seasonable at this time to inform Men and to prevent the Mistakes that many are ready to make concerning the Kingdom of our Lord. Further This may indifferently serve for an Answer to several Books that have come forth since the Writing hereof particularly Mr. Richard Baxter's intituled The Glorious Kingdom of Christ It may seem strange that such great Mistakes are about the Glorious Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ on Earth and that by those that are accounted Wise c. sith the Holy Scripture is so full and plain in this Case But call to remembrance the words of our Lord Jesus Mat. 11.25 26. Luke 10.21 22 23. and that may satisfy you for the Promise of making known these great things is to them that humble themselves to do the Will of Christ Joh. 7.17 I have been solicited by several to write more fully what I understand concerning this Glorious Kingdom and the wonderful Preparatives to it i. e. those exceeding great Things that shall be wrought in a little Time or few Years before the Kingdoms of this World become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ all which have been my Meditation this many Years with great Diligence and Delight but shall forbear till I see how this will be accepted or rejected and therefore stand ready to make defence against any that shall soberly and pertinently oppose And hereafter if God permit shall answer the Desires of those above-mentioned for the Edification of the Churches of Christ All that I shall further say at present is The Time is short the great and terrible Day draws near and hasteth greatly as appears by the Signs given by our Lord and in part come to pass viz. The great Wars and Rumours of Wars in the World and the great Earthquakes in divers Places c. which are by our Lord called The beginning of Sorrows and must first come to pass Mat. 24.6 7 8. Mark 13.7 8. Luke 21.9 10 11. May we not now conclude that this Generation shall not pass before all these things shall be fulfilled Mat. 24 3â— Mark 13 2â— Luke 21 3â— What manner of Persons ought we then to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness looking for and hasting unto the Coming of the Day of God Be diligent that ye may be found of him in Peace without Spot and Blameless 2 Pet. 3.11 12 14. And remember the Words of our Lord When these things be seen to come to pass then look up and lift up your Heads for the Day of your Redemption draweth nigh Luke 21.28 And take heed to your selves lest at any time your Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness and Cares of this Life and so that Day come upon you unawares for as a Snare shall it come on all them that dwell upon the face of the whole Earth Luke 21.34 35. He which testifies these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Jesus The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen Rev. 22.20 21. FINIS ERRATA IN the Epistle Page 7. line 4. for alone read all one P. 9. l. 9. f. latter r. Letter In the Book Page 2. line 26. for Throne read Thrones P. 13. l. 13. f. the r. your P. 14. l. 37. f. fulfilled r. finished P. 15 and part of the 16 till the third Argument raze out the double Comma's in the Margent P. 18. l. 18. f. seem r. serve P. 19. l. 31. f. subjecting r. converting P. 29. l. 36. f. former r. form and. P. 31. l. 29. f. For r. From. l. 36. f. the same sense r. the same Tense Idem f. the r. your P. 35. f. be seen r. begin
both great and small without Exception as that is it you must intend or else you say nothing then I deny this Proposition also and tell you Christ's Personal Coming will have no such Product Your Scriptures produced for this are three viz. Rev. 6.15 and 1.7 Matth. 24.30 In two of these there is not a word of Destruction In the other it 's only wished or called for But admit this that every one of these shall be destroyed mentioned in this last Text yet doth it not follow that every Person both great and small upon the face of the Earth at that time shall be destroyed For it 's well known this phrase every Man in Scripture is oft-times to be understood respectively without reference to that sort of Men the Discourse concerns and not every Man in the World as 1 Cor. 12.7 and many more and so here 't is as evident for at the opening of the sixth Seal when he sees these run to the Rocks 〈…〉 7.3 c. there 's a 144000 of the Tribes of Israel upon the Earth which are not of this Number that run to the Rocks and wish for Destruction besides many more that might be named which shall not perish immediately at the Appearing of Christ Ergo Your Demonstration is become no Demonstration Demonst 2 When Christ comes all the dead Saints are raised and the Living changed and all together caught up to meet the Lord in the Air and so to be for ever with the Lord 1 Thess 4.17 18. So that from that time they could no more converse with the unconverted of this World as the