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.

The Kingdome or the World, whereof the Apostle speakes there, was then to come, not in respect of Christ, but of the Apostle: for he meaneth the Kingdome of heaven, as appeares by these words, [whereof we speake] which have relation to the words preceding, ver. 3. If we neglect so great salvation: where he opponeth the Evangelicall promises unto the typicall promises: these was an earthly Canaan, and this is hea∣ven. Christ at the time of writing this Epistle, was in possession of it, and the Aposile did then hope for the house not made with hands, eter∣nall in the heavens, 2 Cor. 5.1. And therefore that world is not a distinct world, but even the same in which as Mediatour he shall give up the Kingdome to the Father.

Reply.

That the Apostle speakes of a world to come, as well in respect of Christ, as of himselfe, it is evident, first from Psal. 8.4. &c. which shewes, that the world, which the Apostle calls [the world to come,] is the world, in which those workes of God are, that he made for man to have dominion over: is the world, I say, in which the beasts of the field, the fowles of the aire, and the fishes of the sea doe inhabit. And secondly, it is cleare from the origi∣nall word, by which it is exprest: which is not [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] the superiour world, the third heaven, (as you take it,) but [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] the inferiour world, the terrestriall globe, the dwelling place of men, and all other mortall creatures: as we read Matth. 24.14. and Acts 17.6.31. And therefore the Kingdome of heaven in your sense, that is, Christs possession of heaven, and his reigning over the Saints departed, cannot possibly be meant by it; but the Kingdome of heaven in our sense, that is, the heavenly Kingdome which Christ shall here visibly reigne over in time to come, In the day, (the great day) in which God hath appointed to judge [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] the world in righteousnesse by him, as it is Acts 17.31. that is, to execute judgement and justice on the earth, as the Prophet Jeremiah expresseth it, chap. 23. ver. 5. So that the Apostles words are, as if he had said; For not unto the Angels hath be ap∣pointed this inferiour world, (of which we spake before chap. 1. ver. 6.) to be subject in time to come, but unto Christ; as one in a certaine place testified; saying, What is man that thou art mindfull

of him, or the sonne of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower then the Angels, thou crownedst him with glory and ho∣nour, and didst set him over the workes of thy hands, &c. And thus it is manifest, that your referring of the words, [whereof we speake,] to ver. 3. is but a private fancie crossing the Apostles explication of [the world to come,] by the prophecy of David, Psal. 8.4. &c. And imposing such a signification on the word [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] as is not to be found in all the Scripture. And therefore we still conclude, that the world which the Apostle speakes of, is to be a distinct world in time, from this we now live in; and both in time and place, from that in which our Saviour shall give up his Kingdome to the Father. And as for those, who by [the world to come,] doe understand the time of the Gospell betwixt Christs first and second comming: they doe hereby make the Apostle either to call the time in which he himselfe lived, [the world to come,] or to distinguish the time betwixt Christs first and second comming into two worlds at the least. Whereas the scripture doth divide the whole time appointed to the heavens and earth that now are, but into three worlds, or parts of time; the first whereof containes the time from the creation to the floud, and is the old world of which Saint Peter speakes, 2 Epist. chap. 2. ver. 5. the world long since past. The second containes the time from the floud to our Saviours next appearing, and is the world that now is. The third containes the whole day of judgement, the 1000 yeares, and little season mentioned Rev. 20. which is to beginne at our Saviours next appearing, and to end with the world it selfe at the last resurrection; and this is [the world to come] of which the Apostle here speakes.