that time of truth without mixtures of errour a time of light without mixture of darknesse a time of knowledge without mixture of ignorance from whence all Heresie doth proceed The light of the Moon shall be as the Sun and the light of the Sun shal be seven-fold as the light of seven days The Ordinances aso will then be pure without mixtures of superstition humane inventions and will-worship There are those Rivers of water of life clear as chrystal Great also will be the holinesse of that day Zach. 14.9 Rev. 22.1 Isa 2.2 For it shall come to passe in the last dayes that the Mountain of the Lords House shall be established in the top of the Mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all Nations shall flow unto it And many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths for out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem See also Zach. 8.19.20 21 22. The streets of the City are all gold and golden will be the lives and conversations of the Citizens yea God shall be known in her Palaces for a refuge the foundations of her City are all of Pearl her streets paved with precious stones her Gardens fragrant with all manner of pleasant flowers her delightful walks are always green her Springs are living waters her months are one continued May her Trees bear all manner of lovely fruits and the leaves of the same are for the healing of the Nations her years are one lasting joyful Jubilee and her strength is always firm her same men leap as Harts and the tongue of dumb men then are loosed O when shall we go how shall we get to this holy and beautiful City of God Her time is coming her year is at hand and the Lord will hasten it in his time Reader thou hast here a little taste of the beginning of Zions blisse held forth unto thee only according unto our weak and short manner of conceiving and expressing the things themselves as far surmount our thoughts and words as the Heavens are above the Earth and as the East is distant from the West Give me now leave to put a period to all in a word or two of Application Vse 1 Let us help forward this Kingdom of Christ on Earth by faith and prayer and so much the rather because the time approacheth the Promises are even come to the birth and they draw on apace Pray we therefore for the ruine of Antichrist Rome must down before Christ will set up his Kingdom and for the calling of the Jewes for the beginning of this Kingdom must be with the Jews they â—uâ—t be Caput Imperii the Head and Seat of this Empire must be among them And let us pray according to Christs direction Thy Kingdom come and thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven which will never be till these thousand years Let as saith David all Nations serve thee O God let all people praise thee O pray that God would take to himself his great power and reign before the Ancients gloriously Vse 2 This may inform us that the day of Judgment is not so far off as many think it For if once Antichrists Kingdom go down Christs Kingdom is set up as we have before heard and certainly Antichrists twelve hundred and sixty days of reigning are not long to continue though we cannot tell justly how long yet in the general we know it cannot be long and Christs Kingdom is durante currente die judicii within and during the great day of Judgment Vse 3 This doctrine speaks comfort to you O ye sons of Zion and daughters of Jerusalem O thou Wife and Spouse of Christ thou art She who hast seen and dost see affliction yea from thy youth up thou hast been slain and killed all the day long the furrows have been made long upon thy back and thou hast been â—â—ptied from vessel to vessel Thy flesh hath 〈◊〉 no rest but troubles are on every side without are sight◠〈…〉 been covered as with a cloud and art for a 〈◊〉 word and hissing to passers by yea accounted as the off-scouring of all things unto this day But he of good chear yea awake and sing thou that dwellest in the dust for thus saith the Lord God O thou afflicted and tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours and lay thy foundations with Saphire and make thy windows of Agats and gates of Carbuncle and borders of pleasant stones For thy Maker is thy Husband the Lord of Hosts is his Name and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel the God of the whole Earth shall he be called Wherefore lift up thy head for thy Redemption draws nigh and the years of thy deliverance are now at hand O wait and pray and bear up yet a little a very little while and thy work shall be rewarded and the wicked train shall be no more but the meek shall inherit the Earth and delight themselves in a very great abundance of peace do but fight stoutly through the pikes and win the field put forth thy strength and spare no pains no cost no sweat no blood O cast about a careful eye use all holy policy rally up thy force afresh it wants but a little and all 's thine own and then thou art made for 〈◊〉 〈…〉 dou◠〈…〉 〈◊〉 pleasure to give thee the Kingdom Thy 〈◊〉 who hath washed thee in his blood 〈◊〉 made thee clean and spotless behold he â—â—mes quickly and his reward is with him â—rise O Lord and let thine enemies be scattered â—â—d those that hate thee flee before thee Lay Babylon in the dust and let her Virgins be cut off O 〈◊〉 the hairy scalp of all thine incurable foes 〈◊〉 Zion be exalted and Jerusalem made a praise 〈◊〉 the midst of the Earth preserve thy Spouse in 〈◊〉 midst of Lions strengthen her faith lengthen her â—â—â—ience hasten thy coming O be as a Roe or â—â—oung Hart upon the Mountains of Spices Ameu FINIS