thousand Years requires See Luke 20.35 36. Answer If by these words Caught up into the Air and ever with the Lord you intend these shall never come down out of the Air again then you say something as to these But pray who told you that not this Text nor any in the whole Bible 2dly What you mean by Conversing with the Vnconverted I do not well understand and therefore when you have told me I shall give you a further Answer 3dly What if these should not so converse with the Unconverted as you mean Shall there be no other Saints then to do it Pray mark the Text speaks only of such as were converted before Christ's Second Coming and not of those that shall be converted when he comes See more in my Answer to the 9th Argument of the first Author in my 24th and 25th Pages Demonst When Christ comes he comes in flaming Fire taking Vengeance on them that know not God c. 2 Thess 4.7 8. Jude 14 15. and then also the World and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up 2 Pet. 3.10 Now all these Persons and things being destroyed at that Day if this were at the beginning of the Thousand Years where was the Reign for a thousand Years after of the Saints over the World in converse with the Unregenerate Therefore Christ's Coming is after the thousand Years Answer I answer And first by way of Concession taking your first Proposition to be true according to your three Texts I resolve your Query as to the Persons thus That notwithstanding these Persons spoken of in these Texts should be destroyed at the beginning of the thousand Years yet there shall many more remain undestroyed over which these Saints shall reign As 1st Though one of these Texts tell us that he will take Vengeance in flaming Fire on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel c. yet it follows not from hence that he will then destroy them that do know the Lord and turn to him Nor 2dly Those that are at that time incapable to know him for Incapacity is no Sin nor Cause of Vengeance Nor 3dly Those that have not heard of his Fame or had the Gospel preached to them for pray mark the Texts and you may clearly see they speak of such Persons which had the Gospel preached to them and were disobedient to it and persecuted them also that did obey the Gospel Secondly As to the Destruction of things which you say will then be pray remember your self what you said of it in your 5th Page viz. That none of these i. e. Shaking Melting Dissolving Burning up Folding up and Changing express an Annihilation but destroying the former Surface and the Works of Men on Earth Therefore you have no cause to say Where shall they reign c. But Thirdly What Cause had you to make this Supposition if this were at the beginning of the thousand Years Certainly no ground from these Texts nor any other and therefore you do by this subtilly deceive your Readers â—â—et 3.10 Pray mind once more the Text But the Day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the Night in the which the Heavens shall pass away Not in the beginning of which So that your Conclusion viz. That Christ's Coming is after the thousand Years falls to the ground See more in my Answer to the first Author's second Argument in my 4th Page Demonst 4 Upon Christ's Coming and Raising the Saints c. Then follows the Day of Judgment 2 Tim. 4.1 which is clearly set down in the Order of things to follow the thousand Years Rev. 20.11 to the end See p. 9 10. So that Christ's Coming to Judgment cannot be before but after the thousand Years Answer Your first Proposition I grant viz. That the Day of Judgment shall follow Christ's Coming and the Saints Resurrection c. But what you assert in the second place I deny and intreat you and every unbiassed Man to consider First Whether there be any thing like it in this Text â—ev 20. nay it 's so far from it that the very contrary is found evident therein First see 2 Tim. 4.1 Who shall judg the Quick and the Dead at his Appearing and his Kingdom and Rev. 20.4 5 6 7. gives us an Account of the Saints Resurrection and their reigning with Christ a thousand Years before this in the 11th Verse shall be accomplished And you confess herein and in your 10th Page That upon the first Resurrection viz. of the Just Christ will sit and judg his People So that 't is plain the Judgment-Day shall begin as you confess when Christ comes and hath raised his Saints which as I have already shewed will be at the beginning of the thousand Years and therefore Christ's Coming in Person will be before and not after the thousand Years See more in my Answer to the first Author's first Argument in my 2d Page and to his 4th and 5th Arguments of the 2d sort in my 20th and 21st Pages Demonst 5 Psal 110.1 Acts 3.21 Christ is to remain at God's Right-hand till his Enemies be made his Footstool But after the thousand Years Gog and Magog assault the Saints Rev. 20.8 9. Therefore he came not a thousand Years before while that Enemy was unsubdued Answer This Demonstration is much-what the same with the third Argument of the
