administration of their Government seeing Isaiah chap. 14. ver 2. saith plainly that they shall take them captives whose captives they were and shall rule over their oppressours And suppose that none of the unglorified Jewes should be imployed in this government yet when our Saviour himselfe shall be King over all the earth and all the Saints that come with him Princes under him when the Nation of the Jewes shall be his naturall Subjects and all other Nations tributaries and servants unto them when they shall be comprehended by the name of Saints with those undefiled ones that Christ shall bring with him when all this shall be what Nation shall the Gentiles be said to be governed by but by that which they live in subjection unto and of whom their King came and amongst whom he shall reigne And thus much touching your first pretence that the Gentiles shall not be judged by the Jewes because the Jewes are to be judged by the Apostles Which is all one as if you should say that a Nation that live under any government it selfe cannot governe other Nations that are in subjection unto it Your next pretence is that our Saviours words are not meant of the Apostles judging in a temporall Monarchy seeing the Angels shall not be judged before the universall Judgement But where doe you finde that our Saviours promise to the Apostles is not to be fulfill'd before the judging of the Angels And what shall we understand by the twelve Tribes of Israel according to your opinion shall weâ— take them for the rest of the glorified Saints no no they cannot for they shall be all Judges at the universall Judgement as well as the Apostles Shall we take them then for the reprobate of the Jewish Nation Surely wee finde no such signification of these words in all the Scripture neither doe wee find it taught by any that the reprobate of one Nation shall be judged by some of the Saints onely and the reprobate of another Nation by others of the Saints but that all the Saints shall joyntly judge all the reprobate both Angels and men onely by assenting to the Judgement that our Saviour himselfe shall give against them and this may be gathered from the Apostle who saith not thus Know yee not that the Apostles or Prophets but know yee not that we shall judge the Angels he speakes of all and not of some Saints only seeing then the twelve Tribes of Israel as you apply this saying to the universall Judgement can neither be taken for the rest of the glorified Saints nor for the reprobate Jewes it must needs follow that you are out in your application and consequently the twelve Tribes of Israel must be taken for the Nation of the Jewes over which the Apostles shall sit as Judges in the time of our Saviours reigne on earth And how else should this promise of our Saviour implie a priviledge to the Apostles above the rest of the glorified Saints for their following him in the time of his temptation if it did not constitute them alone to be supreme Judges under him over that Nation which shall be nearest and dearest unto him in his Kingdome for seeing all other Saints shall joyne with them in judging of the reprobate Angels much more shall they in judging the reprobate Jewes which cannot be so much honour unto the Disciples as the judging of the reprobate Angels and so the great priviledge which our Saviour promised the Disciples shall according to your opinion be farre inferiour to that which St. Paul affirmes to be common to all the Saintâ— And whereas you sâ—â— that the Apostle saith how much more things appertaining unto this life whereby it appeares that in the first part of the verse he understands a judgement not in this life Wee grant your conclusion for we know that the Angels were not to be judged by the faithful Corinthians and the rest of the Saints before their departure out of this life or before the redemption of their bodies at our Saviours appearing but that they shall be judged by them after their reigning with Christ after their judging of the world a thousand yeares And so the glory of the Kingdome of Israel is not yet diminished by any of your feeble falicies and indigested imaginations Israel's Redemption And this is as much as I need say though not above halfe that the Prophets say concerning the Kingdome in the tâ—â—â— I will therefore shut up all with that solemne protestation of God in the 31. chap. of Jer. at the 35. ver Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sunne for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moone and of the Starres for a light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roare the Lord of Hosts is his name If those Ordinances u Jer. 33. ver 20.25 depart from before me saith the Lord then shall the seed of Israel also cease from being a Nation before mee for ever Thus saith the Lord If heaven above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord. And with that humble complaint of Israel whom God in the 7. of Mioah at the 8. ver makâ—â— to prophecie thus of her selfe Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy when I fall I shall rise when I sit in darknesse the Lord will be a light unto mee I will beare the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and execute Judgement for me He will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold 〈◊〉 righteousnesse Mr Petrie's Answer We acknowledge both in their owne sense and trâ—th 〈◊〉 noâ—â—ing 〈◊〉 in them nor collected out of them for proofe of this purpose Reply If you will acknowledge them both in their owne sense you must acknowledge them to be for our purpose for you must acknowledge that the Nation of the Jewes which now sâ—â— in darknesse which now heares the indignation of the Lord because she hath sinned against him shall againe be brought forth to the light by him as Micah saith here And the foresaid protestation of God by Jer. chap. 31. touching the preserving of the Jewish Nation will force you to acknowledge your errour page 20. where you say that now through many agâ—s Ephraimites are not knowne in any part of the earth Israel's Redemption And so I passe from the thing to be restor'd which is the Kingdome of Israel to the Person by whom it is to be restor'd which is Christ the Lord at his next appearing For they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdome to Israel Mr. Petrie's Answer If the temporall Kingdome of the Jewes could be demonstrated out of the Scriptures the question a nent the King might more easily be resolved and neverthelesse these few millenaries cannot agree concerning the person of their King
over al that he delivers up Yea although you here make Christ to reign only over a part of his Fathers Kingdome and say also That the areh-traytour gain-stands in malice to the honour of the King and his Sonne that Satan still opposeth by deceiving some and vexing others yet you say pag. 7. That Christ is great over all the world seeing all the Gentiles doe prayse him and all people land him And pag. 52. That he hath made all Kingdomes of the world acknowledge his authority and hath put downe all contrary power and authority c. And pag. 58. That now is no Kingdome but our Lords and his Christs And pag. 40. That his enemies are made subject to him even his greatest enemies So contrary are you to the truth and to your selfe Sixthly and lastly you tell us That at the delivering up of our Saviours Kingdome the Father will not say Thy reward is not in heaven therefore let them goe againe into the earth and inherit glory for a 1000 yeares And doubtlâ—sse he will not For when our Saviour shall give up his Kingdome to the Father his owne Kingdome on earth shall be fulfilled And we say that his Kingdome is to beginne at his appearing when none but the Saints then departed shall rise and not at the last judgement when all others shall rise as you to delude the reader doe purposely misunderstand us And so your pretended explication of the whole matter is indeede no other but an intended implication of a plaine truth Israel's Redemption Of this Kingdome also speakes Saint Peter in Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sinnes may be blotted out when the o 1 Pet. 1.13 times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord and he shall send Jesus Christ which was before preacht unto you p Luke 19 11 12. c. whom the heavens must receive untill the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy q Rev. 10.7 prophets siâ—ce the world began where if by the times of refreshing and times of restitution of all things nothing else can be meant but the Jowes inhabiâ—ing agâ—ine of their owâ—e land and the bringing of all other Nations into subjection to them with which a blessed and wonderfull change of the creatures shall concurre then it is evident that when Christ comes at this time he shall accomplish this thing to Israel and consequently receive his appointed Kingdome but that these words can have no other meaning a small acquaintance with the Prophets will informe you who as they speake of nothing more so they have nothing which can be applyed to our Saviours second comming as a comfortable effect so generally foreshewne but this Mr. Petrie's Answer I am sure no man can imagine that these words in themselves import that our Saviour shall reigne among the Jewes as an earthly Monarch which is the point pag. 45. And therefore this if by the time c. is as if one would say If I be a King I am a King 2. That the Prophets have another meaning may be seen by all interpreters and partly by that is said here 3. It is wonder if any Jew will say that the Prophets speake of nothing more for if his meaning be They speake not more of any other thing it is questionable seeing there is much spoken of Gods precepts But if he doe meane as it seemes that they speake not of any other thing that can be applyed unto our Saviours comming I will cite one Prophet for all Dan. 2.1 2. Where is mention of the great Prince of great trouble even to the time of deliverance and then awaking of some not for a space of time but to everlasting life and of others at the same time unto shame and everlasting contempt And is not this a more comfortable effect foreshewne generally unto every one that shall be written in the booke Now the cause why the Prophets write so much of Jerusalem and that Kingdom to be restored was That the godly hearing of the destruction of that Kingdome did greatly feare that that Common-wealth should never be restored wherein Christ our Saviour was to be borne and performe the worke of redemption we may justly thinke that their feare was not so much the want of bodily liberty as the not comming of our Saviour and therfore the Prophets insist much upon that point for the comfort of the godly that howsoever that Kingdome shall be ruined yet it shall be restored and all Nations shall by the preaching of Jewes come into the obedience of Christ and so receive lawes from the Jewes as being captives unto them whose captives they might be for a time But to imagine that the faithfull did expect and the Prophets did speake of no other thing but this earthly Monarchy is too grosse and directly contradicting the Apostles bearing another testimony of them Heb. 11.16 They desire a better countrey that is heaven And 1 Pet. 1.9 10. Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your soules Of which salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched diligently who prophecied of the grace that should came unto you c. Reply 1. If these words in themselves import not that our Saviour shall reigne among the Jewes as a Monarch on earth yet compared with the prophecies to which they doe direct us for an explanation of the times of refreshing and times of restitution of all things â—hey doe certainely import as much And this forme If by the times of refreshing and times of restitution c. the Jewes restoring to and prosperity in their land must needes be meant thâ—n it is evident that when he comes at these times he shall accomplish this unto Israel is not to prove idem per idem the same thing by the same thing as you untruely affirme But this forme If by the times of refreshing c. the Jewes restoring to and prosperity in their land be meant then by the times of refreshing c. the Iewes restoring to and prosperity in their land is meant And your silence touching the meaning of the times of refreshing and the times of restitution of all things doth manifest that you did thus traduce the forme of this argument onâ—ly because you could not gâ—insay the evidence f it You say pag. 23. T at aâ—l interpreters except a few Millenaries have expounded the prophecies touching the Jewes future prosperity in their owne land of the Jewes onely And you say here That all without exception have said that the Prophets have another meaning But surely we have shewed that such interpreters cannot prove what they say Yea seeing it is evident by Saint Peters words here That our Saviour shall not come againe till the times of refreshing c. and that it is as evident by the writings of the Prophets to which the Apostle directs us for an interpretation of these times that nothing appliable
context declares the matter enquired of is the restauration of the captivated Soveraignty of the Jewes as the text it selfe doth informe us These are the parts yet because it would be impertinent in this businesse to speake any thing of the persons but onely as their joynt authority may help somewhat to justifie the truth of this proposall I shall omitting this division onely glance at them in the ensuing confirmation of the subject Which comprehends in it these two assertions First That the Kingdom of the Jewes shall againe be restored unto them Secondly That our Saviour at his comming shall restore it Mr. Petrie's Answer The Querie comprehends neither of the two because as I said it affirms nothing And the asked matter comprehends them not Not the first because it is of the Kingdom of Israel and not of the Jewes and as all are not Israelites who are of Israel Rom. 9.6 so neither are they all Israelites or the children of God who are of Israel according to the flesh but the children of the promise are counted for the seed therefore the Kingdom of Israel mentioned there may he another then the Kingdom of the Jewes Neither is the other assertion comprehended it the question because it askes not of his second or third comming but of now wilt thou now restore the Kingdom Reply The Querie comprehended both because both are intimated in the Querie and doe necessarily follow from the Querie And you have not shewed us any Querie that affirms nothing nor in what sense this Querie doth affirme nothing In the asked matter there is the Kingdom to be restored and from hence proceeds the first assertion And the person that should restore it and from hence proceeds the second assertion But the first is not here comprehended you say because the Querie is of the Kingdom of Israel and not of the Jewes as if the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of the Jewes were not to be understood of the same people No say you For all are not Israelites who are of Israel Rom. 9.6 a worthy reason for it is as if you should say by the Kingdom of Israel cannot be meant the Kingdom of the Jewes because all that are Israelites by birth are not elect Israelites Israelites according to the flesh and according to faith also For this onely iâ— the meaning of the text cited by you Rom. 9.6 and so proves not that the Kingdom in the text belongs to any other people language or nation but the Jewes of whom alone interpreters doe understand it And therefore you should have spoken out and told us plainly what the other Kingdom you speake of was For we know of no more but two besides this in Question betwixt us And these are commonly cal'd the Kingdom of grace by which is meant the Saints or Church on earth before Christs appearing And the Kingdom of glory by which is meant the Saints or Church in Heaven And that neither of these Kingdoms is meant in the text I prove thus Not the Kingdom of grace for at that time the Jewes themselves alone were this Kingdom and that could not be restored unto them which as yet they had not lost and not the Kingdom of glory for that likewise could not be restor'd which as yet they had not And none can imagine that the Apostles Querie is thus to be paraphrased Lord wilt thou at this tiâ—â— take all the faithfull up with thee into Heaven And therefore seeing it could not be meant of either of these Kingdoms it must be meant of the Kingdom of the Jewes on earth or of none Which is our first assertion And the other is comprehended here too For although the Querie askes not of his second comming but of now yet seeing Christ was to restore it and did it not while he was on earth it necessarily follows that he shall doe it at his descending againe to the earth Which is our second assertion and thus both are found in the text And besides if you take the word 8 as all are not Israel who are of Israel in the Apostles meaning i. e. all are not faithfull Israelites that are descended of Israel then it is an apparent tautology to add so neither are they all Israelites or the children of God that are of Israel according to the flash and if you doe not take the Apostles words in this sense then it is notoriously false to say that all are not Israelites to wit by nation who are of Israel by birth And is it not a pretty inference All Israelites are not Israelites therefore the Kingdom of Israel there may be another then the Kingdom of the Jewes Surely you might as well have said therefore the Pope shall be St. Peters successour For this conclusion hath as much dependence on the anteâ—eden as the other Israel's Redemption CHAP. I. Of the restoring of Jerusalem and the Jewes returne ANd first of the first That the Kingdom of the Jewes shall again be restor'd unto them For they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againâ— the Kingdom in Israel So evidently doe these words expresse an earthly Kingdom I meane onely a Kingdom to be held on earth that no expositor which I have met with doth deny it and therefore seeing they could not but imbrace the sense me thinks they should not so rashly have rejected the consequence And that for these reasons Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. Me thinkes you speake non-sense Manâ— expositours expone these words otherwise seeke and you shall finde Secondly why may wee not thinke that the Apostles meaned as Simeon did Luk. 2.30 31 32. or as the repenting thief did Luke 23.42 or as Christ did verse 43. certainly these did not meane of an earthly Monarchy neither is there my word in this text shewing that they meaned otherwise Thirdly albeit no expositour would deny that the Apostles did understand an earthly Kingdom yet it followse not They thought so therefore it shall be so No more then it follows The Apostles did not for a time beleeve the calling of the Gentiles Act. 11.3 therefore the Gentiles are not called But the consequence hath reasons he saith whereof the first two are topicall and by way of probabilitie pag. 5. When the Authour saith The reasons are probable and I may say childish will any Christian change his faith for them certaine faith should have sure grounds lest the wind of tentation blow it away and therefore I might leave these prohabilities as not worthy of reading or answer neverthelesse consider them Reply 1. Me thinks you might as wel have shewed the non-sense as said it was non-sense But many expositours you say expone these words otherwise This shews not that I have spoken non-sense in saying that I have met with no such But I doubt it shews that you speake an untruth which is worse then non-sense For you might as easily have nam'd some of them as have said it and bid me looke
