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.

ANd first of the first; [ 5] That the Kingdom of the Jewes shall again be restor'd unto them, For they asked of him, saying, Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdom to Israel? So evidently doe these words expresse an earthly Kingdom (I meane onely a Kingdom to be held on earth) that no expositor which I have met with doth deny it; and therefore seeing they could not but imbrace the sense, me thinks they should not so rashly have re∣jected the consequence. And that for these reasons.

Mr. Petrie's Answer.

1. Me thinkes you speake non-sense, Many expositours expone these words otherwise: seeke and you shall finde. Secondly, why may wee not thinke,

that the Apostles meaned as Simeon did, Luk. 2.30, 31, 32. or as the repenting thief did, Luke 23.42. or as Christ did, verse 43. certainly these did not meane of an earthly Monarchy: neither is there any word in this text shewing that they meaned otherwise. Thirdly, albeit no exposi∣tour would deny, that the Apostles did understand an earthly Kingdom, yet it followse not, They thought so, therefore it shall be so. No more then it follows, The Apostles did not (for a time) beleeve the calling of the Gentiles, Act. 11.3. therefore the Gentiles are not called. But the con∣sequence hath reasons he saith, whereof the first two are topicall and by way of probabilitie. pag. 5. When the Authour saith, The reasons are probable, and I may say childish: will any Christian change his faith for them? certaine faith should have sure grounds, lest the wind of tentation blow it away: and therefore I might leave these probabilities, as not wor∣thy of reading or answer: neverthelesse consider them.

Reply.

1. Me thinks you might as wel have shewed the non-sense, as said it was non-sense. But [many expositours, you say, expone these words otherwise] This shews not that I have spoken non-sense, in saying, that I have met with no such. But I doubt it shews, that you speake an untruth, which is worse then non-sense. For you might as easisy have nam'd some of them, as have said it, and bid me looke them out. And had there been any, I presume you would too, seeing it is not likely, that they would have brought an exposition different from that which was commonly received by others, and have given no reason for it, or one no better then [a why may we not think so?] 2. If you thinke that these places here quoted be diversly interpreted, (as your disjunctive conjunction [OR] intimates, and yet say, [why may not this Kingdom be taken, as the thiefe meant, or as Christ meant, or as Simeon meant?] any one may perceive, that you are altogether unresolved what sense to take it in: but had rather take it in any sense, then that we take it in. And if you thinke that all these places have but one meaning, (as the last words of this part of your answer imply) you should have shewed us what it had been. For in our Saviour's and Simeon's words, the word [Kingdom] is not found. And the words which you take to be equivalent with it, are diversly ex∣pounded. Paradise, in our Saviour's words, is interpreted to be Heaven. And salvation and Glory, in Simeon's song doe signify,

Salutis et gloriae authorem, the authour of glory, and the authour of salvation; to wit, Christ himselfe. So that if the Kingdom in the Apostles Querie be expounded either of these two waies, it is all one as if they had said, Lord wilt thou at this time restore Heaven to Israel? or, Lord wilt thou at this time restore thy selfe to Israel? And as for the Kingdom the theife spake of, we thanke you for menti∣oning of it. And doe willingly grant, that the Apostles understood it as he did. But how was that? surely as all other Jewes did, of a Kingdom on earth, and not in Heaven. For his words in the original are, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, when thou commest in thy kingdome (that is, in thy Kingly power, as it is Mat. 16. verse 27, 28.) for by those words, the theife could not meane his ascension into Heaven (as it is comonly expounded) seeing he was wholly igno∣rant of it. And therefore it must needs follow, that he understood it of an earthly Kingdom, which all Jewes expected; and (as it seemes by the Apostles Querie) all beleeving Jewes thought should suddenly appeare after his resurrection. But because it was not to be so, therefore it was, that our Saviour promised the theife the present happinesse of his soule in Heaven: where it should remaine in his presence, until at his comming in his Kingdom (of which he had spoken) he should bring it with him, to be reunited to his glorified body: and so, according to his request he should in his whole manhood be made partaker of his Master's glorious reigne on earth.

3 You must give us leave to thinke, that no expositour doth deny it, until either we can find; or you, or others shew us such a one. But it follows not, you say, the Apostles thought so, therfore it shall be so. But this follows, therefore we must beleeve the Apostles, before Mr. Petrie, or any others, who thinke it shall not be so. Yea and this follows, the Apostles thought so, and our Saviour (who knew their meaning) reprehended them not for misunder∣standing it; therefore it shall be so. And whereas you say, that the Apostles [for a time] beleeved not the calling of the Gentiles; and referre these words [for a time] to the time after our Saviours ascen∣sion; it is not so. For doubtlesse from the very time in which our Saviour said unto them, Goe teach all Nations, Mat. 28.19. they did beleeve it (although perhaps they might not thinke, that they should have been cald so soone) yea if the words of S^t. James,

Acts 15. verse 14. should be meant of the song of old Simeon, as you doe say, page, 26. there is no doubt but they knew it from the time they first heard of that prophecy. Neither doth the text you quote speake of the Apostles doubting of it, but of other beleeving Jews. And therefore you have shewed your selfe very bold with the Apostles, mistooke the ground of your argument, and denyed what afterwards you confesse. And lastly, when the Authour doth take the Apostles words in that sense which interpreters doe give unto them, and shews by reasons first, and Scriptures afterwards, that the Apostles did not out of any carnal minde, or misconceit of our Saviours Kingdom, utter this Querie; and when that M^r. Petrie doth neither flatly affirme or deny any sense of the Apostles words; nor give a reason worth the naming (much lesse reading or answering) against any of these reasons, albeit but childish, as he saith, will any reader thinke, that Mr. Petrie will prove a better guide to him herein, then this Authour? doubtlesse no man taking a journey, will choose him for a guide, that is in doubt which way to goe; and no good Christian will be lesse carefull in his way to Heaven. To the Law then and to the Testimony, to the plaine word of God, this is the sure ground of thy faith: and therefore sticke to it; for if men speake not according to this, it is because there is no truth in them, Isa. 8.20.