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.

NOw against this which hath been said touching our Savi∣ours Kingdome, [ 80] his owne words in the 18 of Saint John ver. 36. may be objected, For there he saith plainely, My King∣dome is not of this world, and in Matth. 25.31. he saith, When the Sonne of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him, then shall he sit upon the Throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all Nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepbeard divideth the sheepe from the goates. With which agreeth that of Saint Peter, in his 2 Epist. ch. 3. ver. 7. But the heavens and earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fore, against the day of judgement, and perdition of ungodly men. And many other places there are of the like nature. But to the first, I answer, that those words of our Saviour doe onely distinguish

the time and condition of his Kingdome, from the time and con∣dition of the Kingdomes of this world: at the setting up of whose Kingdome, there shall be such an * 1.1 alteration over the whole frame of x 1.2 nature, and such a change of government on the earth; that this time shall then as well be accounted the time of another world, as the time before the floud, is now taken for the o•••• world by us; and was long agoe so stiled by Saint Peter, in his 2 Epist. chap. 2. ver. 5. And therefore notwithstanding this proofe, the place o•• his Kingdome shall be the earth that now is, though this be not the time, nor any humane policy the patterne of his reigne.

Mr. Petrie's Answer.

Our Saviour, distinguishes not betwixt the time of his and other Kingdomes: for he saith in the same verse, My Kingdome is not from hence, that is, My Kingdome is at hand, as he said unto his Disciples, Marth. 16.28. Verely I say unto you, there be some standing here, who shall not tast of death till they have seene the Sonne of man come in his Kingdome, that is, reigning powerfully by the preaching of the Gospell: and Matth. 24.14. This Gospell of the Kingdome shall be preached in all the world for a witnesse unto all Nations, and then shall the end come. There is his King∣dome before the end of this world: and now is the time of his reigne; albeit no humane policy be the patterne thereof. 2. If he had said to that purpose, (as the Millenaries say,) that in time of his Kingdome, (be∣ing sonigh) the Kingdome of the Romanes should be no Kingdome, they might had more pretext of law for condemning him: wherefore be distinguisheth the condition of the Kingdomes, and not the time of them: so that Caesar might been Emperour, and Christ a mighty King,

both at once. Non eripit mortalia, quiregna dat coelestia.

Reply.

1. That our Saviours Kingdome is to be a distinct Kingdome, both in time and condition from the Kingdomes of this world, is a truth apparantly delivered in the scriptures. And for ought you have said to the contrary, we may still thinke, that these words of Christ doe in timate as much. For though you first de∣ny, [that these words doe distinguish betwixt the time of his King∣dome and other Kingdomes,] yet you presently give this sense to them your selfe, when you say, [My Kingdome is not from hence, that is, My Kingdome is at hand.] And therefore it was not then in the world; and if not then, sure I am, it hath not been yet: and so it is distinct in time too from other Kingdomes, as well as in condition. I say it hath not been yet, for what Kingdome of Christ hath been set up in the world since he spake these words, which was not in the world when he spake these words? Cer∣tainely his spirituall Kingdome was as much in the world at that time, though not spread so much over the world, as it hath been since. That Kingdome therefore, which you say was not then, but was at hand, is not yet come; as the testimonies which you have alledged to prove that it was then at hand, doe testifie a. gainst you also. For that text Matth. 16.28. doth speake of a Kingdome to beginne at Christs appearing, and not before it: of a Kingdome, I say, when the Sonne of man shall come, as it is in the same verse; and when the Sonne of man shall come in the glory of the Father with his Angels, as it is in the preceding verse. And therefore doubtlesse these words of our Saviour, Ve∣rely I say unto you, there be some standing here, which shall not tast of death, till they see the Sonne of man comming in his Kingdome, doe reveale a strange and extraordinary preservation of some then present, till Christs next appearing. For what doth the [com∣ming of the Sonne of man] signifie, but Christs descending from heaven? and why did he subjoyne these words to his speech, touching his comming in the glory of the Father with his Angels, but because they are meant of the same comming? And besides the Gospell had been before preacht, by the Baptist, by Christ himselfe, and by the Disciples; and not some, but all the Disci∣ples lived to see it preacht among the Gentiles also; and therefore

