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 Shâ—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 flâ—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
time betwixt the godly and ungodly as well as they doe betwixt Christ and them 3. If you were as able to justifie your accusations as you are forward to accuse there were no contending with you but it is so common with you to awe the Reader with great words when you have least to say to the purpose that he is by this time well acquainted with your craft and therefore your bare affirming that here is a contradiction will be taken for no evidence Although then the word commeth be not expressed in the originall yet to make the sense compleate this word or a word equivalent to this as your owne translation doth witnesse is here to be understood For then or at that time say you is the end I pray at what time at the time of our Saviours descending surely the Apostle answers not so but when he shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father When he shall have put downe all rule and all authority and power c. So that the Then here is referred by Saint Paul to these Whens which follow it and not to the words foregoing as you wrest it And besides whereas the Apostle shews us when the end shall be by these convertible expressions When he shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God When he shall have put downe all rule and all authority and power you skippe from this and falsely and fallaciously inferre That the time when he shall deliver up the Kingdome is when they who are Christs shall rise at his comming so that according to your explication of the text the words Then commeth the end are superfluous and the text should runne thus Christ the first-fruites afterwards they that are Christ's at his comming when he shall have delivered up the Kingdome c. And thus it appeares how much this place of the Apostle doth puzzle you And yet you tell us also That the 15 ver doth teach us that Christ reigneth now because it is said there for be must reigne c. But this is no truer then the rest that you have said For the Apostle referres these words to the time after his comming and not to the time that now is so that the full meaning of his words is this Afterwards they that are Christs at his comming Then commeth the end when after his comming he shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God When after his comming he shall have put downe all rule and all authority and power When after his comming the rest of the dead are risen For he must reigne after his comming till he hath put all his enemies under his feete And the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death at the last resurrection of the dead And whereas you adde that text Heb. 2.8 Thou hast put all things under his feete to prove also that Christ doth now reigne You doe very unadvisedly contradict your owne Tenet and the Apostles words For if all things are now actually put under him then he doth not now reigne seeing the Apostle saith That he must reigne untill he hath put all his enemies under his feete and no longer And therefore it is evident that those words Heb. 2.8 are spoke in relation to Gods fore-appointment of it and not to the actuall performance of it to Gods committing of that power to the Sonne by which he is now able to subdue all things unto himselfe as it is Phil. 3.21 and not to the Sunnes putting of this power in execution which shall not be till his comming againe as both the order and sense of Saint Pauls words here doe shew and the voices in heaven at the sounding of the seventh Trumpet Rev. 11.15 And the thanksgiving of the Elders ver 17. doe confirme And so the beginning and not the end of the administration of Christs Kingdome is to be when they who are dead in Christ shall be made alive And though these Saints shall dye no more yet death the last enemy shall not be then utterly destroyed for as much as none but these Saints shall then rise and that the Jewes which are then to be delivered and the Gentiles which shall be called at and through their deliverance and those who are borne in the time of our Saviours reigne shall be subject unto death as well as we though not to the like persecution by men or temptation from Satan who is then to be bound up for the space of a 1000 yeares Israel's Redemption Thus farre Saint Paul whose words doe clearely prove that the reigne of Christ as man of which alone we treate doth neither beginne before his comming nor extend it selfe beyond the death of Dâ—ath the last resurrection And therefore cannot without a palpable contradiction be taken for the time when he shall give up his Kingdome to the Father nor for the time that now is betwixt which and his Kingdome too our Saviour in my conceit hath put an irreconcileable distinction calling this the time not of a Kingdome but of temptation that is a time of persecution for righteousnesse sake a time wherein his Disciples must be delivered up to be afflicted killed and hated of all Nations for his Name that thus fulfilling the rest of the afflictions of Christ for his bodies sake which is the Church they may at last wholly and together for shall not their bodies as well reigne with Christ as their soules but these we know are and shall be yet captives to the grave or are the Saints that shall be found alive at Christs comming exempted from his Kingdome for if he should reigne till then and then give up his Kingdome to his Father they are exempted but if as our Apostle she ws his reigne beginne not till his comming then as the living shall at that time n Thes 4 15 6 17. together with the dead in Christ be caught up to meete him so the Saints shall then and till then they cannot wholly and altogether reigne with him I say together and at once be made partakers of their Masters Kingdome which as it appeares is not to be in heaven and therefore must needes beheld on earth where all things which our Saviour promised his Disciples may well be accomplished in a literall sense Mr. Petrie's Answer What God by his word and experience hath conjoyned let no man call irreconcileable for he saith Psal 110.2 Reigne thou in the midst of thy enemies and Rom. 8.37 In all these things that is in the midst of our sufferings we are more then conquerours so that when the enemies doe rage and persecute even then doth Christ reigne and the godly are Kings or if there be any title more transcendent Reply Certainely experience doth joyne nothing together but declares onely to us what God hath conjoyned and doubtlesse what God hath conjoyned Christ would not separate and yet Luke 22.28 he saith Yee are they which have followed mee in my temptations therefore I appoint unto you a Kingdome as
quite different from the other And as spirituall pleasures appertaine to the Saints on earth as well as to the Saints in heaven so doe eating and drinking agree as well with glorified as unglorified bodies as well with the state of immortality as with the state of mortality For our Saviour did eate on earth at his Disciples table after his resurrection and he saith that the glorified Saints shall eate and drinke with him at his table after their resurrection And further he saith that after the last Judgement there is in the new Jerusalem the fruit of the tree of life to be eate of and the water of the river of life to be dranke of his words are To him that over cometh will I give to eate of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God Rev. 2.7 and againe Rev. 22.14 15. Blessed are they that doe his Commandements that they may have right to the tree of life And whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely And indeed seeing God creates nothing in vaine it were vaine to thinke that the tree of life should beare twelve manner of fruites monthly unlesse they were to be fed on or that the river of the water of life should runne through the midst of the streete in the holy Jerusalem if it were not as well to be dranke of by the Saints in glory as to nourish the tree of life on the sides of it And therefore unlesse you can bring better proofes to shew that I am misinformed or doe misinforme then these texts of the Psalmist or any you have cited hitherto you your selfe will be found an over-hasty misinformer against the truth Israel's Redemption And as it is evident from his owne words that the Throne of his Kingdome is not now in heaven so it is plaine from Saint Pauls in 1 Cor. 15.12 that it shall not be thereafter the judgement of the dead his words are these As in Adam all dye even so in Christ shall all be made alive But every man in his owne order Christ the first fruites afterwards * They that are Christs at his comming-If there were not to be some distance of time betwixt the resurrection of these and other men it had been as easie for the Apostle to have said they that are dead or all that are in the grave And if there shall be a precedencie of time then no doubt but it shall be such a precedency as may bring some advantage and honour unto the Saints and therefore not onely of a few houres or dayes but of a more notable continuance and length of time of many yeares For if Christ should descend for no other purpose but to call all men to judgement then as there would he need of none so there could not well be any priority of time to distinguish their resurrection because in that act both good and bad must be assembled before him at the same time and the wicked doubtlesse should then be raised as soone to see his comming as the just to meete and accompany him therein they that are Christs at his comming and therefore not the m Zech. 14.5 1 Thes 3.13 chap. 4. ver 14 15 16. 