THE REVELATION UNREVEALED. Concerning The Thousand-Yeares reign of the Saints with CHRIST upon Earth. Laying forth the weak Grounds, and strange Consequences of that plausible, and too-much received Opinion. By an unfeigned Lover of Truth, Peace, Order, and just Moderation. LONDON, Printed by R. L. for John Bisse, and are to be sold at the Bell in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1650. The Contents. THe Preface: showing the difficulty of the Revelation, the true importance of the point controversed; and the intention of the Author, pag. 1 Sect. 1. That this one difficult place of the Revelation alone expresseth the thousand years reign, p. 13 Sect. 2. The prophesy of Daniel improperly alleged to this purpose, p. 19 Sect. 3. The most urgent passage of the Prophet Daniel cleared, p. 24 Sect. 4. These pretended doctrines cannot be grounded upon Daniel by way of Type or analogy Inquiry, since the words are single, whether the sense be clear, p. 39 Sect. 5. The divers constructions of the thousand years of Satans shutting up, p. 43 Sect. 6. The divers constructions of the thousand years reign of the Saints, p. 50 Sect. 7. The histories of the ancient Chiliasts briefly reported, p. 65 Sect. 8. The summary relation of the doctrine of our brethren the late Millenarians, p. 71 Mr. Archers Tractate abridged concerning Christs kingdom and coming, p. 73 Sect. 9. Mr. Archers opinion concerning Christs withdrawing to heaven again, and the government deputed to the Saints with their privileges, p. 82 Sect. 10. The latter part of Christs kingdom set forth by Mr. Archer, both in the occasion, and time of it, p. 89 Sect. 11. That strain of error, which runs through the whole discourse of Mr. Archer, and is the common ground of this mis-opinion, p. 100 Sect. 12. The 1 paradox of Millenarisme. A Mona chical state of Christ kingdom in a visible and worldly manner, p. 109 2 paradox; The change of all worldly customs, and putting down all kingly power, p. 113 3 paradox; A double judgement, p. 114 Sect. 13. 4 paradox; A threefold coming of Christ, p. 116 5 paradox; A double resurrection, p. 118 Sect. 14. 6 paradox; A threefold Ascension of Christ into heaven, p. 121 Sect. 15. 7 paradox; The total reduction of the ten lost tribes of Israel, p. 125 Sect. 16. 8 paradox; The Saints in their immortal and glorious condition meddling with these earthly affairs of government, p. 131 Sect. 17. 9 paradox; The living Saints mortal, and yet sin-less, p. 133 Sect. 18. 10 paradox; The fullness of all temporal blessings, of riches, long life, &c. without any afflictions under this monarchy of Christ, p. 139 Sect. 19. 11 paradox; That so many thousands of immortal and glorious Saints reigning, the wicked Slaves and Tributaries should be able to raise war against them, p. 144 Sect. 20. 12 paradox; That the day of judgement should hold a thousand years, p. 148 Sect. 21. 13. paradox: A new determination of a double Hell, and the place thereof, p. 154 Sect. 22. Strange and improbable Consequents which follow upon this opinion and discourse, p. 157 Conseq. 1 That in the Lords prayer we sue for this monarchy, which yet was hitherto unheard of, p. 159. Conseq. 2. That Christ in his second coming to judge the earth, should yet leave many wicked men alive, p. 160 Sect. 23. Conseq. 3 That Christ who hath all power should descend from heaven to deputy new Governours for his Church, and then withdraw, p. 162 Sect. 24. Conseq. 4 The strange composition of this imagined government, p. 164 Conseq. 5 All Saints, and yet faith hardly to be found upon earth, at our Saviours coming, p. 165 Conseq. 6 If the Apostles shall sway that monarchy, how doth it stand with the words of Christ? It shall not be so with you, p. 166 Sect. 25. Conseq. 7. A disadvantage to the souls of Saints glorified to be fetched down from heaven to continue 1000 years on earth, ibid Sect. 26. Conseq. 8 Children of the Saints conceived and born in sin, yet true Saints, p. 183 Sect. 27. Conseq. 9. No use of Ordinances, yet prayers heard, p. 186 Conseq. 10 Heaven dispeopled of all it's ancient inhabitants for 2000 years, p. 186 Conseq. 11 The souls of Saints to be in so different and unequal condition, p. 187 Conseq. 12 That Christ should bring his Saints with him, and yet they on earth before him, p. 188 Sect. 28. The opinion of the first Resurrection to be of Martyrs onely confuted, p. 188 Sect. 29. Alstedius his evasion concerning the single expression of this Millenary reign, refeled, p. 198 Sect. 30. No necessity from the Text of admitting this strange Tenet of the reign contended for, p. 201 Sect. 31. The safe and allowed construction of the text insisted on, p. 204 Sect. 32. An exhortation to stick fast to our old received principles, 209 1 And first, not to believe any kingdom of Christ but either spiritual, or heavenly, p. 210 Sect. 33. 2 Not to think of any absolute freedom from sin, or affliction here below, p. 214 Sect. 34. 3 Not to expect any other coming of Christ, but that one to his final judgement, p. 219 Sect. 35. 4 Not to put the day of the last judgement far from us, nor yet punctually to determine the time of it, p. 223 Jan. 21. 1649/ 50. I Have perused this polemical discourse against the Tenets of the Millenaries, and find it to be so learned and judicious, and penned with such sweet sobriety and gall-less moderation, that I approve it very well worthy the Printing and publishing. John Downame. THE PREFACE. IF there bee any deeps in Divine Scripture wherein the Elephant may swim, The difficulty of the Revelation Arias Montanus in his Commentary upon the Revelation, ridiculously interprets the several Prophesies by abstracts, as Terrestris industria paganica rusticitas, &c. they are surely to be found in the Book of the Revelation; wherein many great wits have both exercised and lost themselves. Arias Montanus, that learned Spaniard, whose labours are famous for that noble Edition of the whole Sacred Volume of GOD, when he comes to illustrate the Revelation, with his Commentary shames himself with his improbable glosses,& by his ridiculous abstracts, moves both the wonder, and pitty of the judicious of either Religion, Castellio, whose elegant and painful version of both Testaments, hath wont to pass with the learned for an useful Paraphrase, when he comes to this Book of the Revelation, Cujus vix millessimam partem in telligo. castle. Annotat. in Apocal. is not ashamed to pass a non intelligo upon it. Master Junius, though given to this last Age for a great light to the holy Text, yet professes himself in many of these mysteries to be in the dark: Mysteria valdè obscura. Jun. Praefat. and no marvel, when Deodati grants that there are some parts of this Book still reserved under Gods secret Seal; Deodati Argument of the Revelation. the explication whereof is utterly uncertain. Dr. Andrews. B. Winch. And amongst ourselves here at home, one whom no man will envy the reputation of one of the greatest Clerks in his Age; when a plain man came seriously to him, and asked his opinion concerning an obscure passage in that Book, answered, My friend, I am not comne so far. Yet I know not how it comes to pass, such is the nature of our in-bred curiosity, that there is no book of the whole Scripture, wherein men are so apt to spend both their time and judgement: Like as every man is apt to try his strength in lifting at an over-heavie weight; and to offer at the string of that Bow, which is much too strong for him to draw. Whereupon have issued those strange obtortions of some particular Prophesies to private interests: Mr. Brightman, a learned& godly Divine, thinks to find not England only, but Cocill, and Walsingham there; A belgic Doctor in the Synod of Dort thought to find Grave Maurice there; Joannes Brocardus thinks to find Venice there; and a grave Divine( whose name I will spare) was so confident to find the Palatinate there, both in the loss and recovery of it, as that he would needs present his thoughts to the judicious eyes of King JAMES himself, with small thanks for his labour; neither wanted there some that made full account to find the late Victorious Gustavus Adolphus therein plainly designed; as if the Blessed Apostle, now in his Pathmos, over-looking all the vast Continent betwixt us, should have had his thoughts taken up with our petty Occurrences in this other side of the World. What should I tell how many both of our own and foreign Divines have baffled and shamed themselves in pre-defining out of their mis-taken constructions, the utmost period of the World, and have confidently set God a day for his final judgement. As for this place which we have in hand, The true importance of the point controversed. how rocky and shelvy it is, appears too well in those ribs of splitted Vessels, which lie still scattered on the sands: Not that I think the opinion of our new Chiliasts so deadly and pernicious in itself, as to make shipwreck of their own or others faith; far be it from me to be guilty of so much uncharity, as to lay so deep a charge upon my fellow Christians; for what prejudice is it to me, if the souls of Martyrs get the start of me in resuming their bodies a thousand years before me, if, in the mean while my soul be at rest in a Paradise of bliss? And what can it import any mans salvation to determine whether the Saints reign with Christ on Earth, or in Heaven, whiles I know that in either they are happy? Surely, in it's own terms, the Tenet seems to carry no great appearance of offence; but all the danger is in that train of strange Paradoxes, and uncouth consequences, which it draws in after it; specified in the following Discourse; and in the ill uses that are made too commonly, of it, by some ill-advised and mis-taken Clients: Whereof some vainly imagining this Reign of the Saints already begun, Lights at Walton. cast off Scriptures, and Ordinances as utterly use-lesse, and please themselves in a conceited fruition of their happy Kingdom, and an immediate conversation with the King of Glory: Others construing all mutations which befall the Church; as either the harbingers, or several stages of their Saviours approach to his new Kingdom, and theirs, applaud themselves in their imminent and already-descried glory; rejoicing to tel us how far he is on his way; and( lest we should appeal to our own eyes in so important a case) tell us that this object is not for our discerning, Zions joy in her King pag. 24, 25, &c. but for qualified persons only; men, not like the ordinary sort of professors, who are of a low, poor, pufillanimous spirit, but for such only, as are deeply engaged in the Churches Cause, and sharers in her Troubles, and Sorrows; whereas, certainly, if those which suffer most may be allowed to be the most quick-sighted, it may easily be known whose eyes we may best trust for intelligence. Hence have followed heavy censures,& harsh entertainments of the otherwise affencted; and an insultation upon dissenting brethren, as the oppressed and down trodden enemies of this Kingdom of Christ. I desire not to aggravate either these or any other inconveniences which do usual attend this opinion, as one that wishes rather to heal, then to corrode the public soars. The intention of the Author in the following discourse. Let me therefore preingage my Reader, not to mis-take my discourse or my intentions; For my part, I am persuaded in my foul, that the coming of our Saviour is near at hand; and that before that great Day God hath decreed, and will yet effect a more happy and flourishing condition of his Church here on earth, then we yet see; which I do humbly pray for, and hopefully expect; ambitiously suing to my God, that my poor endeavours might bee thought worthy to contribute any thing to so blessed a purpose; But, for the particularities of the time, and manner, I both have learned, and do teach silence. And if any man think he hath sufficient intimation of either, or both of these, in the words of holy Scripture; yet since those clauses are involved in some obscurity,& may afford multiplicity of sense; my desire and whole drift is, to beseech him to suspend his judgement concerning these so deep and intricate Doctrines, till God shall be pleased to clear them by apparent events. And in the mean time to rest contented, with those evident and unquestionable truths of the Gospel, which the Church of Christ hath hitherto unanimously taught and maintained; wherein he shall do that which may happily conduce both to the Churches peace& his own. THE REVELATION Unrevealed. THat Prophesies especially before they be fulfilled, That this one difficult place of Scripture alone, expresseth this thousand years reign. are no other then Riddles, needs no other proof then( amongst other) the two dark passages of the Revelation; the one concerning the Number and Name of the Beast 666: the other concerning the Thousand years reign of the Saints; either of which I may boldly say, many have guessed at; but no man living hath yet been ever able fully to unfold. Our business is with the later; set forth by the beloved Disciple, Rev. 20.4.5. and Evangelicall Prophet, St. John towards the shutting up of his divine Revelation; out of the literal sense whereof, not a few in these later times have been raised to such a confidence of the speedy accomplishment of this new kingdom, as if they did already see the clouds breaking under the glorious feet of their returning Saviour, and the chairs of this blessed State set ready for their Enthronization; How many have I heard joyfully professing their hopes of an imminent share in that happy kingdom; yea some have gone so far, as already to date their Letters from New Jerusalem, and to subscribe themselves glorified: whose ungrounded credulity may receive some just correction, if they shall but see the strange variety of construction, which this supposed earthly Sovereignty hath undergone from men as wise in their own opinion, as themselves. Whereunto that I may make the better way, I shall lay this for an undoubted ground, that there is no Passage in the whole book of God, wherein this Millenary reign of Saints is punctually expressed, save onely this of the Revelation: For; as for those 66 texts alleged by Alstedius, and the late Herald of Zions, joy, they are too general to make out such a specialty, both of the term, and the personal administration which is contended for; and besides have been by the judgement of all allowed antiquity, and all Christian Authors, till the fag-end of this last Century, understood of the spiritual beauty, and glory of the Evangelicall Church, under the happy times of the gospel: Whosoever shall bee pleased to take a strict view of these several Scriptures, shall find them onely to import the calling of the Gentiles, the conversion of the Jews, the abundance of rich graces poured out upon believers, Gods gracious protection, and enlargement of his Christian Church, the subjugation, and overthrow of the public enemies thereof; all which may well stand without any relation to this pretended dominion of the raised Martyrs, or changed Saints: So as I cannot but wonder to see Christian authors so apt to humour the refractory Jews, in a literal construction of the prophetical predictions of the restauration of that pompous and secular glory, which they have hitherto fond dreamed of, and hath been hitherto unanimously decried by all the ancient and late Doctors of the Christian Church: and to see these Evangelicall promises thus carnally drained into a wrong channel: which certainly who so shal stand upon in so gross a sense, may as well contend that the new Jerusalem shal really have twelve gates of twelve pearls, and streets of pure gold, Rev. 21.21 & the foundations of the walls all manner of precious