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A88953 Israel's redemption redeemed. Or, The Jewes generall and miraculous conversion to the faith of the Gospel: and returne into their owne land: and our Saviours personall reigne on Earth, cleerly proved out of many plaine prophecies of the Old and New Testaments. And the chiefe arguments that can be alledged against these truths, fully answered: of purpose to satisfie all gainsayers; and in particular Mr. Alexander Petrie, Minister of the Scottish Church in Roterdam. / By Robert Maton, the author of Israel's redemption. Divided into two parts, whereof the first concernes the Jewes restauration into a visible kingdome in Judea: and the second, our Saviours visible reigne over them, and all other nations at his nextappearing [sic]. Whereunto are annexed the authors reasons, for the literall and proper sense of the plagues contain'd under the trumpets and vialls. Maton, Robert, 1607-1653? 1646 (1646) Wing M1295; Thomason E367_1; ESTC R201265 319,991 370

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Monarchy on earth and if the bodies shall be like unto his glorious body they shall not live an earthly life nor dye againe He quoteth 1 Thes 3.13 and chap. 4.14 c. but the first hath nothing of a second resurrection and chap. 4.14 saith We shall be ever with the Lord to wit in another manner then now now by grace and then in glory If we shall ever be with the Lord then we shall not dye againe and rise againe unlesse the L rd dye too which I thinke they will not say Lastly he cites Ezek. 37.12 13. which words certainly are allegoricall and shew the returne of the Jewes from their captivity notwithstanding the ext●eamity of their misery and after these words he takes occ●sion to spe●ke of the spirituall Kingdome of the Chu ch as is said before but neither first nor last speakes the Prophet of a fi●st and second resurrection at or about the last day And so in all these testimonies nothing is to this purp●se of the concurring of the Iewish Monarchy with the first resurrection Reply The first resurrection of bodies importeth a second you say True but of other bodies not of the same bodi●s And I dare say that the conceite touching the dying againe of them that rise to rise the second t●me is your proper fancy Sure I am it is very sland●●ously imputed to Mr. Archer who holds in deed tha● the raised Saints shall be made governours over our Saviours Kingdom in his absence but not that they shall again be subject unto death And when I say here that these Saints shall have a share in Christs Kingdome and be his assistants in it And elsewhere pag. 121. that the time of these Saints abode with Christ shall never have an end yea when you your selfe confesse that the testimonies on the margine doe prove the contrary doe I hold their dying againe thinke you or doe I not Certainely as we know not to what end the Saints should rise if they were to dye againe so we know that the bodies of the dead though they be sowne in corruption shall be raised in incorruption even the bodies of the greatest sinners who could not otherwise live in eternall torments and therefore it is manifest that you have here laid an errour of your owne devising to another mans charge partly that you might not seeme to take so much paines and confute nothing and partly to disgrace the truth we hold touching the order of the resurrection For as it is true that the dead shall rise but once so it is true also that they shall not rise all at once And this the prophecies of Saint John Rev. 20.4 c. and Saint Paul in 1 Cor. 15.22 23 24. doe so plainely reveale that we may well wonder why so many learned Interpreters should rather strive to extinguish th●se greater lights then by the brightnesse of them to discover the true meaning not onely of such texts as concerne the resurrection but of those also that concerne the prerogatives and priviledges which they who have part in the first resurrection are to enjoy on earth And now let us see how you deale with the texts on the margine of which the first that you alledge though not the first that is quoted is in Luke 20.35 36. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtaine that world and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage neither doe they dye any more for they are equallanto the Angels and are the children of God being the children of the resurrection This is the text and y●ur ●●ferences these If they can dye no more and be equall unto the Angels then they shall not rise at a second resurrection And who saith that they shall neither shall they live an earthly life say you And so say we if by an earthly life you meane a sinfull life or a mortall life but if you meane only that they shall not live on earth we deny your s quelli For our Saviour lived on earth before his death and yet h● lived not an earthly that is a sinfull life And he lived many dayes on earth after his resurrection in which he shewed himselfe openly to his Disciples who did eat and drinke with him after he rose from the dead Acts 10.42 And yet his glory was not diminished by it nor he made lower then the Angels or the more liable unto mortality for it Neither shall the raised Saints be lesse equall unto the Angels in their immunity from copulation in their holinesse of conversation or in the immortality of their bodies while they abide on earth then when they are carried into the presence of God himselfe And seeing our Saviour saith here But they that shall be accounted worthy to obtaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that age or that time of the world and the resurrection from the dead doth he not plainely point out unto us a time in which none of the dead shall be raised but such as shall be accounted worthy of some peculiar happinesse which is kept in store for them against that