2 Thes 1.10 Col. 3.4 Martyres onely Then commeth the end what presently after his comming no but when he hath delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father and when shall that be when he shall have put downe all rule and all authority and power For he must reigne till He that is the Father hath put all his enemies under his feete which will be fully accomplished when the last enemy shall be destroyed which is death and when all things shall be thus subdued unto him then shall follow that inutterable glory that height of happinesse where the Sonne also himselfe shall be subject unto him that did before put all things under him that God may be all in all Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Whether the Apostle might have said so or so Can any man gather necessarily out of these words so great a distance of time betwixt the resurrection of the godly and of the ungodly Here the Apostle nameth the godly and not the ungodly not importing any notable distance of time but because he had said ver 22. In Christ all shall be made alive which words cannot be properly and univocally meaned of the ungodly whose rising shall be for the accomplishment of the second death therefore here ver 23. he justly â—mits the mention of the ungodly and speakes of the godly as also he doth 1 Thes 4.16 17. where we find expressely an order among the godly saying The dead in Christ shall rise first and then we who are alive and remaine shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meete the Lord in the aire The Apostle in both texts speakes of the same comming of Christ as this Author acknowledgeth and applyeth the words to the same purpose pag. 50. As none will say that there shall be any notable priority in time betwixt the one and the other sort meeting Christ so and farre lesse doe these words speaking onely of them that are in Christ import two resurrections different the one from the other the space of a 1000 yeares Yea and the Apostle saying That we shall be caught up and meete the Lord in the aire and so shall be ever with him How can any imagine that we shall come downe againe from the aire to abide so long a space upon the earth and therefore he speakes there of the generall resurrection when they who are in Christ shall be ever with him not in a temporall but everlasting glory And seeing the Apostle speakes both here and there of the same resurrection certainely he speakes not here of a resurrection before the time of the generall judgement 2. pag. 49. After these words of Paul at his comming Mr. Maton inserteth and not the Martyrs onely Why inserteth he these words doth any who denyeth this earthly Monarchy say that the Martyrs and no more shall come with Christ no but some Millenaries say so And here he would marke a word against them Be it so 3. He wresteth the words thus Then commeth the end what presently after his comming no but when he hath delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father and when shall that be when he shall have put downe all rule and authority and power c. Here instead of explication is a very contradiction of the text by inserting a negative and conveighing it closely with a query The particle Then hath relation to the words preceding and the word Comes is not in the originall as yee may see by the divers characters in the translation and it may as well be rendred Then or at that time is the end when he shall have delivered up c. So that the very time when he shall deliver the Kingdome is when they who are Christs shall arise at his comming And
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
Earth and together with Ephraim with the ten Tribes from Assyria which as i Joh. 7. ver 35. yet never came back and therefore this is not yet fulfil'd Mr Petrie's Answer 1. There is no mention of returning here but of recovering of the remnant of his people 2. Who be these his people Looke the tenth verse In that day there shall be a roote of Jesse which shall stand for an Ensigne of the people to it shall the Gentiles seeke and his rest shall be glorious And behold how the Apostles expones these words Rom. 15.12 Esaias saith there shall be a root of Jesse and he that shall rise to reigne over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust Now whereas the Apostle expones his people to be the Gentiles may they not be ashamed who will understand onely the Jewes so that there is meaned the recovery of Gods people or the Gentiles from Assyria Egypt or wheresoever they be Reply 1. There is mention of recovering the remnant of his people from Assyria Egypt Paphros Cush Elam Shinar Hamath and the Islands of the Sea and of smiting the River that men may goe over dry-shod and of a high-way for the remnant of his people that shall be left from Assyria like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the Land of Egypt And how much doth this recovering differ from a returning 2. Who the people be that are meant in this Prophecie the words Israel Judah and Ephraim doe shew and not the tenth verse where the Gentiles are mention'd For why should those things which concerne the Jewes here be understood of the Gentiles which are onely mentioned by the by as it were rather then that which is said of the Gentiles be understood of the Jewes of whom so much is spoken in this Chapter And where have you learned to take Judah and Ephraim or Israel for the Gentiles Surely the Apostle expounds not the Jewes by the Gentiles nor the Gentiles by the Jewes but rehearseth the 10. ver of this chapter to shew that Christ was to bring salvation to the Gentiles as well as unto the Jewes and this Prophecie of the Gentiles being mixt with that which concernes the Redemption of the Jewes is more likely to be meant of the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles at Christs next appearing then of the comming in of the substituted part of the Gentiles in the time of the Jewes blindnesse And therefore seeing God hath made mention of the Gentiles by name in those Prophecies which concerne them and of the Jewes by name in those which concerne them it behoves us to give to the Jew the Prophecies that beare the Image and superscription of the Jewes and to the Gentile those which beare the Image and superscription of the Gentiles and not so needlessely so irrationally and so unjustly to give unto the Gentiles all that belongs unto the Jewes Whereas then the Apostle quotes this Prophecie out of Isaias onely as a testimony to prove that Christ came as well for the good of the Gentiles as the Jewes if you had any regard of what you say you would never have cal'd it an exposition nor have publish't it to the world as a rule to interpret the Prophecies which concerne the Jewes of the Gentiles The objections which you have alledg'd against your selfe out of the foresaid Prophecie are these The first objection It is said He shall assemble the out-casts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah Mr Petrie's Answer The Gospel which is Christs Standard hath been preached unto them Jam. 1.1 and so their assembling is into the bosome of the Church Reply And so you separate these words from the rest of the Prophecie and apply them to the calling of the Jewes at the first preaching of the Gospel of purpose to delude the Reader for the Prophecie speakes of their returne into their owne Countrey and not at all of the preaching of the Gospel unto them in other Countries as any one may perceive And yet although the Gospel was in the first dayes thereof preach't to the Jewes scattered abroad what effect had it amongst them surely St. Paul Act. 13. ver 45 46. and in the 1 Thess 2. ver 14 15 16. doth testifie that such was their malice against the Apostles for preaching of it that they laboured all they could to raise up enemies against them thereby to hinder the growth of the Gospel not onely amongst their owne Nation but amongst the Gentiles also so that even in this sense Israel and Judah the twelve Tribes are not yet assembled And it is observable how palpably you here contradict your former words for here you expound Israel and Judah properly of the Iewes onely as your quoting of the first chap and first ver of the Epistle of St. James doth shew and yet in the second part of your Answer you tell us that both the Prophet and St. Paul doe expound his people to be the Gentiles The second objection It is said the envie of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off c. Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. The meaning is whereas there had been contentions twixt the Tribes one against another and both against the Gentiles and Gentiles against them both under Christ shall be an end of that malice 2. In the citation of this Prophecie the 14. ver is omitted because they cannot see how it can be verified of the peaceable Kingdome which they imagine but seeing the words preceding and the words following containe one and the same Prophecy and these words in the middle part cannot be exponed of that Monarchy it is evident that no part of this Prophecie can be understood of that Monarchy but the meaning is plaine if they be exponed of the Christian Church thus The Apostles flee that is quickly preach unto other Nations and brought them in a short space unto the obedience of Christ not going in troopes from Province to Province but at the same time they went one by one into severeâ— Nations 3. This ver being omitted the 15. ver is quoted and out of it they doe imagine that a way shall be made for the Jewes through the Sea and all floods shall be dried up before them But if these words shall be exponed properly what kind of Miracle shall that be shall the Jewes who are scattered into all the corners of the Earth have a dry passage through every river and the Egyptian or Red-sea be destroyd Or is it not rather in a spirituall sense that the Lord will remove all impediments which may hinder the course of the Gospel and he hath opened a way into that Kingdome of Heaven from which we were exiled in Adam and spirituall Pharaoh is drowned or destroyed in the Red-sea or bloudy death of Christ and by a mighty wind of preaching the Lord hath made his power knowne every where even as sensibly as when he brought Israel
