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 besides, [ 39] is there no hurt nor destruction in all the Christi∣an world, that we should thus flatter our selves with such vaine fancies? or rather when was there none? or where is, the Nation shall I say, or the Citie, yea the village amongst us, where cruelty is not practised, where such mischiefs are not to be found, as can scarcely be parallelled in the Common-wealths of the most bar∣barous heathen? And as for those words, for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, which seeme to have been the occasion of the former interpretation, in my conceit, they imply but this, that therefore God will restore to these creatures their primitive obedience, and cause them to be no more offensive to his people; because he hath determined to make himselfe at that time so well knowne over all the earth, that his people shall no more offend him, and so the feare of God shall at once be put againe into the hearts of men; and the feare of men into the hearts of the crea∣tures: for the enmity of the creatures, is but the issue of mans sinne, and therefore when God shall pardon the house of Jacob, and cleanse them from all their iniquities (as hath been said) the sinnes of men which are the cause, and the curse of the creatures, which is the effect, shall depart together.

Mr. Petrie's Answer.

1. Albeit this Author will not give glory unto God in fulfilling his promises, yet wee see, that others are not so ingrate: as Act. 9.31. Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee and Samaria: and in other times we finde, that the Christians had their halcyonian dayes twixt these ten great persecutions, and afterwards in the dayes of Christian Emperours and godly Kings.

2. Neither doe the Prophets, or Revelation speaking of these times say, There shall never be hurt nor shall ever any man destroy one another: but rather the propertie of the Church in this world is to be militant, and ne∣verthelesse Wolves and Lyons forsake their crueltie in the person of many converts, and therefore these hyberbolicall complaints might well been spared.

3. It doth puzzle the Author, that Esay saith, chap. 11.9. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, and therefore fan∣cieth a private conceit for exponing these words, of which he gives no rea∣son: but we have given sufficient reasons for the allegoricall interpretati∣on, which is confirmed by these words, to wit, that the abundance of the knowledge of the Lord is the cause, why wicked men leave their wicked∣nesse, and adjoyne themselves unto the meek of the earth: as our Saviour saith, Matth. 10.16. I will send you as sheep among Wolves. Of whom certainly many became sheep of Christs fold, which is a more proper effect of knowledge, then the changing of beasts affections.

Reply.

1. We thinke that God is best pleased with us, and most glori∣fied by us, when we confesse the truth, albeit against our selves: and therefore as wee are not so ingrate to denie, that God hath gi∣ven particular Churches rest, not onely from foraigne enemies but homebred also; not onely from heathenish persecutors, but from hereticall too; so we are not so ungodly to denie our owne unrighteousnesse, and unthankfulnesse towards God notwithstan∣ding such mercy conferred upon us. For even when these Churches have had such rest, then have they provok't God afresh, by more then heathenish impieties and oppressions; so that rest from per∣secution hath been the very seed-time in which the tares of all impi∣etie and injustice, of all manner of misgovernment and misbeliefe have been sow'd afresh amongst us; and the spring-tide, in which that cursed and numerous brood of the flesh, which St. Paul reckons

up, Gal. 5. ver. 19. &c. hath been manifest in us: as adultery, for∣nication, uncleannesse, lasciviousnesse, Idolatrie, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, strife, seditions, Heresies, envyings, murthers, drunkennesse, revilings, covetousnesse, and such like: For it was in the time of Israel's rest, that the faithfull Citie became an harlot, and full of murderers, that her Princes grew rebellious, and companions of theeves, that every one of them loved gifts, and followed after rewards: that they judged not the fatherlesse, nor the cause of the widow: that they joyned house to house, and field to field, till there was no place: that God looked for Judgement, but behold oppression; and for righteousnesse, but behold a cry: that the Harpe, and the Viol, and the Tabret and Pipe, and wine were in their Feasts, but they regarded not the worke of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, Esa. the 1. and 5. chapters. And have Christians made any better use of their rest from perse∣cution and destruction? surely no. For it was in the very in∣fancie of the Church, that Ephesus was threatned for leaving her first love; Pergamos for the Doctrine of Balaam, and the Doctrine of the Nicholaitans: Thyatira for suffering Jezabel to seduce the servants of God to commit fornication, and to eate things offered to Idols: Sardis for that her workes were not found perfect before God, that is, to proceed from a sincere heart and an upright affe∣ction; and Laodicea for her lukewarmenesse in Religion, Rev. the 2. and the 3. chapter. And seeing it was thus in the first and best age of the Christian Church, how bad, thinke you, hath it been since? surely the same Apostle will tell you, chap. 9. ver. 20, 21. And the rest of the men that were not killed by these plagues, yet repen∣ted not of the workes of their hands, that they should not worship Devills, and Idols of gold, and silver, and brasse, and stone, and wood, which nei∣ther can see, nor heare, nor walke: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. And 'tis this great wickednesse of Christians themselves, 'tis their en∣vying at, their contention with, and their defrauding of each other; 'tis the mischiefe they devise against, and the hurt they daily doe one to another, that I have spoken of; and not of the hurt they receive from others; not of suffering by their heathe∣nish neighbours before the whole Empire became Christian, or by heathenish Nations since that time; and therefore in this part of your answer you have quite mistooke the marke, and brought a

record of some particular Churches rest from suffering, instead of their rest from sinning.

