their generall conversion For the * Isa 32. ver 13 14 15. time is set in which the Spirit shall be poured on them from on high and in which their so plentifully and so plainely foretold deliverance shall be fully accomplished at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ And therefore beloved Reader seeing thou knowest these things before beware that thou be not still led away with the errour of an unwarrantable and indeed pernicious intepretation by reason whereof the way of truth is evill spoken of but grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to whom be glory both now and for ever Amen Farewell Thine in the service of the Lord ROBERT MATON AN ANSWER TO Mr. PETRIE'S Preface Preface FIrst Some Prophecies speake plainly of Christ and cannot be understood of another Esa 9.6 Unto us a child is borne unto us a sonne is given his name shall be called Wonderfull c. Some are typicall or delivered with covers of things signifying Christ his offices and benefits And of these some are spoken of the type or thing signifying and can be understood onely of the thing signified and some are true both of the type and of Christ either in the same or in a different manner that is some are true of both in a proper sense some are true of both in a tropicall or figurative sense and some are true of the one properly and of the other figuratively All these sorts are manifest in sundry Prophecies here I touch one for all 2. Sam. 7.12 When thy dayes be fulfilled and thou shalt sleep with thy Fathers saith the Lord unto David I will set up thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy bowells and I will establish his Kingdome This was true in the person of Solomon and of Christ too properly v. 13. He shall build an house for my name This was true of Solomon in the proper acceptation of the word house and figuratively of Christ who said Matth. 16.18 Upon this rock will I build my Church It followes I will establish the throne of his Kingdome for ever This was not true of Solomon in respect of his person for he died neither of his posteritie from whom Jacob had foretold that the Scepter should depart at the coming of Shiloh Gen. 49.10 but of Christ it is true for his Throne is established for ever and ever Heb. 1.8 v. 14. I will be his Father and he shall be my son This is true of Solomon in respect of adoption and of Christ in respect of eternall generation Fiftly it is said there If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of man but my mercy shall not depart from him as I tooke it from Saul This is true of Solomon and not of Christ who was free of sinne unlesse we understand his members or their sinnes imputed unto him v. 16. Thy house and thy Kingdome shall be established for ever before thee thy Throne shall be established for ever This cannot be understood of David or Solomons house or Kingdome as experience proves now for the space of 1600. years and more but of Christs house and Kingdome which shall never faile By this one passage it is manifest First how miserable ignorance it is to expone all the Prophecies after one and the same manner or in a proper sense onely Secondly that the Evangelists and Apostles exponing these Prophecies in a spirituall and figurative sense doe not wrest them even albeit these have been fulfilled some way before but according to the intendment of the Spirit they bring them unto Christ who is the end of the Law and scope of the Prophets Answer The Prophecies which we have alledged for the Jewes deliverance and our Saviours reigne on earth are all plaine prophecies and therefore your distinguishing of the prophecies into plaine and typicall prophecies is very unseasonably that I say not craftily applyed against us However in the first place the Reader may observe that we have as much reason to beleeve that the Prophecies which speak plainly of the Jewes cannot be understood of any others as we have to beleeve that the Prophecies which speake plainly of Christ cannot be understood of another and consequently that you doe very erroneously interpret these Prophecies when you understand by them the conversion of the Gentiles And secondly he may observe that having cited 2 Sam. v. 12. When thy dayes be fulfilled and thou shalt sleep with thy Fathers I will set up thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy bowles and I will establish his kingdome You say This was true in the person of Solomon and of Christ too properly Which is as much as we say to wit that God shall establish unto Christ a civill and proper Kingdome as he did unto Solomon And indeed it is beyond the force of these words in the 16. verse Thy house and thy Kingdome shall be established for ever before thee thy throne shall be established for ever To prove that Christs reigne and Solomons that the type and thing typified are not both to be understood properly and in the same manner seeing the word for ever is not here to be taken in an unlimited sense for an infinite time but in a limited sense for a long time as we shew in our reply by many instances out of scripture and so doth intimate unto us onely that Christs Kingdome aâ— it is to be the longest that ever was on earth so it is to be the last too it is not to be left to other people as Daniel saith chap. 2. ver 44. but is by Christ himselfe to be delivered up to God even the Father at the last resurrection And that not onely Solomons reigne but his building of an house to the Lord too is to be properly fulfilled in Christ the Prophet Zechariah chapter 6. ver 13. doth plainely reveale Behold saith he the man whose name is the Branch and he shall grow up out of his place and he shall build the Temple of the Lord even he shall build the Temple of the Lord and he shall beare the glory and shall sit and rule upon his Throne and the counsell of peace shall be between them both In which words the Temple of the Lord doth signifie the Temple at Jerusalem as the verses following doe shew and there is no other signification of this phrase in all the old Testament as we have observed in our reply to your answer where you expound our Saviours building of the Temple of the Lord of the raising of his body from the grave and yet here you make it to foreshew the immoveable perseverance of those that were after his incarnation to be called to the profession of his name by a lively faith So unstedfast are you and unresolved in what sense to take his building of an house unto the Lord. And therefore although such typicall prophesies as are compound oracles were to have a
should not know the Prophet though they heard and followed him so it hath been your utmost endeavour all along to corrupt and dazle the readers judgement that he might not know the truth of the Prophecie that is set before his eyes and publisht in his eares Now the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse shine in our hearts that as of sincerity as of God we may give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ That Isay without handling of the word of God deceitfully we may by manifestation of the truth commend our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever Amen Glorificetur Deus praedicetur veritas exerceatur pietas restituatur integritas Let God be glorified truth taught piety practised righteousnesse restored Redeat Pax regnet Rex regat Lex Let peace returne the King reigne the Law rule To my Booke excus'd THy wounds are heal'd and now thou must along To tell thy torturers they did thee wrong That thou wast no deceiver although They Did straine their wits to hide thy truth away Lest passing * John 11.48 unexcus'd the simplest might Have taken too much heed of the upright Report thou mak'st and claspt thee with such love As no * Acts 5.34 c. Gamaliel should e're remove Tell this to them and after greet thy friends Who prize the truth more then their private ends Courteous Reader THere was of late in this Kingdome one Mr. Mede a grave and learned Divine of the University of Cambridge who in his Treatises on the Revelation which he publisht to the world some yeares before his death doth plainely professe that he held not onely the Jewes generall conversion but their returne to their countrey too and the thousand yeares reigne of Christ and the Saints on earth Of which reigne as he hath a particular Tract so in the fourth synchronisme of the second part of his Clavis Apocalyptica he shewes by infallible arguments that it is to succeed the utter destruction of the Beast and false Prophet and to contemporate with the 1000 yeares binding up of Satan That it is I say to be in the time betwixt the destruction of the two Armies revealed in Rev. 19.20 which he there clearâ—ly proves to be two distinct Armies Against this Authour while he lived no man moved his pen although there was both time and opportunity to have done it but since his decease which is an usuall course with the enemies of the truth as there have been many who have voted against him without answering any of his workes so there have been some who have