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
sate downe at the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstoole that is looking for the time in which his enemies shall be subdued unto him as the 1. ver of the 110. Psal doth manifest where the words are these The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand donec ponam untill I shall make not untill I have made thy enemies thy footstoole So that he sits not there while it is doing but untill it must be done untill the time ordained for the accomplishment of it All then that the Apostle affirmes in this text likewise to be already done is this That Christ is sate downe at the right hand of God as was foretold but as for the other part of this prophecy he saith plainely That Christ now expects onely when it shall be fulfilled and if this be not sufficient to make you confesse that the enemies which David here prophecied of are not yet made subject unto Christ that which follows in the Psalme will put it beyond exception for he nominates what enemies are here meant the time when and the manner how they are to be made Christ's footstoole The enemies he speakes of are men the Kings and Heads of the earth as we finde ver 5 6. The time when is the day of his powder The day in which the Jewes shall be as willing to receive him as in the day of his poverty they were to be rid of him as we learne ver 3. Thy people shall be willing in the dry of they power The manner how is by an eminent destruction brought on these Kings and their forces as the 5 and 6. verses doe informe us also which being compared with the latter part of the 19. chap. of the Revel doe plainely shew that this destruction which David foretels is the very same with that which Saint John there reveales for that is to be effected at our Saviours descending from heaven and so is this for it is to be at his comming againe from the right hand of the Father And therefore here is a good ground too for another Throne and that a Throne on earth And your answer to this text is a meere contradicting of it for whereas the Apostle saith That Christ being sate downe at the right hand of God expects till his enemies be made his footstoole You say plainely that his enemies are made subject unto him even his greatest enemies And for want of scripture to justifie this answer you subjoyne as it is granted before and so father it on me But you shew not where it is granted neither can I imagine what you meane by it unlesse you meane that it is granted by my alledging of the same Apostles words Phil. 2. ver 15. to wit That Christ having by his passion spoiled principalities and powers made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in himselfe But surely though it may be true That Christ after the accomplishment of the worke of our Redemption on the crosse triumphed over the evill spirits in his owne person making a shew of them openly that is leading them captives in the time of his triumph as some expositours understand it yet it is not true that these principalities are the enemies recorded in the 110. Psalme whence Saint Paul tooke the foresaid text Neither is it true that the evill Angels were then held in a continued subjection by Christ for the space of a 1000. yeares as they shall be in the time of his reigne on earth when he casts them into the bottomlesse pit when he shuts them up from deceiving the Nations as it is foretold Revel 20.2 3. For as before Christs passion Satan could no more deceive the elect then he can since so hee hath been no more straitened of his liberty in walking up and downe in the earth nor of his power in tempting men unto sinne since Christs triumphing over him in his owne person then he was before if he hath so much for it is of the time under the Gospell that it is said Revel 12.12 Woe to the Inhabitants of the earth and of the sea for the devill is come downe unto you having great wrath because he knoweth that he hath but a short time 'T is of this time that Saint Peter saith Our Adversary the Devill as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devoure 1. Ep. chap. 5. ver 8. And 't is that we may be able to stand against the wiles of this enemy that Saint Paul adviseth us to put on the while armour of God Ephes 6.11 c. Yea it is in the Christian Church that some were to give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils as Saint Paul writes 1. Tim. 4.1 and that there should be false teachers who privily should bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them As Saint Peter writes 2. Ep. 2. chap. 1. ver c. And they are the Christians of the last dayes of whom S. Paul foretells 2 Tim. 3.1 That they shall be lovers of their owne selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to Parents unthankefull unholy without naturall affection truce breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good traitours heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof And if these be the fruites of Satan's subjection and in prisonment what then are the fruites of his power and freedome Doubtlesse Satan cannot be held in subjection to be bound up as he must be in the time of Christ a reigne as long as new enemies doe arise against Christ in his poore members seeing it is onely through the liberty and power that this Arch-makebate hath in the world that good men suffer for the truth and evill men oppose it that I say men are kept from a generall peace and unity over the whole earth And therefore in confessing that new enemies still arise against Christ you doe Italy gainesay what you before falsly affirmed to wit that the evill Angels Christs greatest enemies are now held in subjection by him that they are now deprived both of their power and liberty to doe hurt to rebell against Christ and to raise persecution against those that are Christs as they shall be I say not in this time of the world but in that in which Christ shall reigne personally on earth Yea if Christs enemies mentioned in the foresaid Psalme be now made his footstoole if they be now wholly subdued unto him for this is the meaning of their being made his footstoole how can new ones still arise The 5. Particular Seeing be sits now on his Fathers Throne therefore neither is this the time nor that the place in which his Throne in to be erected not the place because in one Kingdome there can be but one Throne and not the time for then he should sit on his own Throne which now he doth not Mr. Petrie's
my Father hath appointed unto me that yee may eate and drinke at my table in my Kingdome and sit on seates judging the 12 tribes of Israel Which words as they doe plainely distinguish the time of Christs temptations from the time of his Kingdome so they doe shew too that the Apostles Kingdome was then onely appointed unto them by our Saviour and not then enjoyed by them And you cannot deny it unlesse you will say that the Disciples did then sit on seates judging the twelve Tribes of Israel or that Christ himselfe did then reigne for it is his owne Kingdome which he here appoints unto them Neither will the texts which you have cited prove that the time of our Saviours and the Saints persecution and affliction doth contemporate with the time of their reigne For that Psal 110.2 Reigne thou in the midst of thy enemies doth shew onely that he shall reigne amongst those who shall declare themselves enemies to him and his both before and when he comes to reigne and not that his enemies shall have any power to molest much lesse to raise persecution against him and his when he doth reigne for the 1 verse doth manifest that these enemies are to be made his footstoole at his very entrance into his Kingdome at his comming from the right hand of God at which time it is that he is to reigne amidst them and not before And that text Rom. 8 37. doth shew onely that through Gods speciall love towards us we are enabled to conquer aâ—l tribulation distresse perill or whatsoever else that can be brought on us for our faith in Christ and consequently that we doe now contend for a Kingdome but not that we doe now reigne for who will say that when two strive for the mastery either of them is conquerour â—ill one be vanquisht or that when two Princes contend for a Kingdome either doth reigne over the other till one be quite subdued unto the other and such certainely is our condition in this life and no other For now yee are full now yee are rich yee have reigned as Kings without us and I would to God yee did reigne that we also might reigne with you saith Saint Paul 1 Cor. 4.8 where he goes on For I thinke that God hath set forth us the Apostles last as it were men appointed to death for we are made a spectacle unto the world and to the Angels and to men c. What! would the Apostle have thus denved that he did reigne onely because many tribulations did attend him if the reigne of the Saints and their sufferings were consistent Doubtlesse he would not and therefore though they depart out of this life as conquerours over all temptations through the grace of God that is in them yet they live not here as Kings but as combatants neither doe they finish their conquest till the appointed time of thâ—ir life be finished And when should they be Kings but when they receive their crownes which is not while they fight nor presently after they have overcome but when they receive their bodies againe to weare them but at the day of Christs next appearing which shall be a Coronation day to all them that love that day as the same Apostle's words doe