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.

[ 82] And in my conceit, Saint Peter in the very next verse doth in∣timate as much; for having before used the word [Day,] he warnes them not to be ignorant of this one thing, That one day is with the Lord as a thousand yeares, and a thousand yeares as one day. As if he had told them, that the day he spake of, was indeed a thousand yeares, the Holy Ghost alwayes using it in this sense, when it is emphatically applied to our Saviours comming, or the Jewes redemption. (Which as it is already proved, shall happen at the same time.) And though God, as he is eternall, cannot be measured by time: and as he is immutable, feeles no alteration in time: a thousand, (yea ten thousand times ten thousand) yeares, and one day, (houre or minute of a day,) being in this respect all one to him: yet this shift cannot void the exposition already given; seeing the apparent dependance of these words on the former, doth clearely prove, that Saint Peter intended not to shew, what a thousand yeares, and one day were to God in regard of his nature, (which it is like they knew before,) but on∣ly what is usually meant by one day in the word of God. And

indeed to what purpose had this sudden and serious adver∣tisement been inferred, if the Apostle did not hereby discover unto them, (besides the largest definite and limited acception of the word) such a speciall relation of a thousand yeares to one day, as cannot belong to any other number? when as touching Gods immensity and immutability, one day might as well have been compared with ten thousand times ten thousand, and thou∣sands of thousands, (as I said) as with one thousand yeares.

Mr. Petrie's Answer.

Whatsoever be your conceit, you may see, that the Apostle hath a∣nother purpose there: for ver. 4. he telleth of se••ffers jeering at the pro∣mise of Christs comming, because all things continue as they were, and so all things seeme to have subsisting in themselves: he refutes this i∣magination, and shewes that the world both was made, and continueth by the word of God, who is able to destroy, (as s••netimes he did,) and bath appointed a day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men. Here be putteth the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men, for that the scoffers say where is the promise of his comming? so that at his com∣ming he will judge and punish the ungodly: which is contrary to the o∣pinion of the Millenaries. Then ver. 8. he answereth to that opinion of delay, saying, One day is with the Lord as a thousand yeares. He saith not one day is a thousand yeares, (as the Millenaries make the commentary shorter then the text,) but is as a thousand yeares: and therefore here is no exposition, but comparison, as if he had said, albeit a thousand yeares seeme a long time to us, and so the world seemeth to have continued long, yet it is not so with the Lord, to whom all time is short, or none. And then he shewes the end why God delayeth that comming, to wit, in long-suffering toward men, awaiting the re∣pentance of the last of them. Whereby you see another meaning and a∣nother purpose, even contrary to that conceit of the Millenaries. The A∣postle might have named many millions of yeares, as one day in respect of Gods eternity: but according to the usuall custome of speech, be na∣meth a round great number for any number.

Reply.

You had no other shift to avoid the answering of my former answer, but to call it, a shift. And here you have dealt no better with me, then you have often done before, to wit, left out what was most unpleasing to your selfe, and instructive to the reader; and made a flourish against the rest: and yet all this will not

serve your turne; for first it is a manifest slander, to say, [That Christs judging and punishing of the ungodly, is contrary to the opinion of the Millenaries.] For doe not we say, that the destruction of the Army in Armageddon, is to be at our Saviours descending? as it is plainely revealed Rev. 19. and alluded unto chap. 14. ver. 19, 20. and that there shall be then also a destruction of all ob∣stinate and rebellious sinners? as it is foretold in 2 Thes. 1.7, 8, 9, 10. and Rev. 16 20, 21. and intimated in the parable of the tares, and the net c••st into the sea, Matth. 13. and doe we not say likewise, that when the new insurrection of the Nations shall be at the end of the 1000 yeares peacefull reigne, fire shall come downe from God out of heaven and devoure them, Rev. 20? And doe we not hold that all this shall be before the last act of the great day of the Lambes wrath, in which the sentence of damnation shall be pronounced against all unbeleeving sinners at the last re∣surrection? All this then being undeniable, there can be no truth in your foresaid words. And as in ver. 5, 6, the Apostle shewes the faithfull why the wicked should make a scoffe at the promise of Christs comming, and in ver. 9. gives them the reason of Gods putting off of his comming so long; so in ver. 8. hee makes no answer to the opinion of delay, but puts them in minde of the meaning of the day of judgement, spoken of in ver. 7; (which two verses doe seeme to be brought in by way of Paren∣thesis.) For though a 1000 yeares, which seeme a long time to us, be but a short time with the Lord, (as you say;) yet doubt∣lesse that which seemes a short time to us, cannot be a long time to the Lord. And therefore albeit the last part of Saint Peters re∣ciprocall proposition may favour your interpretation, yet the first part will not suffer it. Seeing that which is but one day with us, cannot possibly be as a thousand yeares with the Lord: al∣though the space of a thousand yeares with us, may be but as one day with the Lord. And consequently the [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] the [one day,] in ver. 7. must needes be meant of a propheticall day, of a day consisting of yeares, (of so many yeares at least as the A∣postle here speakes of,) and not of a naturall day, of a day consi∣sting of houres; for how else should one day be with the Lord, as a thousand yeares in regard of continuance of time? And where∣as you say, [That it is not said, one day is a thousand yeares, but is as a thousand yeares.] I pray what difference in sense is there be∣twixt

these propositions? certainely the adverbe [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as,] doth not alwayes intimate a comparison, but hath divers acceptions amongst which Pasor reckons its denoting of the truth, and cer∣tainty of a thing, for one. And when it is used comparatively, it doth include an exposition also, as it were easie to prove by many instances; and we need looke no further then the 10 verse of this chapter for an instance. But the day of the Lord will come (saith the Apostle) as a thiefe in the night: here the comparing of it to the comming of a thiefe doth shew, that as it is unknowne to all, so it is unexpected too of the ungodly, on whom it shall come as a thiefe in the night, that is, altogether unlookt for; and to whom also it shall be, as the comming of a thiefe in the night, that is, fearefull, unavoidable, and full ••f horrour and a∣mazement. And thus it is evident, that our exposition of ver. 7. is the onely adequate and full exposition of the Apostles words, and that yours is but a defective and partiall exposition of it.