And Piscator resolves the matter thus peremptorily against you Praeter-naturales istae trium horarum tenebrae quae totam terram occuparunt patiente Christo portenderunt haud dubie calamitates illâ—s quas non multò post Deus iratus huic populo immisit quas et Christus suprà cap. 24. discipulis praediâ—it Sunt enim Tenebrae signum irae Dei ut perspicitur ex eo quòd signum erunt adventantis Christi ad judicium ut ipse testatur suprà cap. 24.29 Et passìm in Scriptura nomine Tenebrarum calamitates significantur c. in cap. 27. verse 45. Mat. In which words he doth not onely say that this darknesse was a token of those miseries which shortly after befell the Jewes but also that the word darknesse in the Scripture whether properly or improperly taken doth every where signify calamities And in your next instance out of the 21 chap. of Luke ver 25. you your selfe doe say that the signes there rehearst are all properly to be understood as signes before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. But amongst the rest you reckon the distresse of Nations with perplexity for a signe whereas it is rather an effect of the signes which shall be so extraordinary that they shall bring men into great perplexity and feare of the things which they shall shew to be comming on the earth But whereas you say that what is promised in the 28. and 29 ver of the 2. chap. of Joel was truely albeit not altogether fulfilled in the dayes of Peter even howbeit the words of the 30. and 31. ver be properly understood and not wholly fulfilled till the time immediately preceding the last comming of Christ It is utterly false as hath been already shewed and may further thus be shewed To wit because the powring out of the Spirit spoken of by Joel is to precede or at least to accompany the darkning of the Sun and Moone and both to precede the great and terrible Day of the Lord whereas the darkning of the Sun at our Saviour's first comming did precede the powring out of the Spirit and neither of them did precede the day of his birth For the Sun was darkened when he was about to leave both his life and the world together And the Spirit was not powred out til after his ascension And thus besides that there was not then any unusuall darkening of the Moone the very different order of the accomplishment of these things from that mentioned by Joel and their not preceding our Saviour's first comming as signes thereof doe abundantly shew the grosnesse of your interpretation Israel's Redemption Neither have I forgotten that the first of these prophecies was made use of by S. Peter to stop the mouthes of such as jeer'd the Apostles when by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them they began to speake with tongues Act. 2.4 but that this prophecy was then fulfilled I deny For when some mocking said These men are full of new wine S. Peter replyd ' ye men of Iudea and all ye that dwell at Hierusalem be this knowne unto you and hearken to my words for these are not drunken as ye suppose seeing it is but the third houre of the day but this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Ioel. And it shall come to passe in the last dayes saith God I will powre out my Spirit upon all flesh As if he had said My brethren these are not the effects of wine but of the Spirit of God which is now powred out on the first fruits of the Jews as a pledge and assurance of that bountifull effusion of it which as Joel hath said shall one day happen to the u Isa 32.15 Ezek. 39.29 Zech. 12.10 whole Nation And that this is all St Peter meant it may thus appeare First because the chiefe and most remarkeable effect of the Spirit in the Apostles at this time was the gift of tongues of which the Prophet makes no mention Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. If this exception were true it would prove that the Apostle citeth the words impertinently and the Jews might have challenged him of babling and so these authors fight against the Apostle and the Spirit of God who hath registred this argumentation of the Apostle as good and valid 2. The chiefe and most remarkeable worke of the Spirit at that time was a sound from Heaven as of a mighty rushing winde which filled all the house and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire and it sate upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and this was noised abroad Whereby it is evident that the Apostle speakes especially not onely of the effect which is their speaking in strange languages but of the cause the powring downe of the Spirit of which Joel speakes expressely and therefore Peter citeth the words pertinently Reply 1. That the Prophet speakes not of any whom the Spirit should endue with the gift of tongues is so evident that you could not deny it and yet you dare say If this exception were true it would prove that the Apostle citeth the words impertinently Belike then the Apostle must be out in citing them rather then you in shewing to what end he cited them No Sir the Apostle alledgeth it very pretinently in that he shewes by it that the disciples spake not thus out of drunkennesse as some accused them and consequently from an evil spirit but by reason of the effusion of that Spirit on them of which Joel had spoken And therefore the mistake is in you who doe very impertinently conclude from hence that the same effusion of the Spirit which Joel spake of was then fulfilled For although the same Spirit may be powred out divers times yet that powring out of it which Joel speakes of can be fulfilled but once consequently not at our Saviour's first comming and second comming too And now who fights most against the Apostle the Spirit of God he that understands them rightly and endeavours to make others do so too or he that misunderstanding them himselfe had rather condemne them both and draw all others into an error with him then yeeld to the truth and here I would intreat thee reader to take notice that when Mr Petrie hath little or nothing to say he commonly breaks out into the more violent speech thereby to disgrace what he cannot answer 2. This part of your answer is as much to the matter as the former For whereas I speake of the gift of tongues as the most remarkeable effect of the Spirit in the Apostles you speake of the manner of the Spirits descending upon them as the most remarkeable worke of the Spirit But doe you know what you say was it not a greater worke to make the Apostles speake divers languages then to cause the sound of a mighty winde or the appearance of tongues which were onely outward signes of the extraordinary gift which the Spirit