witnesse 2 Tim. 4.7.8 I have fought saith he a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth is laid up for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but to all them that love his appearing And in the 2 chap. of the same Epistle also ver 11.12 he thus plainely distinguisheth the time of the Saints reigning from the time of their suffering It is a faithfull saying for if we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer we shall also reigne with him Here Mr. Petrie further excepts against two particulars in the parenthesis of my foresaid words The 1 Particular And shall not their bodies as well reigne with Christ as their soules but these we know are and shall be yet captives to the grave Mr. Petrie's Answer When Christ shall come the last enemy shall be destroy'd and the bodies and not the Soules which dye not shall be made alive and both shall be with him for ever Reply You should here have told us whether the bodies of the Saints shall not reigne with Christ as well as their soules in stead whereof you tell us that their soules dye not and that when Christ comes their bodies shall be made alive and both bodies and soules shall be with him for ever I dare say this answer was never learned in any approved schoole and I beleeve indeed that this Querie did put you to a stand For if you should have denyed that the bodies of the Saints must reigne as well as their soules you could shew no reason for it And if you should have granted it you had herein denyed your owne Tenet to wit that the Saints do now reigne because while they are in this life they suffer in their bodies all manner of distresse they are hungry thirsty naked scourged buffeted banished tormented and when their soules depart out of this life their bodies are left behind to moulder into dust So that neither while they are in the body nor when they are out of the body are their bodies in a condition agreeable to a regall estate to the quiet free honourable powerfull and delightsome estate of Kings of such as rule over others Yea it is in regard of their bodily afflictions onely that they are here of all men most miserable and the spirituall conquest of their souls is indeed the principall occasion of mens tyrannizing over their bodies and of their conquering and destroying the life thereof The 2 Particular Are the Saints that shall be found alive at Christs comming exempted from his Kingdome for if he should reigne till then and then give up his Kingdome to his Father they are exempted Mr. Petrie's Answer He is a King till then and governeth all who are and shall be and when he shall come they who shall be found alive shall be caught up to meete him And because the clearing of this point may serve for clearing the whole matter I adde by way of explanation As the sinne of Adam was committed against God the Father his revolting or apostasie was a diminution of the Fathers Kingdome so the bringing of the faithfull into his obedience is the rendring of that Kingdome It is true the offence was against the Sonne and Holy Spirit but the worke of the creation being the worke of the Father in a speciall manner as it is intimated in the Creede the sinne was directly against the first Person When obedience was not given the Father might have executed his justice on the offenders as he did on the Angels Now as when a part of an earthly Kingdome rebelleth against the King directly and
the beleeving Iew was he not so before Christs incarnation as well as since was he not Abrahams seed before as well as since was he not heire according to the promise before as well as since What hinders then but that the Iewes may notwithstanding this spirituall union and fellowshâ—p with the beleeving Gentiles be as heretofore so at their generall conversion againe advanced above all other Nations by many not onely outward favours and priviledges but by a greater measure of inward gifts and abilities also Israel's Redemption Neiâ—her was the Temple then destroyed but afterwards and therefore the things here spoken of are all to be accomplished at his second comming and that not in heaven but on earth On earth I say and in e Jerusalem where f Davids Throne was For his feete shall stand in that day Isai 33.20 â—hap 50. ver â— 2 3.9 10. Psal 122 5. to wit when he comes or if God himselfe be here by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 figuratively described when he brings him to receive his appointed Kingdome on the Mount of Olives which is before Ierusalem on the East from which Mount our Saviour ascended and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the East and toward the West and there shall be a very great valley and halfe the mountaine shall remove toward the North and halfe of it toward the South And ye shall flâ—e to the valley of the mountaines for the valley of the mountaines shall reach unto Azal yea ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the Earthquake in the dayes of Uzziah King of Judah And the Lord my God shall come and all the g Iu de ver 14 15. Rev. 19.11 12 13 14 15 16. Saints with theâ— And it shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be cleare nor darke but it shall be one day which shall be knowne to the Lord not day nor night but it shall come to passe that at evening time it shall be light And it shall be in that day that h Psal 46.4 Eze. 47.1 c. Ioel. 3.8 living waters shall goe out from Jerusalem halfe of them toward the former sea and halfe of them toward the hinder sea In Summer and in Winter shall it be and the Loâ—d shall be King over all the earth In that day shall there be one Lord and his Name one All the Land shall be turned as a plaine from Ceba to Rimmon South of Ierusalem and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her pl ce from Benjamins gate unto the place of the first gate unto the corner gate and from the Tower of Hananiel unto the Kings wine-presses And men shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but Ierusalem shall be safely inhabited Zech. 14.4 c. Mr. Petrie's Answer Christ said Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it up againe Then said the Iewes Forty and sixe yeares was this Temple in building and wilt thou reare it up againe in three dayes but he spake of the Temple of his body saith the Evangelist Iohn 2.19 So the true Temple is Christs body which the Iewes destroyed and he raised it up againe and in this sense the Disciples did beleeve the Scriptures after the resurrection of Christ ver 22. And therefore the things spoken in these Scriptures are accomplished at his first comming not onely in heaven last on earth according to the different portions thereof In heaven and on earth I say and in true Ierusalem and on the true Throne of David for his feete stood in that day to wit when he went to receive the fuller accomplishment of his Kingdome on the Mount of Olives which is by Ierusalem on the East from which also he ascended and the Mount or Olives hath been cloven in the midst thereof toward the East and toward the Wâ—st when not onely the members of the Church but all the world was shaken at the powerfull preaching of the Gospell even more gloriously then at the giving of the Law Heb. 12.26 So that nothing could hinder the course thereof And the Iewes have fled to that valley of the mountaines when they did imbrace the Gospell which is low in worldly mens esteeme and of high esteeme before God And the valley of the mountaines hath reached unto Azal For the preaching of the Gospell hath been an excellent stone marke shewing the righ way as it is exponed 1 Sam. 20.19 on the margine of the late translation to the Kingdome of heaven Yea they have fled like as they did flee from before the earth quake in the dayes of Vzziâ—h King of Iudan to wit they have been astonished at the wonderfulnesse of Gods workes And the Lord hath come And so forth as it followes in Zach. 14. where he shewes the perpetuall light of the glorious Gospell ver 6 7. and the continuall flowing of the wholesome waters in the Kingdome of Christ ver 98. and the removing of all impediments for the security of the elects conversion and salvation You see here that our Saviour came not onely to conquer death which is the last enemy that he shall destroy and therefore not to be destroyed till the last resurrection but also to take the Kingdomes of the world unto himselfe and hath made them all acknowledge his authority and hath put downe all contrary power and authority for all Nations have praised Christ and given laud unto him Rom. 14.9 10.11 That there is one shepheard and one sheepfold that the Dominions Kingdomes and greatnesse of the Kingdomes under the whole Heaven have been possessed by the People and Saints of the most High that is as the Gospell hath exponed it by the faithfull Israel Rom. 14.12 bowbeit all hath not been possessed at the same period of time Reply Was ever scripture more apparently wrested more impertinently alledged Behold saith Zechariah the man whose name is the Branch and he shall grow up out of his place and he shall build the Temple of the Lord even he shall build the Temple of the Lord c. chap. 6. ver 12. This is the prophecy and your interpretation this Christ said Destroy this Temple and in three dayes I will raise it up againe c. John 2.19 And interpretation doubtlesse as wide from the sense of the Prophet as the Iewes apprehension was from the meaning of our Saviours words For shew us where the Temple of the Lord is in all the old Testament which was then all the scripture taken in any other sense then for the house of Gods worship at Ierusalem Or the building of the Temple of the Lord in any other sense then for the building of that Temple Yea looke but into the 14 and 15 verses immediately following and it is unquestionable that the same words are there taken for the Temple of the Lord in Ierusalem And besides seeing the Prophets shew so plainely that our Saviour shall