undertaken to examine here and there a piece of his labours amongst whom Mr. Petrie is one who in pag. 14.60.61 of his answer to Israels Redemption doth assay the confutation of two of Mr. Medes synchronismes The first is the seventh synchronisme of the first part of Clavis Apocalyptica which he thus encounters Mr. Petrie And here by the way observe that the renowned Authour of Clavis Apocalyptica is mistaken in his seventh synchronisme wherein he saith that the powring forth of the seven vials is contemporary with the end of the Beast and Babylon Answer He saith indeed that they contemporate with the ending that is with the declining estate with the totall destruction of the Beast and Babylon which the vials shall by their severall plagues gradually bring to passe but not that they doe all contemporate with the very end with the last moment of the Beast and Babylon which is proper onely to the powring out of the last viall For then shall great Babylon come in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of his wrath as it is revealed Rev. 16.19 And then shall the Army in Armageddon be destroyed and the Beast and false Prophet taken in battell and cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone as it is declared Rev. 19.20 Mr. Petrie For albeit it be said chap. 15.2 That they who had gotten the victory over the Beast sang the song of Moses it followes not that the Beast was then destroyed Answer Surely it followes as well that the Beast shall be destroyed when the song of Moses is sung by the conquerours of the Beast as it doth that Pharaoh and his Host were destroyed when it was sung by Moses and the Israelites For seeing it is againe to be sung upon the like occasion and noâ— before the destruction of the Beast must as necessarily precede the second singing of it as the destruction of the Egyptians did the first And this the fourth verse doth confirme which shewes that by reason of Gods judgments which shall be made manifest unto the world at the singing of this song All Nations together shall come and worship before the Lord as the Prophets have said and as Saint Paul doth intimate by the comming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles Rom. 11.25 which thing cannot come to passe while Satan the deceiver of the Nations is at liberty and the Beast and false prophet his instruments are subsisting Mr. Petrie Neither albeit the first and fift and last vials be powred on the Beast followeth it that they were not powred till the last time of the destruction of the Beast seeing the Saints in heaven and on earth too may rejoyce for their particular victory over the Beast as yet reigning and the vials may be powred on the Beast at severall times even some of them on the Beast in the height of her pride to the end that men may have warnings of the judgements of God on the Beast in her greatest pompe Answer This also followes as the 1 verse of the 15 chapter doth witnesse where the seven vials are called the seven last plagues and why are they called so but because they were not to be powred out till the last time the time of the destruction of the Beast Impossible then it is that these last plagues these plagues which were to befall the Beast in her last time onely should befall her in her height of her pride in her greatest pompe that is long before her last time For this is all one as if you had said that the Beast then began to be destroyed when she was most insensible of her destruction when she had least cause to feare it And therefore though the Saints in heaven and on earth too may rejoyce for their particular victory over the Beast as yet reigning yet doubtlesse they shall not sing Moses song of thanksgiving for the utter overthrow of the Beast before the Beast be utterly overthrowne And though the vials were to be powred out at severall times yet as in their orderly powrings out they were suddenly to succeed each other so likewise they were all
you may the better beguile others of the truth For first the union foreshewed in these Prophecies is not to begin untill the Nations which shall oppose the Jewes after their returne be miraculously overthrowne at the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ as the foresaid Prophecie of Isaiah chap. 66. at the 15 16 19. ver c. compar'd with the 38. and 39. chapters of Ezek. with the 3. chap. of Joel and with the 19. chap. of the Rev. at the 11 12 13 14 15 c. doth plainly declare And secondly at the accomplishment of the union foreshewed by these Prophecies All Nations must goe up to worship before the Lord at Jerusalem as the latter part of the 66. chapter of Isaiah doth shew to which we may adde the Prophecies in the 8. chap. of Zecha at the 20. ver c. and in the 14. chap. at the 16. ver c. The words are Thus saith the Lord of Hostes it shall came to passe that there shall come people and the Inhabitants of many Cities and the Inhabitants of one Citie shall goe to another saying Let us goe speedily to pray before the Lord of Hostes I will goe also yea many people and strong Nations shall come to seeke the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Hostes In those dayes it shall come to passe that ten men shall take hold out of all Languages of the Nations even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying We will goe with you for we have heard that God is with you And it shall come to passe that every one that is left of all Nations which came against Jerusalem shall even goe up from yeare to yeare to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and to keep the feast of Tabernâ—cles and it shall be that who so will not come up of all the Families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts even upon them shall be no raine And thirdly at the accomplishment of this union the Jewes shall not seeke unto the Gentiles but the Gentiles in generall unto the Jewes onely for instruction in the wayes of God as Isaiah saith chap. 2 ver 2. and 3. and Micah chap. 4. ver 1. and 2. It shall come to passe in the last dayes that the mountaine of the Lords house shall established in the top of the mountaines and shall be exalted above the hills and all Nations shall flow unto it and many people shall goe and say Come yee and let us goe up to the Mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us his waies and wee will walke in his pathes for out of Sion shall goe forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem And fourthly at the accomplishment of this union and throughout the whole time of its continuance which it exprest Rev. the 20. ver 2 3. there is to be an uninterrupted peace over all the world as the following words of the foregoing prophecy of Isa Micah doe manifest And he shall judge amongst the Nations shall rebuke many people they shal breake their swords into plow shares their speares into pruning books nation shal not lift up sword against Nation neither shall they learne warre any more With which agreeth that of Hosea chap. 2. ver 18. In that day I will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of Heaven and with the creeping things of the ground And I will breake the bow and the sword and the battell out of the earth and will make them to lie downe safely And to this wee adjoyne the prophecy Psal 46.8 9. Come behold the workes of the Lord what desolations he hath made in the earth He maketh warres to cease unto the ends of the earth he breaketh the bow and cutteth the speare in sunder he burneth the chariot in the fire And fiftly at the accomplishment of this union the converted Jew shall not be governed by the ecclesiastical and civill lawes of the Gentiles as it is now but the Gentiles by the ecclesiastical and civill lawes of the Iewes as is before shewed by their going up to Ierusalem to worship and to be instructed in the wayes of the Lord. And as touching their civill grovernment it is further evidenced by the prophecies in which the Gentiles great subjection to the Iewes is revealed Of which sort are the prophecies Isaiah chap. 14.1 2. chap. 49.22 23. chap. 60.9 10 11 12. c. and chap. 61.4 5 6 7. And thus good reader thou hast the true sense and scope of the prophecies with which as Mr Petrie saith I have needlesly silled many pages and doubtlesse it was very needfull for him to say so seeing their perspicuity is so irresistible that he could finde no mysticall paraphrase against it to puzzle thee withall Israel's Redemption But to say that this is now fulfilled in the time of the substituted Gentiles vocation is to overthrow what was before affirmed and to take great paines to beguile our selves and others of the truth it is I say to put out our owne eyes and bid others follow us for St Paul in the 11. of the Rom. tells us plainly that the Jewes â—re broken off from their Olive tree and that we are graffed in for them that they are cast away that they are hardened that God hath concluded them all in unbeliefe and that through their fall salvation is come unto us to provoke them to h Deut. 32.21 jealousie And therefore it cannot possibly be maintained that the Jewes and Gentiles are as yet one i Ioh. 10.16 sheepfold Mr Petrie's Answer The Apostle saith not that all the Jewes are broken off but rather the contradictory ver 1. and 5. neither saith he that God hath shut up all the Jewes in unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all the Jewes but us our former translation saith conforme to the originall God hath shut up all in unbeliefe that he might have mercy upon all whereunto the words of the same Apostle Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath coucluded all under sinne that the promise by saith in Jesus Christ might be given to them who beleeve Here the Apostle is not speaking of the Jewes onely but generally both of Jewes and Gentiles and so farre must his words be extended thereto seeing he is speaking of them ver 30. and 31. and so the meaning of ver 32. is It was the counsel of God to suffer both Jewes and Gentiles to fall into unbeliefe or disobedience as the mond Apeitheia likewise imports and the word sin teaches Gal. 3. that he might save all his elect both of Jewes and Gentiles after one way not by their workes but of his mercy onely And therefore I cannot possibly conceive how a man of understanding can bring or receive such a conclusion out of these words as this It
