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.

What impudence is here! Doth not David say, Psal. 16 11. In thy presence is the fulnesse of joy, at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore? and Psal. 17.15. I shall be satisfied when I wake with thy likenesse, and Psal. 36.8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fulnesse of thy house, and thou shalt make them drinke of the river of thy pleasures. These and many more are spoken of the joyes in heaven by resemblance with earthly Kingdomes: and we have already shewed that he hath been misinformed (or misinformeth) of another Throne and another Kingdoms.

Reply.

Here you startle the Reader with a very foule exclamation, but an evill tongue, as it doth not become you, so it will nothing benefit you. Yea it deepely staines your innocency before God, very much impaires your reputation amongst men, (especially

upright men) and sets up your wounded conscience as an irre∣concileable Judge against you. Looke into the Epistle of Saint James, chap. 3. ver. 6. and you may see both the abominable off spring and originall of it. So is the tongue, saith he, amongst the members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell. That therefore it may not burne hereafter in those flames, from whence it is now too much inflamed, thinke seriously on this passage, and from henceforth give better language to others, though your enemies, then you have do••e to me for telling you the truth. Now as for your an∣swer, I confesse these texts to be Davids words, and that there are some metaphoricall phrases in them. But I deny that they have any resemblance with the civill affaires of an earthly Kingdome, or that there is any comparison to be made betwixt them and our Saviours saying, Luke 22.28. so that the impudence you speake of may well recoile on your selfe. For the text Psal. 16.11. shews onely, that the fulnesse of all joy and delight, is in the enjoyment of the sight of God, and to be [at the right hand of God] doth be∣token the highest place of honour and glory in heaven, which is proper to our Saviour, who is said to sit at the right hand of God, in allusion to a custome amongst men, who are wont to set those whom they will m••st honour, whom they most delight in, at their right hands. And that Text Psa. 17.8. shews that David after the resurrection, when he shall have a glorified body, as Christ now hath, shall be perfectly happy, shall be as he would be. For these words [to awake after thy likenesse,] are all one with those of Saint Paul in 1 Cor. 15.42, 43, 44. To rise in incorruption, in glory, in power, to rise with a spirituall body. For if we have been planted to∣gether in the likenesse of Christs death, we shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection, saith the same Apostle, Rom. 6.5. and because we are laid into our graves as one that lies downe in his bed to sleepe, and shall be raised out of them, as one that riseth out of his bed from sleepe, therefore it is, that the Prophet useth, [awake] in stead of [arise] And the text Psal. 36.8. is referred by Muscu∣lus to Gods bountifull provision in this life for all men indiffe∣rently; and by Calvine better, as well to the outward and tem∣porall, as to the spirituall and eternall benefits of God towards the faithfull, his words are, Some restraine it to spirituall graces, but

unto mee it seemeth a more likelyhood, that under it are comprehended all Gods benefits, that pertaine as well to the use of this present life, as to the eternall & heavenly blessednesse. And so refers it as well to joyes on earth, as to joyes inheaven. And happily seeing the Prophet makes mention here of the house of God, it is best understood of the great comfort which men shall receive through Gods loving kindness towards them, in the time of our Saviours Kingdome on earth, when Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord shall again be rebuilt and all Nations shall flow unto it, as it is, Isai. 2.2. or as it is, Zech. 14.16. shall goe up from yeare to yeare to wor••••ippe the King the Lord of Hosts, and to keepe the feast of Tabernacles. When I say, in the mountaine of the Lords house, in the restored Jerusa∣lem, the Lord of Hosts shall make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined; And shall destroy the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vaile that is spread over all Nations, Isai. 25.6. &c. And besides, every understanding man knowes, that [to drinke of the river of thy pleasures] is a metaphoricall expression, seeing plea∣sures are not the nourishment of the body, and so properly, and corporally dranke of; but belonging to the soule, to which they are as comfortable, as sweete and wholesome waters to a thirsty body. But to drinke wine, to eate the Passeover, to eate and drinke at our Saviours table, to eate bread in the Kingdome of God, to sit on seates, and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel, are all proper expres∣sions, and so quite different from the other. And as spirituall pleasures appertaine to the Saints on earth, as well as to the Saints in heaven; so doe eating and drinking agree as well with glori∣fied, as unglorified bodies, as well with the state of immortality, as with the state of mortality. For our Saviour did eate on earth, (at his Disciples table) after his resurrection; and he saith, that the glorified Saints shall eate and drinke with him at his table, after their resurrection. And further he saith, that after the last Judgement, there is in the new Jerusalem the fruit of the tree of life, to be eate of; and the water of the river of life to be dranke of; his words are, To him that overcometh will I give to eate of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God, Rev. 2.7. and againe, Rev. 22.14, 15. Blessed are they that doe his Commandements, that they may have right to the tree of life. And whosoever will, let him take

of the water of life freely. And indeed seeing God creates nothing in vaine, it were vaine to thinke, that the tree of life should beare twelve manner of fruites monthly, unlesse they were to be fed on: or that the river of the water of life should runne through the midst of the streete in the holy Jerusalem, if it were not as well to be dranke of by the Saints in glory, as to nourish the tree of life on the sides of it. And therefore unlesse you can bring bet∣ter proofes to shew that I am misinformed, or doe misinforme, then these texts of the Psalmist, or any you have cited hitherto, you yourselfe will be found an over-hasty misinformer against the truth.