reigne over the Iewes in their owne land and that Ierusalem shall againe be built Why should we not beleeve that both the building of the Temple of the Lord and his reigning on the Throne of his Father David shall be as properly fulfilled in Christ the antitype as they were in Solomon the type Whereas then you say further That in this sense the Disciples did beleeve the Scriptures after the resurrection of Christ I pray what scriptures this prophecy Surely it is false that they did any where cite this prophecy to prove our Saviours resurrection from the dead And the words of the Evangelist are plaine When therefore he was risen from the dead saith Iohn his Disciples remembred that he had said this unto them to wit that he had said to the Iewes Destroy this Temple c. and they beleeved the Scripture that is the scripture which foreshewes our Saviours resurrection as Psal 16. alledged by Saint Peter Acts 2.25 c. and Psal 2.7 alledged by Saint Paul Acts 13.33 c. And the word which Iesus had said that is and they beleeved also that this saying of his to the Iewes was meant of the resurrection of his body and not as you say they did that it was an interpretation of Zechariah's prophecy which for shewes indeed the building of the Temple of the Lord but not the destroying of it by the Iewes nor the building of it in three dayes no nor the building of it untill the man whose name is the Branch should sit and rule on his Throne Neither did our Saviour say plainely Destroy the Temple of the Lord as the false witnessâ—s acâ—used him nor absolutely destroy the Temple but darkely and inrelation to his owne body destroy this Temple as his words touching the raising of it in three dayes doe intimate and the Evangelist doth afterwards expound it And he said also I will raise it and not I will build it which shewes the making of a Temple where was none before and therefore cannot be applyed to the quickening of our Saviours body a temple then in being and not to be corrupted in death And as for your confused exposition of the prophecy of Zech. 14.4 c. it is not onely contrary to the truth but to reason it selfe For first which is flat against the truth you ascribe the accomplishment of this prophecy to our Saviours ascending to the Saints in heaven and to the time succeeding his ascension whereas it is manifest by the words in the first verse which you have concealed And the Lord my God shall come and aâ—l the Saints with thee that it is to be fulfilled at his descending with the Saints from heaven and in the time succeeding his descension And secondly which is not onely against the truth but against reason also you affirme That by the cleaving of the Mount of Olives towards the East and towards the West is meant the shaking of all the world at the preaching of the Gospell And That by the Iewes flying to the valley of the mountaines is meant their imbracing of the Gospell Which is as if you had said that the Iewes did then imbrace the Gospell when they fled from it or that the Iewes in flying from the Gospell fled to the Gospell For as you interpret the cleaving of the Mount of Olivers from which the Iewes were to fly of the preaching of the Gospell so you interpret the valley of the mountaines to which the Iewes were to flee of the same also And who sees not by this and by your expounding of the 6 and 7 verses Of the perpetual â—ight of the Gospell and the 8 verse Of the continuall flâ—â—wing of the doctrine of the Gospell and all of the Gospell and of nothing but of the Gospell that by such a liberty of interpreting any one may make the plainâ—st scripture that is to say onely as he faith and so to patronize and defend any dangerous opinion against the truth clearely revealed in it The truth therefore of this prophecy is no other then that which the Prophet himselfe hath plainely told us to wit that the Mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst by an earthquake at the comming of our Saviour with all the Saints and that the Iewes which are gathered together neere unto it shall then flye for feare of this earthquake as they fled for feare from before the earthquake in the dayes of Vzziah King of Judah And the effect of this earthquake is described ver 10. where it is said And all the Land shall be turned as a plaine from Gâ—ha to Rimmâ—n South of Jerusalem and it shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place from Benjamins gate unto the place of tho first gate unto the corner gate and from the tower of Hananiel un to the Kings wiae-presser And man shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but Ierusalem shall be safely inhabited And as this part so all the rest of the prophecy is to be understood likewise according to its owne stile and language which is so obvious that it needes no inter preration and the light thereof cannot be more obscured then by such a glosse as you have put upon it And thus it being undeniable that this prophecy of Zech. doth foreshew our Saviours second comming his comming with all the Saints and the things then no be performed by him it necessarily followes That he shall come not onely to conquer death first in part at the resurrection of the Saints that shall rise to meete him and to come with him and then wholly at the resurrection of all others when he shall passe the sentence of salvation on the elect and of damnation on the reprobate but in the interim in the space betwixt this first and second resurrection to be King over all the earth as this Prophet saith ver 9. to take the Kingdomes of this world unto himselfe as Saint Iohn reveals Rev. 11.15 to put downe all rule and all authority as Saint Paul affirmes 1 Cor. 15.24 and to set up that dominion glory and Kingdome at the manifestation whereof all people nations and languages shall serve him as Daniel foreshewes chap. 7. ver 14. which he shall doe by an extraordinary destroying of the most and greatest of his enemies in batte'l and by causing every one that is left of the Nations to goe up from yeare to yeare to Ierusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hafts as Zech. here and many other Prophets besides doe declare Israel's Redemption You see here that our Saviour comes not onely to conquer death which is the last enemy that he shall d stroy and therefore not wholly to be destroyed till the last resurrection but also to take the Kingdomes of this world unto himselfe to put downe as Saint Paul hath said all the authority and power of other Nations that there may be one shepheard and one sheep-fold Dan. 7.27 that the Kingdome and dominion
that should be beheaded Therefore by the word they lived is meant the living of them that had been beheaded the rising of men after their death and not the regenerating of them that should be beheaded the rising of men before their death For the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they lived must needes be opposed to the death of the body to the death of the bâ—headed the death here mentioned and not to the death of the soule the death of men before they are regenerated a death not here mentioned 4. This argument is a meere petitio principii a begging of the point in question for it supposeth that the first resurrection is to be understood spiritually which in the very subject of the controversie And therefore it is just as if you had said If the first resurrection be that which we say it is then it goes before the Saints death as we say it doth surely if interpreters do expound the first resurrection of the Saints of the forsaking of Antichrist's errours of their not worshipping of the Beast nor receiving his marke and of their constant profession c then they doe understand it of the effects and consequents of the spirituall resurrection and not of the spirituall resurrection it selfe For the regeneration of the Saints is the change and renewing of their soules by the infusion of sanctifying and saving graces of their regeneration And they doe herein put a tautology upon the text which according to this interpretation must be thus paraphrased And I saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his image neither had received his marke upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived that is and they worshipped not the Beast not his image nor received his marke c. And if for the word they lived you say they were regenerated I demand when they were regenerated were they regenerated again after they were beheaded c. after they had in their life time refused to worship the Beast c For all this was revealed as past when St. John saw their soules and yet it was after he saw their soules that they lived and reigned with Christ a 1000 yeares Thus then is the text by your interpretation deprived both of truth and sense which taken in its proper signification doth of it selfe speake in this manner to every understanding And I saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and the soules of them which had not in their life time worshipped the Beast neither his image and they lived that is and they that were thus beheaded lived againe in their bodies they rose from the dead and reigned with Christ a 1000 yeares But the rest of the dead lived not till the 1000 yeares were finished That is till the resurrection of the dead described ver 12 13. c. And now who hath shewed himselfe the strange wrangler hath this Authour or Mr. Petrie Israel's Râ—demption It is said also that they lived and reigned with Christ a 1000 yeares But how can it be that they should reigne immediately after their resurrection or beginne their reigne all at ouce or continue it but a thousand yeares which things these words imply if by their resurrection should be understood