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
ever Amen Amen Mr. Petrie's Answer Whether can these more confidently beseech God for the conversion of the Jewes who thinke that the Jewes may daily be converted or these who thinke that they shall not be converted till the comming of Christ the former sort may be confident to be heard daily which these others cannot And moreover the former sort seeth as the Fathers did see Heb. 11.13 everlasting glory presently at hand and thereupon they doe minde and seeke heavenly things as they are commanded Col. 3.1 2. and the other sort are out of hope of glory in heaven at least yet for the space of a thousand yeares and they set their affections on things on earth Yea and it gives encouragement unto the wicked that they shall not be judged nor their bodies tormented these thousand yeares to come yet and on the other side the feare of imminent judgement and punishment is a more powerfull motive to depart from iniquity For which cause the Lord would not give unto men the knowledge of that time but will have us to be alwayes preparing and waiting for that comming to judgement Wherefore we pray unto our Lord Jesus who even now is King of Kings and reigneth in the midst of his enemies and is offended at the foolish conceites of unstable hearts That he would make his power manifest by conforming them whom he hath called and gifted with the knowledge of his eternall Gospell and by reducing all his elect both Jewes and Gentiles who goe astray and that he would now even now give us heavenly hearts and tie us all together in the acknowledgement and obedience of his truth to the praise of his Name and our spirituall comfort both now and evermore Come Lord Jesus and change our vile bodies that they may be like unto thy glorious body according to thy working whereby thou art able even to subdue all things unto thy selfe Reply Surely they that deny the generall conversion of the Jewes as you doe cannot pray at all for this conversion But they that beleeve it may confidently beseech God for it and be confident too that they are delightfully heard of him in it For as we ought alwayes to pray for that which may be done we know not how soone so though our prayers cannot hasten the accomplishment of any future blessings to our selves or others yet we are daily heard in them seeing by such a manifestation of out obedience towards God who taught us to pray for them and of our faith and hope in his promises which reveale them and of our charity towards all that are to be partakers of them we daily improve Gods mercy towards us here and our owne weight of glory with him hereafter And whereas you seeme to lay claime to heaven for your selfe and others of your minde onely and to shut us out of it because according to the tenour of Gods plaine revelations we affirme That the raised Saints are to beginne the eternity of their immortall and glorified estate in a regall condition here on earth with Christ where He and They have been formerly so much reviled and so vilely handled whereas I say you would for this exclude us from having any portion of the joyes of heaven with you till the 1000 yeares reigne be finisht Be it knowne unto you That we hope through Gods free mercy towards us in Christ Jesus to be received into the society of the Saints in heaven even as others if God hath appointed that our earthly house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved before the appearing of our Lord Jesus if not we hope together with the whole number of the elect to be made Inhabitants of the new Jerusalem in that time in which God hath purposed to bring us thither and not before And we cannot conceive that we doe set our affections on things on earth in the Apostles sense Colos 3.2 when we doe with patience expect the accomplishment of the promises made to us in Christ albeit they are in part to be fulfilled on this earth And by the way it is worth the Readers observation That to confirme your seeing everlasting glory presently at hand you cite Heb. 11.13 where it is said These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seene them afarre off c. What I is to see the promises a farre off all one with the seeing of glory presently at hand But you goe on and tell us that our Tenet gives encouragement to the wicked that they shall not be judged nor their bodies tormented these thousand yeares to come yet Which is a confused and corrupt report of our words For though we say That the last judgement of the wicked the judgement of their bodies and foules together shall not be till the end of the thousand yeares reigne on earth yet surely we beleeve even as others That their soules are cast into hell immediately after their departure out of their bodies And doubtlesse if they will not forsake their evill courses for feare of the imminent damnation of their soules for feare of this partiall and particular judgement at their death which doth infallibly binde them over to the eternall damnation of their bodies and soules together at their generall and contemporating judgement they will neither forsake their wickednesse the sooner for their ignorance nor continue it the longer-for their knowledge of the large space of time that is yet to precede their generall judgement For what comfort can it be to them that it shall be yet so long before their bodies be tortured in hell when as their soules may suddenly be adjudged to such torments as are agreeable to the number and nature of their sinnes which the more and greater they are the more and greater will the punishment of their bodies be too at the last And therefore if you had said the truth you would have acknowledged that our Tenet doth warne all those that shall live in the time of the Jewes conversion and deliverance not to oppose them lest to the augmentation of their endlesse woe they therby perish from the earth by a fearefull death And it doth perswade men likewise to take off their affections from things on earth seeing it puts them in minde that if they now walke not after the flesh but after the spirit if they fashion not themselves to this present world they shall together with their Saviour be heires and inheritours of the earth when the whole creation shall be delivered from its bondage of corruption and when by the meanes of Christs and their government on it judgement shall runne downe as waters and righteousnesse as a mighty streame And thus the impartiall reader may plainely see what little alliance there is betwixt the title of your answer and the contents of it For you pretend to fetch him out of darkenesse into the light but doe indeed lead him out of the light into darkenesse And as the Syrians eyes were held by God that they