time Certainly if we compare these words of our Saviour with the 14 and 15 verses of the 14. ch of Luke we cannot think otherwise For what is the resurrection which none but they that are accounted worthy shall obtaine but the resurrection of the just spoken of chap. 14. ver 14 which you passe over in silence and what did our Saviour meane when he said not onely thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection but at the resurrection of the just Did he not meane that he should receive a recompence at that time when all the just then dead and none but the just should be raised And what is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here That age or that time of the world but the time of the Kingdome of God spoken of chap. 14. ver 15 And what is this Kingdome of God of which it is said that he is blessed which shall eate bread in it but the Kingdome which God shall set up under Christ as man when he brings him againe into the world For whereas it is recorded chap. 14. that when one that sat at meate with our Saviour heard him tell the Pharisee who bad him to eate bread at his house that if he made a feast he should not call his rich kindred friends and neighbours but the maimed the blinde and them that could not recompence him and that he should be recompenced at the resurrection of the just whereas I say it is written that when one heard these things he said unto our Saviour Blessed is he that shall eate bread in the Kingdome of God What correspondence could there be betwixt these words and our Saviours touching the recompencing of the charitable at the resurrection of the just unlesse the Kingdome of God here spoken of should contemporate with the resurrection of the just unlesse the just I say should rise to receive their
of the Law and the text Psal 34. verse 22. which you apply to the redemption of the faithfull from etternall torments by the death of the Messias is meant of Gods delivering of them out of temporal calamities and afflictions as the foregoing verses doe plainely shew And lastly your argument touching old Simeon that he craved no longer life to raigne with Christ on earth doth make as much against his beliefe of Christs spirituall as his personall raigne and against his beliefe of Christs suffering as against either of these and surely though he prayed to depart because it was revealed unto him that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord Christ yet the testimony he gave of Christ that he should be the glory of his people Israel which doth as well intimate the generall conversion of the Jewes and Christs raigning amongst them as his being a light to lighten the Gentiles doth imply the conversion of the Gentiles this testimony I say doth shew that Simeon did hope to live againe to raigne with Christ although he did then desire to depart having seen him And to this hope of the Saints as well as to the hope of the glory which shall follow their reigne St. Paul alludes when he saith that others of the faithfull Jewes were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtaine a better resurrection Preface Fourthly And neverthelesse many Iewes sought righteousnesse by the workes of the Law and not by faith Rom. 9.32 and they look'd upon the promises with a bodily eye onely as if the Messias were to erect an earthly Monarchy at Ierusalem And looking thor●●● these spectacles they could not think that Jesus Christ is the Messias and so they stumbled at his worldly basenesse and being miscaried in their braines they could not see his spiritual power and benefits After their miserable example others acknowledging Jesus Christ to be the promised Messias and not considering the difference of the promises have not attained fully unto the truth of them and so have erred in mistaking his natures and benefits Thus Eblon thought him to be a man and not God as if all the promises could have been performed by a man endowed with singular grace Cerinthus likewise held that Christ is onely a man and because he saw him not sitting on the throne of David he held that Christ is not risen from the dead as yet but shall rise and reigne in Jerusalem a thousand yeares and all his Subjects shal be satisfied with all manner of pleasures in meate drinke marriage festival dayes and offer oblations and sacrifices Euseb lib. 3. chap. 25. Answer That the Jewes were in an error which sought righteousnesse by the workes of the Law we willingly acknowledge but that they did erre in taking the promises touching Christs Kingdom and their owne deliverance in a proper sense wee cannot think For wee know that the multitude would have made Christ a King Joh. 6. verse 15. and that Nathaniel that righteous Jsraelite said unto our Saviour Rabbi thou art the sonne of God thou art the of King Israel Joh. 1 verse 49. and it were too in jurious to our Saviours innocency who came into the world to beare witnesse unto the truth Joh. 18. verse 37. to imagine that he would not upon these occasions have shewed them that they were mistaken in his Kingdom if he was never to be such a King as the Jewes thought he should be and would then have made him had he not avoided it by hiding himselfe from them And indeed by the parable Luke 19. touching the Noble-mans going into a farre countrey to receive for himself a Kingdom and returne which he put forth of purpose because the Jewes did looke for the immediate appearing of his Kingdom by that parable I say he did as good as tell them that they did rightly conceive of the nature of his Kingdom but not of the time when it should appeare that they truely thought he should raigne visibly over them on earth though they were deceived in expecting the accomplishment of it then at his first coming For what was the Kingdom of God which the Jewes thought shuld immediately appeare was it the glory that shall follow