their regeneration and by their reigne their being in heaven Or if by the word they lived should be meant onely they were converted how can they reigne so long as a thousand yeares seeing the place of their reigne must be on earth for if they should be any where else how can they be encompast againe with warre when the thousand yeares are expired as ver 9. declares they shall Mr. Petrie's Answer If by their living and resurrection be meant their constant profession as is said and by their reigning their prevailing over these heresies all these mists are soone scattered to wit they reigned before their death and not after their resurrection they began their reigne not all at once but in their severall ages even as the Millenaries doe imagine that the Saints in that conceited Monarchy shall not live all at once but in their severall ages dye againe and succâ—ed one age to another for the space of a 1000 yeares and so they reigne not every one throughout the 1000 yeares and so long space have some ever opposed the errours of the Beast and they reigning on earth have been encompast with warre againe as it was foretold and Ecclesiasticall histeries declare Reply This answer is a fallacy of the same straine with the fourth part of the former answer So that all it signifies unto us is this That if you say the truth then you say the truth And seeing you affirme that by the Saints living and resurrection is meant their constant profession and by their reigning their prevailing over heresies I pray tell us whether amongst Christians there were to be constant professours and prevailers over heresies the space of a 1000. yeares only and no more if there were to be such longer then this cannot be the meaning of the Saints living and reigning with Christ a 1000 yeares And if there were to be such no longer then when did the 1000 yeares begin in which these constant Professors should be if they began in the time of the Apostles then there are no constant professions and prevailers over heresies now nor have been in some hundreds of yeares before this If they began not at that time then you will exclude the Apostles themselves out of the number of constant professours and prevailers over heresies unlesse you will divide the 1000 yeares and say that it is not meant that they lived and reigned a 1000 yeares together but at severall times and yet thus also you must exclude some ages from having any constant professours in them which is quite contrary to the word of God which shewâ— that when Satan should most prevaile should have most power to deceive there should be some elect whom he should not deceive And whereas you say That those constant professours reigning on earth have been encompassed with warrâ— againe I pray tell us when they were exempted from it the space of a thousand yeares or when they have beene onely encompast with it Surely they have knowne but little peace and have not been onely encompast but often destroyed and made away by the fury of their adversaries whereas in the time of the Saints 1000 yeares reigne on earth with Christ they are to enjoy peace so long and when after these yeares they shall be encompast by their enemies not one of them shall perish but their enemies shall wholly be destroyed by fire from God out of heaven as Rev. 20.7 8 9. doe manifest And consequently all that you have said or can say touching the present accomplishment of this prophecy touching the fulfilling of it before our Saviours appearing neither hath nor
can have any truth in it And lastly as for the contents of your parenthesis certainely we doe not imagine that the raised Saints the Saints which the Lord shall bring with him whom alone Rev. 20.4 doth concerne shall not live throughout the whole space of a 1000 yeares reigne for we know that they can dye no more after their resurrection But we beleeve that the converted Jewes and all the Gentiles that are lest to wit after the extraordinary destruction which for their generall opposing the Jewes shall light on them at our Saviours appearing we beleeve I say that these and their posterity shall live in the like mortall condition as we doe now though they shall live much longer then we doe now Israel's Redemption And lastly The reigne of Christ doth not beginne till Antichrist is destroyed so that a metaphoricall interpretation of the first resurrection would make good this conclusion That most of the Saints shall rise many hundred yeares before their reigne there being no lesse distance of time betwixt the houre of their calling and Antichrists confusion Mr. Petrie's Answer I have before made it cleare that Christs Kingdome is already begun for he reigneth in the midst of his enemies not onely by his power over-ruling disappointing and turning all their plots upon their owne pates but also in comforting the hearts of the godly so that they are a terrour to the whole earth even to their enemies who are many times more afraide at the prayers of the godly then at the cannons of other enemies and subdue the spirits of the world and binde Kings in chaines stronger then iron And therefore that assertion falleth The reigne of Christ beginneth not till Antichrist be destroyed and that absurdity following that assertion is falsely imputed to that interpretation Reply You have before alledged Psal 110. to shew that Christ doth now reigne in the midst of his enemies and we have shewed that that prophecy is not to be fulfilled untill he comes from the right hand of his Father and therefore you have onely said and not proved that Christs Kingdome is already begun And That he doth now by his divine power over-rule and dispose of the actions of men and by his Spirit comfort the hearts of the godly is nothing to the question in hand For thus he governed the whole world and his Church in the world as much before his incarnation as he hath done since But the prophecies which foreshew our Saviours Kingdome on earth doe clearely manifest that he is to reigne over the world in the same manner as temporall Kings doe over their Subjects to wit visibly and civilly that in the time of his Kingdome I say the acts of his government are to be the immediate acts of his manhood onely although they proceede originally from his Godhead And surely this Kingdome is not yet begun nor shall beginne till Antichrist be destroyed and consequently the foresaid absurdity touching the great distance betwixt the rising and reigning of the Saints doth inevitably follow upon the spirituall interpretation of the first resurrection And whereas you say That the enemies of the godly are many times more afraide of their prayers then at the cannons of other enemies you herein contradict experience it selfe for what doe the Mahometans or any Pagan Nations regard the prayers of Christians whose very faith they account foolishnesse or what doe persecuting Christians themselves regard the prayers of the persecuted whom they thinke to be worthily punished by them doubtlesse they are no more afraide of them then Saint Paul was when through a mistaken zeale he was so exceedingly madde against them that he punished them in every Synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme de persecuted them to strange cities And therefore though the prayers of the righteous may prevaile very much with God for their owne and their enemies good or for the disappointing of their enemies devicâ—s and attempts yet certainely their enemies can neither see nor regard this unlesse God open their eyes as he did Saint Pauls to behold the perversnesse of their own wayes and the innocency and uprightnesse of them whom they so much despise Israel's Redemption The assumption is grounded on Rev. 11.15 which shewes that till the time of the seventh Trumpet with the beginning whereof the last viall doth concurre The Kingdomes of * The Kingdomes of this world It is not said The Kingdome of heaven to wit of the third heaven the incorruptible habitation of Saints and Angels or of another world I say of another in substance But the Kingdomes of this world that is this world which is now shall till then be divided into many Kingdomes shall wholly become Christâ— and be made by him one heavenly Kingdome a Kingdome in which men shall live after an heavenly estate and condition a Kingdome in which Gods Will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven For seeing that cannot possibly become any mans possession which doth utterly cease to be what other construction can be given of these words but this That the government of all the Kingdomes of the world is hereafter to be taken into Christs owne hands as he is man And indeede how else should they then become his after such a manner as they are not now his if not by a subiection to his manhood for as he is God they were alwayes his and all will grant that this Scripture doth plainely foreshew a deposing of all the Kings of the earth at the accomplishment thereof A deposing of them I say in such a way that their Kingdomes may become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ which cannot be by abolishing and dissolving the earth on which they must reigne but may and shall be by subduing and conquering them and the Kingdomes over which they must reigne this world doe not become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Châ—ist Mr. Petrie's Answer The assumption he would say assertion but it is marked before the Author is no Logician is grounded on Rev. 11.15 the words are The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ Here it is not said Our Lord and his Christ shall not reigne till this time but this is all that the words import Nâ—w is no Kingdome but our Lords and his Christs And if it be objected It is no where said so of Christs reigne till this time of the seventh trumpet and therefore it cannot be true that our Lord and his Christ doe reigne till then I answer ye have heard before that in the midst of these Kingdomes doth Christ reigne even among them and over them But all their Kingdomes shall be utterly destroyed and his Kingdome shall be for ever and ever saith John and therefore not for a thousand yeares onely Now if we lay together what is said of the Jewes reigne bare and this answer we shall likewise see the vanity of that observation on the margine upon