Hierom on Esa l. 18. and Augustin ad Quod vult de haeâ—â—si 8. write of it as a damned error and we read of few or none in this opinion til in this last age it comes apace with the Anabaptists and some English Novatours few write against it because the arguments are so silly and rediculous that every understanding person reading them findes not onely the weaknesse of the grounds but even out of them doo gather pregnant arguments in the contrary Albeit these Authours doe agree in the time and place of this imagined Monarchy yet they write one against another in many circumstances thereof as is marked hereafter Answer It is as possible that you may misreport Eusebius touching Papias as touching the occasion of St. John's writing of his Gospel and as you doe Hierome and Augustine who you say write of the millenarian Tenet as a damned error whenas * Sicut mundus sex diebus suit creatus scprimus suit sabbatismus ità mundum sex millia annorum duraturum posteá secuturum sabbatismum in mille annis postremis ad hoc scilicet sabbathum celebrandum resurgentibus sanotis Quâ— opinio esset utcunque tolerabilis si aliquae deliciae spirituales in illo sabbatismo affuturae sanctis per Domini praesentiam crederentur Nam etiam nos hoc opinâ—ti fuâ—mus aliquandò Sed cùm eos qui tunc resurrexerunt dicam inimoderatissimis carnalibus epulis vacatâ—ros in quibus cibus sit tantus et potus ut non solum nullam modestiam teneant sed modum quoque ipsius incredulitatis excedant nullo modo ista possunt nisi a carnalibus credi Aug. lib. cit Augustine lib. 20. de civ Dei cap. 7. saith That it is a tolerable opinion if it were beleeved that the glorified Saints should receive spirituall delights by Christs presence which is that we hold and he saith too that he had been of this minde himselfe but left it as in seemes fâ—â— no other cause but because many câ—â—nal minded thought that the raised Saints should eate and driâ—ke beyond moderation And * Post captivitatem quae sub Vespastano et Tito et posteà accidit sub'Hadriano usque and consummationem seculi Rumae Hierusalem permansurae sunt quanquám sibi Judaei auream atque gemmatam Hierusalem restituendam putent rursusque victimas et sacrificia et conjugia sanctorum et regnum in terris Domini Salvatoris quae licet non sequamur damnare tamen non possumus quià multi virorum Ecclesiasticorum et Martyrum ista dixerunt Hier. loc cit Hierome on Jer. 19. verse 10 having set downe the opinion though wrongfully as Mr. Mede affirmes Comment Apocal. pag. 285 saith of it which things though we imbrace not yet we cannot condemne because many faithfull persons and Martyrs of the Church have said them However it was as easie for Eusebius or any other to condemne Papias for a man of small judgment as it is for you to say that our arguments are so silly and ridiculous that every understanding person reading them findes not onely the weaknesse of the grounds but even out of them doth gather pregnant arguments in the contrary t was as easie I say for Eusebius to write the foresaid words as it is for you to write these albeit the Reader may plainly see that you doe but slander our arguments herein For besides the plaine texts and prophecies in the new Testament there are far more prophecies in the old to shew our Saviours corporal reigne on earth then there are to shew his birth and death and as clearly delivered to the understanding But be it as Eusebius saith that Papias was a man of smal judgment yet that he shewed it not in being of this opinion not onely the Scriptures but the judgment of Irenaeus and other Ecclesiasticall persons who followed him in it doe attest of whom we cannot intertaine such an unjust beliefe as to thinke that they would prize the antiquity and authority of Papias word above the authority and antiquity of the word of God it selfe But that this truth might be universally abhorred and rejected as an error after the 320. yeare of our Lord we easily beleeve For it is unquestionable that many a truth and error did change titles each with other as popish ignorance superstition and idolatry grew in request and needs then must this truth which ascribes the accomplishment of the predictions of Christs Kingly Office to their right owner soone vanish out of mens minds and leese its lustre and repute whenas that Man of sin was shortly to appeare who to exalt his power above all that is called God should as blasphemously as deceitfully apply these prophecies to himselfe And lastly that we agree not in all circumstances about this opinion doth no more derogate from the truth and worth of it then the differences that are amongst other Christians doe derogate from the truth and necessity of any subject wherein they doe disagree Preface Seaventhly They speak not now of feasts and sacrifices as Cerinthus did but if they will maintaine this opinion I see not how they can eject them seeing the Prophets speake as eâ—pressely of them as of Christs Kingdom Jer. 33.17 Thus saith the Lord David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel neither shall the Priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings and to kindle meate offerings and doe sacrifice continually See ver 21.22 Zech. 14.16.21 But that these and such other texts should be expounded spiritually it is plaine by Mal. 1.11 where incense and offerings are not restrained unto the Jewes at Jerusalem but made common unto the Gentiles every where and more plainely in the New Testament If the Millenaries will exporte with us these texts of spirituall Sacrifices they cannot shew any probable reason why the prophesies concerning Christs Kingdome should not likewise be exponed spiritually And Hierome in Isa 63. lib. 18. saith If we grant these words to be exponed carnally let them heare the like promises made unto Sodom as unto Jerusalem Ezek. 16.53 When I shall bring againe their captivity the captivity of Sodom and her daughters and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters then will I bring againe the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them when thy sister Sodom and her daughters shall returne then thou and thy daughters shall returne Wherfore saith Ierome these houses mentioned Isa 65.21 must be understood of vertues or the diverse mansions beside the Father and of such houses our Saviour speaks Mat. 7. verse 24. I will liken him to a wise man who builds his house on a rock And the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 5.1 wee have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Because we cannot conceive of Heaven in such a manner as it is it pleaseth God to insinuate it into our affections by similitudes of things pleasant unto us
you alledge to shew why the faithfull are called Jews is a very strange one For they are so called you say for the speciall comfort of the Jews because they were hated of all Nations everywhere which might have been unto them an occasion of despaire But what likely-hood is there that the Apostles who try'd all wayes and meanes to winne the Gentiles unto and to confirme them in the faith would call them by that Name which you say was so odious unto them and what comfort could it be to the Jews yea what readier way could there be to make them distrust the truth of the Gospel then to conceive that their Name and the prophecies delivered in their Name did belong to others and not to their owne Nation yet that which you add presently after that the Lord saith unto them How many or great so ever your enemies shall be I will judge them was indeed an effectuall remedy to keepe them from despairing of God's mercy and their future deliverance and consequently too from acknowledging the figurative sense of these prophecies or of the words Jews Israel c. And whereas you say further And for the same are the Jews oft named in the promises of the new Testament to shew their particular interest in the Church of Christ c. you herein in contradict what you say before that the Jews and Israel are to be exponed of the elect people of God For if they are thus to be exponed they are not to be taken properly for the Jews as here you affirme and in which exception onely they doe shew the Jews particular interest in the Church of God And if these words are used both properly and improperly in the new Testament I pray tell us how we shall know when and where they are to be taken properly and literally and when and where improperly and figuratively But 't is time to leave this wavering discourse and to survey your answers to the objections you alledge out of my somer words The first objection The Jews 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 prophecied Mr Petrie's Answer Neither ever shall they returne in such a manner if ye understand a worldly and civil pompe for these promises cannot be understood as I have said of any one exploit nor of any age The promises of God are more glorious and more large Reply But these prophecies as I have prov'd may and must be properly understood and may and must be accomplisht in one age and in lesse then one age too And doubtlesse these Prophets yea is of more weight then your nay Neither will these promises of God be the lesse but the more glorious for being fulfilled in so short a time For is it not more glory for a King to subdue his enemies speedily then to be a long time about it The second objection 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 martyrdome then victory Mr Petrie's Answer This is as bad an opposition as the former for Christ in suffering did triumph over his enemies Col. 2.15 and martyrdome is victory Rom. 8.37 In all these things we are more then conquerours Spiritual victory consists with bodily suffering Next albeit the Church were oftner crown'd with martyrdom then victory yet in severall ages she hath been crown'd with glorious victory and her full glorification is a comming and her enemies have been and shall be smitten and brought into subjection and the house of David is exalted in the person of Christ and his members and all the wealth