stones: And if these be figurative, why should the other be literal? But that Scripture which might seem to bear most weight in this subject, The prophesy of Daniel improperly alleged to this purpose. is the prophesy of Daniel, who in the construction of the favourers of the Millenarian opinion, is pretended to speak particularly of the tyrannicall reign of Antichrist, of his destruction, of the happy deliverance and peace of the faithful under the Gospel, not without a special designation of the punctual Time wherein that man of sin shall be revealed;& wherein Gods people shall enjoy rest and happiness, both in the beginning and termination thereof: Insomuch as, besides Alstede, our learned meed, in a latin Manuscript of his, which came lately to my hands concerning the Revelation of Antichrist, grounds his judgement upon Daniels prophesy; not a little blaming some late Expositors for turning the stream of those predictions another way; but reserving a due reverence to so great and Eagle-ey'd Authors, I dare appeal to all unbiased judgements, whether it do not best svit with all the circumstances of those enigmatical prophesies of Daniel, to confine their relations only to the Jewish Church, making their utmost extent to be the death of the Messiah,& the destruction of Jerusalem, without any further meddling with the state of the Church Evangelicall; saving onely in that one touch of the second coming of Christ to judgement, wherein both the whole Church and World is jointly concerned: To make therefore the fourth Monarchy to be the Roman tyrannizing over the Reformed Church under the Gospel, and the little Horn with eyes to be the Antichrist of the last times, and to draw the computation of the times mentioned unto an accordance to an imagined calculation, may seem to be no other then a straining of the Text beyond the intention of the Author: sure we are, that al those prophetical predictions were literally and really fulfilled to and upon the Jews, under the reign of those Kings amongst whom the graecian Empire of Alexander the Great was shared; and that in the just times which were designed: but upon what grounds we may stretch them further to a re-accomplishment in these last times it is neither easy nor safe to determine. O●colampad. Comment. in Danielem l. 2. Two things must be yielded, First, that those descriptions which are made by Divines of that cruel tyrant, and persecutor, Antiochus Epiphanes, may well by just allusion be applied to the Antichrist under the Gospel; secondly, that it hath pleased the Spirit of God to make use of the same expressions in Iohns description of times, which had formerly been taken up by Daniel; but hereupon to infer a revolution of the same condition of the Christian Church in the last age of the world, both in respects of her enemies& several events seems strangely inconsequent. The probablest and most urgent passages of the Prophet DANIEL, The most urgent passage of the prophesy of Daniel cleared. and those which are most stood upon by the fore name Authors, are Dan. 12.11, 12. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety dayes. Blessed is the man that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty dayes. Where these two things are taken by these Expositors for granted; 1. That the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and this desolatory abomination, is to be understood of the last destruction of jerusalem by Titus. 2. That the days there mentioned are to be understood to be so many yeares: which shall immediately succeed in the process of the Evangelical Church; So as by Alsteds confident account the destruction of Jerusalem falling upon the 69th. year of Christ, presently begins the reckoning of the thousand two hundred and ninety prophetical dayes, that is so many Yeares; which do expire in the Year of Christ 1359, about which time divers worthy persons( say they) began to oppose Antichristian impiety: From this period, they tell us we must begin to compute the second number mentioned by Daniel, which is the 1335 dayes, that is, Years; which shall bring us unto the Year of Christ, 2694. In which, saith Alstedius, the thousand Years of the Saints reign spoken of in the Revelation shall have end, and they being ended, the war of Gog and Magog shall begin, which the last Judgement supervening shall put to an end: So then, take from these 2694 yeares, one thousand yeares of the Saints reign; there remains 1694; In this year then or sooner( saith he) the thousand years of the happy reign of the Saints shall take their beginning. But what a weak and sandy foundation is this whereon to raise so high a structure? A foundation merely laid upon a mis-constructive conjecture; For, what if that desolation mentioned be not that of Titus? what if those dayes be not years? where are we then for the time of our Millenary reign? Let us then obtain leave to inquire a little into both these. And for the first; It is more then probable by all circumstances, that this desolating abomination here spoken of is the same with that, which is fore-mentioned. Dan. 7.25. and Dan. 8.13, 14. wherein the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and the desolation specified, are foretold by the Angel, interpreting the vision; and the very same time limited for the fulfilling of it; Both which are accordingly with much clearness of indubitable truth, accomplished in that persecuting tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes; Compare we the texts and the times: He( saith the Angel) shall think to change times and laws and they shall be given into his hand until a time, Dan. 7.25. and times, and the dividing of time. Dan. 8.11, 12. By him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his Sanctuary was cast down; Seven times. i. seven years. Dan. 4.16. & an host was given him against the daily sacrifice, by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground, and it practised and prospered. Now what are a time, times, and a parcel of time by Daniels own exposition( Dan. 4.16.) but three years and some days? and what are those three years and few dayes, but those three years and ten dayes, wherein the rage of persecution continued upon the Jews till the happy restauration of Gods Worship wrought by Judas Macabaeus; who in seven moneths and ten dayes after this forced the confirmation of it from the persecutors. And who is the man that shall do this great mischief intimated? Even that bloody Antiochus, which is so exactly deciphered by the Prophet, as if he meant to fore-stall all question that might arise concerning him in the following generations; Dan. 8.8, For it cannot be doubtted that the great horn of the Goat which was the third Monarch, 9. was Alexander the Great; which horn being broken, the four horns that arose in stead thereof, were unquestionably those four kingdoms towards the four coasts of Heaven, amongst which that graecian Monarchy was divided; which were of Egypt towards the South falling to the share of Ptolomee Philadelphus, of Syria towards the North which fell to Seleucus Nicanor, of Macedon towards the West, which fell to Cassander, and of Asia the less to the East, which fell to the share of ANTIGONUS; Now out of one of these( saith the Prophet) that is Seleucus Nicanor, King of Syria, 8. vers. 9. shal arise that little horn, the cruel Antiochus Epiphanes, who shall make such woeful havoc amongst Gods select Nation, the Jews; styled the people of the Saints of the most High: Dan. 7.27. in taking away the daily sacrifice, and defacing the Sanctuary: whose grievous persecution for the first stage of it, was of that punctual duration. And to matter yet more clear, if we shall compare Dan. 8.14. with this instanced text of Dan 12.7. we shall find the number of the dayes pitched upon to be the very same for a time, times, and half a time. So as the 1290 days immediately specified make up that three years and a half. Wherein the fury of Antiochus his persecution shall continue; without any relation to the Roman Titus, which is pretended by these authors to make good their imagined computation. Reverend Calvin( whose judgement I so much honour, that I reckon him amongst the best Interpreters of Scripture, since the Apostles left the earth) is willing to construe this of the last desolation of the Jews by the Roman Victors, but knows not what to make of the dayes specified; professing that he is no Pythagorean for matter of numbers; and therefore contents himself to take this 1290 dayes onely pro longo temporis tractu; for some long indefinite tract of time; But whereas Alstede builds his conceit upon the succession of these two numbers; Quidam separant said perperam dies 1290& 1335. Nam certum est pro eodem accepi. Calvin. in loc. Dan. Ser. 12. making the 1335 dayes( .i. Years) to follow after the former 1290; out of both making up his accomplished number of the Saints reign, expiring; Calvin checks him with a plain ( perperam) and resolves upon a ( certum est) that both these numbers are coincident, and are to be taken for one and the same with that small addition of the greater and later sum of years to the former; which if it be yielded, we are altogether to seek for our calculation of the thousand years wherein the Saints must reign upon earth. Onely one main rub seems to lie in our way, which we must be careful to remove: Mat. 24.15. Our Saviour himself speaks of the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, standing in the holy place; as a thing in his dayes yet to come: and therefore with undoubted relation to the Roman Army, lead by Titus, and to the final sacking of Jerusalem: All which I do willingly grant, without any the least derogation from that former verity: For what is the holy place but the Temple of Jerusalem? and what is the abomination of desolation but the Idolatrous heathenish destructive Army? such was both that of Titus, and that of Antiochus; The place then of Daniel, to which our Saviour alludes( with charge to him that reads to observe) is not the fore-mentioned text now insisted upon, but Dan. 9.27. wherein the Angel, after the end of the designed weeks, tells us of the final destruction of the City and the Sanctuary, which in the just time was accordingly fulfilled; so as this passage of prophesy hath no affinity at all with that of the 12th. of Daniel; being not so much before it in place, as after it in time. Yet if the event had not punctually made good every jot of this prediction so construed, as we have declared, there might be some doubt of the sense contended for; but now, the issue of the things did so evidently answer to the words thus interpnted, as one would think there could be no place left for contradiction; For( as Junius, Rolloc, and Deodati have clearly computed it, to my hands) from the time that Antiochus Epiphanes began to set up Idolatry at Jerusalem, until the time wherein he was compelled by the victorious Macabaeus, both to permit, and allow, and ratify the reformation thereof by his charter, there passed three years, 2 Macab. 11.33. seven moneths, and about thirteen dayes, which amount to the thousand two hundred and ninety dayes mentioned. Vers. 11. And from the setting up of that Idolatry, if we reckon to the time of the full deliverance of Gods people from the yoke of that tyranny, it will fall upon the second number mentioned. Vers. 12. wherein that wicked Antiochus was taken away by death; which makes up the thousand, three hundred, and five and thirty dayes: which day who so should live to see is declared to be blessed for his happy freedom, and comfortable enjoying of the holy worship of God. And now what is here in the letter of Daniels prophesy, These pretended doctrines cannot be grounded upon Danniel by way of Type, or analogy: Inquiry made whether since the words are single, the sense be clear. that doth but look towards the thousand years reign of the Saints upon earth? Surely not one syllable that may without a violent angariation be drawn to such a sense. And if Alstede shall pretend that these mysteries of the latter times concerning the Antichrist, and the time of the Saints reign, are to be found in Daniel, not in the express letter, but in a way of Type, or analogy, because he meets with the same phraseology of time, and the like description of persons, and things in the Evangelists Revelation, which he finds in Daniels prophesy; Surely he had need of greater authority for the warrant of such application, then I fear can be produced: and if that were yielded, yet that which we are wont to say of similitude is verified much more in prefigurations, that they are not intended to hold universally; and in short, symbolical divinity is not to be trusted for martyr of proof. What Mysteries there may be in numbers, and upon what reason it hath pleased the Spirit of God to take up the same terms of numeration for dayes, moneths, yeares and times in the case of the Christian Church, which he made use of in the Jewish, I suppose it were two much presumption in any man to determine. And if the events of things be the best Commentaries upon prophesies, how unanswerable those have proved to the computations and sense of our new Chiliasts, shall in due place be made manifest. Now if there be any other amongst those 65 places alleged by Alstedius wherein the favourers of the Millenarian-raigne can place any confidence for the evicting of their opinion, I should be glad to see it driven up to the head: For my part, I must sincerely profess I see none that can so much as raise, much less settle my belief: Supposing then( as we well may) that this place of Revel. 