entrance and end of his reigne and an eternall judgement upon them and all other ungodly sinners at the last resurrection of the dead All which judgements the Prophets doe foreshew to be in the last day and not the last of these onely And therefore our Saviours comming shall not be at the last of these but at the first And whereas you alledge Psal 110. to shew that Christ shall not come till the last judgement it is false that this Psalme doth teach us any such thing for it shewes onely that Christ shall not come till that day in which God hath appointed to make his enemies his footstoole of which day the last judgement is but the last act And it is false also that Christs sitting at the right hand of God is his reigning For the Apostle Saint Paul saith That he sits not there reigning over his enemies but expecting the time in which they shall be made his footstoole Heb. 10.13 that is in which God shall bring him to reigne over them And that which followes in the Psalme doth shew what is to follow Christs comming from the right hand of God and not what is to goe before it as is shewed before Object 5 Fifthly you say That Christs Kingdome is an heavenly Kingdome 2. Tim. 2.17 and the reward of the godly is in heaven Matth. 5.10 11. as our Saviour spake of it and never of an earthly Kingdome unlesse by way of aversation Who made me a Judge saith be Luke 12.14 and the godly have prayed and wished to be with him in the heavens and never prayed to reigne in his earthly Kingdome 2 Cor. 5.1.6 Phil. 1.3 Sol. 5 And we say that the Kingdome of Christ is to be heavenly in condition and no way earthly but in place And that the reward of the godly departed before Christs comming is to be both in heaven and on earth Although the text Matth. 5.10 is meant onely of Christs Kingdome on earth called the Kingdom of heaven partly because of the heavenly constitution thereof but especially because the God of heaven shall mightily manifest his power in the setting of it up and because Christ and the Saints now in heaven shall come from heaven to governe it And we confesse that Christ at his first comming refused to be made a King and to undertake the actions belonging to his Kingly office because that was not the time in which he was to sit on the Throne of David but when he should come againe into the world as hath been plentifully proved And as Saint Peter Acts 2.30 31. doth plainely prove from the prophecy of David Psal 16. That Christs sitting on Davids Throne was not to foregoe but to follow his resurrection And what though the godly living in this world have prayed and desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ in heaven did they not therefore expect and wish to come with him againe from heaven certainely it is notoriously false to affirme that the godly never prayed to reigne in Christs Kingdome on earth For what is it that Christ taught them to aske in these petitions Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven and what was it that the sonnes of Zebedee and the penitent theife sought for or what was it that the Elders sang praise to the Lambe for Rev. 5.9 10 was it not because by his death he had purchased for them a Kingdome then to come on earth Object 6 Sixthly you say That God hath raised up Christ from the dead and set him at his right hand in the heavens farre above all principality and power and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feete and gave him to be the head over all things Eph. 1.20 21 22. Whence it is manifest that seeing our Saviour governeth his Church and all Spirits are subject to him which authority is given unto him and so as God-man his Kingdome is not to beginne as yet Sol. 6 But certainely it is not manifest from hence that Christ doth now governe his Church any otherwise then he did before his incarnation that is outwardly and openly by mortall agents and inwardly and secretly by his Spirit and divine power Neither is it manifest from hence that all things are actually put under his feet or that all things are now thus subject to his manhood For who can better expound the Apostles meaning then the Apostle himselfe who in Heb. 2.9 saith We see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour that is raised from the dead and set at the right hand of God in the heavenly places farre above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come as it is exprest in Ephe. 1.20 21. But now we see not yet all things put under him saith the Apostle too Heb. 2.8 which words are quite contrary to these And hath put all things under him c. Ephes 1.22 What shall we say then that the Apostle speakes contradictions God forbid For they are put under him in a propheticall sense by a certaine appointment of it which is the meaning of the Apostle in the Ephesians where he speakes as the Prophet doth of what God intends to doe as if it were already done And they are not put under him in a proper and grammaticall sense by an actuall performance and visible manifestation of it which is the meaning of the Apostle in the Hebrews nor doubtlesse shall they be thus put under him untill that world to come of which the Apostle speakes Heb. 2.5 c. shall be put under him And then also he shall be visible Head over all things to the Church For then he shall sit and rule upon his Throne on the Throne of David on which God hath sworne with an oath to set him Acts 2.30 And shall be a Priest upon his Throne as Zechariah hath foretold chap. 6. ver 13. Object 7 Seventhly you say That when Christ shall descend from heaven with a shout and voice of the Arch-Angel with the trumpet of God the dead in Christ shall rise first and they who are alive and remaine shall be caught up together with them in the cloudes to meet the Lord in the aire and so shall be ever with the Lord 1 Thes 4. Here he is speaking of the same resurrection whereof be speakes 1 Cor. 15. as appeares by ver 52. and here he shewes the rising of the dead and change of the living to be together and that they both together shall meet the Lord and be ever with him Sol. 7 And what then will you conclude from hence that therefore these Saints shall not live with Christ on earth no you cannot for though they shall meet the Lord in the aire yet
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
seeing the good Angels which can at once assemble the unjust to the place of judgement and the elect to meet the Lord in the aire shall yet gather the elect onely and leave the rest behinde therefore these things are not to be done at the same time And consequently that the judgement of the dead is not to be at the time of Christs ascending For then doubtlesse the wicked should as well be gathered to the place of their last judgement as the elect shal to meet the Lord in the aire And it is flat against the expresse word of God Isai 66.19 20. Joel 2.32 Zech. 14.16 Rev. 11.13 to say that all the wicked that shall be eye-witnesses of Gods wonders at the time of our Saviours descension shall perish in the destruction that shall then come on the earth Israel's Redemption For that by Christs judging the quicke and the dead mentioned in 2 Tim. 4. cannot be meant one kind of judgement Psal 2.8 c. Ps 110.2 c. Ps 149.6 c. Isai 30.25 Cha. 66 1â— 16. c. to wit the sentence of damnation that by his judging the quicke I say cannot at all be meant the last and compleat but rather a former and inchoate judgement of ungodly men it appeares out of Rev. 20. where it is shewne that the Saints enemies shall be all slaine before the last resurrection And we cannot say that these which are to be left shall be a part of that Army there spoken of because that Gog and Magog is to be destroyed at the end of our Saviours reigne that is immediately before the last resurrection whereas these shall be alive at the time of that generall distresse which shall light on the world at his entrance into that appointed Kingdome as the gathering together of the elect who are to reigne with him doth declare Mr. Petrie's Answer Here at before are strange imaginations 1. That text 2 Tim. 4.1 cannot be meant of the last but a former judegment Who ever said before that Christ shall yet appears twice to judge the quicke and the dead For suppone that onely the godly shall be raised at Christs comming yet they will not say that he shall judge them seeing they say that they shall not stand at the barre 2. The judging of the quicke and the dead shall be before the time of the last resurrection as that forme of arguing imports whereby it followes that Christ shall judge the quicke and the dead in a former and inchoate judgement Who shall remaine then to be judged in the compleate judgement at the last resurrection 3. I will say no mere of that fancy concerning these that shall be left and the destruction at the entrance of that Kingdome but marke that God and Magog is to be destroyed at the end of our Saviours reigne that is immediately before the last resurrection or which is one after the reigne of the Jewes But that Army of Gog and Magog is the same with the Army mentioned in Revel 16.14 as Napeir proveth Prop. 32. And Mr. Maton proveth in his treatise of Gog and Magog pag. 94 95 And I have shewed before that the sixt viâ—â—ll mentioned in Revel 16.12 13 14. is the same with the sixt trumpet yea and Clavis Apocalyp in par 1. synchro 7. makes it to concurre