of the Nations hath been employ'd or shall be imploy'd for the use of the faithfull albeit not in any particular yeare or age and the Lord shall descend and the Saints shall be with him Reply To this objection which saith that the Church of the Gentiles hath not been thus victorious and by consequence is not spoken of in these prophecies you answer that Christ in suffering did triumph And martyrdom is victory and next that albeit the Church were oftner crown'd with martyrdom then victory yet she hath been crown'd with glorious victory So that as before by the Jews and Israel you understood the Gentiles to avoyd the force of that reason so here for the like end you would willingly put a figurative sense too upon the victory mentioned in the prophecies but it may not be for these prophecies doe not foreshew the death and affliction of God's people by their enemies as it is in persecution and martyrdom but their great deliverance and their enemies wonderfull destruction Yea such a destruction as never yet happened to the enemies of God's Church either Jewish or Christian And therefore as your spiritual conquering is very impertinently inferr'd so no glorious outward bodily victory that the Church of the Gentiles hath had will match with this that the Prophets speake of nor indeed all that she hath had To my next reasons which shew that these prophecies of Zecha were not fulfilled in the times of the Maccabees as Cornelious a Lapide expounds them you say nothing but huddle them up together with that which you have said touching the Church of the Gentiles For the house of David you say is exalted in the person of Christ and his members and all the wealth of the Nations hath been employed or shall be employed for the use of the faithfull albeit not in any particular yeare or age and the Lord shall descend and all the Saints shall be with him But by the house of David is meant the linage of David that are in captivity as by its being opposed to the tents of Judah it is manifest and as the faithfull Gentiles are not of the linage of David so though Christ be descended of David as touching his humane nature yet he is not in captivity but in Heaven there to abide til the time of this deliverance of his brethren according to the flesh And so your exposition of the house of David wholly failes for though the faithfull in generall are cal'd in Scripture the seed of Abraham yet neither Gentiles nor Jews are in this respect cal'd the house or seede of David And what made you take the wealth of the Nations in a proper sense when as you take all that is spoken of in the prophecies besides this in a figurative sense doubtlesse had it been the wealth of the Jews you would have so expounded it as well as you did their houses Vineyards and gardens in the 9. of Amos at the 14. ver But though you doe not so expound it yet you understand the text of such heathen onely upon whom Gods Name is not cal'd and by your words too you seeme to conceive that you have a better title to their wealth then they themselves which would be a hard matter for you
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
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
can have any truth in it And lastly as for the contents of your parenthesis certainely we doe not imagine that the raised Saints the Saints which the Lord shall bring with him whom alone Rev. 20.4 doth concerne shall not live throughout the whole space of a 1000 yeares reigne for we know that they can dye no more after their resurrection But we beleeve that the converted Jewes and all the Gentiles that are lest to wit after the extraordinary destruction which for their generall opposing the Jewes shall light on them at our Saviours appearing we beleeve I say that these and their posterity shall live in the like mortall condition as we doe now though they shall live much longer then we doe now Israel's Redemption And lastly The reigne of Christ doth not beginne till Antichrist is destroyed so that a metaphoricall interpretation of the first resurrection would make good this conclusion That most of the Saints shall rise many hundred yeares before their reigne there being no lesse distance of time betwixt the houre of their calling and Antichrists confusion Mr. Petrie's Answer I have before made it cleare that Christs Kingdome is already begun for he reigneth in the midst of his enemies not onely by his power over-ruling disappointing and turning all their plots upon their owne pates but also in comforting the hearts of the godly so that they are a terrour to the whole earth even to their enemies who are many times more afraide at the prayers of the godly then at the cannons of other enemies and subdue the spirits of the world and binde Kings in chaines stronger then iron And therefore that assertion falleth The reigne of Christ beginneth not till Antichrist be destroyed and that absurdity following that assertion is falsely imputed to that interpretation Reply You have before alledged Psal 110. to shew that Christ doth now reigne in the midst of his enemies and we have shewed that that prophecy is not to be fulfilled untill he comes from the right hand of his Father and therefore you have onely said and not proved that Christs Kingdome is already begun And That he doth now by his divine power over-rule and dispose of the actions of men and by his Spirit comfort the hearts of the godly is nothing to the question in hand For thus he governed the whole world and his Church in the world as much before his incarnation as he hath done since But the prophecies which foreshew our Saviours Kingdome on earth doe clearely manifest that he is to reigne over the world in the same manner as temporall Kings doe over their Subjects to wit visibly and civilly that in the time of his Kingdome I say the acts of his government are to be the immediate acts of his manhood onely although they proceede originally from his Godhead And surely this Kingdome is not yet begun nor shall beginne till Antichrist be destroyed and consequently the foresaid absurdity touching the great distance betwixt the rising and reigning of the Saints doth inevitably follow upon the spirituall interpretation of the first resurrection And whereas you say That the enemies of the godly are many times more afraide of their prayers then at the cannons of other enemies you herein contradict experience it selfe for what doe the Mahometans or any Pagan Nations regard the prayers of Christians whose very faith they account foolishnesse or what doe persecuting Christians themselves regard the prayers of the persecuted whom they thinke to be worthily punished by them doubtlesse they are no more afraide of them then Saint Paul was when through a mistaken zeale he was so exceedingly madde against them that he punished them in every Synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme de persecuted them to strange cities And therefore though the prayers of the righteous may prevaile very much with God for their owne and their enemies good or for the disappointing of their enemies devicâ—s and attempts yet certainely their enemies can neither see nor regard this unlesse God open their eyes as he did Saint Pauls to behold the perversnesse of their own wayes and the innocency and uprightnesse of them whom they so much despise Israel's Redemption The assumption is grounded on Rev. 11.15 which shewes that till the time of the seventh Trumpet with the beginning whereof the last viall doth concurre The Kingdomes of * The Kingdomes of this world It is not said The Kingdome of heaven to wit of the third heaven the incorruptible habitation of Saints and Angels or of another world I say of another in substance But the Kingdomes of this world that is this world which is now shall till then be divided into many Kingdomes shall wholly become Christâ— and be made by him one heavenly Kingdome a Kingdome in which men shall live after an heavenly estate and condition a Kingdome in which Gods Will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven For seeing that cannot possibly become any mans possession which doth utterly cease to be what other construction can be given of these words but this That the government of all the Kingdomes of the world is hereafter to be taken into Christs owne hands as he is man And indeede how else should they then become his after such a manner as they are not now his if not by a subiection to his manhood for as he is God they were alwayes his and all will grant that this Scripture doth plainely foreshew a deposing of all the Kings of the earth at the accomplishment thereof A deposing of them I say in such a way that their Kingdomes may become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ which cannot be by abolishing and dissolving the earth on which they must reigne but may and shall be by subduing and conquering them and the Kingdomes over which they must reigne this world doe not become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Châ—ist Mr. Petrie's Answer The assumption he would say assertion but it is marked before the Author is no Logician is grounded on Rev. 11.15 the words are The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ Here it is not said Our Lord and his Christ shall not reigne till this time but this is all that the words import Nâ—w is no Kingdome but our Lords and his Christs And if it be objected It is no where said so of Christs reigne till this time of the seventh trumpet and therefore it cannot be true that our Lord and his Christ doe reigne till then I answer ye have heard before that in the midst of these Kingdomes doth Christ reigne even among them and over them But all their Kingdomes shall be utterly destroyed and his Kingdome shall be for ever and ever saith John and therefore not for a thousand yeares onely Now if we lay together what is said of the Jewes reigne bare and this answer we shall likewise see the vanity of that observation on the margine upon