A SOBER INQUIRY OR CHRISTS Reign With his Saints a Thousand YEARS Modestly Asserted from Scripture TOGETHER With the Answer of most of those Ordinary Objections which are usually urged to the contrary 1 THES 5.21 Prove all things Hold fast that which is good LONDON Printed in the Year 1660. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER Courteous Reader WHen I first fell to the Study of Christs Kingdom upon Earth I did it with a Resolution to have done the quite contrary to what is done in this small Tract viz. To have opposed and confuted it But the more I studied the thing the less able I was to do what I intended At last I was convinced into a change of my opinion and my grounds of so doing I first upon his request communicated to a Reverend Minister now with the Lord only in a Letter himself and some other godly Brethren desired me a little more fully to set down in Writing what I had to say for it I did gratifie them in part so that one sheet of Paper swelled into five And having communicated the same sheets to some other pious and godly Brethren they cold me they would have it printed This I confess was beyond all my intentions but I durst not altogether reject their Requests only considering we live in a touchy Age I desired that I might write it over a third time that so if there were any thing which I could I might amend it this they willingly granted I did it it is now which was contrary to my resolution somwhat bigger then it was before yet have I been aâ— brief as well I could I have left out much that might be said I hope nothing is said that may be justly offensive to any I am very pâ—ain and familiar in speech for I thought that might be advantageous to the subject and not displease I am not covetous to urge my faith upon any only willing to give you an account of the publication of this small Piece If you say it is not worthy the light I confess I always thought so yet I submitted to those that were of another opinion and at this time you are intreated to 〈◊〉 so too And let me beg one thing at your hands viz. not to think that I differ more from many godly learned Divines then indeed I do Some agree with mâ— some do not those that do not differ not so much as you it may be may think The agreement and difference lies thus 1. We are all agreed that Jesus Christ will come personally corporally and visibly from Heaven to Earth at the day of Judgment So he ascended therefore so he shall descend as we have â—t Acts 1.11 So Job 19.25 He shall stand at the latter day on the Earth In this I think we are all agreed 2 We are all I think agreed that when Christ thus comes he will bring with him the souls of all his Saints according to that Zach 14 5. the Lord my God shall come and all his Saints with thee 1 Thes 3.13 At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints 3. We all agree that their bodies shall be immediately raised out of their Graves and the soul and body joyned and united together and that though the soul continues remains and is in Heaven without the body yes on earth it shall not be so 4. We all agree that when it is thus raised it is raised in glory 1 Cor. 15.42 in incorruption in power a spiritual body Col. 3.4 When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Not thence forth â—ubject any more to sin or sorrow to mutation or mortality to the want of meat or drink or clothing or houses or marriage or any other comfort but shall be as the Angels Matth. 22.30 5. We all I think agree further that this resurrection of the Saints shall be some time before the resurrection of the wicked that they shall have the preheminence and be the fiâ—st in order and time I say nothing now how long but all agree they shall be fiâ—st and the wicked shall not rise till some time less or more afterward See 1 Cor. 15 23 24 〈◊〉 Thes 4.16 the dead in Christ shall rise first Rev 20 4 5 6. 