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. Here is nothing, (you say,) to prove the Monarchy of the

Jewes. But here is something, we say, for the confirmation of our Sav ours reigne on earth, which is all one.

2. The Evangelists speake here onely of the gathering of the elect to m••ete Christ at his comming, and not at all of the rai∣sing and judging of the ungodly, because that is not to be done at the beginning, but at the end of his reigne. And then it is that the whole number of the elect, and of the reprobate, shall be se∣parated, one company on his right hand, and the other on his left: and not one part caught up to the aire, and the other left on the earth. And we confesse that the casting of the wicked in∣to hell mentioned in that parable, Matth. 13.42. shall be at the entrance of the time in which the righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father. But we deny that this casting of the wicked into hell, is meant of their casting in after their resurrection, when they shall all at once receive the sentence of d••mnation from Christ himselfe. For first, it is not said here, that they shall be gathered together before Christ, as it is said Matth. 25.32. &c. But that the Angels shall gather them out of Christs Kingdome, and cast them into a furnace of fire: that is, shall destroy them in every place over the world where they then are, and cast their soules into hell, as is intimated by the binding of the tares in bundles to burne them. That is, as they finde them here and there in the field. And secondly, it is said, that they shall be ga∣theredout of Christs Kingdome, and cast into bell, that is, shall be taken away from the place where, and from among the men o∣ver whom Christ shall then reigne. And therefore this gathering of the wicked is to be at the beginning of Christs Kingdome, and before their last judgement; and not at the end of Christs Kingdome, when they shall be setcht out of hell againe to re∣ceive their last judgement. And that the foresaid judgement is meant of a temporall destruction on all obstinate sinners, that are living at Christs comming, and not of the eternall destructi∣on of their bodies and soules together at the last resurrection, it is evident also from Rev. 20.9. where it is revealed, that all the ungodly that are to oppose the Saints at the end of the thousand yeares reigne, shall be devoured by fire from heaven, before the last resurection; so that there shall be none of them living on the earth, when they are to be gathered before Christ at the last judgement: and consequently, that gathering of them

cannot be the same with this gathering of them, when they shall be on the earth, Matth. 13. And so by the Kingdome of their Fa∣ther, mentioned ver. 43. must needes be meant, the Kingdome of Christ, spoken of ver. 41. which is called, the Kingdome of their Father, because Christ with whom these Saints shall reigne, shall receive it of God, who is both his and their Father.

3. The righteous shall be caught up to meete Christ, and to come along with him to the earth. And not to stay with him in the aire, or to be carried up to heaven from thence; as hath been shewed already more then once. And therefore this is but a tri∣fling argument.

4. This argument is a supposition of that which we deny. For it is our argument against you, That seeing the elect onely shall be raised and gathered to gether at Christs comming, and the un∣godly which are left in their graves, (and that the mischievous ungodly which are living, shall be left also to perish extraordi∣narily, as it is Matth. 13.41, 42. and the rest to be eye-witnesses of Gods wonders at that time, and to become converts by it, as it is Isai. 66.19, 20. Joel 2.32. Zech. 14.16. Rev. 11.13. and in other places.) Therefore the last judgement, the great Assise, (which is to be held chiefly for the condemnation of ungodly men,) cannot beat, or presently after Christs comming, but shall be at the end of his reigne. And so this part of your answer is a meere perverting of my words, which agree so well in them∣selves, and with the word of God, that you had nought to say against that which they prove, and therefore you fall aciously make them to grant, what they doe indeed disprove.