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.

Reply.

1. Doubtlesse you take this for a very witty comparison; but the truth is, it is a very ignorant one. For the force of this reason is not as you make it say, [that Christ shall not be a King till all his Subjects be called, and overcome.] But it is this, That Christ shall not receive his Kingdome, till all those Subjects, those glo∣rified Saints which shall come with him in his Kingdome, are called, and have overcome. So that the forme is like this, Fer∣dinand shall not be Emperour, till all those Subjects, those No∣bles that shall waite on him at his coronation, be borne, and able to attend him. And Ferdinand being a mortall King, is to be ac∣companied by mortall attendants; but our Saviour being an im∣mortall King, is to be accompanied with immortall attendants; with all those beleevers which have already, or shall hereafter overcome the temptations, and afflictions of this world, before his appearing, and his Kingdome: which Saints being but a part (though the choisest part) of our Saviours Subjects, are indeed ridiculously compared by you to all Ferdinands Subjects borne and unborne.

2. Though the prayer of the Saints, Rev. 6.10. doth not men∣tion our Saviours Kingdome on earth, yet seeing the revenge they call for, is deferred till the number of those that shall be slaine for the word of God, be fulfilled; we know that it is not to be executed till our Saviours comming. And in what manner it is then to be done by h••m, the 14. chap. of the Rev. from the 14. ver. to the end, doth declare. And the 19. chap. also at 17. ver. &c. Where the fowles of heaven are summon'd to the Supper of the great God: to eate the flesh of Kings, and the flesh of Captaines, and the fl••sh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all both bond and free, both small and great. And surely this judgement on the Saints enemies, is to be a tempo∣rall judgement on earth: at our Saviours comming with the Saints to receive his Kingdome, as the 11. and 14. verses of this Prophecy doe shew, and not an eternall judgement on their bodies and soules in hell: which is not to seize on them, till the giving up of Christs Kingdome at the Judgment of the dead, till above a 1000 yeares after this overthrow, (in which the fowles are to feast on their carkasses,) as in the 20 chap. of the Rev. at the 11 verse, &c. it is revealed.

3. That text Rev. 11.15. [speakes not, you say, of a proper King∣dome of Christ, but of the Kingdome of our Lord and his Christ.] And by this reckoning our Saviour hath no proper Kingdome at all, and consequently is not properly a King: for what Kingdome belongs to Christ, which may not as well be called the King∣dom of our Lord, as the Kingdom of his Christ? But certainly the Kingdom which this text saith shall become the Kingdomes of Christ, are the Kingdomes of this world: and therefore King∣domes on earth, and proper Kingdomes, both which you deny. And they are to become Christs Kingdomes at the sounding of the seventh Trumpet, and not before, that is, at the time of his appearing againe: and therefore they are to be his to governe as he is man; and so by your owne confession, to be properly his. Although then we grant, that these words, [the Kingdomes of our Lord, and of his Christ, doe intimate a distinction of persons, and unity of power,] which is more then Pareus grants, (who enclines to a distinction of natures, and unity of persons,) yet it will not follow from hence, that the Kingdomes of this world,

which our Saviour at his comming shall receive into his owne possession, as he is man, shall not be his proper Kingdomes. For they are said to become the Kingdomes of our Lord, not because they are not now his: bu•• fist because at the accomplished do∣nation, and actu••ll subjection of them unto Christ, God shall more marvelloufly decl••re his supreame power over them, then ever he did. And secondly, because they shall then ••e his after a more speciall manner, then they are now his; because I say, he shall the be worshipped and obeyed in them all, accor∣ding to the righteous rule of his owne Lawes. And yet they are said to become the Kingdomes of Christ onely, in reg••••d of the administration, of the imm••diate government of them. For Christ alone shall then be visible King over them, as now others are: and therefore shall be as properly a King on earth, as any of them who now beare rule in these Kingdomes. And this the next words of the text doe confirme, which say not, and they, but and he, (that is Christ alone) shall reigne for ever and ever. And there∣fore that text Rev. 2.26. is ver•• pertinently cited, for proofe of that thing which shall be on earth, and is not now in heaven. For our Saviour (though then in heaven) did not say, that he had given the Saints in heaven, or Saints on earth, power over the Nations on earth, but that he would give them power over them. And surely we cannot thinke, that the Martyrs, Rev. 6.10. would call on God to hasten the time for the avenging of their bl••ud, on them that dwell on the earth: if they could now do it themselves, if they could now rule the Nations with a rod of iron, & break them to shivers, as a Potters vessell. Yea, why have the Saints on earth been so long time persecuted, afflicted, tormented and still are, if the Saints in heaven have power to deliver them, and tread down their enemies? And why are there still so many large heathen Kingd••mes, not yet subdued to the faith, or government of the faithfull, if the Saints in heaven can rule them as they please? Certainely if you can make this good, that our Saviour hath al∣ready given to the Saints in heaven, that power over the Nations which he here speakes of, to wit, a conquering and commanding power, a power to rule them wi••h arod of iron: you will helpe the Papists to a better ground for their supplication unto Saints, then was ever yet thought of by themselves. For doubtlesse if

the Saints in heaven have now command over this inferiour world, they must needes be acquainted with all passages of im∣portance in it, as Kings and their Agents are with the affaires of State in the Kingdomes over which they rule: and so may well be sought to, if not for spirituall, yet for outward and temporall advice, succour, and defence.