the Judgment of the dead doubtlesse they thought not that the Judgment of the dead should immediately ensue Or was it the meanes of salvation that they lookt for doubtlesse then they knew that they had long injoyed this even as their peculiar The Kingdom of God then which they so earnestly and so soone expected must needs be the Kingdom which God had foretold that Christ should govern personally on earth when he should be set by him on the Throne of his Father David For indeed Christ can bring with him no other Kingdom for himself that is no other Kingdom to govern as man but this from that farre countrey whither he is gone to receive for himself a Kingdom and to returne And therefore t was not their looking through these spectacles as you phrase the proper exposition of the prophecies that made them to deny that Jesus was the Christ but rather stumbling at his meane condition onely they did to him what Gods hand and Counsell had determined before to be done And as the Jewes were no example of misbeliefe in looking for their deliverance from captivity and for our Saviours personall raigne amongst them so doubtlesse the proper acception of the prophecies concerning our Saviours raigne did no more occasion Ebion and Cerinthus to mistake his natures and deny his divinity then the proper acceptions of the prophecies concerning his incarnation suffering did and therefore seeing it is not possible that the true understanding of one part of the Scripture should thrust us into the misapprehension of another part thereof we may well thinke that it was the want of a due consideration of those texts which doe demons●●ate the divine nature of Christ and not the truth they held touching his raigne that drew them into this error For it is either through the want of a carefull searching into the Scriptures or by reason of some sinister and by-respects onely that all errors have both their rise and continuance in the Church of God Preface Fiftly Vpon this occasion the Apostle John wrote the Gospel again and more largely then any other of the Euangelists speakes of Christs Godhead his wonderfull workes his Kingdom resurrection and his coming againe especially that the Sonne of man is now glorified chap. 13.31 that he hath overcome the world chap. 16.33 that his Kingdom is not of this world and if his Kingdom were of this world his servants would fight that he should not be delivered unto the Jewes but now is his Kingdom not from hence chap. 18.36 And of the condition of his Subjects he saith Remember the word that I said unto you the servant is not greater then the Lord if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you chap. 15.20 verily I say
therefore there shall be no notable distance of time betwixt the resurrection and the generall judgement and consequently these words of Paul doe clearely prove that the reigne of Christ as God-man doth not beginne after his next comming nor can without contradiction unto the Apostle any notable space of time be betwixt his next comming and the last subduing of all things The 25 verse proveth the same for when it is said For he must reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feete thereby is teached more clearely in the originall language that now he reigneth and continues reigning and consequently he is not to begin his reigne even as it is said Heb. 2.8 Thou hast put all things under his feete and when they who are in Christ shall be made alive death the last enemy shall be destroyed and then is the end of administration Reply 1. The reason which you alledge against the distance of time betwixt the resurrection of the godly and ungodly to wit that the last clause of the 22 verse So in Christ shall all be made alive is not properly and univocally meant of the ungodly whose rising shall be to the accomplishment of their second death this reason is a meere mistake or rather a groundlesse untruth For as in Dan. 12.2 the words Sleepe and Awake are indifferently applyed to the death and resurrection of the just and unjust as in this chap. ver 20. the word Sleepe is indifferently applyed to all that are dead and ver 12 13.15 16 21.29 The dead are opposed to the living in generall to all that live a naturall life on earth and so are meant of all that are departed out of this l fe both elect and not elect In like manner the word Sh●ll be made alive ver 22 is opposed onely to the first and naturall death of the body to the corruptible state of it in the grave and not to the spirituall death of the soul or to the second and supernaturall death of the body and consequently doth equally comprehend the resurrection of the good and bad as the 21 verse doth further confirme For since by man came death to all both good and bad by man came also the resurrection of the dead of all both good and bad So that the Apostle discoursing here of a proper and bodily resurrection speakes onely of such a death as is common to all which is a bodily death and such a resurrection as is common to all which is a bodily resurrection And having proved the resurrection and shewed also in what order it shall be fulfilled towards the end of the chapter he tells the Saints with what bodies they themselves shall arise to wit with incorruptible with glorified with spirituall bodies And as for the text in 1 Thes 4.16 17. it doth shew onely that the Saints which are living at our Saviours comming shall not be caught up to meete Christ before those that are dead For when the Saints who are dead shall be raised out of their grayes then the Saints that remaine alive shall together with them be caught up into the cloudes to meete the Lord. So that this order as you call it is an order betwixt the Saints remaining alive at our Saviours comming and the Saints deceased before his comming and not an order touching the distinct rising of all those