20. stands alone; let us inquire whether the sense of it be so clear, as that we may with good assurance build upon it, for the certainty of our resolution concerning the state of the whole world, and particularly of all Gods Saints for the space of a whole thousand yeares, lost hitherto in the vulgar account of all Christian Divines. Surely there can be but one truth, and what ever fals beside it, is but vain opinion; as when two points are fixed, there can be but one direct line drawn betwixt them, all other bewray a manifest variation, and obliquity: The stars because they keep a regular course yield most certain observations of their site and motions; but the clouds which are raised out by vapours, and carried by winds, how far they are from affording a true judgement; let every almanac witness, now whether this conceit be a star or a cloud shall appear by that which followeth. Some Expositors then and those, neither few, The divers constructions of the thousand years of Satans shutting up. nor mean, have taken the thousand yeares of Satans shutting up to be the same thousand wherein the Saints shal reign: Others, not fewer, make the Saints reign to follow this binding of Satan for many hundreds of yeares; And for the time of this chaining up of Satan, some take the thousand yeares for a long time, but indefinite, Fulk in loc. Deodati in loc. so Fulk and Deodati; others construe it literally, of that determinate number of years specified, some define it to be the whole time since the first publishing of the Gospel to the end of the world, so Nicolaus Zegerus; Zegerus, Sa, Estius, in locum. Emmanuel Sa and Estius. Some determine it to be the whole time of the Gospel published until the days of their Antichrist; Ribera in locum. Haymo l. 7. in Apoc. which should be three years& an half before the judgement; so Ribera out of Augustine, so Haymo and Joannes Gagnaeus a Divine of Paris. Some define this number of the 1000 years to begin the 36 year or thereabouts after our Saviours death, when the Jewish Church being overthrown, Satan rushed impetuously upon the Church Christian, and was restrained till the days of Hildebrand, so Junius; some define it to begin from the time of Constantine( whom Mr. Brightman conceives to be that angel, which coming down from Heaven, and having the keys of the bottomless pit laid hold on the Dragon, and bound him in chains) till the thousand years expired; which ended in the 1300th. year of Christ, in the days of Boniface the eighth, and the Ottoman Empire, so Napier, and Brightman, and Mr. fox; some reckon it from first preaching of the Gospel by Christ, and his Apostles until the time of Gregory the 7th,( otherwise called Hildebrand, and the time of Satans losing to be 400 or 500 yeares, so Dent: Others, ending the time of Satans shutting up in the year 1300, make the time of his rage to be an hour, a day, a month, and a year, that is about 390 years after, so Brightman, some others make the losing of Satan to be when Mahomet and the Pope grew so great; which was at the end of the thousand years after Christ; in all which time the sincere doctrine was taught, till Antichrist came, in which the doctrine of the sacrifice of the mass, and the doctrine of Merits, Satisfactions, &c. so Fulk; some place the beginning of Satans binding, upon the year 1517; when the witnesses were raised; for that, from that time all People have not generally drunk any new poison of heresy, which mightweaken or overthrow their faith, so Matthaeus Cotterius; some others imagine the beginning of this chaining up of Satan to be after the taking of Rome by the goths, and after Augustulus, whowas the last Emperor of the West: affirming( though upon fickle grounds) that after the fall of the Roman Empire; yea after Mahomet, there was peace in the Church for a 1000 years; so as Satan was bound, and shut up in the bottomless pit, till this last age now passed. So Mariana: Others hold that this thousand yeares of Satans binding up is not yet begun, but shall be in this age wherein the Saints reign shal enter about the year 1694. So Alstedius and his followers. These are some of those varieties of constructions( for if I listed to look after them, it were easy to cloy the Reader with many more; these tendered themselves to me suddenly, and as it were unsought) which have passed concerning the thousand yeares captivity of Satan, whereby it pleased the Spirit of God to make way to the thousand yeares reign of the Saints; In the determination whereof, there is no less multiplicity of judgement amongst learned and Christian Interpreters: Some few whereof I shall lay forth before my Reader. And first concerning the time of this reign; The divers constructions of the thousand years reign of the Saints. Haymo in Apocalyps. lib. 7. A thousand( saith Haymo) is a perfect number, and therefore, by a thousand yeares, we understand the present life, and the future: Now the Saints reign by faith; and in the day of Judgement there reign shall not be terminated, but receive a glorious augmentation. So he. To the same purpose, saith Colladon; Colladon in Apoc. 20. the thousand years are the whole series of time here in this world, in which there shall be always a Church of Christ; As the faithful have lived, and reigned with Christ 1000 years, that is in the whole space of this life, so they shall reign with Christ 1000 yeares in the whole duration of the world to come. And if this seem too large; surely these men do not shoot further over, then Joannes Brocardus shooteth short; who contracteth the thousand years after the establishment of the Gospel into a thousand days, here on earth; as contrarily Jonas his forty dayes were stretched out into forty yeares. Of those that hold not fit to divide the time betwixt the present and future life; some understand the 1000 years reign to be understood of the flourishing estate of the Church militant, during the time of Satans captivity; for all the faithful( say they) do in a sort live and reign with Christ here on earth, when they overcome the world by faith; so Mr. Dent; some again take it of the whole time between the first coming of Christ, and the second; so Occolampadius in daniel. Others, waving the present life, define it to be meant of that glorious kingdom, which the souls of the Saints enjoy in heaven until the day of Judgement; so Mariana; so Estius; and, Fulk to the same purpose, thus. These Martyrs being delivered from the calamities of this miserable life by the first death; and being taken up into heavenly joys, they live and reign still, with Christ through the whole thousand years, so long as Satan shall remain in bonds; Not that after that thousand yeares they shall die, but to express how great a benefit it was to the Godly to be all that while in happiness; Thus he, without any supposition of a preceding Resurrection; Joannes Piscator, as going yet further( even half the Millenary way) so construes it, as that it is to be understood of the raised Martyrs and their ensuing glorification; This( saith he) is the singular happiness of the Martyrs of Christ, who before these 1000 years endured persecution; even, their Resurrection, which shall be before the general Refurrection; and their reign in heaven with Christ for a thousand yeares before the Resurrection of the rest. Of those which take this 1000 yeares reign to be in this life below, there is no small variety of construction; Flac. Illir. Gloss. in Apoc. Illiricus takes it to be an inversion of sense, the predicate being set before the subject, the relative before the antecedent; so as the order of the sense should be thus; I saw the souls of those that worshipped not the beast, &c. and that dyed for Christ to live and reign with him, and to set on their thrones, and judge the wicked; reigning with Christ spiritually, in suffering bodily; as those who by their martyrdom for Christ, shall reign and triumph( all the time of Satans repression) over him, and his wicked Instruments. Aretius thus, They lived again, and reigned with Christ; that is, their cause was found just before him, and they were openly accounted and pronounced Saints. The thousand years reign( saith Ribera) is not to be referred to those which worshipped not the beast, for he speaks not of them as dead; but is to be referred to the souls of those, which had been Martyred for the testimony of Jesus; that is, to those, who, when he wrote this, had suffered death for Christ. So he. But others take it for a later reckoning: Brightman. Apocal. This reign of a 1000 years( saith Brightman) was to begin where the former period ended; that is in the year 1300; wherein the continuance of the truth is promised to be for 1000 yeares, after the restitution of it in these parts of Europe, whose is the first resurrection; we onely have seen three whole hundreds of it past, since the first Resurrection; Thus he. Not so, saith Mr. Cotton, Corton resurrection of Churches. but after the destruction of Antichrist the Saints shall enjoy that liberty a 1000 years together; not any one of them, but men of the same spirit shall reign with Christ, 1000 yeares in the government of the Church upon earth: reign with him; that is, execute not their own government but the government of Christ. Nay; saith Alstede, meed, and Archer, that sense fals too short; but the bodies of the Martyrs and Saints shal rise again in the beginning of those thousand yeares, before the universal and last resuirection; and shall reign here with Christ upon earth; as being appointed Governours of the Church with Christ. No, they shall not rise in their bodies( saith Mr. Cotton) but there shall rise men of the same spirit; who shall have the Judicature and Government of the Church together with these Angels or Messengers, and Ministers of God; those that were branded before for heretics, they shall be the onely men to be fit to have Crownes on their heads, and Independent government committed to them. Thus he. But I may not tyre the Reader too much with the enumeration of these differences; some take this thousand yeares reign to take beginning after the second resurrection, whom Mr. Brightman absolutely rejects. Others in the other extreme imagine themselves, now already reigning with Christ; their resurrection or change to be already passed; and themselves glorified and possessed of the new Jerusalem descended from heaven: who if they do find in themselves these high workings of the spirit, which they profess; and be so far transported with these raptures, as to think themselves already in their new heaven. I should not be more apt to wonder at their ecstasies then to pitty their glory. meed, Commentarium Apocalypti cap. part. 2. Mr. meed makes the 1000 yeares reign to be the day of a more visible, and apparent judgement; circumscribed with two conspicuous Resurrections, as two limited terms; It shall be( saith he) begun first with the particular, and timely judgement of Antichrist, and other enemies of the Church, then remaining alive, with the glorious appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, in flames of fire; and at length, after the Kingdom of a thousand yeares granted to his holy Spouse, the new Jerusalem here on earth, and others, that shal afterward be born, this great day now drawing to an end, shall be finished,( after the letting loose of Satan, and utter destruction of the Churches enemies) with the general resurrection and judgement of all the dead; which being performed, the wicked shal be thrust down to hell to be tormented everlastingly, and the Saints translated into heaven to reign eternally with Christ. So he. Shortly, some hold this reign of Christ with his Saints for the 1000 years shall be personal, and visible. So meed, and Archer, Others that this while, Christ shall reign visibly in Heaven, invisibly upon Earth; so Alstedius: Others leave it in medio whether personal or otherwise, Boroughs in Hose. Lect. 7. so Mr. Boroughs. And lastly, whereas this kingdom of the thousand years, relates to the Resurrection; some hold the first Resurrection spiritually to be understood of rising from sin by a spiritual regeneration. So Fulk, and Aretius. Others take it of a bodily resurrection of some elect persons, before the geneiall; as Alstede and meed; Others take it of a Resurrection of Churches, when recovered from then apostatical, and dead estate in Idolatry; so Mr. Cotton: Cotton Resurrection of Churches. Others lastly, make the first resurrection to be the glorification of the souls of the elect; and the second at the general day, the arising to their perfect blessedness both in souls and bodies; so Gagnaeus: Some appropriate this first resurrection and reign to Martyrs onely; others enlarge it to all the Saints; Now, Lord, where are we? what Reader doth not find himself lost in this wilderness of opinions? Or what living man can, in such diversities of probable judgements, say, this, not the other, is the sense of the holy ghost? It was a wise and true word of that Father, Melius est dubitare de occultis, quàm litigarede incert is: It is better to doubt of things hidden then to quarrel about things uncertain; And to the same purpose is that discreet and moderate counsel of Deodati; In all this prophesy( saith he) it is better and more sure to expect and stay for the explication of the event, then to give it without any certain ground; which seasonable advice if it had been accordingly followed by many of our zealous compatriots, had saved me the labour of this not over-pleasing discourse. But when I saw so many wel-minded Christians by a credulous trust of some modern authority, The history of the ancien Chiliasts briefly reported. strongly carried back into the opinion of the ancient Chiliasts, which was so many hundren years ago hooted out of the Christian Church; and so passionately affencted therewith, as that they run themselves into wild consequents both of paradoxes in opinion, and resolutions in practise; I might not but break silence; and, if no more, yet charitably to advice them to a safe suspension of judgement, in a matter so abstruse, and altogether indeterminable. It is true that it is not a matter of faith; neither imports salvation, either way; so as here can be no warrant for the violation of charity in over bitter censures of either the defenders or oppugners of it; Yet withall, it must be granted to be such as( in that form wherein it is maintained by some abettors) may draw in some dangerous Consectaries both of Act and Opinion; It would be bootless for me to look back at the ancient heresy of the Milliaries, as Austine calls them; to show how that gross error, which was first broached by the Epicurean, and( as Lindanus justly calls him Judaizing CERINTHUS; was in a more tolerable sense, taken up not long after, by Papias Bishop of Hierapolis, reported by Irenaus to be an Auditor of St. John, and companion of Polycarpus; a well meaning man, but( {αβγδ}) of a mean judgement, as he is styled; mente non acri, as Nicephorus; which yet relished so ill with the Christians of those times, as that this very passage of the Revelation, was deemed by them a probable ground to call the divine authority of this whole book into question,( as savouring too much of Cerinthus) But the Majesty which shined in that holy prophesy soon dispelled that cloud: and induced the Church to find a better sense of so obscure a clause, then the merely literal; wherein yet some eminent Authors thought fit still to rest, as Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Lactantius; yea we are told by that worthy an orthodox Dionysius Alexandrinus, About the year of Christ 270. {αβγδ}. that Nepos an Egyptian Bishop, wrote a book in those early times, to this purpose, which he called Elonchum Allegoristarum; wherein he too grossly maintained that thousand yeares reign in all earthly pleasure and delicacy; seconded also by one Coracion, the then famous ring-leader of that Sect; against whom that reverend and holy Dionysius bent his style, {αβγδ}. in two books of the promises of God; confuting that judaical and literal construction of the large predictions of the outward happiness of the Church; now by some revived; who not without a preface of the high respects which he gives to the Author, for his excellent parts, and merits, effectually oppugnes his mis-raised opinion; and spends three dayes conference with Coracion, to so good a purpose, as that he brought him by strength of argumentation, Eccles. histor. lib. 7. cap. 22, 23. to cast away, and recant his former error; all which is fully laid forth by Eusebius. Yet, after this, about the year 370, Apollinaris that exploded heretic, revives this Sect; and adds this error to the company of many, much worse, defended by him; which, say Baronius and Binius, was so condemned in him by a council held at Rome, about the year 373; ut postac omninò conticuerit; that it never so much as whispered since; but as it is better observed by Aretius, it held out to the times of jerome, and Augustine; who upon all occasions refel it, and cry it down for a Jewish fable: Ever since which time, till now of late, there hath been no noise at all of it, in the world; so as it hath lain dead for this twelve hundred and forty yeares; and now is raised up out of the grave of oblivion by some that think themselves wiser then their predecessors. But, The summary relation of the doctrine of the late Millenarians. forasmuch as it doth not so greatly concern us to know what in this case hath been held by former Opinionists, as what is now insisted upon for the present, let us both carefully inquire into the substance of this uncouth doctrine, lately taken up by some of our Brethren, and unpartially examine the grounds whereupon it is maintained: In his Book of the personall-raign of Christ on earth, laying forth& proving that Jesus Christ together with