in the Night comes suddenly yet he oft-times is long enough a doing his Work viz. Rifling and Robbing as some have sadly experienc'd So also tho Travail upon a Woman with Child cometh suddenly yet her Delivery asks some time and is not done in the Twinkling of an Eye â—en 7.12 7 24 â—hap 8 3. â—ompare â—hap 7 11. â—h Chap. â— 13 14. and so I may say of the days of Noah c. for though it was sudden yet you cannot but know the Waters were forty
is variously taken sometimes literally for the natural Spirit or eternal Life and Death sometimes figuratively for a civil or mystical Life and Death For the latter you give us several Scriptures which I have seriously considered and find that many of them speak not of any Life or Death at all several more speak of the natural Death and the Resurrection therefrom But now admitting this that there is such a thing as a civil Life spoke of in these or some of them the Question then is Whether this be intended in your Text Rev. 20.4 which is now the Matter we are upon And for a leading Card you present us p. 51. with the Assemblies Annotations upon this place which we shall not much regard seeing their Interpretations especially upon this Book of the Revelation are so like some others viz. It 's this or that or the other and sometimes fix upon nothing and also as inconsistent and contradictory to themselves as they are to the Truth as any one may see that reads them After which rate any Man may interpret Scripture all day long â—â—e the Asâ—â—mblies Anâ—t on Rev. â—0 4 5 6. And in this very place you may see they tell us also That this first Resurrection is a Rising from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace And no marvel that poor deluded Sect of Quakers have got this by the end viz. to call the rising out of the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace the first Resurrection and Pythagoras's Transmigration of the Soul the second Resurrection since our grave Annotators have thus led the Van as the Papists did in this thing before them â—ee Rhemish â—est Annot. â— Rev. 20. 〈◊〉 Therefore as we are not to mind them in the one we shall as little regard them in the other and so pass on to your Position p. 51. which is as followeth Position And that the Corporal Resurrection of the Saints cannot be understood in this place further appears Arg. 1 Because the Text in the Letter of it speaks not of their Bodies but Souls and of the Souls only of them that were beheaded as Rev. 6.9 Now it is no-where said that Souls in a proper Sense revive and are raised because they never die being immortal and so not capable of a Resurrection necessitating therefore another Sense Answer Although you tell us that your Position further appears viz. by your Arguments than it did by the Assemblies Annotations yet I must tell you 't is yet alike and no better demonstrated and I cannot but wonder that so skilful a Man in Figures should no better discern the Text nor what makes for or against himself For if this Argument hit your Antagonist will it not as quickly return against your self It will seem to do your Assembly of Annotators some Service for their Spiritual Resurrection viz. the Renewing of the Souls or their Notion of the Soul 's Living and Reigning with him in Heaven but it makes against your self unless you intend by your Civil Life that the Saints shall reign a thousand Years without their Bodies and then it would follow the Wicked reign now without their Bodies also This might suffice for an Answer but that I may not leave any in the dark and therefore pray remember that by a Figure called Metonymy viz. one thing is put for another that hath some relation to it so we find the Soul is put for the Body in several places of Scripture as Psal 16.10 Acts 2.27 and so also by a Figure called Synechdoche Gen. 46.2 Acts 2.4 Chap. 7. 1. viz. a part put for the whole is frequently found in this very case in Scripture and the one of these must needs be here intended and very probable the latter The Apostle chooses to express their Souls now because he had seen their Souls in the separated State Chap. 6. 9 10 11. crying out and wishing for such a time as this and therefore here to shew the Alteration saith thus I saw the Souls c. which is as much as if he had said I saw those Souls that before were without their Bodies under the Altar with their fellow Slain Servants and in that State said to be dead united to their Bodies and live again and reign with Christ And that this must needs be the Sense and no other consider First They were really dead expressed by this word Beheaded and now said to live again for so it is by the Antithesis The rest lived not again Secondly This is expressed after the same manner as our Lord expresses his living again Chap. 1.18 I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore which is a Living again Thirdly What is more usual in Scripture than this both in respect of natural and eternal Death to speak after this manner So many Souls were slain or died the Soul that sinneth shall die and so of Life Fourthly It 's obvious to all from these words See Chap. 6. 11. Chap. 11. 〈◊〉 Chap. 12. 11. Chap. 13. 15. The rest of the dead that the lump or general is That many are dead both Saints and Wicked among which you have an Account before in this Book that many Saints are killed immediately before and of the great Slaughter of the Wicked at several times and divers ways as in this Book at large may be seen and at last that wonderful Slaughter Chap. 19. to which this is joined as appears by this word And in the first Verse of this 20th Chapter And now of this dead Lump whereof many of the Saints are said to be beheaded immediately before some are said to live again But the rest of the Dead viz. the Wicked whereof many were as aforesaid but immediatly slain lived not again till the thousand Years were expired Thus it 's evident that both Saints and Wicked were all dead before viz. a natural or corporal Death the one are raised the other not but lie in their Graves till after the thousand Years Fifthly Consider the Antithesis which you have already granted viz. that Life and Death are the same in both Parties Mark that And if the Wicked shall never live the Civil Life as you have defined it after the thousand Years then it must be meant a Corporal Life But the Wicked shall not live such a Mystical or Civil Life viz. Reigning Ergo It must needs be a Corporal Life here intended The Consequence of the Major is clear the Minor is proved thus If the Wicked shall live again such a Life viz. Civil as before defined after the thousand Years Then the Holy Scripture doth some where or other testify of it But the Holy Scripture doth no where testify of any such thing Ergo They shall not All that you bring to prove it is but Rev. 20.8 9. which proves no such thing for there 's no Reigning mentioned nay so far from Reigning that it 's only attempted to overcome whereby they might