the seeing of this could not be the meaning of our Saviours words. Thus then this first text doth shew, that the Kingdome of our Saviour is not yet come. And the other text Matth. 24.14. doth shew onely, That the Gospell of the Kingdome, (that is, which makes report of the Kingdome, or by which men are made par∣takers of the Kingdome of Christ,) should be preached in all the world before the end should come: that is, the end and destructi∣on of Jerusalem, as the subsequent verses doe declare; and not the end of the world, as you affirme. For would Christ, thinke you, have advised them to flye out of Judea into the mountaines, from his presence at the end of the world? Or how should it be worse for women with child, and for them that give sucke at his comming then for others? And now as for your exposition of these words, [My Kingdome is not from hence, that is, My King∣dome is at hand] I pray what interpreters doe you follow in it? or what colour have you for it? What! are [from hence,] and [at hand] all one? or is [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] an adverbe of time, or of place? Doubtlesse these words, My Kingdome is not from hence; are to be understood, as if Christ had said, My Kingdome is not from beneath, but from above. I am not to be made a King by the power of mortall men, but by the power of the immortall God onely. So that in his former words, My Kingdome is not of this world; the preposition [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] of, doth not indeed intimate any difference in time or condition betwixt our Saviours Kingdome and other Kingdomes, but in the cause and authour of them; which sense it carries in our Saviours word, Marth. 21.25. The baptisme••o John whence was it, from heaven, or of men? and in the saying of S••int John 1 Epist. chap. 2. ver. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but, of the world. And thus, My Kingdom is not of this world, is no more but my Kingdome is not of men, if my Kingdome were of men, then would my Servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is not my Kingdom from hence, from the men of this world.

2 You tell us next, [That if Christ had said, that in the time of his Kingdome, the Kingdome of the Romanes should be no Kingdome, they might have had more pretext for condemning him.] But surely Christ had no need to answer to that which was not askt: neither did the Romanes, but the Jewes desire his death: And

yet as before he spake openly to the world, so now he spake plainely to Pilates demand too: for when Pilate said unto him, Art thou a King then? he answered, Thou sayest that I am, &c. Which forme of answering, was taken for an affirming of that which was askt. (And therefore where Saint Matthew writes, Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said, chap. 26. ver. 64. Saint Marke hath, And Jesus said, I am, chap. 14. ver. 62.) And doubtlesse Pilate by this answer tooke him for such a King to whom the Throne of Israel did belong, and yet he made it not a pretext to condemne him, but sought to deliver him. And it is false also to imagine, that the Kingdomes of this world shall not be taken out of the hands of their severall Governours, of their mortall Kings, when they shall become the Kingdomes of Christ himselfe, when they shall be governed by him, and the glorified Saints that shall come with him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Nec enim du∣bium, quin maxima rerum naturalium & humanarum mutatio regni hujus auspicia sit ante∣cessura. Antichristus enim cum totâ fuâ Synagogâ abol••bitur, extinguetur hominum pars maxima, gentilibus non nisi paucis relictis, [qui in posteris suis, non extra, sed intra regnum hoc mille annis supererunt, ut prophetiae suprà memoratae, cum aliis in Scripturâ passim oc∣currentibus, abunde testantur; sub decursum verò mille annorum mirum in modum aucti, & a Satana e carcere suo saluto iterum seducti, Sanctorum castra oppugnabunt, sed incassum.] Nec dubium est, quin rerum quoque naturalium, quae regni huius incolis ministrabunt, longè alia sit futura facies, quam impraesentiarum est: siqui••••m beatissimum & tran quillissimum erit regni istius seculum, omnis 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quae in naturâ modò decurrit, expers. Mar. Frid. Wend. Contemp. Phys. Sect. 2. cap. ••7. pag., 7••, 376.
• x 1.2

  Psal. 46. Isai. 2.12.19.21. ch. 11.6. &c. ch. 30.25, 26. ch. 41.18, 19. ch. 55.13. Ezek. 38.19, 20. Matth. 24.29.30. Mar. 13.24, 25. Luke 21.25, 26. Rev. 6.12, 13. &c. ch. 16.18.19. &c.