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.

Mr. Petrie's Answer.

1. This argumentation faileth in both parts, but first marke that all these words cannot be meant properly: for the word David cannot be understood of Salomons Father, but of Christ the sonne of David, or typified by David: and therefore that Prophecie could not be fulfilled till the incarnation of Christ, and then it might be fulfill'd.

2. And consequently these words, the latter dayes, though they be no where put for the dayes before the incarnation, yet they are often put for the dayes of the Gospel, seeing in the last dayes God hath spoken unto us by his Sonne. Now the first part of the dilemna is false: for if that Prophecie be meant of the ten Tribes, as they abode many dayes without a King &c. so, who dare deny, that they did returne, and seeke the Lord their God and Christ their King? when the Gospel was preached to the scattered strangers not onely through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, 1 Pet. 1.1. but likewise to Syria, Assyria, &c. and expressely to the twelve Tribes scattered abroad, Jam. 1.1. who can hold the negative, that the children of Israel did never returne and seeke Christ? and the other part is no lesse faulty: for Christ came not till the Scepter was departed from Judah: and these words, the latter dayes, are not to be referred unto the 4. verse, (as if the Israelites should abide many dayes without a King, and sacrifice in the latter dayes, and then returne) but unto the fift ver. in the end whereof they are, and s•• in the latter dayes they shall returne (not into their Land, this Text saith not so, but) and seek the Lord their God and Christ their King, as they did Act. 2.41. and 4.4. and in sever all ages. And so both the parts of this Argument being false, the words of Hosea 3. are more against the temporall Monarchy then for it.

Reply.

1. That by David here Christ is meant, is not to be doubted,

but that therefore this Prophecie was fulfill'd at Christs incarna∣tion, it is to be proved, and so it is too, that the Rhetoricall and tropicall sense of some words and phrases in a Prophecie, doth fasten a mysticall meaning upon it; for the sense of a Prophecie takes not its denomination from the words in which it is spoken, but from the things it speakes of, if it speakes of materiall things (whether in a proper or figurative straine) it is a materiall Pro∣phecie; if of spirituall things (whether in a proper or figurative straine) it is a spirituall Prophecie, if of both, it's partly mate∣riall, and partly spirituall, and the title of a Prophecie takes its denomination, from the place, person, or prople of which it is spoken.

2. There is a great difference betwixt the last dayes, and the lat∣ter dayes. For the (last dayes) Heb. 1. ver. 2. and the (lost times) 1 Pet. 1. ver. 20. doe comprehend the whole time under the Gos∣pel; the time I say, from Christs first comming to his second: but the [latter times] 1 Tim. 4. ver. 1. doe signifie onely the latter part of the last times. And as the last times, or dayes, have their latter times; so againe the [latter times] have their [last dayes] as we may see in the 2 Tim. chap. 3. ver. 1. and in the 2 Pet. chap. 3. ver. 3. and of the end of these [last dayes] of the [latter times] are the [latter dayes] in this Prophecie to be understood; as St. Paul's words in the 11. chap. of the Epistle to the Rom. at the 25. and 26. verses doe evidence. For I would not Brethren, saith he, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, that blindnesse in part is hap∣ned to Israel, untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Is∣rael shall be saved, &c. And yet it is enough to confirme the first part of the Dilemma; that the [latter dayes] in this Prophecie, cannot be taken for the first dayes of the preaching of the Gospel, in which onely the Gospel was preacht unto the Jewes, and there∣fore the Israelites that sought the Lord in those first dayes of the Gospel, cannot be the same Israelites which the Prophet saith, shall seeke the Lord in the latter dayes of the Gospel, that is, not long before Christs appearing. And besides, what effect the word of God tooke amongst the Israelites, even in the dayes in which it was preach't unto them, we have formerly shewed out of the 13. chap. of the Acts, at the 45. and 46. verses, and out of the•• Thess. 2. at the 15. and 16. ver. to which wee may adde the same