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
reference to the words in the 21. verse which are these They shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all Nations and Jerusalem shall be troden down of the Gentiles untill the time of the Gentiles he fulfill'd Untill then but no longer And because he would not tell them the precise time of the continuance of these times of the Gentiles and yet would have them know too when they were neer their expiration in the verses following he acquaints them with the signes immediately foregoing his own appearing their Redemption and the setting up of the kingdom of God And do the same signes betoken all this and yet can you say that our Saviour speaks not here of an earthly kingdom nor of the Jews conversion Doubtlesse in that they foreshew the Jews Redemption they betoken not onely their conversion but their deliverance out of captivity too and consequently their earthly kingdom even that kingdom of which the Apostle enquired And in that they foreshew our Saviour's appearing they shew him to be the Author of this deliverance according as the Apostles spake of him Lord wilt thou c. And in that they foreshew the Kingdom of God to be nigh at hand they shew this kingdom to be no other but the kingdom of Israel so call'd partly because the power of God shall mightily and wonderfully appear to the whole world at the erecting of it the fearfulnesse whereof the very signes foreshewing onely its neer approach may serve to evidence for great and unusuall signes shew great and unusuall alterations And partly because God shall be more generally more constantly and more purely worshipt in the time of this kingdom then ever he was since the creation of the world And therefore there is no cause why any spirituall minded man should be discouraged at the thought of such an earthly kingdom Neither therefore have we wrestled against our own fancies in concluding not onely the conversion but the restauration of the Jews also from the world Redemption seeing it is apparent to all that will not turn away their eyes that they may not see it that as this prophesie was spoken onely to Jews so both the misery at first and the mercy at last was spoken onely of the Jews We have no need then to find clearer texts in the New Testament for this earthly Monarchy for fear that any understanding Christian will reject what the Prophets have deliver'd so agreeable thereunto But both we and they have good reason to suspect that you care not what you say nor how you tamper with the Word of God if thereby you can procure belief And to this end you cry out against the clearnesse of the text when as it hath no darknesse but what you put upon it and speak any thing of your self as an undoubted axiome For you tell us that every ground of faith is revealed more clearly in the New Testament then the old which is indeed not oriously false for where is the Creation describ'd the moral Law deliver'd and our Saviour promised to be born in Bethleem of a Virgin of the seed of David c. And admit it were true of all such things as our Saviour was to fulfill at his first coming yet it could not be true of all such things as are reserved to be done by him at his second coming Amongst which the restoring of the Jews and his reigning on earth have place Israel's Redemption And with what testimonies can we better begin then with such as are of neerest affinity with our Saviours prophecy They shall smite saith Micah in his 5. Ch. and 1. ver the Judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek And at the third ver Therefore will he give them up untill the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth then the a Cap. ejusd v. 7 8. Isa 1.9 and 10.22 Matth 24.22 Rom 11.3.28 remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel What I pray is meant here by smiting the Judge of Israel but the * To this interpretation of the prophecy suiting so well with our Saviour's sufferings the very next verse which fore shâ—ws the place where Christ the Ruler of Israel should be born doth to my thinking directly lead us crucifying of Christ whom when they had blindfolded him they stroke on the face and asked him saying Prophesie who is it that smote thee Luk. 22. at the 64. ver And what by Vntill the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth but the whole time of the surrogated Gentiles vocation For blindnesse is in part happened to Israel untill the * Whether by fulnesse we understand the whole number of those Gentiles which were successively to be called before the Nationall conversion of the Iews or else the full universall and contemporating conversion of all unbeleeving Gentiles whatsoever at and through that extraordinary restauration of the Iews whose Tribes are wholly comprehended by this word in the 12. v. of the fame Ch Whether I say the first or last of these interpretations doth passe for currant with us and one of them must needs passe