them out And had there been any I presume you would too seeing it is not likely that they would have brought an exposition different from that which was commonly received by others and have given no reason for it or one no better then a why may we not think so 2. If you thinke that these places here quoted be diversly interpreted as your disjunctive conjunction OR intimates and yet say why may not this Kingdom be taken as the thiefe meant or as Christ meant or as Simeon meant any one may perceive that you are altogether unresolved what sense to take it in but had rather take it in any sense then that we take it in And if you thinke that all these places have but one meaning as the last words of this part of your answer imply you should have shewed us what it had been For in our Saviour's and Simeon's words the word Kingdom is not found And the words which you take to be equivalent with it are diversly expounded Paradise in our Saviour's words is interpreted to be Heaven And salvation and Glory in Simeon's song doe signify Salutis et gloriae authorem the authour of glory and the authour of salvation to wit Christ himselfe So that if the Kingdom in the Apostles Querie be expounded either of these two waies it is all one as if they had said Lord wilt thou at this time restore Heaven to Israel or Lord wilt thou at this time restore thy selfe to Israel And as for the Kingdom the theife spake of we thanke you for mentioning of it And doe willingly grant that the Apostles understood it as he did But how was that surely as all other Jewes did of a Kingdom on earth and not in Heaven For his words in the original are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when thou commest in thy kingdome that is in thy Kingly power as it is Mat. 16. verse 27 28. for by those words the theife could not meane his ascension into Heaven as it is comonly expounded seeing he was wholly ignorant of it And therefore it must needs follow that he understood it of an earthly Kingdom which all Jewes expected and as it seemes by the Apostles Querie all beleeving Jewes thought should suddenly appeare after his resurrection But because it was not to be so therefore it was that our Saviour promised the theife the present happinesse of his soule in Heaven where it should remaine in his presence until at his comming in his Kingdom of which he had spoken he should bring it with him to be reunited to his glorified body and so according to his request he should in his whole manhood be made partaker of his Master 's glorious reigne on earth 3 You must give us leave to thinke that no expositour doth deny it until either we can find or you or others shew us such a one But It follows not you say the Apostles thought so therfore it shall be so But this follows therefore we must beleeve the Apostles before Mr. Petrie or any others who thinke it shall not be so Yea and this follows the Apostles thought so and our Saviour who knew their meaning reprehended them not for misunderstanding it therefore it shall be so And whereas you say that the Apostles for a time beleeved not the calling of the Gentiles and referre these words for a time to the time after our Saviours ascension it is not so For doubtlesse from the very time in which our Saviour said unto them Goe teach all Nations Mat. 28.19 they did beleeve it although perhaps they might not thinke that they should have been cald so soone yea if the words of St. James Acts 15. verse 14. should be meant of the song of old Simeon as you doe say page 26. there is no doubt but they knew it from the time they first heard of that prophecy Neither doth the text you quote speake of the Apostles doubting of it but of other beleeving Jews And therefore you have shewed your selfe very bold with the Apostles mistooke the ground of your argument and denyed what afterwards you confesse And lastly when the Authour doth take the Apostles words in that sense which interpreters doe give unto them and shews by reasons first and Scriptures afterwards that the Apostles did not out of any carnal minde or misconceit of our Saviours Kingdom uâ—ter this Querie and when that Mr. Petrie doth neither flatly affirme or deny any sense of the Apostles words nor give a reason worth the naming much lesse reading or answering against any of these reasons albeit but childish as he saith will any reader thinke that Mr. Petrie will prove a better guide to him herein then this Authour doubtlesse no man taking a journey will choose him for a guide that is in doubt which way to goe and no good Christian will be lesse carefull in his way to Heaven To the Law then and to the Testimony to the plaine word of God this is the sure ground of thyfaith and therefore sticke to it for if men speake not according to this it is because there is no truth in them Isa 8.20 Israel's Redemption First because the Authours of this demand were not babes either in yeares or understanding but the Apostles themselves men who had followed f Mat. 4. v. 19. our Saviour from the very time that he manifested himselfe to the world g Mat. 13. v. 36. Mar. 7.17 by preaching and miracles and suffered not so much as a parable to escape their knowledge Men to whom h Act. 1.3 he had shewed himselfe alive after his passion by many infallible proofes being seene of them forty daies and speaking to them of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God And yet that these men should now at their last conference with him be mistaken in a matter of such importance as this is which concerns the purpose of God touching the whole Nation of the Jewes is as I beleeve and as I thinke you will all say a thing altogether unlikely and and so it is too that all the Apostles should be of the same mind unlesse it had been a truth formerly taught and not as it is imagined an error then newly vented by them Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. It is unlikely they could be mistaken and therefore it is likely that they understood of the true Kingdom of Israel as Christ did 2. And neverthelesse seeing after the last conference they were mistaken in a matter of great evidence so many times foretold as the calling of the Gentiles it is not unlikely that before Christ's ascension they might been miscaried with that opinion of the Jewish Monarchy which was not a new opinion invented nor vented by the Apostles Reply 1. The question is not what Kingdom the Apostles meant in their Querie which Divines generally consent to be an earthly Kingdom But whether they did not erre in meaning thus So that this part of your answer having relation onely to what Kingdom they
Redemption The next prophecy shall be that of Joel who mentions the very signes which our Saviour said should be the immediate fore-runners of the Jewes Redemption And it shall come to passe afterwards saith he in his 2. chap. at the 28 ver that I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh and your sinnes and your daughters shall prophecy your old men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visions and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those dayes will I powre out my spirit and I will shew wonders in the Heavens and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoake the Å¿ Isa 24. v. 23. Mat. 24. v. 29. Rev. 6. v. 12. Sun shall be turned into darkenesse and the Moone into blood before the * Great not onely in regard of the strangenesse and dreadfulnes of events of things then to come to passe but great also in regard of the long continuance and tract of time which God in his revelations hereafter to be fulfild doth by the word Day as well without this epither as with it frequently import great and terrible t Ezek. 39.8 Mal. 4.5 Iude 6. Rev. 16.14 Day of the Lord come And it shall come to passe that whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be delivered for in Mount Zion and in Hierusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call And in the 3. chap. at the 1. ver Behold in those daies and in that time when I shall bring againe the captivity of Judah and Hierusalem I will also gather all Nations and will bring them downe into the valley of Jehosaphat which in the 14. verse is called the valley of decision and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the Nations and parted my Land And at the 15. verse againe The Sun and the Moone shall be darkened and the starres shall withdraw their shining the Lord also shall roare out of Zion and utter his voyce from Jerusalem and the u Isa 2.19 c. Ezek. 38.19.20 Hag 2.22 Mat. 24.29 Rev. 16.18 ch 6.13.14 Heavens and the earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel Mr. Petrie's Answer The Apostle Peter not onely makes use of these words but expones them and shewes the accomplishment of them in some degree as it is said in the sixth rule before for Act. 2.16 he saith This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Ioel And it shall come to passe in the last daies c. And verse 22. Ye men of Israel heare these words Jesus of Nazareth a man approved of God among you by miracles wonders and signes which God did by him in the midst of you as ye your selves know Reply The Apostle repeats but expounds not the Prophets words and consequently shewes not the accomplishment of ought that the Prophet affirms shall be done All that he shewes is this That the thing which then happened to the Apostles was the worke of the same spirit which Joel spake of but he saith not that it was the same worke The same spirit indeed was then powred out but it was not the same powring out of the spirit And for want of distinguishing betwixt the effusion of the same spirit and the same effusion of the spirit you affirme that those things which the Prophet saies the spirit shall doe not long before the Lord's second comming were then done at his first comming And the reason you bring from St. Peters words Act. 2. verse 22. to shew that the prophecy of Joel was then fulfild in part is a very strange one For the Prophet shewes what others shall doe through the extraordinary inspiration of the Spirit before the Day of the Lord comes and the words you have alledg'd doe shew what works Christ himselfe did when he was come Israel's Redemption I am not ignorant that the darkening of the Sun and Moone is sometimes taken allegorically and by way of allusion but that therefore it should be so understood here it doth not follow for where it is figuratively applyed it signifies the judgement it selfe which is to befall those people of whom it is spoken but where it is literally used it is put onely for a signe of an eminent destruction which shall suddenly follow it as the great and terrible Day of the Lord shall doe at the accomplishment of this prophecy Mr. Petrie's Answer Where the darkenesse of the Sun and so it may be understood of the Moone is used properly it is not put onely for a signe of an eminent and imminent destruction as it is manifest Luke 23.45 which was a Testimony from Heaven of Christ's innocency for conviction of the murtherers and chap. 21.25 the signes in the Sun and Moone and in the starres and the distresse of Nations upon the earth with perplexity and the roaring of the sea and waves are all to be understood properly as signes before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. So what is promised in the 28. and 29. verses of the second chap. of Joel was truely albeit not altogether fulfilled in the daies of Peter even how-beit the words of the 30. and 31. verses be properly understood and not wholly fulfild til the time immediately preceding the last comming of Christ Reply That the darkning of the Sun or of the Moone properly taken especially if supernaturall as this here is a signe of an eminent and imminent destruction you confesse but that it is onely so you deny And were this true I have not spoken much out of the way But the instance you bring of the darkning of the Sun at the time of our Saviours passion makes nothing for you For whereas you say it was a testimony from Heaven of Christ's innocency for conviction of the murtherers the historie of the Gospel tels you no such thing and interpreters are against you Sicut enim Deus tenebris involvebat terram Aegyptum sic etiam nunc totam Judâ—â—am in signum iraâ—i Dei et futurae poenae saith Pareus on the 27. chap. of Mat. at the 45. verse that is As God did once bring darknesse on the land of Egypt so likewise did he now on the land of Judea as a signe of his wrath and their ensuing punishment So Chrysostome too It was an undoubted signe of Gods anger for that which they did against him And Origen It was a presage of the future darknesse which should over-spread the whole Jewish Nation To which Dr. Mayer consents and with Origen concludes from the time of the darknesse continuance being three houres that the Jewish Nation should be in darknesse till about the Evening of the world Although then Christ's innocency may well be gathered from it yet for ought I can finde you goe alone in alledging it as a reason of the darknesse