6. We all agree also that the Lord Jesus Christ will be some time in judging the world that he will not huddle all over in a moment but he will make some stay on the earth and that as though he hath no need of time he took a sâ—ace of time in creating the world so he will take some spâ—ce of time on earth to do what he will then do viz besides the question in hand to judge and conclude all things in 7. And all of us I think are agreed in this also that while Christ stayes on the Earth let it be longer or lesser time the Saints also must stay and not go to Heaven from the Earth until Christ goes and carrys them up with him 8. And all will grant that it must needs be a very glorious time while it lasts when Christ shall have removed his Court from Heaven to Earth and be in his glory attended with Angels invironed with all his Saints who are also all of them in their glory O! how can such a time be while it lasts less then a glorious time all things will be new 9. Lastly the onely difference will be in the time how long this day of Judgement or Kingdom of Christ or Reign of the Saints or Millennium call it what you will shall last I conceive and so do many whose Books I am not worthy to carry after them that it will last a thousand years and for the proof of that these following Pages are offered But if those of another minde will point another time and prove it it shall very well please me who am I hope and ever shall be as willing to hear as to speak to learn as teach And so intreating thee courteous Reader to pardon whatsoever thou seest in me amisse I humbly beg thy prayers to God for me and if that were any thing worth I will not fail thee in mine who always desire to be though worthless a servant to Christ and thy soul I. F. ERRATA Reader thou art desired to take notice of the faults in printing and to amend with thy pen at least so many as either troble the sense or may cause he sitation PAge 5. line 17 read Amongst p. 13. l 3. read these p. 14 l. 13 r. principia p. 18. l. 5. adde make this p. 22. l. 5. there and so all along the Hebrew is without points which in the Copy was pointed p. 24. l. 20 r. fits p. 37. l. 7. r. break p. 43. l. 9. r. speaks of p. 5â— l. 2 r. I le not p. 56. l. 1. r. of the beast p. 60. l. 10. r. what is it to p. 90. l. 23. adde wrested to The Rise and Ruine of Antichrist
placing the particle again so as it may have reference to the verb he saith as if it had been thus expressed And again he saith when he bringeth in his only c. But the words in the Greek as here is plain are otherwise placed then in our English Translation word for word they run thus But when again he bringeth his first begotten into the world he saith c. Again secondly for yield me but the ordinary liberty of construction and the words will run thus But when he bringeth again his only begotten into the world he saith c. Again namely in his second coming with a manifest respect to this Psalm And so very many interpret this Text in this psalm Loquitur hic inquit Ribera Com. in Heb. 1 6 de secundo Christi adventu cum ad judicandum veniet quae est secunda introductio in hunc mundum He speaketh saith Ribera in his Commentary on Heb. 1.6 of the second coming of Christ when he shall come to judge which is his second bringing into this world Primb inquit Chrysostomus introductus est Christus in Orbem per incarnationem passibilis mortalis iterum verè sive secundo gloriosus impassibilis die judicii Tunc enim filium quasi inaugurabit eumque mittet reipsâ in possessionem totius orbis terrâ—â—um ait Cornelius à Lapide Firstly saith Chrysostome Christ was brought into the world by his Incarnation passible and mortal but again or secondly glorious and impassible at the day of Judgment For then saith Cornelius à Lapide he will as it were inthrone the Son and send him in very deed into the possession of the whole earth Yea some that deny this reading and interpretation do yet confesse the words may be extended to that dignity and dominion which God shall give the Son over the whole world in that he hath made him heire of all things and given him the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession Psal 2.8 And the learned and godly Annotators on the English Bible deny not but that the words may be understood of Christs second coming as well as his first ¶ See also Psal 97.1 Where it is to be noted that though the Psalm be without a title not only in our English Bibles but also in our Hebrew Copies yet the LXX Interpreters either doubtless had then Copies in which this title was prefixed to the Psalm or else had received it by tradition and knew that the Psalme was fitted to that time and therefore they have prefixed this title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psalmus David quando terraejus restituta est A Psalm of David when the earth is restored As if the whole Psalme were made and fitted to that time and truly he that will seriously reade and consider this Psalm wil see I think that time pointed at if not plainly deciphered and described Thus the Psalmist begins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord reigneth let the Earth reâ—oyce let the multitude of â—sles be glad thereof which words seem clear for the reigning of Christ in his second coming for the Psalmist speaks expresly in the following words of those things that precede it a fire goes before him and burns up all