that are dead which is that which Saint Paul affirmes in the 1 Cor. 15.23 c. And whereas you would make it a matter incredible that our Saviour and the Saints shall come downe againe from the aire to abide so long space on earth onely because it is said That they shall meete the Lord in the aire and so shall ever be with the Lord. You doe shew your selfe to be either very forgetfull of what you have read in Gods word or that you tooke but little notice of it when you did read it For doth not Zech. 14.5 tell us That the Lord shall come and all the Saints with him Seeing then the Saints shall meete the Lord in the aire as Saint Paul saith and seeing also when they are met the Lord shall come and all the Saints with him as the Prophet saith whither shall they come but from the aire to the earth Surely whatsoever you or any other through your perswasion may imagine of it Job makes no doubt of it For chap. 19. ver 25 26 27. he saith I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this body yet in my fl●sh shall I see God whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reines be consumed within me And Jeremiah seconds him chap. 23. ver 5. in expresse termes touching our Saviours abode on earth Yea seeing our Saviour at his comming with his heavenly host shall take the Beast and false Prophet alive in battell and make a feast of their Armies for the fowles of heaven as it is revealed in the 19 chap. of the Revel and tread them in the winepresse of his wrath that the bloud shall come even unto the horse-bridles by the space of a 1000 and 600 furlongs as it is foretold Revel 14.19 20. Shall he descend to the earth to doe this thinke ye or shall he not And why also may not the Saints when they have met the Lord as well be ever with him though he first descend with them to reigne on earth as if he should goe immediately backe with them into heaven Nescis haud dubio nescis 2. You might well have spared this passage unlesse you could have shewed that I had markt any thing against the truth But doth the Apostle prove them onely to be in an errour who hold that none besides the Martyrs shall rise reign with Christ at his coming Surely he markes a word against those too who hold that all the dead shall rise at Christ comming for every man saith he in his owne order Christ the first-fruites afterwards they that are Christs at his comming Loe here the order of the Saints that dye before Christs appearing is to be the next that shall rise after Christ himselfe And when then is the order of the rest of the dead but when the time of Christs 1000 yeares reigne on earth is finished when the last enemy is destroyed which is death which shall not be utterly destroyed till the last resurrection till all men be raised from the dead For seeing the Apostle without any relation to the severall estates of the just and unjust after their resurrection speakes here onely of the rising of their bodies which equally and univocally belongs to them all why should we thinke that he would not as well have mentioned the resurrection of the just if they were to rise at the same time with these if the words But every man in his owne order doe not intimate any order doe not intimate a priority of
is mount Sion and Psal 87. v. 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob c how then could you say that these can very hardly be understood of the materiall Jerusalem on earth Certainely as they speake of no other Jerusalem so they are to be understood of no other place or thing but that And being prophecies they are not to be understood of it as it was then in the time of Davids reigne but as it should be in the time of Christ's raigne The Second rule As the Priests were types of Christ in respect of his Priestly-office so were the Kings of his Kingly office and therefore as the Kings were anointed so Christ is called David Ezek. 34.23 which is exponed Ioh. 10.11 and typified by Solomon Psal 45. And he is said to s●● on the Throne of David not of Nebuchadnezzar or any other because their kingdoms were cursed kingdomes and were not established on righteousnesse and knowledge of the true God as David's Throne was and for this cause when he is said to sit on the Throne of David it is not to be understood that he had or shall have the same earthly Throne of David but that which was typified so Mat. 2. he is called a Nazarite not that he did use their rites and customes for he dranke wine and they did not but because he was typified by the Nazarite Samson for he slew more by his death then by his life and was severed from all sin and pollution Answer The anointing of Kings Priests and Prophets was a type of Christ's anointing and not of his being called David Which name was given him by God because he was to be borne of the seed of David to whom he was promised And it is because he is the Sonne of David and not of Nebuchadnezzar or any other heathen Prince that he is to sit on David's Throne And that by his sitting on David's Throne is meant his government of that people which David governed it is evident for what need was there that God should binde him selfe with an oath to David Acts 2 verse 30. that he would set Christ upon Davids Throne if he meant onely that he would set him upon his owne Throne Or why may wee not say also that where it is foretold that Christ should be the Sonne of David it is meant onely that he should be the Sonne of God as well as say that where it is foretold that he should sit on Davids Throne it is meant onely that he should sit on God's Throne And it is as strange a mistake as any of the rest to quote the 2. chap. of Mat. to prove that Christ was called a Nazarite because he was typified by the Nazorite Samson for the text saith plainly that it was because he dwelt with his Father Joseph in the city of Nazareth And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophets He shal be called a Nazarite verse 23. And lastly that Christ saved many both in his life and death the Gospel cloth aboundantly declare but that he slew many is a tradition I dare say never till now heard of amongst Christians And of such rules as this you might have set downe as many as there are severall types in the Scripture The third rule It is usuall in the Scriptures to name the type and understand the thing signified by the type And therefore as it is said Heb. 6.2 Christ is the Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle that is of that which truly was signified by the Tabernacle so he may be said the true David and his Throne the true Throne of David and his Kingdom the true Jerusalem and the true Sion Answer We acknowledge that in the Scriptures the signe is sometimes taken for the thing signified and the thing signified some times for the signe But yet we know too that such figurative expressions are easily discerned from those which are plainly and properly delivered And therefore we cannot acknowledge that the Throne of David and Jerusalem or Sion are figuratively to be understood of the Throne of God and of Heaven or of the Church seeing the Spirit of God doth no where intimate unto us such a sense of them but alwaies the contrary The fourth rule As Christ is said to be the Lambe of God slaine from the beginning of the world Rev. 13.8 not only in the decree of God but by vertue and efficacy seeing by vertue of his blood at that time to be shed were Adam and Abel reconeiled unto God and delivered from the power of Satan So Christ's Kingdom began then for in Christ Adam Abel and we are one body and members of the same Kingdom howbeit in extent and largenesse it did most flourish and appeare since the Incarnation in which respect it is said to begin at or after his incarnation Answer It is true that the Gospel of Christ which he calls the Kingdom of God Mat. 21. verse 43. began in Adam to whom it was first preacht and by whom it was first embraced but it is not true that it did flourish more at Christ's incarnation then it did when all the Tribes were in the land together and undivided as in the times of Samuel David and Solomon Nor that it did begin againe when after Christ's ascension it was spread amongst the Gentiles for that was onely a translating of it from the Jewes to the Gentiles as our Saviour witnesseth Mat. 21. verse 43. The Kingdom of God shal be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruites thereof And therefore this is your bare affirmation not onely besides but against the expresse word of God The fifth rule The promise made to Abraham Gen. 13.16 I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth and chap. 15.5 looke towards Heaven and tell the number of the starres if thou be able to number them and so shall thy seed be These promises I say are not to be understood of the children of Abraham according to the flesh but as they are exponed Rom. 4.15 not of that onely which is of the Law but of them who are of the faith of Abraham which is the Father of us all as it is written I have made thee a Father of many Nations And Gal. 3.28 There is neither Jew nor Greele neither bond nor free neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus and if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heires according to the promise And therfore the promises made unto the children of Abraham Isaac and Jacob are not to be restricted unto the Jewes according to the flesh a● the Jewes and Millenaries expone all these promises but of the faithfull And hither belongeth that distinction of the Jewes Rom. 2.28 He is not a Jew who is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but
old male and female Master and servant And yet it might he true too that the grace of God that bringeth salvation had then appeared unto all Nations in regard of the report and publishing of it amongst them as St. Paul saith Rom. 10. ver 18. although not in regard of any effectuall participation of it by them And as for that text in the 2 Cor. chap. 4. ver 6. what doth it shew but that God had reveal'd unto the Apostle and his Assistants what they preach't unto others to wit the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and Quid hoe ad Rhombum what can you conclude from hence Israel's Redemption Againe I know no reason why we should give more credit to the metaphoricall interpretation of these Prophecies then to the figurative exposition which some presume to put upon those word● in the 12. of Zechariah at the 10. ver although St. John in his 19. chap. at the 37. ver hath alledg'd them as the onely k Joh. 12. v. 39. cause that our Saviours side was pierced of which fact doubtlesse there had been no necessity if the Prophecie were not to be understood in a literall sense and to say with others that it was thus fulfill'd in the Disciples who beheld our Saviours sufferings is not onely to rob the Prophecie of its right end but also to make the Disciples guilty of their Masters death for the text saith expressely They shall looke upon me whom they have l Psal 2● v. 16. c. pierced Where also it followes And they shall m Mat. 24. v. 30. mourne for him as one that mourneth for his onely Sonne and shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon But who can at the same time earnestly bewaile that mans death whose punishment they themselves doe not onely procure but scoffe at as all that murdered Christ did at his Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. He useth here rhetoricall termes but certainly it cannot be conceived by his words whether he takes them properly or improperly but we give no other interpretation of the Prophecies then be literall that is chiefly intended as he confesseth page 37. 