battle is in the time of the sixt vial after which follows another vial and time of trouble mentioned in the rest of that chap. of the Revel 2. We may be perswaded that the gathering of the Nations Joel 3.2 is not to be understood of a battle after the comming or at the comming of Christ if we consider the words of the first verse for behold in these dayes and in that time c. Heknitteth this chap. with the preceding and shewes the contents of both to be at the same time which is not any particular yeare or age but comprehends the whole deliverance of Israel or people of God which was begun when the captive Jews were brought from Babylon and continues til Christ's second comming as if the Prophet had said When the Lord shall deliver his people it shall not be a short and moment any deliverance but this protection shall continue til he have avenged him of all the enemies of his Church As for the Name of the valley of Jehoshaphat there is no necessity to understand thereby the valley of blessing 2 Chro. 20.26 seeing that valley never hath this name in the Scripture neither is it possible that all the Nations of the world can conveen in that place but the name may rather be taken appellatively for the valley of God's judgement as the Hebrew word imports and the words following allude thereunto whereby the Prophet teacheth us to consider the etymologie of the Name and neverthelesse he would have us to consider the gracious deliverance of Jehoshaphat that he will as certainly deliver his people in all ages as he did Jehoshaphat And this is a more glorious trophee then if any one Nation were kept a thousand yeares in worldly prosperity Reply 1. My words doe shew that this prophecy of Joel cannot be meant of the time of Christ's Judging the dead when they shall be all called out of their graves as it is commonly expounded and that because it speakes of the gathering together of a great Army against the Jews but not after Christ's comming which opinion you falsely attribute to me although against his comming as the parallel prophecy Rev. 16. at the 12 13 14. ver doth shew for that Army is to be gathered into Armageddon in the time of the sixth vial and to be destroy'd at the powring out of the seventh vial by our Saviour and his Heavenly Host as the 15. ver of the same chap. and the latter part of the 19. chap. of the Rev. from ver the 11. c. doe plainly declare 2. That which you here begin with was the ground of the former part of your answer but on what ground I know not for I deny that this prophecy doth speake of a battle after Christ's comming albeit I doe affirme that our Saviour's comming shall be when this great Army is gathered together against the Jews as ready to destroy them And your shewing the coherence of this chapter with the precedent doth make more against you then you are aware of for it is remarkeable that you rightly conclude from hence that the Prophet shewes the contents which I have urged out of both being in the Hebrew all in one chapter to be at the same time And yet you say presently after that this same time is not any particular yeare or age but comprehends all the time from the Jews returne from Babylon to the second comming of Christ which is as if you had said This particular time is not a particular time but many particular times yea thousands of particular times This same time is not the same time but more then the same time yea as much more then the same time as is from the Jews returne from Babylon to this same time For the text in the originall points emphatically to one particular time as the seperate pronounes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subjoyn'd to their substantives with the praefix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe shew So that it is as if the Prophet had said In those selfe same dayes and in that very time in which I shall bring againe the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem I will also gather all Nations c. And besides how I pray can the signes that are to be shewed more often then any man knows or in any part of so large a time as you speake of all which your exposition grants foreshew the neernesse of the terrible Day of the Lord which yet is the onely end of the wonders that Joel saith shall be shewed in the Heavens and in the earth at that time For our Saviour Mat. 24. Luk. 21. speaks of the same darkening of the Sun and Moone that the Prophet doth and if his word may be taken these signes shall as infallibly shew the neere approach of his second comming as the shooting forth of the leaves of the figgtree doth shew that the summer is nigh at hand And thus the emphasi◠of the Hebrew text and our Saviour's intimation of the true extent of the time betwixt these signes and his appearing the accomplishment of which signes you confesse to be at the time of the deliverance which the Prophet foretels doth both discover how notoriously false your exposition of the same time is And therefore the sense which you by this means would thrust upon the prophet must needs be your owne likewise and not the Prophet's For the Prophet speakes here but of one Army and the parallel prophecy Rev. 16. speakes but of one Army and Ezek. who foreshewes the same battle speakes but of one Army and they all say that the Iews onely are to be opposed by this Army and that a sudden destruction shall come on this Army and consequently the deliverance here spoken of is to be short and sudden and the people to be delivered by it are the Jews And so here is nothing at all touching God's special protection of his Church in all ages or of many deliverances but here is an extraordinary Judgement foreshewing the dreadfull overthrow and downefall of all the enemies of the Jews and the then faithfull Christians And as concerning the place where this Army is to be gathered together this is chiefely to be taken notice of that the prophecy speaking but of one Army it can be meant but of one place and that to be in the land of Judea whither the Nations shall come up against the Jews shortly upon their returne as the valley of Jehoshaphat here doth intimate and Ezek. doth plainly declare Neither is the doubt you bring about the possibility of so many Nations meeting together in one place of any consequence For it is not usuall for a people wholly to leave their owne countrey when they invade their enemies land for that were the ready way to lose their owne land and to starve themselves but to send forth such a strength as they may well raise and maintaine and the Prophet here calls for their men of war and
their mighty men but not for all the men of these Nations much lesse for all the people of these Nations and who knows not that many hundred thousands may against the time of a battle be drawne together within the space of a few miles and at once to overthrow so mighty an Army as the Prophets speake of and thereupon to make all thaâ— are left of the Nations willingly to submit themselves as tributaries to the Jews and to settle not onely one Nation but the whole world in a godly peace and prosperity for a thousand yeares after will doubtlesse set forth the Justice mercy and power of God in a more glorious and wonderfull manner then all the victories of Christians or Protestants put together can doe Yea it will even abolish the memory of all the miraculous victories and benefits which God hath wrought for the Jews themselves since the time that they grew up into a Nation And yet you feare not to say that this generall and extraordinary deliverance and exemption from future calamities will not so much declare Gods glory as their particular deliverances in formen ages doe Israel's Redemption Now how can wee forsake the literal interpretation of these prophecies if we doe but consider that the Jews are here distinguished from all other Nations of which we Gentiles who are now converted were then a part and are by this name in the writings of the Evangelists and Apostles still distingushed from them If we consider what grosse absurdities would follow from the tropical construction of these or the like propheticall revelations wherein the event of things is so plainly and distinctly attributed to the Jews who I am sure did never since the prophets dayes returne from any captivity with such an high hand and with such a wonderfull victory over their enemies as is here foretold And as for the Church that now is let the lamentable experience of all ages witnesse whether she hath not been more often crown'd with Martyrdom then victory whether the blood-thirsty Mahometan hath not gotten much ground upon her Yea whether He who claimes to be her Head hath not and doth not most of all waste and devoure her According as it is written of him in the 13. of the Rev. at the 11. ver And therefore these prophecies can have no relation to the times of the Gentiles nor so much to the time of the Maccabees as Cornelious a Lapide endeavours to make these of Zechariah to have for neither were their enemies smitten with such plagues nor brought into such subjection as is here foretold neither was the house of David then so highly exalted as is here promised and Judas and his brethren who did then beare the chiefest sway were not of the Tribe of Judah but of Levi neither was the wealth of all the Heathen round about then gathered together neither did the Lord then e Zech. 14.5 descend and all the Saints with him Unlesse we will say as our Commentatour doth that this was fulfilled when the five comely men upon horses appeared unto the enemies from Heaven as 't is in the 2. of the Maccab. the 10. chap. at the 29. and 30. ver Which apparition doth as well expound these words as he doth that other prophecy of Zephaniah by which he would have us to understand God's calling the Gentiles to repentance by the preaching of the Gospel when as