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.

Israel's Redemption.

And what comparison is there, [ 37] betwixt the griefe of a few fear∣full and scattered Disciples, for a day or two; and the solemne mourning of all Iudah and Jerusalem, and that to every Famils

apart and their wives apart? As therefore this Prophecie doth con∣cerne the Jewes onely, and chiefly the Tribes that crucified their Saviour: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 doubtlesse it shall then receive its accomplishment, when God at their generall conversion, * 1.1 shall poure upon them the Spi∣rit of grace and supplications, that so they may at once obtaine the forgivenesse of their sinnes; and thus lament their forefathers ma∣licious and cruell contrivance, and their owne hereditary and wil∣full approbation of the death of Christ; who shall then descend unto them, to restore their Kingdome, and to reigne over all the earth, as it is in the 14. chap. of the same Prophet at the 5. and 9. ver. &c.

Mr. Petrie's Answer.

It is said, ver. 11. There shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, and ver. 12. and the Land shall mourne, every Family apart, &c. whereby is intimated a distinction of the mourning in respect of place: and as they did mourne at Jerusalem publikely, so we may easily conceive that these who had resorted at these publick Feasts unto Jerusalem, did likewise mourne apart after their returning, and were not contented with one dayes mourning (all facts that are credible are not written;) And there∣fore this Prophecie doth concerne the Jewes (but not onely; seeing even the Gentiles may be said to have pierced his sides by their sinnes merito∣riously, and to looke on him by faith, and mourne for their guiltinesse, &c.) and chiefly the persons that crucified their Saviour: So doubtlesse it is great impudence to affirme, that the same Prophet chap. 14. 5. and 9. ver. saith Christ shall descend unto the Jewes to restore their King∣dome, for there is not one word of restoring, nor of the Jewes Kingdome in these two verses.

Reply.

As in the preceding answer you have applied the accomplish∣ment of Zech. words, ch. 12. ver. 10. to the Jewes converted by St. Peters first Sermon: so in this you endeavour to parallel their mour∣ning, with the great and solemne mourning so largely exprest in the following verses of the same Prophecie. For it is said ver. the 11. There shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, &c. and ver. 12. The Land shall mourne, everie Familie apart, &c. [whereby is intimated (say you) a distinction of the mourning in respect of place: and as they did mourne at Jerusalem publickly, so wee may easily conceive, that these who had resorted at these publick Feasts unto Jerusalem did like∣wise

mourne apart after their returning—(all facts that are very credible are not written:) And therefore on the contrary 〈◊〉〈◊〉 have written here what is not credible. For is it credible that the mourning of 3000. is any way comparable to the solemne and universall mour∣ning of all Judah and Jerusalem for Josiah, 2 Chron. 35. ver. 24, 25. to which the mourning in this Prophecie is compated? Or is it credible that any of these Jewes who resorted unto Jerusalem out of so many Countries as are rehearst, Acts 2. ver. 9, 10, 11. were of the Families of David and Nathan, when as the Tribe of Judab wat not then carryed into captivitie by the R••mans? And if they mourned after their returne into their severall Countries, into Me∣sopotamia, Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, &c. this was out of the Land, whereas the mourning the Prophet foreshewes is to be ful∣fill'd onely in Ierusalem, and in the land of Iudea, and it is to be observed by men and their wives apart, and what circumstance is there in the 2. chap. of the Acts from which you can gather, that any of the 3000. you speake of, were women? yea it is to be ob∣serv'd by all the Families of the Jewes that remaine, that is, that are living at the accomplishment of this Prophecie, and therefore the repentance of these 3000. could not possibly be the mourning here spoken of by the Prophet. You say next [that this Prophecie doth concerne the Jewes, and chiefly the persons that crucified their Sa∣viour, but not onely, seeing even the Gentiles, &c. And did you not tell us even now, [that you give no other interpretation of the Pro∣phecies then is chiefly intended?] How then can you say here; that this Prophecie is chiefly meant of the Jewes in a proper sense; and yet meant also of the Gentiles in a figurative sense? is not this to give another sense besides that which is chiefly intended? and doe you thinke that both these senses are intended? if so, how shall we know certainly which is chiefly intended? Surely to affirme that the Holy Ghost doth intend a double sense in these Prophecies, is no small errour; seeing it makes God to have, as it were a heart and a heart; to be I say, as a double dealer, who speakes one thing and meanes another: and shall we conceit thus of God? God for∣bid. Yea, let God be true and every man a lyar: as truth then is but one, so doubtlesse there can be but one true sense of any place in the Scripture, but one sense intended by God; and thefore to make the Scripture Janus-like to looke two wayes, is from man and not

from God, and it is the readiest way that I know to foment divisi∣on amongst men. But there is yet the heaviest charge behinde, for [it is great impudence, you say, to affirme that Zech. chap. 14. ver. 5. and 9. saith Christ shall descend unto the Jewes to restore their Kin∣dome, for there is not one word of restoring or of the Jewes Kingdome in these two verses.] And yet his descending and reigning over all the earth is expresly foretold in these two verses, and shall he come to be King over all the earth, and yet not restore the Kingdome of the Iewes? what City then shall be the royall Citie of this great King, if not Jerusalem, whose extraordinarie restauration is pro∣mised in the verses immediately following, and to which all the Nations shall goe up to worship, as the latter part of the chapter doth foreshew? And what people shall be the choycest subjects of this great King, if not the Saints that shall come with him, and the Iewes (his brethren according to the flesh) whom he shall then deliver from their enemies, as the judgement reveal'd in the 12, 13, 14, and 15. verses. doth declare? Certainly you must needs grant, that the Prophet hath here foretold the restoring of the Iewes (though he useth not these very words, which I say not) unlesse you will denie that the 9. verse is meant of our Saviours reigning on earth as man, and how can you doe this, when as the Prophet saith plainely, that our Saviour shall be King over all the earth af∣ter his descending to the earth, and not while he is in Heaven? Thus then the great impudence of my innocent assertion, is nothing but the gracelesse imprudence of your cholerick accusation: and this one Prophecie which first shewes our Saviours comming with all the Saints, and then his reigning over all the earth, doth in∣fallibly prove all your answers to the other part of the Treatise, to be (as the answers to this) but meere shifts, and evasions.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Zech. 12. v. 10.