the Saints shall visibly possess a monarchical State and Kingdom in this world, Printed& sold by B. Allen, Anno 1643. And for that I find none hath laid forth this opinion so fully, and confidently, as a late London-Divine, Mr. John Archer; one esteemed of so great sanctity and worth, as that no mean person doubted not to file him amongst men as precious as any the earth bore in his time; I shall fearlessly take his word for the point, in hand; and shall first sum up his doctrine concerning this subject; and then show the Improbabilities and incongruities of it; the rather for that I perceive his conceptions pass generally for the current Tener of the fautors of this plausible opinion. First, M. Archer abridged concerning Christ's kingdom& coming. then he lays for his foundation, that there is a three-fold kingdom of Christ; One providential, which is that universal sovereignty by which Jesus Christ manageth the affairs of all the world, both in heaven, and earth; Another spiritual, which is that sovereignty which he exercises over the consciences of some people, and in special the Elect; subduing them by his Word and Spirit to an universal obedience of him; A third monarchical, wherein Christ, when he enters upon it, will govern as earthly Monarchs do; that is universally over the World, and in a worldly, visible and earthly glory: not by tyranny, and oppression; and sensually, but with honour, peace, riches, and whatsoever in and of the World is not sinful: so as Christ shall administer this sovereignty over all the Earth, in a visible, and worldy manner, for splendour, riches, peace, &c. though not in a fleshly or sinful manner: he thence descends to the consideraon of the manner of this kingdom of Christ, both in the extent, and qualities of it: The extent of it he makes to be unto all reasonable creatures, Angels, Devils and men: showing that the high ones of the earth, Kings, and their Monarchies shall fall before the Lord, both Sun and Moon. i. Majesty of an higher and lower rank shal vanish before him; he shal change all worldly custom, and so all Kingly glory; and set up a new, even his own glory. Secondly, for the opening of the quality of it; he makes a double day of judgement; one strictly take for a partial judgement of some, not all; wherein many both Saints and sinners shall be judged, and that with great terror, and solemnity; The other, general, wherein all men and Devils shall be judged: bringing a world of Saints and Sinners first to the bar of that more partial and strictly-taken Judgement, long before the Last and general Day. But even that former shall be, he saith, a general Judging( though not to the second death) of all the ungodly in the world; at least of all that will not stoop to Christ his sceptre; And secondly, ajudging to the Saints alive who shall be blamed for their former failings. Now these two times and degrees of judgement begin& end Christs Kingdom or Monarchies; so as all the time of his reign may fitly be called a day of judgement; wherein there is an evening and morning, answerable to the natural day: In the evening or first part of Christs kingdom there is first an end, or withdrawing and ceasing of the light and glory of the fore-going day; so Christs kingdom shall begin with the withdrawing of Peace and Comfort, and in following darkness; in that great troubles shall begin to arise upon those, who shall be the subjects of Christs Monarchy, both believing Gentiles and Jews, with Israelites, or the ten Tribes, who shall be all converted, and greatly troubled; but when that trouble is at the height; then comes the beginning of Christs kingdom. AT the first setting up then of this kingdom, Christ shall come from Heaven visibly; even as he went thither; which yet is not his last coming to the last judgement, but a middle coming betwixt the two other; For Christ, he saith, hath three comings; The first when he came to take our nature; The second when he comes to receive his kingdom, for the receiving of which he went to Heaven; The third when he comes to judge all and end the world: This second coming of Christ shall be long before his coming to the last judgement. In which second coming Christ will do these three things. First, he will raise up the Saints which are dead before this his coming, not onely such as have been Martyred as some think, but all Saints who have died in the Faith; for which cause he is said to come with all his Saints. Zecha. 14.5. But all the dead which are not Saints, shall lie still in the dust, till the last and general judgement, for the second death. The Saints which thus are raised in the first Resurrection shall not return to a mortal state of body again, nor yet be so perfectly glorified as they shall be afterwards; for then the people on earth could not bear their presence, for they shall shine as the Sun, but they shall be in a middle state, betwixt glory and mortality, as Christ was after his Resurrection, before his Ascension: Secondly, he will destroy the wicked people on earth, for they about the time of his coming shall combine against the Saints; and then will Christ suddenly surprise them to their ruin; now this ruin of the wicked, shall not be as yet universal, to every one; onely now he will ruin the Armies of them; and so he will break the head and the arm of them; as it was with the Egyptians at the read Sea; and the rest he will make slaves to the Churches; And, it seems that some wicked shall be left for a seed to these Nations, because by the end of Christ's Kingdom, Gog and Magog shall rise against the Saints; which cannot arise out of such as prove hypocrites, or excommunicated, for there shall be none such there; but these wicked ones left, shall be the Nations ruled with iron, Revel. 2.27. Thirdly, he shal examine, blame and shane the Saints who are alive at his coming, if they be found to have walked loosely: He will not kill them, nor change them in a moment, but shane them; therefore Peter exhorts to be holy, that we be not blamed at his coming. 2 Pet. 3.11. Now when Christ hath thus done, M. Archers opinion concerning Christ's withdrawing to heaven again, and the government deputed to the Saints; with their privileges. and put his kingdom into form, he will withdraw to Heaven again, and leave the Government to the dead Saints raised up: among whom the Apostles shall be chief; and they shal have the Government of those Saints, which are found alive: that is, they and all believers shall rule the world, in which the twelve tribes shall be chief; and they shall not onely rule as Kings, but as Priests; that is, discipline their souls as well as their bodies. Now for that it might seem to be no small damage for the souls of Saints dead to be fetched from heaven to live again upon earth, with men, in their bodies; he tells us that it is likely the souls of the departed Saints are not in the highest Heaven, but in a middle place better then this world, but inferior to the highest Heaven, which Place is meant by Paradise in the new Testament; which Paradise, he conceives, to be below the third Heaven, and therefore surely to be in the Region, or Element of fire, where the Sun, and stars are, or in the highest Region of air, which is called Heaven in Scripture. These Saints souls fetched from this Paradise, and joined with their bodies raised from the dead( which is the first Resurrection) they rule Christs Kingdom, even all of them; though some of them in more eminent place then others. The Persons that shall be governed, or the subjects of this kingdom, shall be all that live upon earth, and the place they shall govern shall be the whole world; the Saints shall be ruled like the Israelites under Solomon, the wicked as slaves; Those ten of the twelve Tribes that are lost, shall be found out and made subjects of this kingdom; The cities of the Tribes shall be built again, especially Jerusalem which shall be the most eminent city then in the world. The Israelites shall be first raised to this glory, and at Jerusalem will Christ begin to show himself; and from the Israelites shall glory descend to the Gentiles. The privileges of this kingdom shall be wonderful: First, all the subjects of it that are freemen shall be holy, and not seemingly Saints, but true Saints, not any sinners. Nothing that defileth, shall be then, no hypocrite; no person excommunicated, as proving bad; nor any of the children of these Saints shall prove nought, but all shall be elect, and prove Saints, and the seed of the blessed; for if any of their issue should prove hypocrites, or wicked persons, it would so affect them that they should not have everlasting joy; neither could sorrow, nor sighing fly away; now in these times there shall be no sorrow nor weeping: They shall be edified immediately from God in Christ; The Sacrament is but to last till the next coming of Christ, to set up his kingdom: Christ will hold them up in fullness of grace, though not in full perfection of grace till the last general judgement, or their translation to Heaven. There shall be a full and present answer to all their prayers, there being no sin to keep good things from them. There shall be a fullness of all temporal blessings, as peace, safety, riches, health, long life, or whatsoever can be had in this world. They shall have exemption from all bodily troubles. Every one shall live an hundred years; no infant, nor any other shal die sooner; there shall be no sickness, or grief to consume the strength; although a natural death shall be, yet yet there shall be no violent or untimely death by any grief, sickness or trouble: Satan shall be wholly restrained from tempting them to sin; or others to trouble them. original corruption shall be kept in, not to break forth into any gross way. To which he adds; they shall not be infected with Popery. This for the evening or first part of Christs kingdom. The latter part of this Kingdom of Christ set forth by M. Archer, both in the occasion,& time of it. Now when this kingdom of Christ hath lasted to many generations, the slaves and tributaries will be grown to multitudes; these under the name of Gog and Magog, upon whom the Devil shall be let loose, shall be drawn by Satan to assault the Saints, which trouble shall not be long; it shall be sudden and violent, but short; for Christ shall suddenly come from heaven, and with fire kill all the wicked ones, not leaving one of them alive upon earth. This assault of the wicked will Christ take for the occasion of his coming to the last and general Judgement; before which he shall in a moment change the bodies of all his Saints that are not dead but alive at his coming; and raise up the dead bodies of the Saints, who lived and died during this kingdom of Christ; and they together with the changed Saints shall meet the Lord Jesus in the air, coming again from heaven, never more to be partend. Then shall all the wicked be raised up from Cain to the last wicked man, that is found on the earth; and now shall be the judgement: which we call the day of judgement, which being finished the Saints shall be carried with Christ for ever into heaven; and the wicked sent with the Devil into hell: which hell shall not be the same which is now so called; but another; this being now but as a prison; that, the place of execution and torment. The hell that now is serving onely to reserve condemned demned spirits, which have no bodies till the execution at the last day; at which time this hel shal cease& be swallowed up: The hel that shall be for torment, shall be all this lower and visible world of earth, waters, and the lower heavens reduced by God then to their first Chaos of confusion. Now this kingdom of Christ, though for the Evening or first part of it, it is expressly determined to last a thousand years, or ten generations; yet the Dawning or latter part of it, is not expressed in Scripture how long it shall endure; but doubtless, but last a long time; and though called but a day of Judgement, yet it may last a thousand years, as the other is to do; Because, this is the time in which Gods Mercy, Justice, Truth, Power is to be gloriously revealed before all men and Devils; so as every sinner is to be silenced in his reasonings, or convinced; which must require much time. Secondly, this is the time in which Jesus Christ is to triumph and Lord it over all reasonable creatures, to be worshipped and acknowledged by every one in Heaven, Earth, and under the Earth. Thirdly, the solemnity of it were to little purpose if it were not to last long; as we deride great preparations and pomp for a short show. Lastly, every act of reasonable creatures being immortal, shal not onely abide for ever in Heaven or Hell, but be revived and brought forth in that day before all the world; and all these acts from Adam to the last of mankind, shal be orderly& clearly proceeded inby books as in a Court of Justice. When all this is done, and the final sentence pronounced upon all creatures, both blessed and cursed, then will Christ resign his kingdom to the Father,& this world together with his Kingdom shall end. For the beginning of this monarchy of Christ; it must be set up( saith he) the last in the World, after the other four are passed, whereof the Roman is the last; That being divided into the Eastern and Western monarchy; and out of the Western ten Horns, or Kingdoms arising, and among them another little horn most blasphemous, which is the papacy; when these ten Kingdoms, and the papacy shall be put to an end, then is the beginning of this Kingdom of Christ, which( saith he, by comparing of Daniel with the Revelation) shall be Anno 1666, the number of the Beast( onely the thousand( because it comes seldom) left out.) Three years and an half before this 1666, the papal Power shall have support in Europe; all the ten Kingdoms apostatising to Popery, and yet one of them shall return to the Truth. In the yeares of Christ 1650, or 1656, the Israelites are to be delivered, by being called to Christianity, both Jews which were two Tribes, and the ten Tribes of Israel: Both which shall, after their conversion for 45 years after, suffer great trouble from mahometans, Heathens, Papists. Upon all which computations it is likely( saith he) that Christs coming from Heaven; and the raising the dead, and beginning his Kingdom, and the thousand years will be about the year of our Lord 1700: for it is to be about 45 yeares after 1650, or 1656. Now it being found out when Christs Kingdom, or the thousand yeares shal begin, it is easy( he saith) to guess when the time of the last general judgement, and the Worlds end shall be; which neither angel, nor Christ himself as man, did in those days, when the Disciples asked the question, know, for it was locked up in the Fathers secrets. But after Christs sufferings, and Ascension, all the Fathers secrets were revealed to him, for he was worthy, and he reveals them to the Churches by John: opening the meaning of Daniels time, times, and half a time( which no creature could expound) to be 42 moneths, or 1260 dayes. He tells us expressly that his kingdom should last after it was fully settled a thousand years, and then should be a little disturbance; So as we have some comfort that there is hope the troubles of us Gentile-Christians shall cease about 666; But till those dayes we are like to see sad times, for it is to be feared that Popery shall again over-run Europe, and bring back under papal power every King in Europe, and suppress all their opposers in every kingdom; By this revolting of the Kingdoms to Popery, it comes that the witnesses are slain, and lye dead in the streets; But er'e Antichrist can have time to triumph four yeares, the witnesses shall be raised up, and one of the ten kingdoms fall