yet it comes all to one reckoning it doth noâ—hing preiudice the cause for which our Apostle's saying is here alledged which is to shâ—w that the giving up of the Iews must last untill the time whiâ—h is appointed for the calling of the substituted Gentiles be fully ended for if blindnesse be happened to Israel untill the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles in the last sense that is of all of them indifferently shall come to passe hen it must of necessitie continue untill the coming in of the Gentiles in the first sense thâ—t is of the substituted part of them be quite and clean finished seeing the totall conversion cannot take place before the partiall gives way unto it fulnesse of the Gentiles â—e come in Rom. 11. v. 25. From whence it necessarily follows that this prophecy and our Saviours must be understood of one and the same time For the dispersion foretold by Christ was to happen after his passion and so was this as their smiting the Judge of Israel declares which is alledged as the main cause of it Again the captivity which our Saviour spake of is to last untill the * Though by the word tunes the dominion and power of the Gentiles over the Iews and their p ssâ—ssion of the Holy Land be in this place especially aymed at yet because the time of the Iews subiection to and captivity amongst thâ— Gentiles in generall is to be of equall though not immediately and primarily hereby imply'd times or calling of the Gentiles he fulfill d and so is this for when She which travaileth hath brought forth then saith the text the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel which is a plain interpretation of that which our Saviour doth somewhat covertly expresse by the word Redemption Mr. Petrie's Answer
yellow And who have an ague find every meate and drinke bitter not that every thing is such but their senses are distempered another who hath not distempered senses finds in the same thing a diversity of colour and relish 3. Why doubt they here whether there be more voices for the one then for the other seeing afterwards it is said p. 50. as all the Prophets speake of nothing more so they have nothing which can be applied to our Saviours second comming as a comfortable effect so generally foreshâ—â—nâ— but this Reply 1. If the heathens be a more in partial judgement then Jewes or Christians are the greater is our shame the more their commendation But as I have not hitherto so I trust I never shall shew such irreverence and uncharitablnesse towards the Church of God as to think much lesse to say that there are no impartial men in it And therefore I need not goe out of the Church to seeke for such to submit to But although there are many impartial judgements amongst Christians yet it behoves the reader to take notice here that you confesse you are none of the society and therefore to be the more suspitious of the sincerity of your dealing a taste where of we had in your former answer And it is observeable too that you make a difference betwixt Turks and heathens as if Turks were not heathens 2. That all rigid Antimillenaries find not many voices for that we plead for nor indeed any at all we need not marvell for you have told us they have no impartial judgments And therefore I might returne your comparisons on your selves but I leave them to the judicious â—â—ader to bestow them where he sees most cause 3. Surely these words I finde not more voices for the one then for the other have no doubtfull sound Neither have they relation onely to a part but to the whole word of God Not to one Testament onely but to both And therefore the Prophets being not the adequate subject of this search you have vainly transferr'd hither what elswhere I have spoken as from the Prophets onely Yea and very impertinently too for the prophecies spoken of there doe concerne the restoring of the Jeweâ— onely but the voices spoken of here are such as do concerne the comming of Christ onely And that first in the forme of a servant to teach and suffer on earth and next in Kingly glory to reigne and rule on earth And grant there should be more Scriptures to shew one of these commings then the other yet seeing there is plaine Scripture for them both we have good reason to beleeve both Israel's Redemption For they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdom to Israel Mr. Petrie's Answer Any who is not distempered in his braines may see the ground of this Monarchy very unsure to wit a meere Querie Acts 1.6 The disciples asked him Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom of Israel a querie neither affirmeth nor denieth and neverthelesse how great a Kingdom is built on it If they can finde a surer ground why will they not choose it for their text better they have not and therefore they must be doing with this Reply No good Christian will be either asham'd or affraid to suffer for the truth's sake And therefore we had much rather be defam'd revil'd and if God hath so appointed it worse handled by you or any others then reclamante conscientiâ against our owne knowledge yeeld to be deluded by you this answer being in very deed conpounded of nought but falsehood and deceit For first the ground of this Monarchy is not unsure although a Querie it being grounded not on what the Apostles knew not and would have knowne to wit the time when the Kingdom should be restor'd but on what they knew and doubted not of to wit that the Kingdom should be restor'd Which had they not knowne or at least not thought they could not have asked when it should be restor'd And had they but thought it they would for their better assurance first have askt whether before they would have askt when it should be restored Neither can we grant this to be a * Queries as Rhetoricians do distinguish them are