the text saith plainly that God's determination is to gather the Nations and to assemble the Kingdoms that he may powre upon them his indignation even all his ee Lam. 4.11 fierce anger Mr Petrie's Answer 1. We forsake not the literal interpretation of these prophecies for that is the literall interpretation which is principally intended whether it be proper or figurative but we forsake that restricted interpretation as onely belonging to a temporall Monarchy of the Jews 2. The Jews are not to be understood in these promises in way of opposition to all Nations for then all other men without exception shall be consumed in the valley of Jehoshaphat but the Jews and Israel are to be exponed of the elect people of God according to the fift rule mentioned before and the Gentiles are all the enemies of the Church And the faithfull are called Jews not onely typically but likewise for the speciall comfort of the Jews because they were hated of all Nations every where which might have been unto them occasion of despaire and therefore the Lord saith unto them to this purpose How many or great soever your enemies shall be I will judge them And for the same are the Jews oft named in the promises of the new Testament to shew their particular interest in the Kirke of Christ notwithstanding their unworthinesse and contempt of the Gospel at the first preaching thereof Now if the prophecies be exponed this way as they must be of beleevers whether Jews or Gentiles and their enemies whatsoever the enemies of the faith in any age none of these absurdities shall follow which are rehearsed here as in a catalogue Reply 1. You doe not onely forsake the literal sense which as it is opposed to a figurative is alwayes meant of a proper sense and is by Divines commonly used for this where no other sense is mentioned but in forsaking this sense you forsake also the sense principally intended in these prophecies And that it is not a restricted interpretation which understands prophecies onely of what and of whom they speake but that is a loose and licentious interpretation which understands them of what and of whom they speake not 2. The onely reason that you bring to prove that in these prophecies the Jews are not to be taken by way of opposition to all other Nations is because then without exception all other men should be consum'd in the valley of Jehoshaphat But though God saith in the prophecy I will gather all Nations c. yet he saith not I will gather all of all Nations and consequently it is to be understood onely of some of every one of these Nations and not of all the men of all these Nations as the words in the 9. ver of the same chap. and the parallell prophecy of Ezek. chap. 38. doe shew And some few of these also are to escape as we may see Isa 66. ver 19 20. And so we have no need to seeke out a figurative sense to solve this argument although it be your chiefest drift to make us doe it And therefore had rather take paines to obscure what is plainly delivered then to open what is doubtfully spoken as by your words following we may perceive For if these prophecies say you be expounded of beleevers whether Jews or Gentiles then none of these absurdities shall follow which are here rebearst and so you take them in this figurative sense without any other warrant for it but your sic volâ— or so it must be for testimony from Scripture you can bring none And the reason
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
take of them for Priests and for Levites saith the Lord. For as the new Heavens and the new earth which I will make to wit at the judgement of the dead when this Heaven and Earth shall passe away as it is in the 20. chap. of the Rev. at the 11. ver and in the 21 chap. at the 1. ver as these shall remaine before mee saith the Lord so shall your seed and your name remaine to wit after their foresaid returne from captivitie And it shall come to passe that from one new Moone to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to z Psal 68. ver 29.31 Psal 100. v. 1 2.4 worship before me saith the Lord and they shall goe forth and looke upon the carkasses of the men that have transgressed against me for their worme shall not dye neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh Read also in the 61. chap. the a Isa 53. v. 12. 4 5 6 7. verses and in the 60. chap. the 9 10 11 b Jer. 12. ver 14 15 16 17. 12 13 14 15 16. verses and in the 49. chap. the 22 23. ver and in the 25. chap. the 6 7 8. verses and in the 14. chap. the c Dan. 7. ver 18.21.27 1. d Isa 55. v. 5. Zech. 2. v. 9.11 2. e Ezek. 39. ver 10. 3. ver and in the 2. chap. the f Isa 49. v. 6. chap. 60. v. 3. 1 Tim. 2. v. 4. 2 3 g Psal 46. v. 9. Hosea 2. v. 18. 4. verses The same Prophecie also you may finde in the 4. chapter of Micah at the 1 2. verses and not much unlike unto this is that in the 8. ch of Zechariah at the 20 22 23. verses and that in the 1.4 chap. at the 16 17. ver c. Mr. Petrie's Answer It is now manifest that these forenamed Prophecies are not of the earthly prosperity of the Jewes onely and we know certainly that the Gentiles are partakers with the Jewes so that the proofe of this point is needlesse and neverthelesse he filleth up some pages with Prophecies to this purpose Reply Now we are come to the Prophecies that decide the difference for the very ground of the controversie is Whether the Jewes and Gentiles are already joyn'd into one Church which you affirme and we denie and yet both agree that these Prophecies doe foreshew their uniting And what then doe they say of it certainly they say not that the Jewes and Gentiles were united into one Church whil'st the Church was amongst the Jewes onely and some Gentiles were cal'd into it as iâ— was before Christs comming neither doe they say that they are united into one Church whilst the Church is to be amongst the Gentiles onely and some Jewes cal'd into it as it hath been since Christs comming but this they say that at their uniting the whole Nation of the Jewes and all Nations of the Gentiles that are left shall worship God after the same manner at Ierusalem This they shew of themselves and compar'd with the Prophecies which concerne our Saviours reigne on earth they infallibly declare too that at their uniting all Nations in the world shall make but one Church and Kingdome under the government of our Lord Jesus Christ which is enough to shew that in the ensuing discourse you doe but vainly kick against the pricks and manifest an obstinate apostasie from the truth But lest the unlearned Reader should mistake mole-hils for mountaines and shadowes for substances wee must proceed to examine your Answers And first you tell us It is now manifest that these forenamed Prophecies are not of the earthly prosperity of the Jewes onely What is it manifest that these forenamed Prophecies speake not onely of the prosperity of the Jewes because the prosperitie of those dayes belongs not to the Jewes onely because I say these Prophecies here doe shew that the Gentiles shall be partakers with them in the peace piety and plentie of that time who sees not this non sequitur the independencie of this inference These last Prophecies shew that the prosperous estate of the Gentiles shall be dependent on their voluntary submission to and union with the Jewes therefore those forenamed Prophecies touching the Jewes returne unto and prosperitie in their owne Land are not of the prosperitie of the Jewes onely such bald untruths and sophisticall Arguments doe stop many a breach in this worke of yours and help very much to gaine the simple and to hold up the considence of the prejudioâ—te Christian You goe on and say we know certainly that the Gentiles are partakers with the Jewes Partakers of what of the happinesse which the accomplishment of the Prophecies here alledg'd was to bring forth unto them You must first prove that these Prophecies are fulfill'd before you can affirme that they are partakers of the contemporating happinesse reveal'd in them and unlesse you meane that they are partakers with them of the happinesse foreshewed in these Prophecies you doe but equivocate in saying that the Gentiles are partakers with the Jewes And yet you conclude so that the proofe of this point is needlesse and neverthelesse he filleth up some pages with Prophecies to this purpose Doubtlesse this is spoken of purpose to bâ—ffle the Reader from a serious consideration of the union which these Prophecies speake of which is so obvious that every ordinary apprehension may of it selfe perceive that it is not yet accomplished and this you knew very well and therefore have not so much as quoted the Chapters or bookes where these Prophecies are reveal'd Was not this after all your braving to plead guilty For if this point was needlesse you might so much the rather have afforded the Reader a sight of or at least a direction unto the Prophecies so needlessely alledged seeing you could not have wisht for a greater advantage against me But when you passe over the former Prophecies untoucht and keep these wholly out of sight who will not conclude from hence that you could not possibly disprove the proper and historicall accomplishment of them and consequently that the time of their accomplishment is not yet come Israel's Redemption I know that most of these Prophecies are chiefly interpreted of the joyning together of the Jewes and Gentiles in one Church and rightly Mr. Petrie's Answer If they be chiefly and rightly interpreted so why should we not acquiesce shall we goe about to inerpret them unrightly that were to put out our eyes and deceive our selves and others Reply As I say that Interpreters doe rightly affirme that these Prophecies doe concerne the joyning together of the Jewes and Gentiles into one Church so I say also that they doe wrongfully apply the accomplishment of these Prophecies to the time of the substituted Gentiles calling And therefore by your fallacious dividing of these words from that which followes you doe wilfully put out your owne eyes that so