2. In the next you give but a false fire; for we are discoursing of what doth inevitably follow from these Prophecies according to the allegoricall interpretation of them: and therefore if the Rev. or the Prophets doe speake otherwise of the times, to which you referre these Prophecies, then these Prophecies doe; it is an undeniable evidence against you; that either the allegoricall sense is not the true sense of them; or that these Prophecies are not to be accomplisht in the time to which you apply them: as indeed they are not: for they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy moun∣taine, saith the Lord, which words doe infallibly shew, that the innocencie of the creatures whom this is spoken of, shall be such, as cannot possibly consist with the many mischievous (that I say not unnaturall) actions of Christians amongst themselves: but may very well be fulfill'd in the generall agreement and gentlenesse of the dumb creatures at the appearing of our Lord Jesus; at which time it is, that these Prophecies which reveale the Jewes prosperi∣tie in their owne land, and those which reveale the joynt-embrace∣ment of the truth by all Jewes and Gentiles, and these which re∣veale the reducement of the dumbe and insensible creatures to their originall perfection, are all to be accomplished; and therefore al∣though it be the propertie of the Church to be militant in this world, that is, untill the appearing of Christ; yet in that new world she shall be triumphant; she shall be rid of all her adversa∣ries, of all her disturbers, as is plentifully declar'd by the Pro∣phets, and implied in the first part of the 20. chap. of the Rev. But whereas you have alledg'd these words, as a reason to prove, that there shall be alwayes hurt done by Christians in this world (for these you say are the beasts of whom these Prophecies are to be un∣derstood) certainly you are much mistaken in this argument; for it will not follow, that Christians must needs be hurtfull to them∣selves, because [it is the property of the Church to be militant in this world,] that is, till our Saviours comming to receive hurt from o∣thers. And yet though we denie your Argument, wee denie not what you would infer from it, to wit, that Christians are hurtfull to each other; yea we say (and that without an hyperbole) that they are so hurtfull, that even for this very cause these Prophecies can∣not

be understood of them. For wee dare not with you first to make them contradict other Scripture by wresting of them to a false sense, and then to uphold our errour by a flat denyall of that which God hath spoken in them: by affirming I say, that these words, they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my mountaine, are thus to be under∣stood, they shall hurt and destroy in all my holy mountaine. Yea, wee hold it much safer to denie the allegoricall sense of them, and so their present accomplishment withall (neither of which any other Scripture, or any circumstance in these Prophecies doth enforce) then to denie what God hath so plainely reveal'd in them.

3. And yet you goe on like a Conquerour, and beare the Reader in hand [that the words in the 9. ver. for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, doe puzzle the Author, and that therefore hee fancieth a private conceite for expounding these words, of which he gives no reason.] But surely it doth not puzzle the Author so much, as to make him contradict any thing that God doth say; as you have done to justifie the allegoricall interpretation of these Prophecies; and therefore it is evident, that your exposition is the private con∣ceit, seeing it crosseth the text, and not mine, which though you accuse, you could not shew to be contrary unto the text. Yea, the reason which I have given for it (for you wilfully belie me, in say∣ing, I have given none) is not onely very agreeable unto the proper sense of these Prophecies, but to reason it selfe: for what could more illustrate the wisedome, Justice, and mercy of God in the re∣stauration of these creatures, then to ordaine, that man, the crea∣ture whose disobedience had been the occasion of subjecting all o∣ther inferiour creatures unto vanitie, should againe by his obedi∣ence (springing from the abundant knowledge of his maker) be∣come the occasion of delivering them from this bondage of cor∣ruption? and therefore though it be true, that the saving know∣ledge of the Gospel hath made and doth still make wicked men to leave their wickednesse; yet it is not true that the calling of men out of the state of nature into the state of grace is foretold in these Prophecies, and the words of our Saviour, I send you as sheepe amongst Wolves, Matth. 10. ver. 16. are flat against you, for they are meant of the most obstinate enemies of the Gospel: they are meant, I say, not of such as should become sheep, but of such as should kill the sheep, and use their utmost endeavour to keep all others out of

the sheepfold: as the verses following doe declare, and interpre∣ters acknowledge: and albeit there hath been now and then one such Wolfe as St. Paul was, that of a savage persecutor, hath be∣come a pious Saint, yet besides all these Wolves, that have still kept their owne hue and habit (and besides those who being bred up in the Church, have still retain'd their innocent garments) there have been many, who being without the Church, have exchang'd their habit for sheeps clothing for no other end, but to have the benefit of the Sheeps pasture, and the better opportunitie to de∣stroy the sheepe, and to destroy the more sheep. And besides, al∣though the word [Wolves] doth in the saying of our Saviour, signi∣fie men, yet it followes not from hence, that it is so to be understood in these Prophecies: for it must be some circumstance out of the Prophecies themselves that must prove this, and not the allegori∣call acception of this word in another place. And as I say not, that the change of beasts affections from bad, to better, from e∣vill, to good, is to be the proper effect of any knowledge of God in themselves; so I say, that God hath here reveal'd, that this change shall as well bee the effect of mans pleasing him by obedi∣ence, as the change of them from better to worse; from good to evill, was of mans displeasing him by sinne.