off from him, and ruin the city of Rome. But yet the Papacy shall breath and by degrees get head and join with Turk, Tartar, and the Christians in Europe; But from this danger will Christ save all Christians by his coming, and setting up of his kingdom. Thus have I faithfully related the opinion, That strain of error which runs through the whole discourse of M. Archer; and is the common ground of this misopinion. and summarily contracted the larger discourse of Mr. Archer, who upon the grounds of Alstedius and meed, runs his own descant, plausibly enough; for every clause of his tractate calling up the Testimonies of the sacred Scripture; the several allegations whereof, upon every passage, I could be most willing throroughly to scan, if I had less care to spare myself, then the Reader; for whose satisfaction that I may be neither unpardonably tedious, nor in any sort deficient in the managing of this subject: I shal first show that universal strain and ground of error, which runs through the whole writing of this Author; then I shall note some of the chief of those bold paradoxall and unwarrantable assertions, which I meet with in this opinion and discourse; in the third place I shal lay forth those strangely improbable consequents which will inevitably follow upon both; and lastly, I shall subjoin such fair, safe, and orthodox constructions, as may be warrantably admitted of that dark passage of Scripture, the misprision whereof is guilty of this controversy. For the first; That which is the general fault not of this Author onely, but of all other that look towards the Millenary way and indeed, the main ground of all their Heterodoxie in this point; is, that they put a meerly-literall construction upon the prophesies and promises of Scripture, which the holy Ghost intended onely to be spiritually understood; hence it is, that those frequent predictions, which we meet in every page. of the Prophets, concerning the kingdom of Christ, the merchandizing of the Jowish cities, the pomp and magnificence of restored 〈◇〉, their large privileges and marvelous achievements, are altogether drawn to a gross, corporal, and syllabicall sense; which the judgement of the whole Christian Church, seconded by the event, hath upon good grounds ever construed not of the letter, but the Spirit: I remember some thirty yeares or more ago, a learned Gentleman, an eminent sergeant at law, a man very skilful in the holy tongue, and that professed no less acquaintance with the laws of God, then of man, published a large Volume concerning, not the imminent conversion onely, but also the royal State of the Jews, their absolute, and universal Monarchy, their awful sovereignty over all the Kings of the earth, the glory of their Empire, the splendour of their Court and Cities, gathering up to to this purpose, all the glorious promises, which occur every where in the Prophets; at the sight whereof that deeply-judicious King James of precious memory, was highly offended, and after the perusal of some offensive passages, commanded me, then attending him to carry the book to the synod at Westminster then sitting, for their censure; who upon a serious examination, with much zeal unanimously sentenced it to a speedy suppression, as that which did haerere in cortice, and savoured too strong of the flesh; as being to servilely addicted to the letter. And now, those very texts, whole mis-understanding hath hitherto lead the Jews into a fools paradise by expecting an earthly glory, are no less confidently taken up by the favourers of this opinion, as the main ground of their defence; For instance, the Lord by his prophet Zechariah hath said; Zech. 2.12. The Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land: and shall choose Jerusalem again, sing and rejoice: o daughter of Zion, for lo I come, and will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord; This is by the Author of Zions joy applied to that repaired and happy estate of the city Jerusalem at this second coming of Christ in glory whereas tho Ioropher onely fore 〈◇〉 the bestauration of that city and country after their thenpresent captivity, and under that figure describes the comfortable condition of the Evangelicall Church: So again by the Prophet Isaiah, Isa. 65.9. God saith; I will bring forth a seed out of jacob, and out of Judah an inheritance of my mountain, and mine elect shall inherit it; and my Servants shall dwell there. This the same Author cites in a literal way to make good the resettlement of the Jews in that ancient city of their inheritance; why doth he not as well add that which followeth; And Sharon shall be a field of flocks, and the valley of anchor a place for the herds to lye down in; But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain: Surely if one of them be appliable to the new Jerusalem, the other must be so also: The truth is, these prophesies have their reference either to Gods merciful dealing with Jerusalem upon their return from their Babylonish captivity; or by an usual allegory, express his gracious purpose to the Church, under the gospel; without any respect at all to an earthly re-establishment of the Jewish nation in their long-since forgotten possessions; It were as easy, as tedious to pass through all those Scriptures which are wont to be alleged in this case; whereof I dare say there is scarce any one, whose either words or context do not evidently bewray their mis-application; or, if that did not, yet the event would; for as much as the time is now at hand, wherein these promises of the general call, and outward magnificence of these ancient people of God, should according to the construction of our new Chiliasts be either well forward or accomplished( as we shall see in the sequel) whereas there is not yet the least motion towards it in all the world. Besides some of their mis-construed Texts will necessary cross the way of us, upon occasion of the several passages which we are about to examine. Of Paradoxes let it be the the first but not the least, Yhe first Paradox of Millenarisme. that Christ the Son of God now glorified shall come and personally set up, A monarchical state of Christ's Kingdom in a visible& worldly manner. and administer a monarchical state of a kingdom here upon earth in a visible, and worldly manner, for splendour, riches, peace, &c. I had thought we had heard him say, My kingdom is not of this world; now, to what world do riches and honour and earthly contentments belong, if not to this? If he govern as earthly Monarchs have done, in a worldly visible, earthly glory( such are the words) how is his Kingdom not of this world? Surely this is more then ever the very Jews expected, or dreamed of; they have looked for a Messiah, that should exercise Kingly authority in the world; but they never looked for a glorified Messiah to come down from heaven to rule upon earth. Zebedees wife certainly never thought of such a kingdom, wherein her sons should be the prime●● Peers: Neither did the good thief think of such a state, when be said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom; we have heard of an absolute sovereignty of Christ, as God; of a delegated sovereignty as Mediator; we have heard of his rule in the heart, of his rule in the Church, but of his monarchical rule in the world, for a whole thousand yeares in a worldly, visible, earthly glory, we never yet heard; and think it very strange news to Christian ears. But much more strange news it is, Acts 3.21. that all the Prophets since the world began have spoken of this marvelous Monarchy, and yet that we never heard of it in the writings of all the Fathers and Doctors of the Christian Church, till this day: It is no whit strange, that Gods people should be abused by the feigned glosses of men, drawing those Scriptures which speak of Christs coming to the final judgement of the world, to the sense of that imaginary Kingdom which hath being no where but in their own brain: But without any intention of a formal confutation, I purpose onely to give some light touches at those paradoxall and unwarrantable Positions, which meet with me in this discourse. That in this visible Monarchy of Christ he shall change all worldly customs, 2 Paradox. The change of all world ly custom and putting down kingly power. and put down all kingly power and greatness( how ever just) and set up a new; so as there shall be no more Lords but he; even as the earthly Monarchies swallowed all kingly power under them, may well pass for a sufficient paradox: we grant indeed, there shall be none in competition with him, even in his spiritual rule; but that there shal be none in subordination to him in his supposed visible Monarchy, were too bold a word. That there shall be a double judgement one a thousand years before the other; Paradox. A double judgement. The one wherein many both Saints and sinners shal be judged, Pag. 12. and that with great terror and solemnity; which shall be a general Judging( though not to the second death,) of all the ungodly in the world; Pag. 13. at least of all that will not stoop to Christ his sceptre; the other of all Devils and men, Pag. 14. upon the expiration of those thousand years, in that universal appearance before God at that great Day; is an assertion as bold as groundless. We have heard of a particular doom passing upon every soul immediately upon the parting from this house of day; and of a general judicature in those common Assizes of the world; but of a middle sessions, betwixt both these, in which all the ungodly shall be arraigned, and sentenced to a temporal death, or perpetual vassalage, was never either spoken of by God, or heard of by men. That there is a threefold coming of Christ. Paradox. A threefold coming of Christ. The first, when he came to take our nature; the second, when he comes to receive his kingdom; the third, when he comes to judge all, and end the world, may well pass for a paradox, not inferior to the rest; Besides, the Metaphoricall comings of Christ to any soul, or nation, whether in mercy, or judgement; we have ever heard of one coming of our Saviour, past, in human weakness; another to come in divine power, and glory; but that there should be a third coming down from heaven to earth, betwixt these, is strange news to Christian ears; which were heretofore wont to be enured to our old apostolic, Athanasian, and Nicene Creeds; and to hear, From thence shall he come to judge the quick and the dead: No coming therefore till he come to Judgement; and that there may be no thought of an intermediate and partial Judgement in the beginning of that thousand years, the Creed which we were wont to profess in our baptism, ran thus; We believe that in the end of the World, he shall come to judge the quick and the dead; Lo, in the end of the world, not a thousand years before it. Let all good Christians stick close to their old Creeds, judas 2. the faith which was once delivered to the Saints, and not suffer themselves to be carried away with every gale of new doctrine. That of Tertullian is a sure rule, Primum verum; The first is true. necessary depending upon this, Paradox. A double Resurrection. is that other gross conceit of a double general Resurrection; 17. The one, of those Saints which were dead before this coming of Christ which shal be raised up 1000 yeares before the rest at his next coming; 18. the other of all flesh at the end of the World, and the final coming& judgement. But whether that first Resurrection shal be onely proper and peculiar to Martyrs that have died for the name of Christ, or common to all the Saints; Let our Chiliasts argue amongst themselves; their opinions do no less disagree from each other, then they all from the Truth: alas, good Martha, thou wert much deceived, when thou saidst concerning thy brother Lazarus. Joh. 11.24. I know he shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day; Why, woman, the Resurrection of that Saint, thy Brother shal be 1000 years sooner thou thoughtest of; Neither did Saint Paul ever take notice of this first Resurrection of the Saints; whiles he adjures his Timothy before God, 2 Tim. 4.1. and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing: For surely the Lord Jesus his judigng of the quick and dead( indefinitely spoken) must suppose a Resurrection of all the dead whom he judgeth; but here( saith the Chiliast, is onely in Christs next appearing, a Resurrection of the dead Saints, and a judging of none but the wicked which are found alive; for their raising out of their graves is reserved for the last and universal judgement; so as by that rule Christ should not at his appearing Judge both the Quick and the Dead: Answerable to this double Resurrection is the paradox of Christs threefold Ascension, into Heaven; Paradox. A threesold Ascension of Christ into heaven Pag. 23.24. for( saith this author) when Christ hath thus put his kingdom into form, he will withdraw from earth to heaven again; and leave the Government to the dead Saints raised up; They and all believers shall rule the world; And if these all shall govern, who are those that shall be governed? There are none left upon earth, but Saints raised to immortality, and Saints found alive, who are perfect believers: and some few slaves spared from death for servitude: See now what an honourable employment, and singular privilege and honour here is for Saints immortalised, and translated from death to life, to be the Governours of some sturdy, and rebellious vassals: In the mean time, Christ the glorious King of his Church, is returned back into heaven, and will govern the earth by his Deputies; what a mean conceit is this, which these men profess to have of the King of eternal glory? That he who hath said, Behold, I am with you always even until the end of the World, whose Majesty fills heaven, and earth, should come down to put on his kingdom here below, to be governed by certain Delegates, and then with-draw to his heaven; what is this but poorly to circumscribe the infinite Majesty of heaven within the terms of a finite administration? And now in this second Ascension we hear no news of the attendance of his retinue; He that brought down the souls of his Saints, to wait upon him in this descent, for the receiving of this inferior kingdom, shall leave them behind him with their old( but new-raised) partners to spend 1000 yeares upon earth; at the end whereof, he shall come down again, and fetch them up with him in his third Ascension to the highest heaven. What an high presumption is this in flesh and blood, to sand the Son of God the Lord Jesus, from heaven to earth, and from earth to heaven, upon an errand of their own making? when himself in his holy Scriptures never speaks but of a double ascent of Christ; the one( which is past) from Mount O livet( where the impressions of his sacred feet are stil said to be) forty dayes after his Resurrection; the other future, when after the general Judgement of the world, he shall carry up all his elect with him to his heavenly glory. A literal Interpreter is no other then a slave to his syllables; Paradox. The total roduction of the ten lost Tribes of Israel. binding himself up to a more sound of words, with neglect of the true sense intended; which is too well seen in this present subject; The subjects of this kingdom( if any may be such where all are either Princes or Slaves) are to be the Twelve Tribes of the Jews, and the Nations of the Gentiles; what if ten of those twelve tribes be lost? they shall be found again; and be made Saints, that they may become subjects; for else they should but be found out for a worse confusion; So then the cities of the Tribes shall be built again and inhabited by natural Israelites; especially Jerusalem, which shall be the most