2. The Evangelist shewes that Prophecie of Zechariah to be properly fulfill'd in that part that the sides of our Saviour were pierced and no Interpreter saith that the rest of that Prophecie was fulfilled at that instant but we may justly thinke that many of them who consented unto his death did mourne for that their fault seeing our Saviour prayed unto his Father to forgive them Luke 23.34 and the same Evangelist beareth witnesse that they who had crucified him were at the preaching of Peter pricked in their hearts Acts 2.23.37 whereby we conceive that that Prophecie was not fulfill'd in the Disciples neither in respect of the piercing his sides nor of looking to him at that time for they all fled away except John but in the Jewes who indeed by wicked hands did crucifie him and looked upon him and afterwards did mourne for him as one who mourneth for his onely Sonne and the mourning was great when 3000. were together pricked in their hearts Now consider whether this exposition be more consonant unto these words of the Prophet or that other whereby it is alledged that all the Jewes who did not see him pierced shall after so many hundred yeares mourne for their Fathers cruell and malicious contrivance the former is fulfill'd in the same persons within the space of seven or eight weeks and the other is not of the same persons neither within the space of 1600. yeares if at any time it shall be verified Reply 1. This is the second time that you cavill at my using of the word literall for proper although I herein speake but as Divines commonly speake out of whom it were easie to fill up many pages with instances for the confirmation of this sense of the word For what is the meaning of it in this Question An dogmata fidei ex solo Scripturae sensu literali non autem mystico figurato parabolico stabilienda sint thus it is propos'd by S●agmannus and by Brochmand thus An dogmata fidei e solo sensu literali non autem mystico stabiliri commodè atque tu●ò possint and in the abridgement of the substance of Religion set forth by Amandus Polanus page 127. concerning typicall Oracles are these words Of the first sort are they which are understood of both of them that is the type and the substance together and are to be taken properly or as they use to speake literally as Ex. 12.45 Ye shall not breake a bone of it And now who hath shewed himselfe the novice have I in following Divines in the use of this word or you in carping at me for it And whereas you boast that you give no other interpretation of the Prophecies then be chiefly intended it were well if you did not but surely you cannot prove your mysticall sense to be the sense chiefly intended neither doe I say that it is in telling you that Interpreters doe chiefly expound the preceding Prophecies of the joyning together of the Jewes and Gentiles into one Church for as I grant that they doe rightly conceive of the subject of these Prophecies in affirming that they concerne the uniting of the two people so I allow not of the application of this union to the time of the substituted Gentiles calling by their mysticall interpretations of them 2. That the Evangelist alledgeth this Prophecie of Zech. as then fulfill'd onely touching the piercing of our Saviours side I willingly grant and as the rest of the Prophecie was not at that time fulfill'd so that it hath not been since fulfill'd I doe also affirme And yet if you looke into Cornelius à Lapide you shall finde that some have said it was then wholly fulfill'd in the Disciples of whom there were more present then St. John as St. John himselfe records I say more of the Disciples if no other of the twelve and therefore it is false that our Saviour was not beheld by the Disciples But as I say that this exposition is quite contrary to the evidence of the Prophecie which speakes of the piercing of Christ by his enemies and not by his friends so I say too that your expounding of it as fulfill'd by the Iewes that were pricked in their hearts at Peters preaching Acts 2. ver 23.37 is not so consonant to the words of the Prophet as you imagine For albeit that many if not most of these Iewes were consenting to his death and upon their conversion were sorrie for their sinne yet the occasion of all this sorrow was St. Peters preaching was the hearing I say of what they had done and not the beholding of their pierced Saviour which the Prophet mentions as
whether John signifieth by them the godly on earth If these words make any thing for this purpose these Elders were in heaven but all the interpreters even the Authour of Commentat Apocalypt pag. 8. expone them to be the godly on earth The words Rom. 4.13 are The promise that he should be the heire of the world was not to Abraham and to his seed through the law but through the righteousnesse of faith Certaintly albeit the Land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and his seed yet he never having possession of that land and his seed or the faithfull are more properly called the heires of eternall life Tit. 3.7 And heires of that Kingdome which he hath promised unto them that love him Iam. 2.5 And heires of God and joynt-heires with Christ Rom. 8.17 Which Kingdome was typified by Canaan and of this promise without doubt speakes Paul there The words of Luke 19.17.19 are a part of a parable and we know that every part of a parable is not argumentative These texts then serve nothing for this Monarchy On the margine is cited also a testimony of Windelin but we regard not the testimony of parties in their own cause and far lesse doe we regard the consequences of that testimony wherewith the next page is filled and with that question of the essential or accidentall change of the Elements seeing for one we may bring five thousand testimonies in this urpose Reply The question is you say whether Saint John saw these Elders in heaven And that he did the text it selfe doth witnesse For