his enemies round about him c. with a clear and evident reference to the Aâ—mageddon battel and that conflagration which at that time shall burn up and consume his enemies Then to omit all other passages at the â— v he speaks plainly of the calling of the Jews or called at that time Zion heard and was glad and the daughtees of Judah reâ—oyced becauâ—e of thy Judgments O Loâ—d Again v 9. for thou Lord art high above all the earth thâ—n art exalted far above all Gods This hath never yet been but shall then be when he shall take to himself his great power and reign and all Nations shall serve and obey him Again that is clear v. 6. All the people see his glory And v. 7. worship him all ye gods Paul to the Hebrews in the place before cited puts this out of all doubt to be fulfilled in Christs second coming Heb. 1.6 worship him all ye Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All ye Gods is rendred by the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All ye Angels which rendring the Apostle follows and approves And thus Arnobius interprets and applies this whole Psalm ¶ So Isa 49.8 I will give thee for a Covenant of the people to establish the Earth and to cause to inherit the desolate heritages namely in a spiritual manner in the restoring the Kingdom of Israel or in the restitution of all things at Christs second coming v. 9. That thou mayest say to the Prisoners Go forth and to them that are in darkness Shew your selves viz. in the resurrection of the just And v. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst neither shall the heat of the Sun smite them for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them even by the Springs of water shall be guide them viz. after the destruction of Antichrist All which did begin somewhat to be fulfilled in Christs first coming but because they far exceed that mean and low condition of Christ here on earth therefore they shall be perfectly and compleatly fulfilled in Christs second coming and that upon earth after the final destruction of Antichrist at the sounding of the seventh Trumpet contemporary with which are the innumerable company of white-robed palm bearing Triumphers of all Nations Kindred and People Concerning whom the very same words of the Prophet are used and that in the same sense Rev 7.16 17. They shall hunger no more nor thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heat For the Lamb which is in the midst of them shall feed them and lead them to living Feuntains of waters and wipe away all tears from their eyes See also Zach 9.10 And I will cut off the Charet from Ephreim and the Horse from JerusaleÌ„m and the battel-bowe shall be cut off and he shall speak pâ—ace unto the heathen and his dominion shall be from sâ—a even to sea and from the river even to the ends of the earth And chap. 13.2 And it shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord â—f Hosts that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the Land and they shall no more be remembred and also I will cause the Prophets and the unclean spirits to pass out of the Land And chap. 14.9 And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth and in that day shall be one Lord and his Name one viz in the day of the second coming of Christ I only name these Texts as being so clear and obvious that they need no Explication ¶ Also Mat 10.28 In the Regeneration when the Son of man shall sit upon the Throne of his glory ye shall sit upon Thrones judging i. e. governing the twelve Tribes of Israel Calvin understands these words de renovato Ecclesiae
visibly represented to him Object To do a thing with Christ doth not imply his personal presence with us but in Scripture phrase we may be said to do a thing with Christ which we either do for Christ or by his assistance or do a thing that Christ did before us though himself be not personally present with us As Rom. 8.18 If we suffer doth not imply that no man can suffer but be must have Christ personally present with him on the Earth to suffer with him No! that cannot be the meaning but we suffer with Christ though we be on the Earth and he in Heaven because we suffer for him and by his assistance and suffer the same things he suffered before us So this phrase of reigning with Christ doth not imply Christs personal abode with us but only the doing of a thing or enjoyment of a thing for Christs sake or the doing of that which he now doth though in another place or the doing of that which he did before us Answ For a man to do a thing with Christ before death doth not imply Christs personal presence with him in the doing of it but for a man to do a thing with Christ after death doth imply Christ is personally present with him at the doing of it As that very text quoted in the objection doth sufficiently declare viz. Ro. 8.17 If we suffer with him we shall be glorified with him the former clause if we suffer with him is spoken of a man before death and doth not