eminent city in the world, Pag. 26. or that ever was in the world; and at Jerusalem will Christ begin to show himself; and then by and from the Israelites shall glory descend to the Gentiles Thus runs the letter; Rom. 2. ult. But the best Interpreter St. Paul tells us of a Jew outwardly, and a Jew within; of circumcision in the flesh, and circumcision of the heart; Rom. 9.8. of circumcision in the spirit, and in the letter; of children of the flesh, and children of the promise, which distinction whosoever shal have duly digested, will easily find how wild a paradox it is to tie those frequent and large promises of the Prophets made to Juda, and Israel, Sion, and jerusalem, to a carnal li●terality of sense; and to make account of their accomplishment accordingly; which were never otherwise then spiritually meant; and thereupon to affirm( as this Author doth) that even those ten Tribes of Israel, which were 2340 years ago, so dispersed( as the dust with the wind) that no man could since their dissipation say of any one of them, This was an Israelite; neither have they now any known being in the world, that they should be suddenly fetched up again, out of the forlorn rubbish of paganism, and mahometism, wherein they are in many hundred generations irrecoverably long since, lost, and made the founders and citizens of a new and more glorious Jerusalem; credat Judaeus apella. It is true, that nothing is impossible to an omnipotent power; Had the Almighty said the words to their sense, no difficulty could hinder our assent. He can as easily raise Israelites out of Turks, Tartars, Indians, as out of their graves, but we know the sense of these prophetical promises and predictions, to be( as that Father said) in medulla, not, in superficie: In this just construction, there is no Jew but a Christian, and Jerusalem is built up, not in the soil of old Jebus, but in the hearts of believers. Shortly, that we may clearly evince the moral impossibility at least of this mis-conceit of the reduction, and flourishing estate of all the twelve Tribes wholly converted to Christ, their King, and the magnificent merchandizing of Jerusalem, the event is in stead of a thousand arguments. It is but the next year 1650 or at furthest 56; which this Author( comparing Daniel with John according to his own calculation) hath pitched for the performance of these great matters concerning the Jewish people; In which( saith he) the Israelites are to be delivered by being called to Christianity; both the Jews who are two Tribes, and the Israelites, which are ten Tribes, &c. And now where is the man that can tell us tidings but of a thrave of Jews newly converted, or of one ston laid in the new foundation of the new Jerusalem; So as the issue plainly tells our Millenarian Brethren they have mistaken their aim; and sends them to seek for a truer and more verifiable sense. Well may it pass for a further paradox, that the Paradox. The Saints in their glorious and immortal condition, meddling with their earthly affairs. that the dead Saints now raised to an immortal life, shall in those their spiritual bodies( so the Apostle calls them,) meddle with the outward administration of the affairs of the Church; and have continual conversation with mortal men: controlling their actions, and ordering their processes, according to their Secular occasions; We find that in the attendance of Christ's Resurrection, many of the dead Saints rose out of their graves, Matth. 27.52, 53. and went into the holy City, and appeared unto many: But that they ever offered to touch with any either Secular or Sacred business, wee never find; these ecclesiastical Services, how holy soever, are too mean for so glorious Agents: And if they shall manage them, how and in what fashion shall they govern? Shall they abate any thing of the privileges of their glory, and immortality? Shall they be always Visible? Shall they be clothed, or naked? since clothes are onely to hid shane, and to defend from the injuries of the air; and there can be no place for shane in an immortalised body, and amongst Saints, where there shall be no sin: And since their raised bodies are now impassable, and apt to the quick motions of spiritual substance, shall they confine themselves to these low places upon earth, and not lodge when they please in their former Paradise? As for those living Saints, who( if any at all) must be their subjects, Paradox. The living Saints, mortal, and yet sinless. in what an impossible condition doth he make them? they must be mortal, and yet sin-lesse: What man or angel can reconcile these two? They must still have original corruption in them; that cannot be denied; but it shall be so yoked, and restrained, that it shall get little or no ground of them: What a paradox is this? If little, if any at all, surely they are sinners; and sin where ever, Revel 21.27. what ever it be, defileth; now nothing that defileth or worketh abomination shall be there: None shall be in this kingdom but such as shall be saved, such as are elected; but is it the privilege of election to exempt from sin? I had thought the fruit of Gods gracious election had been the remission, not the freedom from the commission of sin: All here shal be Saints, no one( he saith) shall be an hypocrite; Oh happy kingdom, where there is no taint of hypocrisy! Pag. 27. But shall men have hearts then? and are not the hearts of men deceitful above all things? Though Satan be never so close chained up, yet the in-nate corruption of that deceitful heart, is able enough to breed store of hypocrisy: But what news is it that no person excommunicate shall be there? what place can there be possibly imagined for an excommunication in a kingdom( after a sort) heavenly; wherein there shall be no use of Sacraments; Pag. 17.& Pag. 29. no use of any other Ordinances? wherein all shal immediately feed from God in Christ; wherein Christ will hold them all up in fullness of Grace. Yea, when there shall therefore be no use of Pastors, Doctors, Elders, Deacons, Preaching, censures in this holy and glorious estate, what spiritual government is that, which the raised Saints shall exercise in the new Jerusalem? Neither shall the persons onely of the then-living Saints be freed from depravation by sin, but all their children in all the succeeding generations; none of them shall prove bad, none reprobate; all shall be called the seed of the blessed; what though they be begotten and conceived in sin? what though they propagate sin to the fruit of their loins? yet their issue shall not prove sinners; As much to say, as there shall be fire, but neither heat, nor smoke; There shall be a poisonous fountain, but it shall yield no unwholesome water. Neither can their be any danger of their languishing in grace, though they have neither word, nor sacraments; neither shall they have use of any different by the heavenly counsel, or examples those glorious and immortal Saints which they shall converse with,( which one would think should avail much to the continuation, and increase of their holiness) but they shall have an immediate fellowship Pag. 28. with God; 29. and shall be edified immediately from God in Christ; But what? shall there be any use of their prayers? Are not those a part of Gods Ordinances? and the fellowship( he saith) which they shall have with God is not by Ordinances, but by God, Pag. 29. and the Lamb; and what need they pray for that which they do undefeisibly enjoy? How ever; let it be scored up for none of the least paradoxes, that GODS Ordinances should be use-lesse unto Gods people any where out of heaven. That, under this Monarchy of Christ, Paradox The fullness of all temporal blessings of riches, honour, long life, under this monarchy of Christ. there shall be to the Saints for a thousand yeares all fullness of all temporal blessings, as peace, safety, riches, health, long life, and whatsoever else was enjoyed under any Monarchy, or can be had in the world or may make their lives comfortable savoureth too strong of a Jewish, or Mahumetane Paradise, as being extended in a fairer, and more modest expression, to those carnal pleasures, both of the bed, and the board, which have been dreamed of by those sensual Turks, and Talmudiges; It is true, that God hath been as exceeding rich in mercies, so no less large in promises of all blessings to the children of the kingdom, but those riches, and delights, are of another nature; purely spiritual, such as may be proper for the fruition of Saints: as for those outward favours, they are such, as the worst may have, and the best may want; such, as that a man may be happy without them, and he that enjoys them most miserable; Such as wise Solomon tells us, Eccles. 9.1. bewray neither the love nor hatred of the Almighty. And surely, if Gog and Magog did not find themselves enabled with strength, and health of body, with vigour of spirits, with outward wealth, and power, they would never offer, during the time of that kingdom, to rise up against the Saints, in an open war. Shortly, we know the kingdom of God doth not consist in meats, Ro. 14.17. and drinks, in houses and lands, in mines and metals, in flocks and herds, but in righteousness and peace, and joy in the holy ghost. The enjoyment of good things for a moment, is scarce to be reckoned amongst blessings, since the grief of their cessation doth more then counterpoise the contentment of their fruition; but here a long life shall make up the happiness of the rich, honourable, frolic patriots of this new kingdom; for not one of them shall die early, what? not though it be to be translated from mortality to eternal blessedness: It is an advantage to be held off long from heaven? But who told this man, that no one should die under an hundred yeares old? It is true; he finds in the letter of Isaiah; Isa. 65.20. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days, for the child shall die an hundred yeares old; but he might have found also in the next words preceding; Verse 19. In Jerusalem the voice of weeping shall be no more heard, nor the voice of crying: well then; the husband, or wife, or child must die at the last; and shall there be no tear shed for them? shall all the subjects be exempted from all afflictions whatsoever; and yet be obnoxious to death, the utmost of all terribles? And how doth that promise extend to a freedom from all outward violences, and inward sicknesses, grief and trouble, which are the means and harbingers of dissolution, and yet give way to that worst of evils, to which all these are but the gentle preparations? The truth then is; these are high allegorical expressions whereby it pleaseth the Spirit of God to set forth under bodily resemblances whether the prosperous and comfortable condition of the Evangelicall Church, or the happy estate of the glorified children of the Resurrection; which, who so shall construe literally, Isa. 65.25. shall in vain expect to see the wolf and the lamb to feed together, and the lion to eat straw like the bullock. May it not well pass for a further Paradox, Paradox That so many thousand of glorious and immortal Saints reigning, the wicked, slaves and Tributaries should be able to raise war against them. that whiles there are so many thousand Saints reigning upon earth, and endued with so much majesty and power to govern the World, the slaves and Underling-Tributaries should be suffered to grow up under them, to such an head, as to defy their Governours, and to bid battle to all those immortal Rulers; any one whereof were able to quell a world of weak sinners? Who can think that the malice of these men should so far exceed their wit, as that knowing by long and daily experience, that these raised and glorious Saints, under whose iron sceptre they lived, are immortal, and utterly impassable, they should yet hold it safe or possible to oppose them with any hope of success? And, if( to make the matter more credible) it shall be suggested( as it is by this Author) that they are drawn in by some deceitful trick of Satan; they could not but know the wisdom and knowledge of these glorious Saints to be such, as that they might much better then the Apostle say, We are not ignorant of his devices: So as if Gog and Magog shall hope either by wil●ss, or violence to prevail against invulnerable, spiritual, and half-glorified powers, they shall approve themselves, more mad then malicious; And to make this paradox perfect, how strange is the intimation, that this shall be taken for, the occasion of Christs coming the third time to his general judgement even the ruin of these assailants whom he will come from heaven to destroy; as if this witless and vain insurrection of Gog and Magog, could not be suddenly& powerfully crushed, by so over puissant opposites; as if the blowing upon all the Legions of earth and hell could not scatter them in an instant. 2 Kings 19 35. As if one of Gods mighty Angels who in one night destroyed an hundred four-score and five thousand Assyrians, could not as easily turn Gog and Magog into heaps or ashes; and yet the Son of God still keep his heaven? The third time then( he saith) Christ shall come down from heaven to earth, Paradox The day& judgement to hold a thousand years. for his final judgement of the world; the day whereof shall down immediately upon the expiration of the thousand years reign; Pag. 39. but may( for ought he knows) last another thousand years, as the former. The Scripture indeed( he confesses) sets not down the time, how long it shall last, but long certainly it must last: And why so very long? and what do we talk of years when the Angel before this, swore that Time should be no more? what a bold weakness is this, to measure the infinite God by ourselves? The necessity of the length of that time of judgement is evinced( he saith) by the great work to be accomplished in it; for therein Gods Mercy, Justice, Truth, Power, &c. is to be gloriously revealed before all mankind and devils; and the Truth of every Scripture cleared; and sinners silenced or convinced; And secondly, this is the time in which Christ Jesus is to triumph, and Lord it over all reasonable creatures and wherein every knee shall bow to him. As if the Almighty should be limited to do his acts by leisure; as if he that made the world in six days, and could have made it in an instant, cannot as well in that space of time judge it? Alas, what is time but a poor circumstance of finite mortality? not reaching up to the acts of the eternal? That Ancient of days may not have his workings confined to houres, days, moneths, yeares; and justly do wee say, that he who is of himself one most pure and simplo act, works in an instant; he can therefore gloriously reveal his Justice, Truth, Power, to men and Devils without any such leisurely respirations; and if in an instant he can raise all flesh from their graves, why should we question whether he cannot as soon judge them? As for the Trumph of the Lord Jesus over all his enemies, as it is partly accomplished already, when he ascended up on high, and lead captivity captive; so shall it be fully perfited in the act of his last Judgement, when his foes shal be made his foot-stool, without any such lingering forms of a protracted solemnity: For the performance whereof, it is supposed by this Author; and his contests in opinion: that, whereas the Lord Jesus in his first coming down from Heaven stayed not full 34 yeares upon earth: and in his second coming down continued his visible presence amongst men, but till he had settled his government here in the world, and then returned to his heaven; now upon his third descent to Judgement, shall for some thousand years remain visibly upon earth, out of the local heaven from whence he descended: A conceit that