cannot be a long time to the Lord. And therefore albeit the last part of Saint Peters reciprocall proposition may favour your interpretation yet the first part will not suffer it Seeing that which is but one day with us cannot possibly be as a thousand yeares with the Lord although the space of a thousand yeares with us may be but as one day with the Lord. And consequently the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the one day in ver 7. must needes be meant of a propheticall day of a day consisting of yeares of so many yeares at least as the Apostle here speakes of and not of a naturall day of a day consisting of houres for how else should one day be with the Lord as a thousand yeares in regard of continuance of time And whereas you say That it is not said one day is a thousand yeares but is as a thousand yeares I pray what difference in sense is there betwixt these propositions certainely the adverbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as doth not alwayes intimate a comparison but hath divers acceptions amongst which Pasor reckons its denoting of the truth and certainty of a thing for one And when it is used comparatively it doth include an exposition also as it were easie to prove by many instances and we need looke no further then the 10 verse of this chapter for an instance But the day of the Lord will come saith the Apostle as a thiefe in the night here the comparing of it to the comming of a thiefe doth shew that as it is unknowne to all so it is unexpected too of the ungodly on whom it shall come as a thiefe in the night that is altogether unlookt for and to whom also it shall be as the comming of a thiefe in the night that is fearefull unavoidable and full of horrour and amazement And thus it is evident that our exposition of ver 7. is the onely adequate and full exposition of the Apostles words and that yours is but a defective and partiall exposition of it Israel's Redemption This then being so I see not but that Gods fore-appointment of a thousand yeares continuance to the world for * Sicut e septenis annis septimus quisque annus remissionis est it 〈◊〉 e septem millibus annorum mundi septimus millenarius millenarius remissionis est R. Ketina Vid. Com. Apoc. par 2. pag. 287. each severall day of its first weeke the weeke of its creation might in all likelihood be the ground of this propheticall sense of the word Day wherein it was afterwards delivered by the infallible Pen-men of holy writ Mr. Petrie's Answer The certainty of all the appointments of God we acknowledge and the infallibility of his pen-men but where is it revealed that God hath appointed a thousand years continuance to the world for each severall day of the first weeke On the margine he cireth Rab. Ketina comment Apoca. par 2. p. 287. where are some testimonies in the Rabbines to this purpose Let Jewes follow Jewish fables to us Christians hath God spoken in the last dayes by his Sonne Heb. 1.2 whom he hath bidden us heare Certainely with a limitation to heare none others Reply I do not say it is revealed in Scripture that God hath appointed unto the world a thousand yeares continuance for each severall day of its first weeke but that Gods fore-appointment of so many thousands of yeares continuance unto the world might happily be the ground of this propheticall sense of the word Day in the scriptures Which space of time it doth comprehend whensoever it is emphatically applyed to the time of our Saviours appearing or the Jewes redemption as Isai 11.11 chap. 27.12 13. and Amos 9.11 and 2 Thes 1.10 and 2 Tim. 4.8 doe testifie And these texts in which it hath the epithet great annext to it Joel 2.31 Mal. 4.5 Jude ver 6. Rev. 6.17 chap. 16.14 And the learned doe so understand the word Day too in Gods threatning to Adam Gen. 2.17 because that threatning must needes be meant of a punishment that should come on Adam for his disobedience and consequently of a bodily death which yet he suffered not till neere nine hundred and thirty yeers after And thus it is manifest that we take this word in no other sense then the Prophets doe to whom God spake by his Spirit in time past or then the Apostles doe to whom God spake by his Sonne first and by his Spirit afterwards or then God did as many learned Divines acknowledge in the foresaid passage to Adam And therefore we borrow it not from the Jewish sables although we will not reject any truth that the Jewes hold for feare of being upbraided with their sables or with the name of Jewes But what I so much out of charity with the Jewes now Is not this the Name whose mysticall interpretation hath stood you in such stead in the wresting of the prophecies which concerne them by Name and none else and did you not say pag. 16. that the faithfull are called Jewes not onely typically but likewise for the speciall comfort of the Jewes How did you dare then so boldly to abuse that Name by which you say the faithfull are so frequently â—iled in Scripture And what comfort can it be to the Jewes that you lay claime to this Name in the scriptures where it belongs not to you that you seeme to take delight in it there and yet in your writings and common discourse use it as a by-word and terme of reproach or how can we thinke that you apply the prophecies touching the Jewes to the Christians for any other reason but because you thinke such great and glorious mercies too good for the Jewes how I say can we thinke otherwise when as we see they are so odious unto you that in meere scorne and derision of the truth we hold you call us Jewes by way of opposition to Christians I pray remember what our Saviour is as man is he not a Jew me thinkes then if â—â—ought else could yet the reverence you owe to him should have with held you from such an uncivill usage of this Name Israel's Redemption To this also may be added that iâ— Matth. 24.31 which shewes that when the Sonne of man desâ—ends He shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the foure windes from one end of the heaven to the other at which time two shall be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left two women shall be grinding at the Mill the one shall be taken and the other left and as Saint Marke record two men shall be in one bâ—d 〈◊〉 one shall be taken and the other left chap. 17.34 But if our Saviour at his comming shall presently give â—â—ntence on all that are not writteâ— in the Booke of life if he shall make no stay on earth before he undertake this businesse then why shall the
an humane fancie that it may be drawne into scorne and contempt under this notion And surely seeing it is a great unbeliefe to despise the revealed truth of God therefore we have great need to beware of such unbeliefe as it is said in the use Israel's Redemption Thirdly not to contemne or revile the Jewes a fault too common in the Christian worlds and that partly because we are unmindfull as well of the Olive from whence we were taken as of that into which we are graffed whose root beares us and not we the root and partly because we misapply the infallible promises of God by which he hath so freely and so feelingly so often and so openly declared that he will again graffe them in For if we were cut out of the Olive tree which is wild by nature and were graffed contrary to nature into a good Olive tree how much more shall they which be naturall branches be graffed into their owne Olive trees Rom. 11.24 Mr. Petrie's Answer Whether serveth more for to move us to love the Jewes to know that the Jewes and Gentiles are one in Christ whensoever they shall be converted or to thinke that the Jewes shall not be converted till Christ come againe and thou they shall be Lords over the Gentiles a 1000 yeares The former doctrine presently throweth downe the partition wall and this opinion still holden it up at least for a 1000 yeares Reply This Query as it doth in it selfe containe an apparent untruth so it is grounded on a misreport of our Tenet For first it makes us to thinke that there shall be no Jewes converted untill the whole Nation be converted whereas we hold the partiall and as I