in saying that the union of the two people of the Jewes and Gentiles consists in the union of the Church under the Old and New Testament You doe herein grant first that the Church under the New Testament is the Church of the Gentiles and so not of the Jewes and Gentiles both as it should be if it did proportionably consist of the Jewes and Gentiles And secondly you doe herein grant that the Apostles words Ephes 2. ver 11. c. are meant of this union for you cannot conceive that the union betwixt the two people consists in the union of the Church under the Old and New Testament unlesse you doe conceive withall that the places which speake of their union are so to be understood And thirdly you doe herein contradict the preceding prophecies which you grant to foreshew the same uniting of the two people for these Prophecies doe plainely declare the uniting of the whole Nation of the Jewes with all the Nations of the Gentiles on the earth and not the uniting of Gentiles under the Gospel with Jewes under the Law not the uniting I say of one part of Christs mysticall bodie the Church then in heaven with another part thereof newly cal'd to the Faith on earth Israel's Redemption And besides how the bringing of the Jewes out of all Nations upon horses and in Litters and in Charrets and upon mules and upon mens shoulders can beare any other but a literall sense or how the vaile that is spread over all Nations can now be said to be destroy'd when as so many of them runne a whoring after their owne inventions I cannot conceive Yea Even unto this day saith St. Paul of the Jewes in his time when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart Neverthelesse when it shall returne unto the Lord the vaile shall be taken away 2 Cor. 3. ver 15. and 16. But we see not yet Israel return'd yea we see it fallen into more grosse ignorance and superstition and therefore the vaile is not yet taken away and consequently is not yet destroyed from all Nations Mr. Petrie's Answer Whether he cannot or will not conceive it may be doubted many 1000. have conceived both those he gives no reason of his doubting in the former and the cause of his doubting in the other is naught for albeit the vaile be not taken away from all the Jewes and from all of all the Nations in which sense it shall never be taken away seeing the Church on earth is alwayes a mixt company yet certainly it is taken away from the Jewes and all the Nations to wit so many of them as turne to the Lord which are so many as the Starres in heaven that is innumerable to men For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared unto all men Tit. 2.11 And God who hath commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ so writes a Jew unto the Gentiles 2 Cor. 4.6 Reply The reason of my doubting in the former passage is because neither you nor any other can give a reason sufficient to prove that the bringing of the Jewes for an offering unto the Lord out of all Nations upon horses and in Litters and in Charrets and upon mules and upon swift beasts c. to his mountaine at Jerusalem is not to be taken in a proper sense for the best reason you can shew is as it seemes that many thousands have conceived these words in another sense which is as good a reason to prove that other sense to be the true sense of them as it is to say that Mahomet was no false Prophet because many millions have and doe erroneously conceive him to be a true Prophet And why did you not afford us a sight of that other sense which so many 1000. have taken these words in and of the important reasons that mov'd them so to doe seeing you confesse page 10. that the Scripture is properly to be taken unlesse the proper sense be dissonant from the scope of the text or contrary to the analogie of Faith or honesty of manners neither of which hath been prov'd of the proper sense of these words nor of any of the Prophecies upon which you strive so much to impose a figurative sense And as you have not brought a reason to remove my doubting in this former passage so you have not prov'd the reason of my doubting in the other to be naught For in saying that albeit the vaile be not taken away from all the Jewes and from all of all the Nations in which sense it shall never be taken away c. yet certainly it is taken away from the Jewes and from all Nations to wit so many of them as turne to the Lord c. In saying thus you say nothing to the purpose for was it not thus when the Prophet spake these words was not the vaile then taken away from as many of the Jewes and of other Nations as were then turn'd unto the Lord And when St. Paul said Even unto this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart neverthelesse when it shall returne unto the Lord the vaile shall be taken away were there not then more Jewes converted to the Christian Faith then have been ever since and yet the Apostle saith that the vaile was then upon their hearts and speaks of the removing of it from them as of a thing to be done and not then done although those were then converted which God had appointed to be then converted And therefore the Apostles words are to be understood of the removing of the vaile from all the Jewes and not from some onely And the Prophet saith likewise that God will destroy the Covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations which cannot be fulfill'd when onely a part of the vaile is destroy'd as you understand it but shall be when the whole vaile is destroyed And that it shall be wholly destroyed the Prophecie of Isaiah chap. 2. v. 2 3. which shewes that all Nations shall goe up to the mountaine of the Lords house to be taught in his wayes and the same Prophets words ch 11. v. 9. for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea And the Prophecies which shew that all Nations shal goe up to Jerusalem to worship doe with the preceding Prophecie joyntly testifie and therefore this first clause of your parenthesis doth flatly denie what God doth frequently affirme And the Scripture which you have alledg'd is us'd onely as a daring glasse to dazzle the eyes of the heedlesse or unlearned Reader for that of Tit. chap. 2. ver 11. hath relation to the severall ages Sexes and conditions of men as the preceding verses doe shew so that to all men there is no more then to all sorts of men young and
in his own Throne and they that overcome shall sit with him For he that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end to him saith he will I give power over Nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of a Potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I rreeived of my Father Rev. 2.26 Mr. Petrie's Answer 1. The force of this reason is Christ shall not be a King till all his Subjects be called and overcome but his Subjects are not all yet called which forme is alike with this Ferdinand shall not be Emperour till all his Subjects â—e bo nâ— and he victorious whereas some of his Subjects are comming daily into the world and it may be more of them are daily departing This is a rediculous reason and so is the other 2. Neither doth the prayer of the Saints make mention of his earthly Kingdome but of subduing or rivenging their enemies which shall be without an earthly Monarchy to wit by punishing them in hell 3 That text Rev. 11.15 speakes not of a proper Kingdome of Christ and farre lesse of an earthly Kingdome but of the Kingdome of our Lord and his Christ if 〈◊〉 had been said of our Lord and Christ or of our Lord Christ it might be thought to be the proper Kingdome of Christ which he as man governes or shall governe but when it is said of our Lord and of his Christ we see a distinction of persons and unity of power And therefore it is cleare that the text Rev. 2.26 is impertinently cited for proofe of that thing which is not and is imagined to be on earth whereas that power is in heaven Reply 1. Doubtlesse you take this for a very witty comparison but the truth is it is a very ignorant one For the force of this reason is not as you make it say that Christ shall not be a King till all his Subjects be called and overcome But it is this That Christ shall not receive his Kingdome till all those Subjects those glorified Saints which shall come with him in his Kingdome are called and have overcome So that the forme is like this Ferdinand shall not be Emperour till all those Subjects those Nobles that shall waite on him at his coronation be borne and able to attend him And Ferdinand being a mortall King is to be accompanied by mortall attendants but our Saviour being an immortall King is to be accompanied with immortall attendants with all those beleevers which have already or shall hereafter overcome the temptations and afflictions of this world before his appearing and his Kingdome which Saints being but a part though the choisest part of our Saviours Subjects are indeed ridiculously compared by you to all Ferdinands Subjects borne and unborne 2. Though the prayer of the Saints Rev. 6.10 doth not mention our Saviours Kingdome on earth yet seeing the revenge they call for is deferred till the number of those that shall be slaine for the word of God be fulfilled we know that it is not to be executed till our Saviours comming And in what manner it is then to be done by him the 14. chap. of the Rev. from the 14. ver to the end doth declare And the 19. chap. also at 17. ver c. Where the fowles of heaven are summon'd to the Supper of the great God to eate the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captaines and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all both bond and free both small and great And surely this judgement on the Saints enemies is to be a temporall judgement on earth at our Saviours comming with the Saints to receive his Kingdome as the 11. and 14 verses of this Prophecy doe shew and not an eternall judgement on their bodies and soules in hell which is not to seâ—ze on them till the giving up of Christs Kingdome at the Judgment of the dead till above a 1000 yeares after this overthrow in which the fowles are to feast on their carkasses as in the 20 chap. of the Rev. at the 11 verse c. it is revealed 3. That text Rev. 11.15 speakes not you say of a proper Kingdome of Christ but of the Kingdome of our Lord and his Christ And by this reckoning our Saviour hath no proper Kingdome at all and consequently is not properly a King for what Kingdome belongs to Christ which may not as well be called the Kingdom of our Lord as the Kingdom of his Christ But certainly the Kingdom which this text saith shall become the Kingdomes of Christ are the Kingdomes of this world and therefore Kingdomes on earth and proper Kingdomes both which you deny And they are to become Christs Kingdomes at the sounding of the seventh Trumpet and not before that is at the time of his appearing againe and therefore they are to be his to governe as he is man and so by your owne confession to be properly his Although then we grant that these words the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ doe intimate a distinction of persons and unity of power which is more then Pareus grants who enclines to a distinction of natures and unity of persons yet it will not follow from hence that the Kingdomes of this world which our Saviour at his comming shall receive into his owne possession as he is man shall not be his proper Kingdomes For they are said to become the Kingdomes of our Lord not because they are not now his but first because at the accomplished donation and actuall subjection of them unto Christ God shall more marvellously declare his supreame power over them then ever he did And secondly because they shall then be his after a more speciall manner then they are now his because I say he shall then be worshipped and obeyed in them all according to the righteous rule of his owne Lawes And yet they are said to become the Kingdomes of Christ onely in regard of the administration of the immediate government of them For Christ alone shall then be visible King over them as now others are and therefore shall be as properly a King on earth as any of them who now beare rule in these Kingdomes And this the next words of the text doe confirme which say not and they but and he that is Christ alone shall reigne for ever and ever And therefore that text Rev. 2.26 is very pertinently cited for proofe of that thing which shall be on earth and is not now in heaven For our Saviour though then in heaven did not say that he had given the Saints in heaven or Saints on earth power over the Nations on earth but that he would give them power over them And surely we cannot thinke that the Martyrs Rev. 6.10 would call on God to hasten the time for the avenging of their bloud on them that dwell on the earth if they could now do it themselves if they