that these Elders were the same with the Elders in chap. 4. the continuation of the vision doth infallibly evince And that Saint Iohn saw those Elders in heaven the 1 ver of the 4 chap. doth clearly prove where it is said After this I looked and behold a doore was opened in heaven and the first voyes which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with mee which said Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter Now what heaven was it in which Saint John saw a doore opened but the starry heaven the same heaven which Saint Stephen saw opened Acts 7.56 And what heaven was it from whence he heard a voice talking with him but the third heaven in the third heaven it was then whither Saint Paul was once caught up that Saint John heard and saw such wonderfull visions and revelations as soone as he was in the spirit that is as soone as hee was carried up by the spirit whither he was before called by the voice And consequently he saw these Elders in heaven and this also the 6 and 7 verses of the 5 chap. doe confirme which shew that these Elders were there where our Saviour represented by the Lambe that had been slaine was when the booke of Revelation was given unto him And as Saint John faw these Elders in heaven so Pareus makes report also of two sorts of interpreters who by these Elders doe understand Saints in heaven One which takes them for foure and twenty and no more for twelve Patriarches and twelve Apostles Another which takes them for all the Saints then in heaven to which interpretation he himselfe enclines And Piscator understands by them all the faithfull under both Testaments under the Law and under the Gospell and so makes these 24 Elders to represent not onely the Saints then departed but all others also which should depart before Christs appearing And now seeing the text shews that Saint John saw these Elders in heaven and interpreters say that they represented the Saints departed how can their words we shall reigne on earth be understood any otherwise then of their reigning after their resurrection Yea let them be taken for the Saints on earth and yet their words cannot be otherwise understood For if they did represent the Saints militant on earth they did then reigne spiritually when they spake these words And therefore seeing notwithstanding their spirituall reigne they said not we doe but we shall reigne on earth it is evident that their words cannot be meant of a reigne which they should enjoy on earth while they were in their bodies before their death which by your owne confession can be no other but a spirituall reigne but of a reigne which they should enjoy on earth when they are againe reunited to their bodies after their death And whereas the words in Rom. 4.13 For the promise that he should be heire of the world c. are by you thus interpreted That he should be heire of eternall life Tit. 8.7 When you can prove that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the visible world doth signifie eternall life we shall approve of this exposition In the meane while we shall understand it of the joynt-government of the world by Abraham and the rest of the raised Saints in the time of Christs reigne on earth At which time also they may well be said to be heires of eternall life and coheires with Christ seeing they shall rule the world with him and can dye no more The other words Luke 19.17.19 are a part of a parable and every part of a parable is not argumentative you say true that part which crosseth some truth plainely delivered in the scripture but that which agreeth with the plaine scriptures as this doth with the prophecies touching our Saviours and the Saints regin●ing on earth is argumentative ●i●e why i● i● said that our Saviour taught them in par●●●es if parables do com●●●e no certaine truth And what is the scope of this parable but to shew that Christ was not to reigne over the J●w● then a● his first comming when the Jew●s should refuse to have him ●eign●●ver them saying We have no king but C●sar but at his comming againe from heaven with power and great glory at which time he would make those that had in their life time improved his spirit all stocke governours under him And lastly your s●●ighting of Wendelinus testimony as a party and of this murg●●●ll note as too meane for your meditation is a fine sleigh● to excuse your not answering of them To which doubtles you had nothing to say for else we may well thinke that you would have been nibling at this marginall note too as well as you are at others and that among so many thousand opposite testimonies you would have pickt out an answer to this single ●●stimony of Wendeli●us Israel's Redemption And this will appeare to a diligent eye even out of the controversed place in Rev. ●0 for besides that the opposition betwixt the first and last resurrection doth impose the same sense on both besides this I say the vision represented not unto St. John perfect men at the first that is men that should be beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus but soules onely and that a● of men already beheaded which most manifestly shewes ●●at the resurrection after mentioned did follow their death and not goe before it And therefore