may so call it typicall conversion of them the conversion of them I say in their first fruites with you and the generall and contemporating conversion of them the conversion of them in the whole lump against you Onely we say that the partiall and successive conversion their conversion in some particular persons and families hath since the Apostles dayes been very thinne and rare Secondly you make us to thinke that the Jewes shall not be converted till Christ comes when as we hold that they shall be converted before his comming and be wholly freed from the opposition of the Gentiles at and by his comming at the judgement which shall light on the world when he descends to destroy the Army in Armageddon And thridly you make us to thinke that there shall be no spirituall union betwixt the Jewes and Gentiles in the time of the thousand yeares reigns whereas there is not to be a full and perfect union betwixt them in their acknowledgement and worship of the true God till then and in that time As our Saviours prophecy John 10.16 and Zech. 14.16 c. and Isai 2.2 3 4. and many other doe witnesse And though the Gentiles shall then be tributaries to the Jewes yet they shall be much more happy in this subjection wherein they shall have Christ for their King and the glorified Saints for their chiefe governours under him then ever they were in their former liberty which for the most part they so much abused to the provocation of Gods everlasting wrath against them Even as now you account that Jew which is become the Lords free-man which savingly embraceth the truth of the Gospell much more happy in his captivity under and subjection to the Gentiles then if he were Lord of the whole earth and withall a stranger from the covenants of promise having no hope and being without God in the world These are your misreports and as for your Query it selfe it is false to imagine that the knowledge of the conversion of a few Jewes can move us to a greater love towards them then the knowledge of the conversion of the whole Nation can And what love soever you may grant to be due to them in your dispute of it we may well thinke that you make shew of little towards them in your actions as these words pag. 65. Let Jewes follow Jewish fables c. doe manifest In which there neither appeares any symptome of your desire of their conversion nor of your love towards them or us Israel's Redemption And lastly earnestly to beseech God that he would speedily put into execution the meanes which he hath appointed for their conversion that he would even in these our dayes bring this mystery to light by powring on his people the spirit of grace and supplications whereby they may beleeve and repent For their happinesse will both increase and consummate ours Zech. 12.10 so also the Apostle * If the fall of them c. Observe here what Iewes are said to occasion the riches of the Gentiles Not those that beleeved when the Apostle wrote this although many of them were the first instruments of the Gentiles conversion and much lesse they that have beleeved since that time for these as they come farce short of the others both in number and qualifications so they may be said rather to have taken of us then given unto us to have inherited the riches of the Gospel with us but not increased them Not the first beleevers thereof nor such which hitherto have so slowly and thinly followed them but the stiffe-necked and stubborne Iewes who slew Christ who martyred and persecuted his Disciples They are here said to be the reconciling of the world and the riches of the Gentiles And that because their fall and casting away moved God so soone to visit us with the tidings of salvation And their fulnesse the receiving of them it must be that shall perfect us The receiving of them I say which were then cast away but how not in their owne persons for it is impossible that the same men should fall and not fall should be cast away and not be cast away but in their posterity and that not in part and by sits but wholly and at once For the Apostle speakes not of particular men and families but of all the Tribeâ— of the whole Nation And indeed what but a generall conversion of the Iewes can bring such felicity to the Gentiles as shall not onely parallel but exceed the blessings which we have already received by their unbeliefe If the fall of them be the riches of the world and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles how much more their fulnesse and againe If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead Rom. 11.12.15 Now to our Lord Jesus Christ who is both the light of the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel who is the faithfull witnesse and the first begotten of the dead and the Prince of the Kings of the earth Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his owne bloud and made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and
and a figurative sense is the literal or primarily intended sense of these words And contrarily unto this rule the Jewes and others expone the descriptions and prophesies of the glory and power of Christ and his Church after an earthly manner and so straying from the true meaning they transforme his spiritual Kingdom into an earthly and temporary which as it is ungodly so it is repugnant unto Scripture testifying plainly that his Church is all glorious within and not of this world and therfore these comparisons that are taken from earthly Kingdomes must be understood figuratively and in a spiritual sense at least it must be diligently observed what portion of every passage it to be understood properly and what figuratively seeing many times that which is spoken figuratively is exponed by the words preceding or following and all figurative speeches have some tokens of the use unto which they are directed or another text may be found where the same matter is more clearely handled These general rules being premitted it shall be easier to expone all the promises of Christ's Kingdom and especially that text Amos 9.15 They shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them saith the Lord thy God For these words may be cleared by the words Jer. 4.1 If thou wilt put away thy abominations out of my sight then thou shalt not remove Where we have the same promise but expressed with a condition and it is usual in the Scriptures that earthly promises are expressed sometimes with a condition and sometimes without it but alwaies are understood conditionally 2. By the acceptions of the word land which as it is not alwaies exponed of the earth so somtimes it is put for the grave as Iob 10. verse 21. The land of darknesse and shadow of death And for Heaven Psa 27.13 I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living And especially that land was a type of the Kingdom of Christ as it is said in the first rule and of the true inheritance of the Saints and true gift of God Deut. 4.1.38 And so whether the word land be taken properly or typically the promise is manifestly true both before and after the comming of Christ to suffer for they were brought againe into their land and they who were brought were not pulled out of their land and they are planted in their true land whence they shall no more be pulled ouâ—â— and hereby the large note on the margine of Page 9. is frustrated Answer Let this rule then which is a compound of several rules laid downe by others for the right interpreting of the Scriptures decide the matter in controversie betwixt us And doe not say but shew that the proper expositioÌ„ of the prophesies which coÌ„cerne our Saviours and the Saints visible reigne on earth the conversion deliverance and establishment of the Jewes in their owne land the destruction of their opposers and subjection of all other Nations unto them in a word which reveale unto us the chiefest events and alterations that shall come to passe over the whole world til the world it selfe shall passe away doth teach things contrary to the analogy of faith to honesty of manners to other cleare texts things frivolous and not belonging to godlinesse For surely if our proper exposition of these predictions doth teach ought of all this we may well be accounted for publishers of a new Gospel but if it doth teach nought of this you your selfe are worthy to be accounted but a partial preacher of the Gospel a preacher but of a part of the Counsell of God tel us therfore what article of faith or plaine text of Scripture or moral duty is destroy'd or oppugned by the beliefe of our Savâ—ours coming with the Saints to reigne on earth or of the Jewes conversion and returne or of the calling of all Nations to the faith of Christ and the knowledge of God And tel us too whether the knowledge of these things be a frivolous and unnecessary knowledge or a knowledge not belonging unto godlinesse Certainly we cannot conceive how the personal reigne of Christ on earth should any way abridge or weaken his spiritual power or abbreviate his Kingdom or that his Church should be lesse glorious when he comes into the