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
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
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
shall cast them alive into the lake of fire And therefore your application of the story of Ziseah's drumme to this argument is a very ridiculous answer The third argument But most of all clearely in chap. 11. ver 15 16. c. where at the sound of the seventh trumpet the dayes of the witnesses and the mouthes of the Beast and Nations being out-runne were great voices in heaven saying The Kingdomes of the world are become the Kingdomes of the Lord c. This is the consummation of the mystery of God foretold by the Prophets Mr. Petrie's Answer This indeed is the consummation of all the promises foretold by the Prophets and Apostles and therefore it is not to be understood of any earthly Kingdome seeing thâ—â—full accomplishment of the prophecies is not on earth And so this synchronisme being false and the like synchronismes and all expositions following upon them must faile with it Reply This argument shewes that the Kingdomes of this world are to become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ at the sounding of the seventh trumpet and not before That is at the time of our Saviours descending from heaven at which time the reigne of the beast shal end And consequently it provs first that this reigne of Christ must needes follow the reigne of the beast seeing it beginnes not till his appearing by which the Beast shall be utterly destroyed And secondly it proves that this reigne must needes be on earth seeing the Kingdomes which shall then become his are the Kingdomes of this world And thirdly it proves that the time in which these Kingdomes shall become Christs cannot possibly be the time in which he shall deliver up his Kingdome to the Fathers seeing they shall then cease to be his And so the time of our Saviours reigne over them must needes be the interim the time betwixt the reigne of the Beast and the delivering up of his Kingdome to the Father To these consequences you had nothing to say and therefore you catch at these words which follow the argument to wit This is the consummation of the mystery of God foretold by the Prophets which you thus pervert This indeed is the consummation of all the promises foretold by the Prophets and Apostles and therefore it is not to be understood of any earthly Kingdome But surely as the mystery of God foretold by the Prophets and recorded chap. 10. ver 7. is meant onely of Christs reigne on earth at his next appearing when the Kingdomes of this world are to become his so you can shew us no promise either in the writings of the Prophets or Apostles which after the resurrection of mens bodies is to be enjoyed by them in heaven in your sense that is in a place of glory separate from the earth For as the raised Saints that are to come with Christ shall be on this earth all the time of his reigne so at the delivering up of his Kingdome to the Father the whole number of the elect shall be with him in the new Jerusalem which is the Paradise of God on the new earth whither it shall then descend And so this synchronisme being true all the like synchronismes and all expositions following upon them must be true also The Authors Judgement of the Contents of the Trumpets and Vials which he commends to the serious consideration of every intelligent READER THat the plagues of the vials should be literally and properly interpreted and not figuratively and mystically Revel 16. these reasons doe in my conceit require 1. Because there is no necessity of interpreting them otherwise 2. Because God hath already shewed many such wonders as the vials speake of 3. Because the last plague is properly to be understood and we may not take one plague properly and the rest improperly 4. Because the powring out of all the vialls shall not take up so much time as the mysticall sense of them doth allow to the powring out of one of them For 1. We finde that on the same persons on which the first viall the plague of the noysouâ—e sore is powred on the same the sift viall is powred For ver 10 11. it is said And they gnawed their tongues for paine and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their paines and their sores And at the powring out of the fourth viall also ver 9. it is said And men were scorched with great beat and blasphemed the Name of God wich ba h power over these plagues c. not over this plague whereby it is intimated That the men who were to feele the fourth plague were to feele more of the plagues besides that And it is very likely that the same persons may live to be the objects of all these plagues For 2. The vials are not to be powred out till after the Jewes conversion whose returne to their countrey is apparently exprest at the powring out of the sixt viall they being the Kings of the East that are to passe dry shod over Euphrates as the comparing of the 12 verse with the latter part of the 11 chapter of Isaiah doth prove And whose full deliverance from all their enemies is plainely revealed in the extraordinary destruction of the Armies in Armageddon at the powring out of the last viall the time of our Saviours descending as the â—9 chapter doth evince For what are the Armies of the Beast and of the Kings of the earth against which our Saviour is there said to descend but the Armies of the Beast and of the Kings of the earth which here are said to be gathered into Armageddon And indeed who can thinke that God who shewed such great signes and wonders at the deliverance of his people out of Egypt from the slavery of that one Nation will not shew as great wonders as those yea as great as any the vials or trumpets doe containe at their redemption from their captivity in all countreys And as for the plagues of the Trumpets it is manifest from the Text Rev. 7.8 9. c. That they were not to be powred out till after the sealing of the 144000 of all the Tribes of Israel Which if it be understood of the generall conversion of the Jewes as many learned Expositours understand it it is cleare That the things contained in the Trumpets are not yet begunne and consequently that they are literally to be taken also Now that the 12 Tribes of Israel there are to be properly understood these reasons doe evince 1. Because there is no necessity to interpret them otherwise 2. Because the 12 Tribes of Israel cannot in the same place be taken both properly improperly Properly for them that are to be saved of all the Tribes of Israel and improperly for them that are to be saved of all other Nations 3. Because it is not probable that by one Nation by the 12 Tribes of Israel all Nations and kindreds and people and tongues should be meant Or that Saint John knew
to be mindfull of that which being a mysterie they were ignorant of untill he had now reveal'd it unto them to wit the conversion of All Israel of the whole Nation when the fulnesse of the Gentiles should come in And as I have before shewed that Israel here is properly to be taken so I dare say that you cannot alledge any text of Scripture that will justifie the mysticall acception of it if it be throughly scan'd And whereas you say that the Prophecie Esa 66. ver 8. was fulfill'd truely albeit not fully when the believing Church travelled and brought forth so great multitudes in one day as may be call'd a Nation as 3000. and 5000. Acts 2.41 and 4. ver 4. and chap. 8. ver 6. and chap. 19. ver 10.17 18.20.26 besides other great and miraculous conversions whereof we read in Ecclesiasticall Histories Certainly your application sailes you very much For first the Prophet speaks of the conversion of a whole Nation not of halfe a Nation and much lesse of so small a number as you to maintaine your cause would perswade us to take for a Nation Secondly he speaks but of one Nation to wit the Nation of the Jewes and not of the Jewes and Gentiles both as you in these instances doe interpret him Thirdly he speaks of Sions travelling when she should returne from her unbeliefe as the contemporating Prophecies in the same chapter doe shew and not before she fell into unbeliefe as the conversion of the Jewes which you mention was And fourthly the conversion he foreshewes is to be so sodaine that it is said to be performed at once which connot be affirmed of a conversion of any ordinarie continuance and how then can it be affirmed of a conversion of so many yeares and ages as you understand it of in applying it to the whole time under the Gospel For suppose that a great summe of mony were to be paid to you at once would you give the creditour leave to make this construction of it that it was to be paid by him and his heirs to you and your heires untill it were all paid doubtlesse you would not and yet as if all the time betwixt Christs first and second comming were not time enough to be understood by one day and at once you tell us too It is certaine it was in part fulfill'd at their returning from Babel for then they reared up their walls they planted Vineyards c. Who ever heard of such a large at once of an at once to begin at the deliverance of the Jewes from Babylon and to continue to the next appearing of Christ what could the Prophet have made the speedie execution of that he speaks of a matter of so great admiration if it should have been any long time in fulfilling or shall we say that Adino the Eznite who lift up his Speare against eight hundred whom he slew at one time did it at so many severall times as there were men slaine by him 2 Sam. 23. ver 8. or that when Abraham said Let not the Lord be angry and I will speake yet but this once Gen. 18. ver 32. it is to be understood that he spake more then that once or that when the Lord said unto Joshua Ye shall goe about the City once Josh 6. ver 3. it was to be done many times together for in all these texts there are the same words in the originall as are here in the Prophet were not this most wilfully to contradict the text and yet you can very modestly reverently and righteously affirme that It is certaine this once was in part fulfill'd at the Jewes returning from Babel But where are the reasons that prove this certainty seeing there is neither in this verse nor in the whole chapter any mention of Babylon or of walls and Vineyards and if there had been mention of rearing up their walls and Vineyards how could you understand it properly here who take it figuratively Amos 9. ver 14. so that all this being laid together to wit that this Prophecie doth speake of the conversion of a whole Nation of but one Nation of a Nation formerly given up to unbeliefe and at once againe to return to the truth it should me thinks be motive enough to make any partiall or impartiall Reader to understand the accomplishment of it particularly of the Nationall conversion of the Jewes onely by the plentifull effusion of Gods Spirit upon on them before the great and terrible Day of the Lords appearing as Joel hath prophecied And as for that which followes any one that hath but halfe an eye may perceive how well your eye-sight serv'd you when you conceived that the Prophecie Matth. 21. ver 43. was alledged by me to prove the temporall Kingdome of the Jewes who have alledg'd it onely as a reason to shew that this Prophecie of Isaiah could not be fulfill'd at the returning of the Jewes from Babylon because the meanes of salvation the Kingdome of God as our Saviour cals it was then amongst them only of which they were to be destitute before the accomplishment of this Prophecie which shewes their conversion to it againe And he may perceive too how you take non causa pro causà how injuriously you impute unto me the alledging of the accomplishment of our Saviours Prophecie to shew that Joels Prophecie was not fulfill'd which was indeed before prov'd by such reasons as you could not answer Israel's Redemption CHAP. III. Of the surviving Gentiles subjection unto and communion and fellowship with the Jewes in the knowledge and worship of God YOu have hitherto heard of the deliverance and happinesse of the Jewes onely I shall now acquaint you with their partakers which shall be such as are left of the Nations that are then to be destroy'd as you may see in the 66. chapter of Isaiah at 15. and 19. verses Behold the Lord will come with fire and mith his Chariots like a whirle-winde to render his anger with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire for by * Ezek. 39. v. 4 5 6. c. Mal 4 ver 1. Psal 50. v 3. 2 Thess 1. v. 7 8 c. fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slaine of the Lord shall be many And I will set a signe among them and I will send those that escape of them unto the Nations to Tarshish Pul and Lud that draw the bow to Tubal and Javan to the Isles a farre off that have not heard my fame neither have seene my glory and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles And they shalt bring all your brethren for an y Isa 18. v. 7. offering unto the Lord out of all Nations upon horses and in Charrers and in Litters and upon Mules and upon swift beasts to my holy Mountaine Jerusalem saith the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering in a cleane vessell into the house of the Lord. And I will also
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
they shall neither stay with him there nor ascend with him to heaven from thence but come with him as Zechariah affirmes chap. 14. ver 5. And the Lord my God shall come and all the Saints with thee And as the Apostle in 1 Thes 3. saith At the comming of the Lord Jesus with all the Saints and chap. 4. Even so them also which sleepe in Jesus will God bring with him Bring with him when but when they with the living in Christ have met him in their bodies And whither but to the earth whence they were caught up to meet him and where he hath appointed them to reigne with him Object 8 Eightly you say And that the Saints being raised shall not abide on earth to reigne with the Jewes in earthly pleasures it is manifest because the Apostle teacheth us 1 Cor. 15.42 they shall rise in incorruption ver 43. in glory and in power ver 44. in spirituall bodies And when Christ shall appeare we shall appeare with him in glory Col. 3.4 But it is certaine that incorruptible glorious powerfull and spirituall bodies cannot live a nainrall life Sol. 8 And it is as certaine that you are slipt from the question for we make not our Saviours Kingdome to be a Mahometicall Paradise to consist of chambering and wantonnesse of riotous and voluptuous living this agrees not with the holy and righteous government of Christ and the Saints and much lesse doe we thinke that the glorified Saints shall be defiled with such doings or that they shall live againe such a life as they did before their death this is your slanderous imputation And therefore if you will conclude any thing against us you must prove that the glorified Saints shall not live on earth any more nor eate and drinke any more which things we affirme And not that they shall dye no more or marry no more or sinne no more all which we deny as well as you Object 9 Ninthly you say Neither can the faith of Christians that Christ is come already stand with that imagination of Jews and Chiliasts Sol. 9 This is all one as if you had said that the faith of Christs first comming cannot stand with the faith of his second comming But you bring two proofes to confirme your words Mr. Petrie's 1 proofe of the 9 Object Seeing Jacob said The Scepter shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh come and unto him shall the gathering of the people be This place cannot be understood of the departing of the Scepter for a time as it was in the captivity of Babylon which because it was but a short time and the Scepter was restored againe it was not thought to be the accomplishment of the prophecy but now seeing the Scepter is departed and the Nations have been gathered unto Christ who should doubt of the accomplishment thereof and so that Scepter cannot be restored unto the Jewes Answer What not restored doth Jacobs prophecy then foreshew that the Scepter should no more be restored to the Jewes after Christs comming or doth it foreshew onely that it should not depart till Christs comming certainely it foreshewes this last thing onely And therefore the accomplishment of Jacobs prophecy hath no affinity with your argument And in saying that the Scepter was departed from Judah in the captivity of Babylon you plainely contradict Jacobs prophecy which saith that it should not depart from Judah till Shiloh came And as this prophecy shewes that it was not to depart till then so others do shew that it was to returne againe as that of Hos 4.5 which shewes that the Israelites should abide many dayes but not alwayes without a King and without a Prince and without a sacrifice c. And all the prophecies which foreshew the Jewes deliverance the uniting of the Tribes under one King and our Saviours reigning over them doe witnesse the restoring of the Scepter And Saint Pauls application of that prophecy Rom. 11.26 doth shew when the Scepter is to be restored to wit When the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in For then he saith All Israel shall be saved as it is written There shall come out of Sion a Deliverer and shall turne away ungodlinesse from Jacob. And so he plainely declares that the accomplishment of this prophecy shall be at Christs last comming at his comming I say after the the gathering of the substituted Gentiles who were in the Jewes stead to become Gods people in the vacancy of the Scepter and at the gathering of all other Gentiles who are to become Gods people with the Jewes at the restoring of the Scepter And agreeable to this are Saint Peters words to the Jewes Acts 4.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sinnes And his words to them in his 1 Epist chap. 1. ver 13. Wherefore gird up the loines of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ Mr. Petrie's 2 proofe of the 9 Object The Apostle saith 1 Thes 2.16 Wrath is come upon the Jewes to the uttermost This is not understood of spirituall wrath seeing as yet the Lord hath mercy upon them as the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 11.5.28 and therefore it must be understood of temporall wrath and consequently a temporall Kingdome shall not be restored unto them Answer Did you confider what you said when you thus expounded the Apostles words Certainely the Apostle speakes of a wrath which was come upon the unbeleeving Jewes who persecuted their beleeving brethren not of a wrath which was come upon the beleeving Jews that were persecuted whom the losse of their countrey and the departing of the Scepter did concerne as well as it did the other Iewes And therefore doubtlesse the wrath is to be understood of a wrath peculiar unto the unbeleeving Iewes of whom alone the Apostle speakes and consequently of a spirituall wrath especially and of a temporall wrath no otherwise then as it is an inseparable effect and concomitant of the spirituall wrath which is come upon them And though this expression of the Apostle doth imply that a great wrath and a wrath of long continuance was come upon them yet it doth not shew that the wrath which was befallen them should be an endlesse wrath And therefore whatsoever the kinde of it be it will no more follow from this passage of the Apostle that the temporall Kingdome of the Iewes shall not be restored unto them then it will that their spirituall blindnesse shall never be removed from them Of the departure whereof the Apostle Rom. 11. speakes so much and so manifestly shewing that as there was a diminishing and casting away of them so there should be also a fulnesse of them a receiving of them againe And the 5 and 28 verses of this chapter which you alledge to shew that the foresaid words in 1 Thes 2. are not