either simple or figurative and affected Simple Queries are such as are proposed for instruction and knowledge-sake and are either meerly simple when there is no more in them but what is doubted of as what is truth Iohn 18 verse 38. or not meerly simple when there is no more in them then what is doubted of as where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eate the passeover Mat. 26. verse 17. in which querie the doubt is not touching the subject it selfe whether the passeover should be prepar'd but touching a circumstance belonging to the subject touching the place where it should be prepar'd and such a querie is this of the Apostles the subject the restoring of the Kingdom is not doubted of nor the person that should restore it but the circumstance of time onely when it shold be restored And these queries though they do not expresly formally affirme or deny yet they do implicitly vertually affirme or deny meere querie untill you have defin'd what a meere querie is for you seeme to me by this proposition A Querie neither affirmeth nor denieth to take all queries to be alike if you doe not you say it onely fallaciously to make the unlearned reader thinke so that by this meanes he might the more readily beleeve all you say against us and if you doe you are very much mistaken as all your rhetoricians will shew you who reckon up many sorts of Queries among which there is one so opposite to your words that it more certainly and vehemently affirmes or denies then a bare affirmation or negation can doe and such a one is that in St. Mat. chap. 7. verse 16. Doe men gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles which is a farre more forcible deniall then St. Lukes Of thornes men doe not gather figs nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes chap. 6. verse 44. so on the contrary Is there no balme in Gilead is there no Physitian there Jer. 8 verse 22. doth more movingly affirme then the bare affirmation doth And of this sort of interrogatory asseverations and negations the Scriptures have very many especially God's answer to Job and the prophecy of Micah And therefore untill you can bring better proofe to shew this ground unsure we need not seeke for another text to build so great a Monarchy on although we bring many other to strenghthen beautify and finish the building Israel's Redemption The words you see are a Querie And such propositions imply three things First a person or persons proposing it Secondly a matter or subject proposed Thirdly a person or persons to whom it is proposed The persons here are the disciples asking the question and our Saviour answering them as the
time have expoâ—â—â—d these texts not of the Jews only but of the Christian Church which is as if you had said that all interpreters doe write for you besides those that write against you And doe you not remember what you said before even of the scriptures themselves that number prevaileth not why then doe you urge us now with the greater number of interpreters I am sure you will not be content that the triall of the truth shall be put to most voices betwixt Protestants and Papists if not why would you have it so here But were the prophets thus interpreted from the beginning of the Christian Church no it could not be for we have learned from the Dialogue betwixt Tripho and Justine Martyr that then no other Christians weree steemed orthodoxe but those of the Millenarian faith therefore it may easily be conceived how the Prophets were expounded in those days and that they then began to interpret the scriptures my stically when errour had taken hold not onely on the most but the most powerfull patrons in the Church also on such who by their place and authority could force the truth either wholly to hide it selfe or to be knowne no otherwise then by the ignominious name of an heresie which was not till some ages after the Apostles dayes as you your self confesse in your Preface But you say that these Interpreters have written according to their consciences And so our Saviour â—â—d the Disciples that they should be put out of the Synagogues yea that they should be kild by such as should thinke that they did God service Joh. 16.2 and St. Paul was mov'd by his conscience to raise a very tyrannous persecution against the Saints as he confesseth Acts 26.9 I verily thought with my selfe saith he that I ought to doe many things contrary to the Name of Jesus of Nazareth which thing also I did c. and so although he went not against his conscience yet he went against the truth for his conscience was a blind and ignorant conscience as he saith in the 1 Tim. 1.13 but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbeleefe And such consciences no doubt were the consciences of many if not of all of those Interpreters in relation to the truth in controversie who had they first made diligent search after this truth of the Jewes generall conversion and returne and of our Saviours personall reigne on earth they would never I presume have spent their time and paines in such Expositions But these Interpreters are dead for the most part long agoe and there is scarcely one of them now living and we appeale not to the dead but to the living who are or may be acquainted with what is said on both sides and therefore cannot passe sentence against us out of ignorance although they may out of prejudice and so not according to conscience And who ever heard till now that it is a vainâ— bragge to appeale to mens consciences in giving their judgement about a truth certainely he that feares to appeale unto this Judge doth feare the uprightnesse of his owne cause for what saith Saint Paul in the 2 Cor. chap. 4. ver 2. We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftinesse nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God