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.

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.

M^r 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 sub∣jection; 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 rea∣son; 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 hap∣pened 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 captivi∣ty (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 prove. And that you may not thinke you have any interest in it by reason of this prophecy, you must know that the gathering together of the wealth spoken of in Zech. is against the time when the Lord shall descend, and all the Saints with him. Which being at the time of the victory there foretold, shewes your application of this prophecy to the spirituall and corporal victories of the faithfull Gentiles, to be a meere wresting of the Scriptures.