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.

The like encouragement he gave also to his Disciples before his passion. [ 47] Ye are they (said he) which have continued with me in my temptations, therefore I appoint unto you a Kingdome, as my Father hath appointed unto me, that ye may h 1.1 eate and drinke at my table, in my i 1.2 Kingdome, and sit on k 1.3 seates, judging the twelve Tribes of Israel, Luke 22.28.

Mr. Petries Answer.

It might be more for his purpose to have concealed this text, which makes the 12 Tribes of Israel the persons iudged: & all the texts quoted on the margin speake of the Kingdome of God, except that of Luke 24.42.43. where is mention of no Kingdome, but of eating and drinking after Christs resurrection: and if that be the Kingdome, whereof our Saviour speakes, ch. 22.29. that Kingdome is come already.

Reply.

It might have been more for my purpose, you say, to have concealed this text. An•• wh••? because you have nothing to sav to it, [that it makes ••he twelve tribes of Israel the persons iudged?] What? doe you thinke then that in ou•• Saviours Kingdome, in the restored Kingdome of Israel, there shall be no government? or that it is a t••ken of the unrighteousnesse of a Kingdome to have governours in it? Certainely unright••••u•• Judges are a ••eady meanes to make a Kingdome unrighteous: to make charity waxe cold, and envy and comention grow hot. But upright Judges are as effectuall a meanes to preserve right••ousnesse in a Kingdome, to cherish and streng then love and unit••, and to chase away a••l••••t••ed and dis∣sention: and how righteous then shall that Kingdome be, where our Saviour himselse shall be King; and the Di••ciples and other Saints gove nours under him? And surely seeing the twelve Tribes of Isrrel cannot be taken for the reprobate, nor for the Saints already departed, and to depart, or to overcome before our Saviours app••aring, (for those must be Judges, as well as the

Disciples, as our Saviour himselfe doth testifie, Rev. 3.21. To him that over cometh will I grant to sat with me in my Throne, that is, to have power over Nations, as it is R••v. 2.26, 27. and to reigne on earth, as it is Rev. 5.10.) Seeing, Isa, the twelve Tribes of Isra∣el can be taken for neither of these, they must needes be taken for the Kingdome of Israel, which is againe to be restored on earth, where onely the glorified Saints can sit as Judges over o∣thers. For in the new Jerusalem they are all to be partakers of the same glory, (though not of the same measure of glory,) they are all to have equall interest in the tree of life, and river of life; and therefore there shall neither be need of judging, nor any temporall possessions, and affaires to be judged of. For the hea∣vens and the earth that now are, and all the creatures on the earth, (being to last no longer then the first death shall last) shall be then all dissolved. And those new ones mentioned, Rev. 21.1. (that new heaven, I say, from which, and that new earth to which the new Jerusalem shall descend,) created in their place. You tell us next, [that all the texts quoted on the margine speake of the Kingdome of God, except that of Luke 24 42, 43. where is mention of no King∣dome, but of eating and drinking after Christs resurrection, &c. But doe not the other texts speake also of something to be done in the Kingdome of God, as well as of the Kingdome of God? Surely our Saviour saith Matth. 26.29. I say unto you, that I will not drinke henceforth of the fruite of the Vine, untill that day, when I shall drinke it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome, (as it is Marke 14.25. in the Kingdome of God,) and Luke 22.15. he saith, I have earnestly desired to eate this Passeover with you before I suffer, for I say unto you, Henceforth I will not eate of it any more, untill it be fulfill'd in the Kingdome of God. And he tooke the cup, and gave thankes, and said, Take this and divide it among you, for I say unto you, I will not drinke of the fruite of the Vine, untill the Kingdome of God be come. Loe, here is mention of eating and drinking too: and that of our Saviours eating the Passeover, and drinking wine againe with his Disciples, but not untill the Kingdome of God be come; And therefore unlesse you will deny, that the Kingdome of God shall come, you cannot deny, that our Saviour and his Disciples shall again eate and drinke together: nor consequent∣ly that the Kingdome of God, is meant of our Saviours Kingdom

on earth. Of that Kingdome, of which he said to his Disciples, Luke 22.28. Yee are they which have continued with me in my temp∣tations, therefore I appoint unto you a Kingdome, as my Father hath ap∣pointed unto me, that ye may eate and drinke at my table in my King∣dome, &c. For where is a Lambe for the Passeover? where growes the Vine, but on earth? and when could the Disciples eate the Passeover, and drinke wine againe, with our Saviour at his table, but after the resurrection of their bodies? And that text Luke 24.42.43. was quoted onely to shew that glorified bodies can eate, and consequently, that the denyall of this can be of no force against the proper sense of our Saviours words: whose single affirmation of his eating and drinking with his Disciples, after his next appearing, ought to be of more account with us, and to gaine more beliefe from us, then all other mens negation of it. And this selfe same Kingdome of our Saviour on earth, is sometimes called, the Kingdome of the Father, because it is appoin∣ted unto him by the Father: and sometimes Christs Kingdome, because as man he is to reigne visibly in it: and sometimes the Kingdome of God, because Gods power shall be revealed after a wonderfull manner at the setting of it up, and because none but Gods Lawes shall be observed in it: and sometimes the Kingdome of heaven, because the chiefe governours of it shall come from heaven, and because it shall be of an heavenly condition, in regard of the holinesse and righteousnesse thereof: for as our Saviour and the glorified Saints shall then as perfectly doe Gods will on earth, as it is now done by them in heaven; so shall their righ∣teous judgement occasion a more righteous dealing amongst all others over the whole earth, then was ever yet observed in any particular Kingdome.

Notes

• h 1.1

  Matth. 26.29. Mark. 14.25. Luk. 14.15. cha. 22 16.18. cha. 24.42.43. Acts 10.41.
• i 1.2

  Dan. 2.44. cha. 7.14.27.
• k 1.3

  Dan. 7.22. Revel. 20.4. Matth. 19.29.