to stand with the Lamb upon Mount Zion 〈◊〉 19 20. when the Sickle shall be thrust into the Harvest yea when the Wine-press shall be trodden without the City Jerusalem in the Valley of Jehoshaphat 〈◊〉 3.2 12 〈◊〉 14. when the Lord shall plead and decide the Controversy of his People and thresh the Nations by his Thresher 〈◊〉 4.13 i. e. the Daughter of Zion viz. the Inhabitants of Jerusalem or Jews yea at that Day when the Lord shall set his Feet upon the Mount of Olives which you acknowledg to be at the Personal Coming of Christ â—â—ech 14.4 4. and Day of Judgment p. 101. Then Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem Reason 2 Your next Reason is Because there will not be any of Christ's Enemies in a Capacity to make Resistance or Opposition at his Personal Coming Ergo. Answer The Answer to this shall be short by denying what you have said and I tell you That Enemies may be in a Capacity to oppose though not to overcome yea 't is well known a Child may oppose a Man a Dwarf a Giant But you tell us They will be destroyed by Fire then I confess they will be then incapable indeed when they are burned to Ashes But pray what is this to the purpose Will they not be in a Capacity before Or 2dly Will all Christ's Enemies be burned up before his Coming that none shall be left to make Resistance or Opposition at his Coming You have brought no Text to prove it and I know not of any Text that will do it therefore I conclude none are bound to believe you Reason 3 Lastly You tell us The very Earth they inhabit and all the Works thereof shall be burnt up and consumed at whose Presence the Earth and Heaven flee away Ergo No room for such a Work Answer But pray where doth Holy Scripture tell us so i. e. That the Heavens and Earth shall be consumed Doth not your Second in his Treatise p. 5. tell us That the Scripture doth not express an Annihilation thereof c. Again what though the Scripture speaks of such great things to be done in that great Day of the Lord yet doth it not follow from hence that all these shall be done in the first Hour of that Day and that before the Enemies make opposition Thus much in answer to the Reasons brought to prove your second Argument Arg. 3 Because such an Apprehension would make three Personal Comings of Christ whereas we read but of two Heb. 9.28 Who will appear the second time c. because it is expresly said He sits at the Right-hand of God till his Enemies be made his Foot stool Answer What such an Apprehension make three Personal Comings Yes it may be so if such a skilful Artist as your self had it in hand who have got the knack of Distinction who can divide and subdivide till you have made ten Corporal Resurrections of one as may be seen in your 53d page For without making three of two or two of one I am sure it cannot be done Again if but two Personal Comings then you infer this at the beginning of the thousand Years cannot be the second Personal Coming because say you 't is expresly said He sits at the Right-hand of God till his Enemies be made his Footstool Here you think you have your Antagonist fast and are invincible I confess you are safe enough yet whilst you have not here told us where 't is thus expressed and since I must also acknowledg if my Memory fail not 't is expresly said so in all the Books that ever I read about this Subject and they are more than a good many I mean those Books written for a thousand Years Reign before the Coming of Christ to the everlasting Shame and Consusion of your Faces who have time after time affirmed That this is expresly written in the Holy Scripture as we well know you intend in this place and as you else-where in your Book affirm for this is three times at least affirmed by this Author in his Book by which you have miserably deceived your selves and others as some in my hearing have confest Be not offended for herein I must be plain with you take it as you please Is it not to be wondred at that ever any Men of Learning and Conscience should bear the Face to affirm such a thing when I dare be bold to say there is not one place in all the Bible that saith so To mistake at some times in the business of Interpreting of Scripture is an Infirmity we cannot help though Caution had need be had therein especially in Cases of this nature but to transgress in this kind looks too much like Presumption This may serve for an Answer at present till I meet with it again Arg. 4 This conquering fighting Work is not by Christ in Person at this time of his glorious and terrible Appearing Answer This I deny but I will now hear your Reason Reason Because the Execution then upon the Enemies will be say you sudden and speedy like Travail upon a Woman with a Child as a Thief in the Night like Lightning as it was in the days of Lot and Noah with sudden Destruction and as a Snare will he come upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth This Work at Christ's Personal Coming will be done at an instant suddenly at the Sounding of a Trumpet in the Twinkling of an Eye whereas this Work asks time gradually to be performed And you comprehend in the first the Preparation for and Judgment of the great Whore c. Answer First I must tell you You have comprehended more into the thousand Years than will be for this Judgment of the great Whore will be before the thousand Years and not executed by Christ's Followers 〈◊〉 17.