would have sounded very strangely in the ears of our un-inlightned fore-fathers: Who were ever wont to conceive that this great business of the last judgement, being managed by the infinite wisdom and power of the Son of God, should be of a speedy dispatch; and that their returning Saviour should come to fetch up the bodies and souls of his elect to the instant fruition of their glory in Heaven, not to call them to a thousand-yeares attendance on his visible presence here on earth; and if they found the Thrones set, and the Books opened, and all the process out of Records, they were wont to construe these expressions as such, wherein the Spirit of God meant to condescend to our weakness, setting forth his own incomprehensible acts, by the forms of our human judicatures which must necessary both take up time, and require open evidences, and convictions; whereof there is no more use when we speak of an infinite God, then of Parchments, Scribes, Registries. Well then, towards the end of the second thousand yeares the Judgement is ended, Paradox A new determination of a double hell, and the place thereof. the final sentence passed both of life and death, the elect are carried up to their bliss, the wicked sent to their place; both settled in their eternity; But here, I confess, I stand amazed at the confident and peremptory assertion of this Author, and other favourers of his opinion, concerning the place of the present, and future hel. doubtless, the departed souls of wicked, and unrepentant sinners, are not in custody onely, but in torture, as being both separated eternally from the face of that God, in whose presence is the fullness of joy, and seized upon immediately by the dreadful executioners of divine vengeance; although not in that full exquisiteness of torment, which awaits for them in that great Day; when their bodies, which were partners with them in their crimes, must also partake of their everlasting punishments. Tophet we know is prepared of old; and there is a peculiar place of unconceivable horror for the devil and his Angels, and vassals; but where this place is, I have not so much warrant as to inquire, much less to determine: I must therefore wonder whence these men receive their light; Certainly( that which was denied to the damned glutton in the gospel) no man hath been sent thence to them, to inform them of these infernal regions of darkness; and I am sure God hath no where revealed this to them, in his holy Scripture: as not daring therefore, so much as to scan this point, much less to unlock so deep a secret, I lay my hand upon my mouth in silence, and dread; referring it to the glorious Angel that hath the keys of the bottomless pit, and leaving these bold and curious Dogmatists to their own concits. But though I may well fear I have over-wearied my Reader with the enumeration of those ill-sounding Paradoxes, Strange& improbable consequents that follow upon this opinion,& discourse. which have not incidently fallen from the pens, but have been studiously maintained by the hands and tongues of the abettors of this Millenarie reign; yet I must crave leave to put his patience to a further task, in viewing some of those incommodious, mis-becomming, and improbable Consequents, which will necessary follow upon that opinion. I find in a published Letter from Dr. Twisse of Oxford, to Mr. meed of Cambridge, that this subject was privately much agitated betwixt those two learned Divines; and that the Doctor had furnished twelve complete arguments against this Tenet; which if they could have come to my hands, might both have given me light, and perhaps have saved my labour; In the want of them, I shall insist upon some of those harsh inferences, which offer themselves to my thoughts. Let the first be, That in the Lords Prayer, we pray for this monarchy. Archer, p 10. that in the Lords Prayer, we are taught to pray, Thy kingdom come; therefore we do therein pray for the accomplishing of this monarchical and personal reign of Christ with his Saints on earth; when as, both such a kingdom was never acknowledged nor believed, by the universal Church of Christ from that day till this hour; and it is clear, that it was Christ himself, who taught the Disciples herein to pray to his Father for the accomplishing of his Fathers kingdom, which is merely spiritual not for his own personal, and visible as mediator. Secondly, That Christ in his second coming to judge the earth should leave many wicked men alive. how strangely doth it handge together, that the Son of God in his second coming with much terror for a general judging of all the ungodly in the world, shall yet leave many wicked men alive to breed enemies to his Saints; to be slaves and tributaries to them in their new kingdom. For, as for those Saints that are raised up from the dead to an immortal estate, they can have no use of such drudges; and for the Saints living; either they shall know the wicked courses of those surviving Vassals, or they shall not know them; If they know them not, they shall be defective in their care, and oversight, If they do know them, they shall be afflicted with the sight of their wickedness, according to the profession of the Psalmist, Mine eyes gush out rivers of waters because men keep not thy Law: and if so, they are not in that happy estate freed from sorrow, which is strongly pretended; For in these times there shall be no sorrow or weeeping. Rev. 21.4. Thirdly, there had need to be a firm ground whereon to build a belief of so unlikely a Truth, Conseq. That Christ who hath all power should descend from heaven to deputy new Governors, &c. that the Son of God, who, a little before his Ascension, could say, All power is given to me both in heaven and in earth; and who, ever since, rules the Church by the Vicariate of his spirit, as Tertul. expresses it, according to that order of Government, which he hath appointed; should now, the second time come personally down from heaven to deputy new Governours in this his Monarchy, and having settled the administration in their hands should again take his leave of the earth: Further, If those of the ungodly which will not stoop to the sceptre of Christ shall be the subjects of his destruction, Pag. 13. who can imagine that when he shall come in such heavenly glory, and majesty, and in such astonishing terror, there can be any person upon earth that will not readily crouch unto him, and offer to lick the dust under his feet. Moreover, if Christ shall come down and after deputation of Governours ascend again into heaven, how can it be stood upon that this reign of his, is personal for 1000 years upon earth? since personal presence and deputation cannot stand together; There may be a virtual presence of the Prince in delegation of power to others, but a personal there there cannot be. Fourthly, if this new kingdom must consist of raised Saints, Conseq. The strange composition of this imagined government. and men-living; what a strange composition shall here be of a government? what an unimaginable commixture of subjects? what a contemperature of heaven and earth? the bodies raised are spiritual, the living bodies fleshly; the raised Saints immortal, the Saints living, mortal; and at an hundred yeares dying: what kind of commerce shall here be? how unequal, how unsuitable? how can it be other then a disparagement to creatures immortal, and glorious to be matched with flesh and blood? how can it be but too much honour for mortal, and earthly creatures ordinarily to consort with the blessed Denizens of Paradise? Fiftly; Conseq. All Saints, yet saith hardly to be found on earth. If all Saints that ever were before Christs second coming shall be raised; and the wicked destroyed; and the Saints then found living continued in the world, how shall that be verified which was spoken by him who is the Truth; when the son of man cometh shall he find faith upon earth? sixthly, Conseq. If the Apostles shall sway this monarchy, how doth it agree to our Saviours words, It shall not be so with you. If all Saints from the first man Adam to the last that expired before Christs coming, and all the believers then living shall be Rulers, and Princes, who shall obey? And if amongst the raised Saints, the Apostles shall( in their sense) sit upon twelve thrones, and as in a monarchical state on earth judge the twelve tribes of Israel, how is that verified, which our Saviour said to them, Pag. 8. It shall not be so with you. Seventhly, Conseq. Adisadvantage to the souls of the Saints in heaven to be fetched down to the earth. what an apparent dis-advantage should this be to the blessed souls of the Saints departed, to be fetched down from heaven, where they are in perfect bliss, to spend a thousand years upon earth, ere the consummation of their glory; to change the company of Angels, for men; heaven for earth; To which main and choking objection there is wont to be offered a double solution. First, when those departed souls in the highest heaven, Pag. 22. yet it becomes them, as the Angels do, to come down to serve the Saints, and with Lazarus his spirit, to return to their bodies again at the commandement of Christ. True; all creatures owe their due obedience to their Maker and Redeemer; and the more holy they are, the more ready still they are to pay this tribute of their humble obsequiousness to the will of their God, which is the supreme law, without all pleas of their own inconveniences: But in this case, where shall we find any such command? where the least signification of the Divine pleasure? Surely should he bid any of them glide down to the dreadful regions of hell itself, he would not stick at the condition; But as soon shall they find the Almighties charge for the one, as for the other. Secondly, Pag. 23. they say, it is likely the souls of the dead Saints are not in the highest heaven, but in a middle place better then this world, but inferior to the Imperial heaven: which is meant in the new Testament by Paradise: wherein certainly, Mr. Archer hath shot strangely wide, both for the name and the place: Here can be no thought of the original paradise, as Epiphanius weakly imagined, which doubtless, was long since defaced by the deluge, that the celestial paradise then, should either be called, or be a lower place then the highest heaven, is no other then a gross mesprisone I appeal to the blessed Apostle, 2 Cor. 12.2 who was rapt up thither, who tells us that the man he knew, Verse 4. was caught up to the third heaven; and strait, as describing paradise, for some more eminent part in that highest Heaven, he adds, that, he, the same man was caught into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words; where, that we shall not need to imagine a double rapture of St. Paul, as some of the Fathers, out of this place have done, it seems clear, that, contrary to this Authors assertion, the Paradise of the new Testament is the highest and most glorious place of the Empyreal heaven: which must certainly be hence evinced, unless we will grant either two several raptures of the Apostle, or an unnecessary and tautologicall repetition of one: for having first said, I know such a one caught into the third heaven; he subjoins, And I knew such a man( whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth) how that he was caught into Paradise and heard unspeakable words: so as his taking up into Paradise must needs be a further advance of that his ecstatical rapture; the first rise whereof was no lower then the third heaven: Add to this, that when our Saviour said to the dying convert on the cross, This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise, he could intend no less, then a place of heavenly glory; The Thief speaks of a kingdom; our Saviour, of a Paradise; the kingdom that was spoken of, was the Paradise which was promised. To this purpose is that, Greg. Observat. Iraen. advers. Haeres. l. 5. c. 5. which our learned Gregory observes out of Irenaeus; who describes the receipt of just and perfect men, to be a certain Paradise in the Eastern part of the third heaven; professing to receive that Tradition from the Disciples of the Apostles: so as this Paradise( according to the best Interpreters) is coeli pars nobilior& eminention, a more noble and eminent part of heaven; and if there may be any damage then, or dis-advantage in the change of a place of more excellence, for a meaner; in the change of the company of blessed Angels for the society of mortall-men, surely it lies strongly against this opinion, which fetcheth the Saints down from the fruition of an heavenly glory, to the government of the earth: But who told this Author that the Souls of the departed Saints are onely( {αβγδ}) as some ancients have expressed it? in some outer porch belonging to the Court of heaven, and not in the inner rooms of those glorious mansious? In a place wherein they have full joy, and perfect happiness, yet not where Christs body is: and that in this place they are kept till this Kingdom of Christ come? John 17.24 we are sure we hear our Saviour say, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me, where I am, that they may behold the glory which thou hast given me: and in his last sacramental Banquet with his Disciples, we hear him say; I will drink no more of this fruit of the Vine till I drink it new with you in my Fathers kingdom; we are sure we hear the chosen vessel who had viewed those heavenly palaces, say; 2 Cor. 5.1. We know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; Lo, in the heavens, not beneath them: and that immediately upon the dissolution of this earthly Tabernacle, not three thousand yeares after it; and more then so long it must be, by their rule, ere the Apostles can be admitted into heaven; A thousand six hundred years are already passed; and yet the thousand years reign is not begun; a thousand yeares after that must pass, ere the end of the last judgement, which shall enter them into the possession of their heaven. But a full confutation of any incident passages is no part of my intention: otherwise, I should willingly fall upon the discussion of those Scriptures, which are strained to the defence of that assertion; whereof yet there would be the less need, for that the Argument holds strongly enough even upon their own concessions, for if that Paradise which they imagine to themselves be( though not the third heaven) yet a place of perfect joy and happiness certainly, the exchange of it, during those thousands of years, for so base and dungeon-like an habitation in this lower world, must needs be greatly disadvantageous. But if not in the highest heaven, where will he think to place his Paradise? Surely, saith this Author, in the element of fire; A strange soil, wherein to plant a blisse-full Paradise! But what if there be no element of fire? such Tenets surely the Schools afforded our younger days; some Patricius would tell him, that if there be an excess of heat in those upper Regions under the concave of the Moon, yet it is neither fire, nor elemental. But if upon some new Principles he shal make the substance of the starry heaven( which we had wont to call quintessentiall) to be the element of fire, I shall choose rather to wonder at that strange Philosophy, then to wrangle about it; wishing that it were no more unsafe to broach our own singular imaginations in these points of Divinity, then in these harmless speculations of Nature. However it be; whether either of them may be the receptacle of the departed souls of the faithful, till Christs next coming, it is too much curiosity, to inquire, and no less presumption to determine; sure we are, and it is agreed on all hands, Wisd. of Sol. ch. 3.3. that immediately upon their freeing from this clog of earth, they are in