world unto it then it hath been since he departed out of the world or can be as long as he is absent from it And we know that by our proper exposition of these prophecies we doe make a just distribution of the word of God that we give unto the Jew whatsoever belongs unto the Jew and to the Gentile whatsoever belongs unto the Gentile whereas you by your proper interpretation of the prophecies which concerne the Gentiles and your figurative exposition of the prophecies which concerne the Jewes doe keepe your owne things to your selfe and make the mercies prepared for others to be common mercies yea to be as much or more yours then theirs And as you hereby impose a figurative sense upon the spiritual part of the promises made unto the Jewes so you impose a double figurative sense upon the temporal part of the promises made unto them For first you interpret those outward and earthly promises as you call them of spirituall blessinges too and being so interpreted you understand them of the Gentiles as wel or rather then of the Jewes And this you make figurative speeches where you finde none and may indeed as easily make a figurative speech of any speech as thus interpret these prophecies But it is not the figurative and metaphorical oppression of a prophecy that doth make the prophecy to carry a figurative sense for both temporal and spiritual promises may be figuratively and metaphorically exprest but yet they are not to be figuratively understood that is prophecies of temporal things however exprest are not to be understood of spiritual blessings neither are prophecies of spiritual or temporal things whether figuratively or properly exprest to be understood of any besides those of whom they are plainly prophecied In a word prophecies however exprest are to be understood of what they speake where they speake of temporal things they are to be understood onely of temporal things and where they speake of spiritual things they are to be understood onely of spiritual things And of whom they speake where they speak plainly of Christ they are to be understood of Christ onely and where they sptake plainly of the Jewes they are to be understood of the Jewes onely and where they speake plainly of the Gentiles they are to be understood of the Gentiles onely and where they speake generally and indifferently of both they are to be understood of both And in like manner where they speake plainly of Canaan and Jerusalem or Sion they are to be understood of them onely Thus much for your rules which whosoever shall embrace he will doubtlesse be no better friend to the truth we
hold then you your selfe are that which follows is your explication of these words Amos 9. verse 15. They shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them saith the Lord God Which passage you answer First by that text Jer. 4. verse 1. where you say we have the same promise but expressed with a condition How the same promise certainly the promise in Jer. was made to Israel before she went into captivity before that judgement was come upon her for her abominations But the promise in Amos is made to Israel after she should come out of captivity after the wrath of God against her should cease And whereas you say further that it is usuall in the Scriptures that earthly promises are expressed sometime with a condition and sometime without it but are alwaies understood conditionally It is to be noted that here you confesse the promise Amos 9. verse 14 15. to be an earthly or outward promise and conditionally understood which pag. 8. you interpret of spiritual houses and benefites as you doe also that text Isa 65. verse 21. in your preface and others in other places And yet it is not true that all outward and earthly promises are conditional promises for those which are mixed with spiritual promises as in Jer. 32. verse 37. c. and in Ezek. 36. verse 24. c. and in many other prophecies or that doe contemporate with such outward and bodily promises as are mixed with spiritual promises as this of Amos doth those earthly promises I say cannot be conditional promises seeing the spiritual promises with which they contemporate are promises of the condition it self And therfore the prophecy of Amos chap. 9. verse 11. c. is an absolute prophecy a prophecy hereafter to be fullfild when the Spirit of God shal be powred on the Jewes from on high as it is Isa 32. verse 15. c. And not a conditionall prophecy a prophecy formerly canceld for want of obedience Secondly you answer the foresaid text of Amos by shewing a different acception of the word land which you say as it is not alwaies expounded of the earth so sometimes it is put for the grave and for Heaven But the instances by which you would prove this doe faile you very much for besides that mens graves are in the earth it is not the word land of it selfe but this phrase of speech the land of darkenesse that is put for the grave Job 10. verse 21. and the land of the living that is us'd Psal 27. verse 13. which doth not signify Heaven as the Authours of the English annotations on the whole Bible printed 1645. doe observe but the surface of the earth on which the living are at the land of darkenesse doth a place under the superficies of the earth where the bodies of the dead remaine And happily David spake here of the land of Canaan in relation to the time in which Christ himselfe and all the Saints that are to come with him should have their abode in it in which respect as it may properly so it may very fitly too be cald the land of the living of the living that shall die no more But if this phrase did signify Heaven as you say yet it will no more follow from these words that the land of Canaan was a type of Heaven then it will follow from those in the 10. of Job that it was a type of the grave And sure we are that Amos prophecy is to be fullfild in the land whither the text saith that the Israelites shall returne from their captivity and where they shall build themselves houses and plant vineyards from which they shall no more be carried captives as they have formerly been For the meaning of there words that they shall no more be pulled up out of their land is parallel with that Dan. 2. verse 44. that their Kingdom shall not be left to other people And here also it is to be noted that this part of your answer doth crosse the former part For there you say that this prophecy of Amos was a conditional prophecy and so not accomplished for want of obedience in the Jewes and yet here you say that they were brought againe into their land and that they were not pulled out of their land but are planted in their true land whence they shall no more be pulled out so that here you exalt those Jewes up to Heaven which before you did thrust downe to Hell for not fulfilling the condition required of them and therfore you must know your owne minde better in understanding the Scripture and speake more significantly and truly then you doe in this inference before you can frustrate the marginal note in the 9. page of my booke To my booke accused Welcome my booke more welcome unto mee With stripes and wounds then to have scaped free 'T is all I lookt for when I sent thee forth That most would deem thee vile and of no worth For 't is the lot of truth as 't is of those That godly live to have the most her foes And sure where wrested Scripture doth withhold The beames of truth and give us drosse for gold There nought a truth more doubtful can conclude Then doth the favour of the multitude Which hadst thou purchast I should then have fear'd I had obscur'd what now I hope I 've cloar'd And shall by God's assistance still make good Against all bawlings of the carping brood ISRAELS REDEMPTION REDEEMED The first part Jsraels Redemption THat Christ is already a Mat. 1. v. 20.21 Luk 2.11 Ioh. 1.29.30 c. come that as a Prophet he hath b Maâ— 4.17 Luk. 4.15 c. cald us to repentance and aâ— a Priest hath been a c 1 Ioh. 2. Heb. 2.17 Rom. 3.25 propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world having by d Heb. 9.28 ch 10.14 Mar. 8.31 Ioh. 10.15 Rev. 5.9 once offering himself perfected for ever them that are sanctified is the faith of Christians and the infidelity of the Jewes But that he shall come as a King to raigne on earth and restore againe the Monarchy of Israel is the faith of the Jewes and the infidelity of Christians And I thinke it a matter equally difficult to perswade either part to the mutual embracement of each others beliefe Mr Petries answer What new spirit is this Whether be such persons Jewes or Christians they oppose themselves unto all Jewes and Christians 2. Whether doe they understand the difference twixt Jewes and Christians It was never yet heard that the Jewes doe beleeve that Christ Jesus shall come as a King they said Away with him wee will not have him to raigne over us They say that the Messias shall come but they speake not of his comming twice or thrice looke all the Iewish Rabbies and aske them who are alive they will say but once This conceit of Christs comming to raigne