Israel's Redemption Which Prophecies as they doe containe many evident and unanswerable arguments for a future restauration of Israel I meane a restauration yet to come so they have such correspondence with that of Isaiah in his 59. ch at the 20. ver and with that of Amos in his 9 ch at the 11. ver both which Prophecies are alledged by the Apostles St. James t Act. 15.16 and St. Paul u Rom. 11.27.26 for the conversion of the Jewes after the fulnesse of the Gentiles is come in that is after all those of the Gentiles which are appointed to be cal'd before Christs comming againe be câ—â—verted or rather perhaps when the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in that is when the time shall come in which not a part as now but all the Gentiles that are left shall through the wonderfull deliverance of the Jewes together with them serve the Lord that seeing these are not yet fulfill'd neither can any of the other betwixt which and that of Amos there is not any materiall difference and no other betwixt them and that of Isaiah then there is betwixt a Comment and the Text betwixt a briefe Intimation and large explication of one and the same thing Mr. Petrie's Answer We grant that these Prophesies containe evident arguments for a future restauration of Israel if you will acknowledge that which is before clearely proved by the testimony of the Apostles and by experience that is that they are begun already in part we grant also that they have such correspondencie with these Texts of Esay and Amos and many moe too but we deny 1. Your manner of restauration and we hold that the spirituall restauration is more glorious for the honour of God and weal of Israel 2. We deny that the Apostle James alledgeth the prophecy of Amos for such a conversion of the Jewes for he speakes expresly of visiting the Gâ—â—tiles to â—â—ke out of them a people unto his name Act. 15.14 and of this visiting he expones the words of Amos and the other Prophets he speaks not â—â—â—ly of Amos but saith generally and to this agree the words of the Prophets 3. We deny that the Apostle Paul alledgeth the prophecy of Esay to that pretended purpose for he saith not and then all Israel shall be saved but and so all Israel shall be saved he shewes no order and distance in time but makes a conclusion out of the former words where he saith Blindnesse in part is hapned to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in and then he inferreth And so all Israel shall be saved and therefore the conclusion must be exponed according to the preceding words that is all Israel are the called of Israel and of the Gentiles there is a distinction twixt Israel and all Israel and all Israel is more then Israel seeing it includes likewise the faithfull Gentiles and in this signification the proofe following in the cited testimony must necessarily be understood and not of all calling of the Jewes after the full calling of the Gentiles and far lesse of that calling which he saith shall perhaps be not in part but of all the Gentiles that shall be left Yea these conjectures destroy one another for if the calling of the Jewes shall be after the fulnesse of the calling of the Gentiles then all the Gentiles that are left cannot be called through the wonderfull deliverance of the Jewes And this last conjecture destroyeth a maine tenet of the Millenaries who say that the Jewes shall rule over all Nations and hold them in subjection
cannot possibly be maintained that the Jewes and Gentiles are as yet one sheepfold For besides the fallacy of the consequence the conclusion is contrary to the expresse words of Scripture especially Ephes 2.11 Remember that yee being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who were called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands but now in Christ Jesus yee who somtimes were facre off are made nigh by the blood of Christ for he is our peace who hath made both one having broken downe the mid-wall for to make in himselfe of twaine one new man And who will deny that the beleevers now living among the Gentiles are members of the same body and Church waiversall whereof Abraham Jacob David Ezekias Paul and others were now then even now Jewes and Gentiles are one fold Reply What the Apostle affirmes wee deny not and therefore wee say not that every family amongst the Jewes and every Jew of every family was cast away was broken off from their Olive But whereas the Apostle saith If the fall of them be the riches of the world ver 15. and As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes ver 28. and God hath concluded them all in unbeliefe ver 32. These passages wee understand with the Apostle to be meant of all the Tribes though not of all of every Tâ—ibe I say with the Apostle for so generall was the unbelâ—efe of the Jewes even in St. Paul's time that chap. 10.1 2. he saith Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to God for Jsrael is that they may be saved For I beare them record that they have a zeale of God but not according to knowledge And in the 13. and 14. verses of this chap. he hath these words of them For I magnify mine Office if by any meanes I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh and might save some of them Not any one Tribe but here and there some yea but some in all here and there amongst the Tribes And your flying to the former translation of the 32. ver as to a refuge against the evidence of the last translation will not serve your turne seeing the words in the originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are more fully and more fitly rendred by them all then by all onely And the them all in the 32. ver must needs have relation to the Jewes onely exprest in the third person by their these and they in