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.

Answer.

Did you consider what you said, when you thus expounded the Apostles words? Certainely the Apostle speakes of a wrath which was come upon the unbeleeving Jewes, who persecuted their beleeving brethren, & not of a wrath which was come upon the beleeving Jews that were persecuted, whom the losse of their countrey, and the departing of the Scepter did concerne as well as it did the other Iewes. And therefore doubtlesse the wrath is to be understood of a wrath peculiar unto the unbeleeving Iewes, (of whom alone the Apostle speakes,) and consequently of a spirituall wrath especially, and of a temporall wrath no o∣therwise then as it is an inseparable effect and concomitant of the spirituall wrath which is come upon them. And though this expression of the Apostle doth imply that a great wrath, and a wrath of long continuance was come upon them: yet it doth not shew that the wrath which was befallen them, should be an end∣lesse wrath. And therefore whatsoever the kinde of it be, it will no more follow from this passage of the Apostle, that the tempo∣rall Kingdome of the Iewes shall not be restored unto them, then it will, that their spirituall blindnesse shall never be removed from them. Of the departure whereof, the Apostle Rom. 11. speakes so much, and so manifestly: shewing that as there was adminishing and casting away of them; so there should be also, a fulnesse of them, a receiving of them againe. And the 5 and 28 verses of this chapter, which you alledge to shew that the foresaid words in 1 Thes. 2. are not to be understood of a spirituall wrath, doe indeed rather confirme, then confute this exposition. Seeing, it is plaine that the Apostle in ver. 28. speakes of such Jewes one∣ly, who for the Gentiles sakes that were to be received into their

roome, were become the enemies of the Gospell of Christ: and consequently not of such on whom God had mercy, or would have mercy, any otherwise then in making of them instruments for the fulfilling of his promise made unto the Fathers, touching that elect remnant of their posterity, whom he purposed to call by a generall conversion.

Tenthly, you say, [Object. 10] That the estate of the Church is described such, that the godly shall be mixed with the ungodly even till Christ come, and gather the tares from the wheat to be burned, Matth. 13.39.

And surely we say not, [Sol. 10] that Christ shall reigne on earth before he comes to doe this; but when he comes to doe this. And there∣fore also his Kingdome, (for so he calls it, ver. 41.) shall not be a Kingdome of such carnall delight, as you, to vilifie the truth, a∣scribe unto it. It being the onely scope of this parable, and ano∣nother in the same chapter, to set forth the righteousnesse thereof.

Your last words are, All these and such like passages the Millena∣ries willingly passe over. But let the reader judge, whether you have not more cause, to be ashamed of such arguments, then we have to be afraid to answer them.