cannot be a long time to the Lord. And therefore albeit the last part of Saint Peters reciprocall proposition may favour your interpretation yet the first part will not suffer it Seeing that which is but one day with us cannot possibly be as a thousand yeares with the Lord although the space of a thousand yeares with us may be but as one day with the Lord. And consequently the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the one day in ver 7. must needes be meant of a propheticall day of a day consisting of yeares of so many yeares at least as the Apostle here speakes of and not of a naturall day of a day consisting of houres for how else should one day be with the Lord as a thousand yeares in regard of continuance of time And whereas you say That it is not said one day is a thousand yeares but is as a thousand yeares I pray what difference in sense is there betwixt these propositions certainely the adverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as doth not alwayes intimate a comparison but hath divers acceptions amongst which Pasor reckons its denoting of the truth and certainty of a thing for one And when it is used comparatively it doth include an exposition also as it were easie to prove by many instances and we need looke no further then the 10 verse of this chapter for an instance But the day of the Lord will come saith the Apostle as a thiefe in the night here the comparing of it to the comming of a thiefe doth shew that as it is unknowne to all so it is unexpected too of the ungodly on whom it shall come as a thiefe in the night that is altogether unlookt for and to whom also it shall be as the comming of a thiefe in the night that is fearefull unavoidable and full of horrour and amazement And thus it is evident that our exposition of ver 7. is the onely adequate and full exposition of the Apostles words and that yours is but a defective and partiall exposition of it Israel's Redemption This then being so I see not but that Gods fore-appointment of a thousand yeares continuance to the world for * Sicut e septenis annis septimus quisque annus remissionis est it 〈◊〉 e septem millibus annorum mundi septimus millenarius millenarius remissionis est R. Ketina Vid. Com. Apoc. par 2. pag. 287. each severall day of its first weeke the weeke of its creation might in all likelihood be the ground of this propheticall sense of the word Day wherein it was afterwards delivered by the infallible Pen-men of holy writ Mr. Petrie's Answer The certainty of all the appointments of God we acknowledge and the infallibility of his pen-men but where is it revealed that God hath appointed a thousand years continuance to the world for each severall day of the first weeke On the margine he cireth Rab. Ketina comment Apoca. par 2. p. 287. where are some testimonies in the Rabbines to this purpose Let Jewes follow Jewish fables to us Christians hath God spoken in the last dayes by his Sonne Heb. 1.2 whom he hath bidden us heare Certainely with a limitation to heare none others Reply I do not say it is revealed in Scripture that God hath appointed unto the world a thousand yeares continuance for each severall day of its first weeke but that Gods fore-appointment of so many thousands of yeares continuance unto the world might happily be the ground of this propheticall sense of the word Day in the scriptures Which space of time it doth comprehend whensoever it is emphatically applyed to the time of our Saviours appearing or the Jewes redemption as Isai 11.11 chap. 27.12 13. and Amos 9.11 and 2 Thes 1.10 and 2 Tim. 4.8 doe testifie And these texts in which it hath the epithet great annext to it Joel 2.31 Mal. 4.5 Jude ver 6. Rev. 6.17 chap. 16.14 And the learned doe so understand the word Day too in Gods threatning to Adam Gen. 2.17 because that threatning must needes be meant of a punishment that should come on Adam for his disobedience and consequently of a bodily death which yet he suffered not till neere nine hundred and thirty yeers after And thus it is manifest that we take this word in no other sense then the Prophets doe to whom God spake by his Spirit in time past or then the Apostles doe to whom God spake by his Sonne first and by his Spirit afterwards or then God did as many learned Divines acknowledge in the foresaid passage to Adam And therefore we borrow it not from the Jewish sables although we will not reject any truth that the Jewes hold for feare of being upbraided with their sables or with the name of Jewes But what I so much out of charity with the Jewes now Is not this the Name whose mysticall interpretation hath stood you in such stead in the wresting of the prophecies which concerne them by Name and none else and did you not say pag. 16. that the faithfull are called Jewes not onely typically but likewise for the speciall comfort of the Jewes How did you dare then so boldly to abuse that Name by which you say the faithfull are so frequently ●iled in Scripture And what comfort can it be to the Jewes that you lay claime to this Name in the scriptures where it belongs not to you that you seeme to take delight in it there and yet in your writings and common discourse use it as a by-word and terme of reproach or how can we thinke that you apply the prophecies touching the Jewes to the Christians for any other reason but because you thinke such great and glorious mercies too good for the Jewes how I say can we thinke otherwise when as we see they are so odious unto you that in meere scorne and derision of the truth we hold you call us Jewes by way of opposition to Christians I pray remember what our Saviour is as man is he not a Jew me thinkes then if ●●ought else could yet the reverence you owe to him should have with held you from such an uncivill usage of this Name Israel's Redemption To this also may be added that i● Matth. 24.31 which shewes that when the Sonne of man des●ends He shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the foure windes from one end of the heaven to the other at which time two shall be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left two women shall be grinding at the Mill the one shall be taken and the other left and as Saint Marke record two men shall be in one b●d 〈◊〉 one shall be taken and the other left chap. 17.34 But if our Saviour at his comming shall presently give ●●ntence on all that are not writte● in the Booke of life if he shall make no stay on earth before he undertake this businesse then why shall the