imply that a man is personally present with him when he suffers But the latter clause we shall be glorified with him is meant of a man after death and doth imply that a man is personally present with him when he is glorified together with him So likewise for a man to live with Christ before death doth not imply the personal presence of Christ the reason is because before death we are absent from the Lord 2 Cor. 5.6 But for the Saints to live and reign with Christ after death yea after the resurrection of their bodies this doth imply Christ is personal present with them where they so reign and the reason is because after death they are ever with the Lord and never absent from him As the Scripture testifier John 14.3 That where I am there ye may be also John 17.24 Father I will that they also whom thou bast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me Phil. 1.23 I desire to depart and to be with Christ 1 Thes 4.17 And so shall we ever be with the Lord. 2 Tim. 2.12 We shall also reign with him Therefore seeing the Saints are said to live and reign with Christ and are not Saints Militant or the Saints before death but Saints triumphant or Saints after death as hath appeared before it follows that Christ is personally present with them so living and reigning Object 8 This opinion dispeoples Heaven of all the antient glorious inhabitants thereof and that for no less then a thousand years togegether Ans 1 Are not the Angels the inhabitants of Heaven in the time of the thousand years and yet they shall be on the Earth somtime too John 1.52 Verily I say unto you hereafter you shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and DESCENDING upon the Son of man which words have a special reference unto the time of the thousand years when Christ shall be on the Earth 2. How many souls were in Heaven before Abel came thither So many shall there be when the thousand years begin and while they are 〈…〉 many shall be left in Heaven when 〈…〉 â—â—â—ement shall begin and be so 〈…〉 when the thousand years shall 〈…〉 and no more for they are one and 〈…〉 Object 9 This opinion implys a threefold coming of Christ the first when he came to take flesh the second when he comes to take receive and enter upon his kingdom the third when he shall come to judge to conclude and end the world Answ This opinion owns but two comings of Christ and as the Scripture so this opinion knows no more The first at his Incarnation The second at this Great day of Judgment the third I know nor for the thousand years are durante currente die judicii the day of Judgement continuing and running on His first coming 〈◊〉 but one and takes into it all neither the meaning of those texts nor can the world bring any such thing to pass 3. Both those forecited texts are to be understood with intermination Now God will have the thousand years to be a time of perfect and compleat intermination to the New Jerusalem or camp of the Saints For the Tabernacle of God shall be with them and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be among them no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain Rev. 2â—â—◠〈…〉 also be a time of far more perâ—â—◠〈…〉 intermination to the other 〈…〉 in a state of mortality and are 〈…〉 21.24 the. Nations that are saved and walk in the light of it then ever the sun saw or the people of God enjoyed before Now that those texts are to be as I said understood with intermination is manifest by that rest which sometime the Church had As Acts 9.31 Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Saâ—aâ—ia c. So also in Solomons time 1 Kings 4 25. whose peaceful time was a type of the peace rest and quiet we are speaking of we see what an abundance of quiet they injoyed for the text saith Judah anâ— Israel dwelt safely every man under his vine and under his figtree from Dan even to Beersheba all the days of Solomon It such were the peace of Solomon who was but a type what is like to be the peace of the Church under the antitype who is a King as of Righteousness so of peace as it is said of Melchizedeck another type 4. Tribulation is not essential to the Earth but accidental only and if Christ be pleased to make that a place of happiness to the saints which is now a place of misery let no mans eye be evil because Christs is good 5. What is meant by the Earth in this question Not the Earth unreformed and unrenewed but reformed and renewed as it shall be at the day of Judgement The former is a place of misery procured by the 〈◊〉 Adam the second is a place of happiness for that time procured by the second Adam Jesus Christ Object 12 The reign of this Saints everlasting in Heaven therefore it is not temporary upon the Earth as this opinion implys Math. 5.10 2 Tim. 4.18 Answ The reign of the Saints is in both places though not at one and the same time but at distinct and diverse times succeeding one another 1 If we speak of the time before the day of Judgment the souls of the