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 14. but by them that afterward will give their Kingdom to the Beast and afterward make War with the Lamb. Secondly You say the Work of the beginning of the thousand Years asks some Time c. Ay And so will that also which will be done when Christ comes in Person for although 't is told us Christ shall come as a Thief c. viz. very suddenly and unexpectedly yet 't is not any where told us That Work that he shall then do shall be done as suddenly as a Thief cometh nay that very Similitude if you will follow it so far le ts us know the contrary for though a Thief in the Night comes suddenly yet he oft-times is long enough a doing his Work viz. Rifling and Robbing as some have sadly experienc'd So also tho Travail upon a Woman with Child cometh suddenly yet her Delivery asks some time and is not done in the Twinkling of an Eye â—en 7.12 7 24 â—hap 8 3. â—ompare â—hap 7 11. â—h Chap. â— 13 14. and so I may say of the days of Noah c. for though it was sudden yet you cannot but know the Waters were forty
us further This twofold Resurrection will be all in a Day Ergo Not a thousand Years distant This is like your Hour full as fallacious and therefore the Question is How long your Day is whether a Day-Proper or a Day-Metaphorical an ordinary Natural-Day or a Day extraordinary for you cannot be ignorant that the Holy Scripture frequently speaks of both Touching a Day-Metaphorical Heb. 4.7 2 Cor. 6. You have it sometimes for the Time of Grace and Salvation sometimes for a Man's Life sometimes for the time of Christ's being here in the Flesh Luke 19.4 Joh. 9.4 Joh. 8.5 sometimes for the time of Judgment upon the Wicked here and frequently for the time of Christ's and the Saints Reign on Earth called The Day of Christ and the Son of Man's Day the last Day the great Day Job 14 6â— and 18 2â— Jer. 12 3â— Ezek. 30 2â— Phil. 1 1â— Luke 17 2â— Joh. 11 2â— Jude 6. Acts 2.20 Zech. 14.7 Psal 49 1â— 2 Pet. 1 1â— Mal. 4.2 Zec. 14 3 4 5 8 9 20â— 21. that great and notable Day of the Lord That Day it shall be one Day which shall be known or acknowledged and kept to him to the Lord. Described first by its parts Dawning of the Day Sun-Rising Morning c. not Day nor Night But in Summer and in Winter shall it be And it shall be when the Lord my God shall come to Mount Zion And all the Saints with Thee Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those Nations as when he fought in the Day of Battel i. e. with Amaleck and Og when Israel came near to Canaan And his Feet shall stand in that Day upon the Mount of Olives And it shall be when living Waters shall go out from Jerusalem And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth In that Day shall there be one Lord and his Name one and in that Day there shall be upon the Bells of the Horses Holiness to the Lord and the Pots in the Lord's House shall be like the Bowls before the Altar and every Pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be Holiness unto the Lord of Hosts And in that Day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the House of the Lord of Hosts Secondly Described by its Works at large viz. The Lord 's Coming The Saints Resurrection and Change then caught up to meet the Lord in the Air the Jews Conversion the Consternation of the Wicked and the Man of Sin and his Company 's Destruction Calling his Saints to Judgment Subjecting the Nations to the Jews Reigning over the Nations c. and at the end destroy and then raise and judg the rest and so deliver up the Kingdom to the Father that he may be all in all Moreover You may clearly see that 't is agreeable to Scripture notwithstanding you have affirmed it to be contrary viz. a twofold Resurrection I will instance only in two 1 Cor. 15.23 24. 