Christs personall reigne on earth, one thousand yeares with his saints the manner, beginning, and continuation of his reigne clearly proved by many plain texts of Scripture, and the chiefe objections against it fully answered, explaining the 20 Revelations and all other Scripture-prophecies that treat of it : containing a full reply to Mr. Alexander Petrie ... who wrote against ... Israels redemption / by Robert Maton.

Reply.

That the darkning of the Sun, or of the Moone properly taken (especially if supernaturall, as this here) is a signe of an eminent and imminent destruction you confesse: but that it is onely so, you deny. And were this true, I have not spoken much out of the way. But the instance you bring of the darkning of the Sun at the time of our Saviours passion, makes nothing for you. For whereas you say [it was a testimony from Heaven of Christ's innocency for conviction of the murtherers] the historie of the Gospel tels you no such thing, and interpreters are against you. Sicut enim Deus tenebris involvebat terram Aegyptum, sicetiam nunc totam Judaeam, in signum ira••i Dei, et futurae poenae, saith Pareus on the 27. chap. of Mat. at the 45. verse, that is, As God did once bring darknesse on the land of Egypt, so likewise did he now on the land of Judea, as a signe of his wrath and their ensuing punishment. So Chrysostome too, It was an undoubted signe of Gods anger, for that which they did against him. And Origen, It was a presage of the future darknesse which should over-spread the whole Jewish Nation. To which D^r. Mayer consents, and with Origen concludes from the time of the darknesse

continuance, being three houres, that the Jewish Nation should be in darknesse, till about the Evening of the world. Although then Christ's innocency may well be gathered from it, yet for ought I can finde, you goe alone in alledging it as a reason of the darknesse. And Piscator resolves the matter thus peremptorily a∣gainst you, Praeter-naturales istae trium borarum tenebrae quae totane terram occuparunt patiente Christo, partenderunt haud dubie calamitates illus quas non multò post Deus iratus buic populo immisit, quas et Christus suprà cap. 24. discipulis praedixit. Sunt enien Tenebrae sig•••••• irae Dei, ut perspicitur ex eo quò d••signum erunt adventantis Christs ad judicium, ut ipse testatur suprà cap. 24.29. Et passim in Scriptura nomine Tenebrarum calamitates significantur &c. in cap. 27. verse. 45. Mat. In which words he doth not onely say, that this darknesse was a token of those miseries, which shortly after befell the Jewert but also that the word [darknesse] in the Scripture (whether properly or improperly taken) doth every where signify calami∣ties. And in your next instance out of the 21 chap. of Luke ver. 25. you your selfe doe fay, that the signes there rehearst are all pro∣perly to be understood, as signes before the great and terrible Day of the Lord. But amongst the rest, you reckon the distresse of Na∣tions with perplexity, for a signe: whereas it is rather an effect of the signes, which shall be so extraordinary, that they shall bring men into great perplexity and feare of the things, which they shall shew to be comming on the earth. But whereas you say [that what is promised in the 28. and 29. ver. of the 2. chap. of Joel, was truely (albeit not altogether) fulfilled in the dayes of Peter (even how∣beit the words of the 30. and 31. ver. be properly understood) and not wholly fulfilled, till the time immediately preceding the last comming of Christ.] It is utterly false, as hath been already shewed: and may further thus be shewed. To wit, because the powring out of the Spirit spoken of by Joel, is to precede (or at least to accompany) the dark∣ning of the Sun and Moone, and both to precede the great and terrible Day of the Lord: whereas the darkning of the Sun at our Saviour's first comming, did precede the powring out of the Spirit; and neither of them did precede the day of his birth. For the Sun was darkened, when he was about to leave both his life and the world together. And the Spirit was not powred out, til after his ascension. And thus (besides that there was not then any unusuall

darkening of the Moone) the very different order of the accom∣plishment of these things, from that mentioned by Joel, and their not preceding our Saviour's first comming as signes thereof, doe abundantly shew the grosnesse of your interpretation.