the 30. and 31. verses And not to the Gentiles exprest in the second person by ye and yâ—ur And the reason you bring to prove that the 32. ver must be extended to Jewes and Gentiles both to wit because the Apostle in the 30. and 31. verses is speaking of both is of no force at all seeing he speakes of the Gentiles as beleevers and of the Jewes as unbeleevers And therefore might well say of the Tribes who were then left in unbeliefe For God hath concluded them all in unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all But of the Gentiles who had then obtained mercy through the Jewes unbeliefe he could not affirme this Neither will the text which you have alledged out of Gal. 3.22 as parallell to this in the former translation any thing availe you For there is a vast difference betwixt these propositions The Scripture hath concluded all under sin And God hath concluded all in unbeliefe The first is universally and actually true seâ—ing all men are sinners as well beleevers as unbeleevers But the last is not universally and actually true seeing all men are not unbeleevers nor ever were since the first promise of a Saviour Yea the Apostle saith Gal. 3. that the Scripture hath concluded all under sinne for this very cause to wit that the promise by faith of Iesus Christ might be given to them that beleeve That is to them that are not concluded in unbeliefe albeit they are concluded under sin And therfore it must needs be granted that the 32. ver Rom. 11. is applyed by the Apostle to some men onely and not to all to wit to the unbeleeving Jewes in opposition to the beleeving Gentiles And consequently must of necessity too be meant of all the Tribes none excepted because it cannot be meant of all Jewes none excepted And if this be not evidence enough to make you understand the 32. ver of the Jews onely wee have undeniable experience to helpe cleare your eye-sight For tell us what are the many numerous multitudes of the unbeleeving Jewes disperst at this day amongst the Nations of the Gentiles are they the Nation of the Jewes or are they not if they are then were all the Tribes concluded in unbeliefe if they are not then tell us what Tribe or Tribes are wanting that fell not or continued not in unbeleife with the rest For surely in the opinion of great Divines the Holy Ghost hath reckoned up by St. John Rev. 7. all the Tribes as remaining and to be converted not long before the destruction of the Beast and false Prophet And therefore it is somewhat hard to conceive how a man of such understanding as you conceite your selfe to have could notwithstanding so much evidence of Scripture and experience condemne this conclusion Therefore it cannot possibly be maintained that the Jewes and Gentiles are as yet one sheepfold And as for the fallacy of consequence let the reader judge whether it be on our part who say that the Jewes and Gentiles shall not be united into one Church until the whole Nation of the Jewes be converted and the foresaid prophecies accomplished or on yours who granting that these prophecies doe foreshew their uniting doe affirme that they are already thus united although not one of these prophecies be fulfilled nor any one Tribe converted But to prove that the Jewes and Gentiles are united into one Church you alledge Ephe. 2. ver 11. c. Remember that yee being in times past Gentiles in the flesh that at that time yee were without Christ but now are made nigh by the blood of Christ who hath made both one and broken downe the midwall of partition betweene us for to make in himselfe one new man And is St. Paul then contrary to himselfe what would he have wisht himselfe accursed from Christ for his brethren his Kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9. ver 3. or would he have said that going about to establish their owne righteousnesse they had not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God chap. 1. v. 3. or Even so have these also now not beleeved that through your mercy they also may obtaine mercie chap. 11. ver 31. would he have said all this of the Jewes and much more to this purpose if the Jewes and Gentiles had then equally embrac't the Gospel if the Tribes had been alreadie one bodie or then likely to become one bodie with the believing Gentiles doubtlesse he would not And therefore First I may say that these
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
not from beneath but from above I am not to be made a King by the power of mortall men but by the power of the immortall God onely So that in his former words My Kingdome is not of this world the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of doth not indeed intimate any difference in time or condition betwixt our Saviours Kingdome and other Kingdomes but in the cause and authour of them which sense it carries in our Saviours word Matth. 2â— 25 The baptisme o John whence was it from heaven or of men and in the saying of Saint John 1 Epist chap. 2. ver 16. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world And thus My Kingdom is not of this world is no more but my Kingdome is not of men if my Kingdome were of men then would my Servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews but now is not my Kingdom from hence from the men of this world 2 You tell us next That if Christ had said that in the time of his Kingdome the Kingdome of the Romanes should be no Kingdome they might have had more pretext for condemning him But surely Christ had no need to answer to that which was not askt neither did the Romanes but the Jewes desire his death And yet as before he spake openly to the world so now he spake plainely to Pilates demand too for when Pilate said unto him Art thou a King then he answered Thou sayest that I am c. Which forme of answering was taken for an affirming of that which was askt And therefore where Saint Matthew writes Jesus said unto him Thou hast said chap. 26. ver 64. Saint Marke hath And Jesus said I am chap. 14. ver 62. And doubtlesse Pilate by this answer tooke him for such a King to whom the Throne of Israel did belong and yet he made it not a pretext to condemne him but sought to deliver him And it is false also to imagine that the Kingdomes of this world shall not be taken out of the hands of their severall Governours of their mortall Kings when they shall become the Kingdomes of Christ himselfe when they shall be governed by him and the glorified Saints that shall come with him Israel's Redemption And to all such places that mention only the dissolution of the elements and the last judgement I answer that these are but a part of those things which shall be done by Christ at his next appearing and that as other scriptures shew onely that he must reigne on earth and what shall be done at the beginning of his reigne so these shew onely what shall be left undone till the close of his Kingdome when he shall deliver it up to God even the Father Mr. Petrie's Answer This shift will not serve their turne for the soriptures teach us That at Christs comming shall be the end and he shall deliver up his Kingdom 1 Cor. 15.23 24. c. I forbear to write any more of Mr. Petrie's objections here because I shall repeat them all in my reply Reply You alledged even now such scripture against our Saviours reigning after his comming as doth infallibly prove it to be then and not before to wit that text Matth. 16.28 which shewes that the Sonne of mans comming in his Kingdome is when he comes in the glory of the Father with his Angels as by comparing it with the former verse it is evident And yet here you call it a shift to say that some of the prophecies which concerne the Day of our Saviours appearing are to be accomplished at the time of his comming and some in the time of his abode on earth some at the close of his Kingdom And to countenance your censure you heape up these objections following against us Object 1 First you say That the Scriptures teach us that at Christs comming shall be the end and he shall deliver up his Kingdom 1 Cor. 15.23 24. Sol. 1 But that Text shewes onely that the Saints shall rise at Christs comming and not that the end shall be then For it saith That the end shall be when after his comming he hath reigned till God hath put all his enemies under his feete which will be fully accomplisht when death the last enemy is fully destroyed at the last resurrection as we have shewed before Object 2 Secondly you say That Christ shall come in a time when men looke not for him and all shall rise again both godly ungodly and then is the shutting of heaven as the parable of the ten Virgins teacheth Matth. 25. Sol. 2 But there is no mention of the rising of the godly and ungodly together but of the gathering of all Nations before Christ and the separating of them into two companies whereof one company the elect shall be received into life eternall and the other company the reprobate shall be sent away into everlasting punishment which separation we say shall be made at the close of our Saviours reigne at the last resurrection when he is to give up his Kingdome to the Father For we read Matth. 24.30 31. of the gathering of none but the elect at his comming to take possession of his Kingdome And as for the day and houre of his comming we know that it is unknowne to any but it will not follow from hence that he shall not reigne after his comming And the parable of the ten Virgins doth shew onely That those which at our Saviours comming are thought to be faithfull Christians and are indeed but hypocrites shall not be partakers of his Kingdome Hypocrites being of all others most odious to our Lord and his Christ Object 3 Thirdly you say That where Christ is the faithfull then shall be with him John 14.3 Sol. 3 And so say we for they shall be with him in his reigne on earth Object 4 Fourthly you say That the heavens must containe him till the time of the restitution of all things which God hath spâ—ken by the mouth of all his Prophets since the world began But the Prophets have foretold the last judgement and that he shall convâ—â—ce all the ungodly Jude ver 14 15. Therefore he shall not returne till that time And that is most plaine Psal 110.1 Sit at my right hand till I make thy enemies thy footestoole That sitting at Gods right hand is his reigning and it is not said His enemies shall be subdued and then he shall reigne but he shall reigne till then so that he reigneth conquering and he conquereth reigning Sol. 4 Surely we doe not say that Christ shall reigne on earth before he returne to the earth againe but when he doth returne we say that then he shall exercise a civill judgement over all in the time of his reigne and that he shall execute an extraordinary temporall judgement on all the ungodly that shall oppose him at the