1 Thess 4.16 Thus much for answer to the Day As for what you infer from the last Trump Sounding I have answered before to your 4th Argument of the first Five therefore need say nothing more to it now Wherefore from what hath been said in answer to your 3d Argument I hope you may see the Invalidity of it and that notwithstanding what you have yet offered this Doctrine stands firm and unshaken viz. That this first Resurrection Rev. 20.4 5 6. is by the Spirit of God meant the Corporal Resurrection of the Saints and not your vain Conception of a Mystical or Civil Resurrection as you have defined it I proceed now to your next Argument Arg. 4 Because this Opinion viz. of a Corporal Resurrection holds out this to be the first Bodily Resurrection contrary to what the Scripture speaks of nine going before it As 1st The Widow of Sarepta's Son 1 Kings 17.22 2dly The Son of the Shunamite 2 Kings 4.35 3dly The Man that was raised by the Touch of the Prophet's Coffin 4thly The Widow of Naim's Son Luke 7.15 6thly Lazarus John 11.44 7thly Those many that came out of their Graves accompanying Christ at his Resurrection 8thly Tabitha Acts 9.41 9thly Eutichus Acts 20. By which several Instances it must appear that either this is not a Corporal Resurrection spoken of or these nine mentioned were not so for this cannot be said in truth to be the first Corporal Resurrection when nine went before it but the tenth Resurrection rather Answer Certainly if this Man was not transported beyond measure with a Conceit of his extraordinary Skill in Distinctions above all other Men we should not have had him sporting himself with such superfluous Distinctions as these and so contradictory to himself and to all other Men yea and to the Truth also as to tell us of nine Resurrections before the Resurrection of the Saints at the last Day Now that this is superfluous consider that if the raising of every Person must be called a distinct Resurrection we make a thousand after that rate yea himself might have made up his nine not only ten but many more for the time of Christ's Rising was distinct from the Rising of those which he saith accompanied Christ at his Resurrection Notwithstanding what this Author affirms see the Text And many Bodies of Saints which slept Matth. 27.52 53. arose and came out of their Graves after his Resurrection 2d Both superfluous and contradictory to himself For in his 5th Reason of his large Sheet he doth not only call the Resurrection of the Just and Unjust at the last Day Resurrections in the Plural but the Rising of the Saints he calls first and so doth his Second p. 10. That it 's contrary to other Men consider besides what I have minded of his Second in his Treatise see the Assemblies Annotations on 1 Cor. 15.20 which he so much respects in other Cases Touching eight of his nine these are their words He was the first that ever rose to a blessed and immortal Life other Dead was raised for a time to Life but afterwards died again None before Christ so rose from the dead that he died no more nor had Death any more Power over him Had this Author first considered that although the Scripture oft-times makes mention of the Resurrection of the Dead in short yet not as separate from that Glory Saints shall then have See 1 Cor. 15. with other places For what will a Resurrection be without that Further If these nine must bear the Appellation of Resurrections in equal Rank or as the other i. e. Christ and the Saints at the last Day then how could that be true that 's said of Christ and them Every Man in his own Order Christ the First-fruits 1 Cor. 15.23 Col. 1.18 afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming He is the First-born from the dead in which thing as well as others he is said to have the Pre-eminence First-begotten of the dead 1 Thess 4.16 And the
first Author therefore my Answer to that in my 5th Page might suffice to which I refer you But I 'll add a few words because we have a little more in this The first Author both in his third Argument and again in his large Sheet tells us that it is expresly said in the Scripture That Christ shall continue and sit at the Right-hand of God till all his Enemies be made his Footstool or destroyed But he had that Policy in both these places not to tell us where 't was thus expressed fave as aforesaid But this hath told us where i.e. Psal 110.1 Acts 3.21 I suppose he means Acts 2.34 35. Which places I have well considered and find no such thing neither in Words nor Sense nor in any other place of Sacred Scripture True it is thus written The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou at my Right-hand until I make thine Enemies thy Footstool But not until I have made them so Now who is so weak that cannot see a Difference between these two words It 's well known the one viz. until I make speaks of a Work to be done and so respects the beginning of that Time when this must be set about The other viz. until I have made speaks of a Work done and so respects the end of Time Therefore consider how you have abused these Texts and led many an unwary Reader aside making this the Foundation to build this your Principle upon For you cannot but know that to Change Add or Take away from a Word but so much as one Letter quite alters and destroys the Sense as hath been told the Quakers in Print who are much guilty herein or at least their Advocate