Apostles great heavinesse and continuall sorrow for them, Rom. 9. ver. 2.3. and his words concerning Israel, in 31, 32, and. 33. ver. of the same chapter, and his prayer for them, and record of them, chap. 10. v. 1, 2, 3. and his words, ch. 11. v. 8, 9, 10.12.15.25. and 28. in which places he saith, that they stumbled at the stumbling stone (that is, at Christ preacht unto them) that they submitted not them∣selves unto the righteousnesse of God: that they were enemies to the Gospel, and that God had given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and eares that they should not heare, and therefore we dare not but to affirme that Israel did not then returne thus the Lord; to wit, by repentance and embracement of the Gospel. For the Prophet speakes not of the returne of some particular Families, or of some particular persons of divers Families; but of all the children of Israel, that were to be so long without a King, that is, of the whole body of the ten Tribes at least. And of the whole Israel of God it is (that is, of all the Tribes, though not of all of every Tribe) that the Apostle speaks of in the foresaid Texts of Scripture, and how then can it be said of any of the Tribes, that they have as yet sought the Lord? and if none of the Tribes are converted, where is the union you boast of betwixt the Jewes and Gentiles? How are they one Christian Church, when as not one of the Tribes hath been hitherto joyn'd to this Church? And further though it be not said expressely here, that the children of Israel shall returne into their Land, yet other parallel Prophecies doe shew, that the word (returne) doth imply this: and so doe some of the contents of this Prophecie. For whereas it is said (they shall be many dayes without a King) it is to be understood, that after the end of these dayes, they shall againe have a King; to wit, one to reigne over them in a temporall Monarchy, as before they had, when David did reigne over them: for such a King it is that the Prophet saith, they shall be without, and he saith not, that they shall be without him alwayes, but many dayes, and there∣fore after the expiring of these dayes, they shall againe enjoy such a King: and consequently they shall againe become a Kingdome on Earth too. As for the other part of the Dilemma, you had no∣thing at all to say to it, and therefore you fight with your owne fancies onely; first in saying (that Christ came not till the Scepter was departed from Judah) which (though it is not easily to be main∣tain'd

I have neither affirmed, nor denyed, but onely urg'd the Prophecie of Jacob, to shew that the Scepter could not depart from Judah till Christs comming (for whether it was to depart immediately before, or shortly after, it is not materiall in this Argument) and consequently, that if this Prophecie were to be understood of the two Tribes, the punishment in abiding many dayes without a King, and without a sacrifice, &c. could not be ful∣fill'd on them, till their Captivitie under the Romans, at the de∣struction of their City: from whence also it will follow, that their returne here foretold must needs be as yet to come. And se∣condly, in saying, that the latter dayes are not to be refer'd unto the 4. v. (as if the Israelites should abide many dayes without a King and sacrifice in the latter dayes, and then returne) but unto the 5. v. in the end whereof they are.) For I never thought that the (latter dayes) did comprehend the (many dayes) spoken of in the 4. v. but I know that they doe shew what a long continuance and space of time the (many dayes) doe imply, for 'tis not before but afterward, that is, at the end of the (many dayes) that the (latter dayes) doe begin; in which the contents of the latter part of the Prophecie are to be fulfill'd: as the contents of the first part of the Pro∣phecie are in the (many dayes.) And as I have already prov'd, these (latter dayes) not to be begun: so you your selfe seeme to confesse as much, saying, (and so in the latter dayes they shall returne, and seeke the Lord their God, and Christ their King, as they did, Acts 2.41. and chap. 4.4.] but whereas you adde, [and in sever all ages] surely the conversion of the Jewes did even wholly weare away in a very short time after the preaching of the Gospel. For they were St. Paul and Barnabas that told them: It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken unto you, but seeing yee put it from you, and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life, loe, we turne to the Gentiles, Act. 13. ver. 46. and that their behaviour was the same towards the Apostles in other places, as well as at Antioch in Pisidia, you may see, in the 1 Thess. 2. chap. at the 14, 15, and 16. verses. And therefore their conversion held not one age, so short was the continuance of the Jewes joyning with the Gentiles in the Christian Faith, yea too short and too small to prove, that the uniting of the Jewes and Gentiles into one Church, is already accomplish't and so the truth of both parts of this Argument doth appeare the more firme, by your indirect and slight answer.