with the destruction of the Beast and Babylon which shall be before the Monarchy of the Jewes as the Millenaries hold and therefore in this point Mr. Maton is contrary to himselfe and to Clavis Apocal. as well as unto Christians who deny that Monarchy of the Jewes Whereby it is manifest that what he speakes here without reason must be wrong and amended by these reasons which he hath lo. cit And consequently that great battell shall be fought not after but before the Jewes shall reigne if ever they shall reigne in that manner Reply The truth is strange to none but to such as make themselves strange to it He seemeth to be a sitter forth of strange gods said the Athenians of Saint Pauls preaching unto them Jesus and the resurrection Acts 17.18 When as indeed their Gods were the strange Gods and not his God they in an errour and not he And yet how strange soever our former imaginations doe seeme to you we have shewed that they are not so strange as true And that these words doe bring such strange things to your cares was not the fault of the Authour but the errour of the Printer and the over-hastinesse of the Stationer who sent his bookes abroad before he had received a copie of all the faults whereof the words here omitted were the greatest and are to be corrected as they are now set downe to wit thus For that by Christs judging the quicke and the dead mentioned 2 Tim. 4.1 cannot be meant one kinde of judgement to wit the sentence of damnation that by his judging the quicke I say cannot at all be meant the last and compleat but rather of former and inchoate judgement of ungodly men it appeares out of Rev. 20. where it is shewne that the Saints enemies shall be all slaine before the last resurrection This is the true forme of my words and in this forme they doe wholly disanull the two first parts of your answer for the destroying of the Army in Armageddon at Christs comming Rev. 19. and of the Nations that shall againe be gathered against him and his at the end of his reigne Rev. 20. are temporall judgements on the ungodly and before their last judgement the judgement after their resurrection And therefore Christ shall not appeare twice to judge the quicke and the dead but shall twice judge these ungodâ—y after his appearing That is once by a former and inchoate judgement in their temporall destruction in their first death And againe by a finall and compleate judgement in their eternall destruction in their second death And as for the third part of your answer it is but a slanderous information against me For I say not that the Gog and Magog mentioned in Rev. 20. is the same with the Army mentioned Rev. 16.14 but that Ezekiels Gog and Magog is the same with that Army as the reaâ—ons which I alledge pag. 94 95. doe shew And I say that the Gog and Magog in Rev. 20. is a different Gog and Magog from Ezekiels as these words pag. 128 doe witnesse And this Gog and Magog in Rev. 20. is to be the multiplyed posterity of those that are left of the Nations at the beginning of the thousand yeares when the Army of the Beast and false Prophet and of the Kings of the earth and of the whole world who as the parallell shewes are the Gog and Magog foretold by Ezekiel shall be destroyed in Armageddon And againe pag. 129. I say That the Nations which shall oppose the Jewes at their expected returne are to be the Gog and Magog foretold by Ezekiel and that the posterity of those which shall be left alive
chap. to the Phil. but the 10. and 11. verses doe rather shew what reverence he shall have in the Day of his reigne on earth then what he hath already The 3. Particular His owne words doe clearely prove it Rev. 3. ver 21. Mr. Petrie's answer Can any man see in these words any thing for an earthly Kingdome for albeit the Throne of the Father and the Throne of our Saviour were diverse yet may they not be both in heaven Reply Can any man choose but see in these words two distinct Thrones will any man besides you say that they may be both in heaven What Can our Saviour have an idle Throne in heaven Throne in which he doth not now sit For he now sits in his Fathers Throne and when then shall he sit in that other Throne which you say may be in heaven besides his Fathers Throne Certainely you cannot tell us To put you out of doubt then that the Throne which our Saviour here calls my Throne is a distinct Throne from the Fathers and yet not in heaven you must remember first that this Throne is our Saviours Throne of judgment which he shall receive when he comes to judge the quicke and the dead and therefore is to be on earth and not in heaven And secondly That it is the Throne in which the Saints that overcome shall fit with him therfore also not the Throne where he now fits because no man can sit in that but himselfe And therefore also the Throne as well of his Monarchicall government as of his judging the dead at his delivering up of the Kingdome to the Father because it is in the time of his reigne onely that the twelve Apostles shall sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel as hath been shewed before The 4. Particular That which he calleth his owne Throne he hath not yet received Heb. 2.8 and Ch. 10.12 13. Mr. Petrie's answer The words Heb. 2.8 are Thou hast put all things â—â—â—der his sees For in that he hath put all things in subjection under him he lofe nothing that is not put under him but we see not yet all things put under him Here is a twofold Vniversality all things are put under him and nothing is not put under him What more would you have The last words say all things are not put under him If the idst words say so they must be contrary to the former words but the words are we see not all things put under him weâ—ther is the word Receive there which is the point in hand Noâ— these two are fâ—rre different we see not all things put under him and he hath not received all things to be under him So this Text in stead of proofe convinceth the foolish Tenâ—s It way be this is more â—â—â—are in c. 10.12 13. where it is said He saâ— downe on the right hand of God There the height of glory expecting from henceforth till his enemies be made his foote stoole What is here for an earthly Throne or another Throne his enemies are made subject unto him even his greatest enemies as it is granted before but as â—â—ng as this world contunâ—es new enemies shall be arising and can be not subdue them as be hath doen others unlesse he erect and sit on an earthly Throne Reply You have here strived all you could to obscure two texts which I have quoted in the margine of my booke out of the 2 and 10 chap. of the Epist to the Heb. that Heb. 2. ver 8. is this Thou hast put allthings 〈◊〉 subjection under his seete For in that he put all in subjection under him be left nothing saith the Apostle that is not put under him But now we see not yet all things put under him Out of which words you frame your objection thus Here is a two-fold Vniuersality all things are put under him and nothing is not put under him What more would yee have The last words say All things are not put under him This is your form all argument and your wise answer is this If the last words say so they must be contrary to the former words but the words are we see not all things put under him No the words are But now me see not yet all things put under him And if they were as you here alledge them why did you object before that the last words say All things are not put under him seeing you deny that they say so in you answer Iâ— not this first to speak otherwise then the text speakes and then to reprehend your self for mis-alledging of it yet this I hope is neither false Logique nor false Divinity in you And what I pray is the meaning of these words But now we see not yet all things put under him if this be not the meaning of them that all things are not put under him And yet by your leave they are not contrary to the former words for the Apostles former words have relation to the Prophetie all expression of the Psalmist who speakes of that which was to come as if it had been then done Who fore shews onely what great power was designed unto our Saviour by the Father and not when the manifestation and exercise thereof should be So that the whole meaning of Saint Pauls words is this For in that God hath fore appointed to put all in subjection under Christ he hath left nothing he hath exempted no creature that is not to be put under him But now we see not yet this fulfilled we see not yet all things actually put under him But we see already Jesus for the sufferings of death crowmed with glory and honour And thus the Apostle shews what of that Prophecy of David was then fulfilled in Christ after his ascension to wit this that he was then â—â—â—nod with glory and honour And what was not then fulfilled to wit this the actuall subjection of all creatures unto him which is not to be fulfilled till the manifestation of the world to come to which time it is that the Apostle referres the accomplishment and exercise of Christs dominion over the creatures which the Psalmist reveales as the comparing of the 5. verse of this chapter with that which follows doth evidently declare For having said in the 5. ver For unto the Angels hath be not put in subjection the world to come whereof he speakes he presently assumes But one in a certaine place testified saying What is man that thou art mindfull of him or the Sonne of man that thou visitest him c. And thus this text shews not our Tenet to be foolish but you to be as fallacious in seeking to obscure it as your owne mouth doth pronounce you prophane in calling that truth foolishnesse which Christ the Prophets and Apostles have so plainely and plentifully set forth In the other Text Heb. 10. ver 12 13. it is said But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes for ever