W. L. For that Instance in 1 Cor. 15.51 it 's said We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed Leave out but the Letter C and then it must be read We shall all be hanged And the like in changing a Letter as might be shewed as you have now done in taking away K and putting in D instead of it and more than this in adding the word Be which you are forced to do or some such word of the same Sense or else you can make no Sense of it in the Reading And more yet in adding the word All as the first Author hath done and the Latter in effect If that Printer in King James's time was fined a thousand Pounds because the Particle Not was lest out of the Seventh Commandment What shall they be thought worthy of that both change in respect of Letter and add Words to what is written to the total Destruction of the true Sense thereof Read and fear what 's said Rev. 22.18 19. Object But possibly some may object and say Although the word Made be not in the Text cited yet 't is in Heb. 10.12 13. Answer True it is so but then pray mark 't is not here said He shall sit at the Right-hand of the Father till his Enemies be made his Footstool but thus This Man after he had offered one Sacrifice for Sins for ever sat down on the Right-hand of God From henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Footstool Which alters the case For who is there but will grant this viz. his Expectation from that Day forward that such a Work shall be done and yet deny that he shall sit there till it be done for as he in Heaven so we on Earth expect this viz. that his and our Enemies shall be made his Footstool But what 's this to the Case in hand Ergo Your Conclusion That Christ's Coming is after the thousand Years or that he will not come a thousand Years before the subduing of Gog and Magog Rev. 20.8 9. is altogether false Demonst 6 Neither is Gog his last Enemy but Death is so called 1 Cor. 15.26 Therefore Christ's Coming is not till he comes to swallow up Death in Victory ver 54. in the Resurrection of the Saints See above Answer This Demonstration I grant in all the Parts or Branches of it except your Therefore First Your Antecedent That Gog is not the last Enemy but that Death is so called 1 Cor. 15. 2dly Your Consequence or Conclusion though not from these Premises Christ's Coming is not till he comes to swallow up Death in Victory in the ver 54. Resurrection of the Saints But now what 's this to the Question viz. That Christ's Coming is after the thousand Years You bid us see above and I refer you to the abovesaid Answers But I suppose here lies your Mistake as this Demonstration implies i. e. that you account Destruction and Victory both one thing and therefore you argue from the one viz. Destruction to the other viz. Victory A strange Mistake and as strange Arguing of a wise Man Do not all Men know that although sometimes they may go together yet they are two distinct things and very frequently go asunder viz. the Victory before the time of Destruction Instances hereof enough among Men might be produced if need were And 't is as true in this case 'T is well known our Lord himself got the Victory over Death when he rose from the dead yet did not then destroy Death so the Saints through Christ get the Victory over Death at their Resurrection yet Death shall not then to wit at that very instant be destroyed And our Apostle very wisely makes the Distinction in that 1 Cor. 15.23 24 25 26. and this very Verse viz. 54. He doth not say That at the Saints or first Resurrection shall be brought to pass the Saying O Death or O Grave I will be thy Destruction But that Saying Death is swallowed up in Victory And herein you greatly contradict your self in making these two one viz. Destruction and Victory or contemporary namely at the Resurrection of the Just or first Resurrection For in your 9th and 10th Pages you tell us The Wicked shall not be raised till after the Saints nay that many things shall pass or be done between the Resurrection of the Just and Unjust Now if this be true as I grant it is then by your own Grant Death will not be destroyed at the first Resurrection since it shall hold the rest down after that is past And this is evident from both Isaiah from whence the Apostle hath these words and from 1 Cor. 15. also Ergo I conclude from this your Demonstration or the Consequence thereof that since Christ shall come Personally at the first Resurrection and that will be as I have shewed at the beginning of the thousand Years that then the thousand Years are not before nor without but with his Personal Presence on Earth Thus much in answer to your Six Demonstrations A POSTSCRIPT READER this Treatise was wholly composed and designed for the Press some Years past as may be conceived by some Passages in the Epistle But for some Reasons of no necessity herein to be inserted came not forth till now and I hope may be as