to be understood of a spirituall wrath doe indeed rather confirme then confute this exposition Seeing it is plaine that the Apostle in ver 28. speakes of such Jewes onely who for the Gentiles sakes that were to be received into their roome were become the enemies of the Gospell of Christ and consequently not of such on whom God had mercy or would have mercy any otherwise then in making of them instruments for the fulfilling of his promise made unto the Fathers touching that elect remnant of their posterity whom he purposed to call by a generall conversion Object 10 Tenthly you say That the estate of the Church is described such that the godly shall be mixed with the ungâ—dly even till Christ come and gather the tares from the wheat to be burned Matth. 13.39 Sol. 10 And surely we say not that Christ shall reigne on earth before he comes to doe this but when he comes to do this And therefore also his Kingdome for so he calls it ver 41. shall not be a Kingdome of such carnall delight as you to vilifie the truth ascribe unto it It being the onely scope of this parable and anonother in the same chapter to set forth the righteousnesse thereof Your last words are All these and such like passages the Millenaries willingly passe over But let the reader judge whether you have not more cause to be ashamed of such arguments then we have to be afraid to answer them Israel's Redemption And in my conceit Saint Peter in the very next verse doth intimate as much for having before used the word Day he warnes them not to be ignorant of this one thing That one day is with the Lord as a thousand yeares and a thousand yeares as one day As if he had told them that the day he spake of was indeed a thousand yeares the Holy Ghost alwayes using it in this sense when it is emphatically applied to our Saviours comming or the Jewes redemption Which as it is already proved shall happen at the same time And though God as he is eternall cannot be measured by time and as he is immutable feeles no alteration in time a thousand yea ten thousand times ten thousand yeares and one day houre or minute of a day being in this respect all one to him yet this shift cannot void the exposition already given seeing the apparent dependance of these words on the former doth clearely prove that Saint Peter intended not to shew what a thousand yeares and one day were to God in regard of his nature which it is like they knew before but only what is usually meant by one day in the word of God And indeed to what purpose had this sudden and serious advertisement been inferred if the Apostle did not hereby discover unto them besides the largest definite and limited acception of the word such a speciall relation of a thousand yeares to one day as cannot belong to any other number when as touching Gods immensity and immutability one day might as well have been compared with ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands or thousands as I said as with one thousand yeares Mr. Petrie's Answer Whatsoever be your conceit you may see that the Apostle hath another purpose there for ver 4. he telleth of scoffers jeering at the promise of Christs comming because all things continue as they were and so all things seeme to have subsisting in themselves he refutes this imagination and showes that the world both was made and continueth by the word of God who is able to destroy as sometimes he did and hath appointed a day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men Here he putteth the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men for that the scoffers say where is the promise of his comming so that at his comming he will judge and punish the ungodly which is contrary to the opinion of the Millenaries Then ver 8. he answereth to that opinion of delay saying One day is with the Lord as a thousand yeares He saith not one day is a thousand yeares as the Millenaries make the commentary shorter then the text but is as a thousand yeares and therefore here is no exposition but comparison as if he had said albeit a thousand yeares seeme a long time to us and so the world seemeth to have continued long yet it is not so with the Lord to whom all time is short or none And then he shewes the end why God delayeth that comming to wit in long-suffering toward men awaâ—ing the repentance of the last of them Whereby you see another meaning and another purpose even contrary to that conceit of the Millenaries The Apostle might have named many millions of yeares as one day in respect of Gods eternity but according to the usuall custome of speech he nameth a round great number for any number Reply You had no other shift to avoid the answering of my former answer but to call it a shift And here you have dealt no better with me then you have often done before to wit left out what was most unpleasing to your selfe and instructive to the read 〈◊〉 and made a flourish against the rest and yet all this will not serve your turne for first it is a manifest slander to say That Christs judging and punishing of the ungodly is contrary to the opinion of the Millenaries For doe not we say that the destruction of the Army in Armageddon is to be at our Saviours descending as it is plainely revealed Rev. 19. and alluded unto chap. 14. ver 19 20. and that there shall be then also a destruction of all obstinate and rebellious sinners as it is foretold in 2 Thes 1.7 8 9 10. and Rev. 16.20 21. and intimated in the parable of the tares and the net cast into the sea Matth. 13. and doe we not say likewise that when the new insurrection of the Nations shall be at the end of the 1000 yeares peacefull râ—igne fire shall come downe from God out of heaven and devoure them Rev. 20 And doe we not hold that all this shall be before the last act of the great day of the Lambes wrath in which the sentence of damnation shall be pronounced against all unbeleeving sinners at the last resurrection All this then being undeniable there can be no truth in your foresaid words And as in ver 5 6. the Apostle shewes the faithfull why the wicked should make a scoffe at the promise of Christs comming and in ver 9. gives them the reason of Gods putting off of his comming so long so in ver 8. hee makes no answer to the opinion of delay but puts them in minde of the meaning of the day of judgement spoken of in ver 7 which two verses doe seeme to be brought in by way of Parenthesis For though a 1000 yeares which seeme a long time to us be but a short time with the Lord as you say yet doubtlesse that which seemes a short time to us
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