peace and unspeakable happiness, whether in a local or virtual Heaven: neither need we doubt to say, that the full compliment of their glory, shall be in that great Day, when their old consorts their bodies shall be joined with them in the partnership of their consummate blessedness. Eightly; Conseq. Children of the Saints conceived and born in sin; yet still Saints. how ill is it contrived to match such contrarieties in the same subject: The Children of the Saints, who are the free subjects of this kingdom shall be begotten in sin, conceived and born in sin, and yet be true Saints, as if onely gross actual sins, from which they shal be restrained, were inconsistent with holinesse; Job 14.4. who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, saith Job. If then they be pretended to be true Saints, why are they not cleared from all sin whatsoever; unless we will bring in the justly-exploded distinction of sins venial and mortal, sins besides, not against the law, and shall free concupiscence from the taint of sin; and so shall in the new kingdom find out sinning Saints, or holy sinners. And how insufficiently is it pleaded, that there can be no hypocrites in this kingdom, for that it being administered by the raised Saints, they cannot possibly pass undiscerned by so piercing eyes; as if those sharp eyes of the raised Saints could penetrate the bosoms of men, and look into the heart, which the Maker of it hath locked up for his own onely search, and intuition. Ninthly; Conseq. No use of Ordinances, yet Prayers heard. it suits not over-well that the subjects of this kingdom shall not converse with God by Ordinances, and yet that they shall have a full and perfect answer from God, to all their prayers; Pag. 29. since it cannot be denied that Prayer is none of the meanest Ordinances of the Almighty. Tenthly; Conseq. Heaven dispeopled of all the ancient glorious inhabitants for 2000 years. upon this first Resurrection of all Saints at the next coming of Christ, how hard and harsh a Consequent must it needs seem, that heaven or( as he will have it) Paradise, shall be for two thousand years at the least, dis-peopled of all their ancient and glorious inhabitants, the souls of Gods Saints, which have departed from the beginning of the world to the very instant of our Saviours return: all which are for that time housed again with their raised bodies upon earth; and there continued upon the employment of their Kingly administration. Eleventhly, how incongruous doth it justly seem that the souls of Gods Saints after their first dissolution should be in so various, different and unequal condition, as that some of them should be ruling on earth, clothed with their bodies, whiles others which departed after Christs coming down, should( as new guests) be triumphing in Heaven? Twelvethly, how can it accord with that which the Apostle hath taught us concerning the last coming of Christ to judgement; 1 Thess. 4.14. Them also which sleep in Jesus, will the Lord bring with him; if the Saints shall be found all on the earth before him; as being raised by him at his second coming, to reign here below till his return to the final judgement of the world? These and many more absurd inferences may be brought, as necessary following upon the doctrine of this first Resurrection, and reign of all Saints; if I did not fear to cloy my Reader, with distasteful superfluities. But, I may meet with some of our Millenarian Brethren, The opinion of the first Resurrection of onely Martyrs confuted. who disclaiming this more common opinion of the raising& reigning of all the Saints, will choose rather to adhere to the conceit of Alstedius& his complices, who appropriate this privilege of the first Resurrection, and thousand years-raign to Martyrs onely; as the first-fruits unto God, as purchased by a particular prerogative, from among men. For which purpose, they think fit to interpret that, 1 Thess. 4. {αβγδ} propter quam. those that sleep in Jesus; by a strained construction of the Preposition: those that sleep for the sake of Jesus; wherein certainly they are not well advised; and will find themselves strongly confuted, out of the very scope, and context of the place; It was the Apostles drift there, to comfort his Thessalonians, and to mitigate their extreme sorrow for the death of those, which were dear unto them; whose decease he terms a sleep: can they think they grieved for the parting onely from their martyred friends? or did none but they sleep? the word is first general, and absolute, ere it be restrained by any preposition; and, in the sequel, those which are asleep are contradistinguished to those that are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, so as all the faithful which died before, are those that are asleep in Jesus; Neither can their interpretation find any relief from Rev. 14.13. Blessed are those dead which die in the Lord, &c. that is, as they take it, for the Lord; The next words refel it; For they rest from their labours, and their works follow them; Do none but Martyrs find rest from their labours in death? do none else find the happy reward of their works? And well may their opposers say; Revel. 4.4. We find not the four& twenty Elders, which sate clothed with white raiment, and with crowns of Gold on their heads, to have been Martyrs; and yet we hear them say, Revel. 5.10 Thou hast made us unto our God, Kings and Priests, and we shall reign upon earth. Indeed, if there shall be any reign of the Saints one earth at all for those thousand years, Alstedius is sure too strait-laced to restrain this honour to Martyrs onely: How many thousands of Saints have their been that have been no less holy, and won no less honour to God in their stations, then those which have bled for him? What shall we say to Abraham the Father of the faithful, to him that wrestled with God and prevailed? to the rest of the holy Patriarks? to Moses the man of God that conversed so familiarly with the Almighty: So Elias that was rapt up to heaven, and to all the other holy Prophets? to the blessed Apostles, to the laborious Planters of the Evangelicall Churches amongst Pagans? to those painful Preachers of the gospel which have willingly wasted themselves to give light unto others? shall we suppose that they shal lye stil in the dust, whiles one sudddain stroke of an Axe shall advance those other to the prevented resurrection, and reign of a thousand years. Besides, if he will needs be literal, how much lower must the restriction yet fall? I saw( saith St. John) the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God; and which had not worshipped the beast, nor his image neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ 1000 years. For how many thousands have suffered martyrdom for good causes before the beast was bread, or his image or his marks heard of; or before Christ came in the flesh: such was the righteous Abel, the Proto-martyr of the world; such were the four score and five persons that wore a linen Ephod, murdered by the command of Saul; 1 Sam. 22.18. such was Zechariah the son of Jehoiada, slain by the command of Joash. 2 Chro. 14.21. Such were those many thousands of Gods people that were massacred under the Tyranny of Antiochus; Neither doubt I to say that whosoever he be, that suffers for the testimony of a good conscience, because he dares not violate any one of the moral laws of God, is as true a Martyr, as he that dies for the maintenance of any of the twelve Articles of his Creed. Besides, Socrat. hist. Eccles. 1.4. c. 27. our Histories tel us of some very Arrians, and other heretics, that have yet given their lives up to Heathen Persecutors, for the name of Christ: Shall wee say that those men shall shall receive more privilege from God then the most orthodox Confessors which kept their souls within their teeth: yet suffered grievously, and lived and died more holily? Shortly then, if we shall count this preventive Resurrection a special blessing of God, it must needs be an injurious partiality in those, who shall make such a difference of Saints, as that the more holy shall in the retribution of the Just God, carry away the lesser reward, and the less holy shal for one act of an instantany suffering, be crwoned with so great and long-lasting glory; before them. Howsoever it be taken; Surely, that so much-urged text of 1 Thess. 4. favoureth neither of them; for when the Apostle saith, Those that sleep, in, or, for Christ, shall rise first, he speaks of one and the same Resurrection, not of two Resurrections, a thousand years asunder: neither is there any clause in the whole book of God, that doth so much as seem to countenance( no not to intimate) this double Resurrection in the sense pretended, or this reign of either Martyrs, or other Saints upon earth. Which in a verity of such importance, is without all example, for all the holy doctrines of divine scripture do( as that Father said aright) {αβγδ}, contruth with each other; making good both themselves, and their fellowes; whereas this, not onely( if it could be true) stands alone; but, hath many sore brushes of contradiction both of text, and reason, to discard it from our belief. As for that evasion of Alstedius, Alstedius his evasion concerning this single expression of the Millenary reign answered. that the single expression of this supposed truth, is no more derogation from the undoubted certainly of it, then that of the seventy Weeks of Daniel; which though but once mentioned in Scripture, yet is, and ever hath been received as a most sure comfortable and undeniable verity; it cannot serve his turn in the case we have in hand; There is no less difference in the comparison, then in the time; The one a thing past, and punctually fulfilled, the other, in very pretence, future: The one clearly laid forth without any ambiguity in the relation( save onely that weeks of years, not of days are plainly signified) the other full of doubtful construction; As well might he have instanced in many hundred passages of Scripture, especially in matter of history, wherein the holy Ghosts contents himself with single, and but light touches of report, and yet challenging no less belief then upon a thousand reduplications; Far be it from him to entertain so uncharitable thoughts of us, as if we durst not trust God on his word, though but once spoken; we know him to be Amen; and that repetitions add nothing to plain Truths; but all the question is here, not of words, but of sense; not of what is said, but of what is meant; so as we have reason to expect and require, that when a strange doctrine is raised out of the construction of a doubtful text, it should be shewed to be seconded by the accordant testimony of other Scriptures; which upon this matter lying now before us, can never be effected. We are now fallen upon the last part of our task, No necessity from the text of admitting this strange Tenet of the reign contended for. which is to show, that we are not by any necessity of this text, cast upon the admission of these strange Tenets, of a double resurrection of the body; and of such a reign of the Saints upon earth, as is pretended: since the words may well bear other more commodious and safe constructions, wherein our sober predecessors contented themselves to rest: for the terms here used, are( if we observe them) of much latitude. He saith, I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, &c. and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years, This is the first Resurrection. 1 We know the souls are sometimes taken for the spirit that animates us; sometimes for the whole person; so the Proto-martyr tells us. Acts 7.14. Jacob brought down into Egypt threescore& fifteensouls. 2 That were beheaded; though in a Grammer-sense it signifies the time past, yet commonly in a prophetical sense it signifies the future; it being the ordinary phrase of the Prophets, by reason of the infallible certainty of the events, to speak of things to come, as already past; the instances are obvious, and infinite. 3 The living reigning with Christ is, either in this life, or in heaven; present, or future, In grace, or in glory; In way of government, or of a blessed fruition. 4 The thousand years, either punctually determinate, or indefinite. 5 The first Resurrection, either of the soul, or body; either the Resurrection of the soul from sin, and a dead state of unregeneration; or the Resurrection of the body from the grave; and in the former construction, A Resurrection either of a reformed Community, or of particular persons; All these then well put together, cannot but afford us our choice of orthodox, and probable interpretations, without any violence offered to the sense; Amongst the rest I shall pitch upon these two, as the most clear, and free from all just exception. The former, relating to the condition of Gods faithful servants here on earth, The safe& allowed construction of the Text insisted on. after those bloody and general persecutions: thus; I saw upon the restraint of Satan from that furious and universal violence, which by the hands of those cruel Emperours, he had exercised against the Church of Christ, such honour put upon his faithful and constant Confessors, during the time of Satans shutting up, as that the power was committed unto them of managing the affairs of Gods Church, and executing due censures upon the offenders; And I saw those godly persons, which in true Zeal of Gods glory either had suffered, or were ready to suffer and lay down their lives for the testimony of Jesus Christ, and those which constionably refrained from, and abhorred the errors and Idolatries of the times, those I saw to enjoy a comfortable life and spiritual reign with Christ, in a sanctified and gracious estate here on earth; all the time of the thousand years of Satans restraint: But for the rest, which lay spiritually dead in their sins, and impious courses, they did not, either in that space, or afterwards; at all, attain to this life of grace, and to the true knowledge and fruition of God: Now this abandoning of the sinful corruptions of the times, and attaining to the true knowledge, and love of the saving Truth of God, and a conscionable obedience thereunto, is the first Resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in this spiritual resurrection; for on such a one the second death, which is an eternal separation of the soul from the presence of God shall have no power, &c. The other, relating to the happy estate of the souls glorified in heaven, to this sense. I saw the souls of the blessed Martyrs after they were by a violent death, for bearing witness to the name of Christ, freed from the calamities of this wretched life, received up to glory; and reigning in heaven with their glorious Redeemer in everlasting happiness; even during those thousands of yeares, wherein Satan was in his setters, and after that, to all eternity. If either of these constructions may fitly explicate the Text, and fully svit withal other Scriptures, to what purpose should we ransack the grave, and rak in the ashes of an odious Cerinthus, or an exploded Papias, for the long-since condemned conceits of old; and hitherto forgotten Millenarisme? I might easily, if it would requited the cost of time, lay before my Reader the just exception that may be taken against divers of those other expositions, and the opinions thereon grounded, which I formerly specified, but I do willingly forbear them, as more worthy of silence and neglect. I had rather spend my time and breath in exhorting all good Christians to keep close to their old Tenets; and to beware of all either new-devised, or re-divived errors of opinion: whereof this last age of ours is deplorably fruitful. Amongst the rest, An exhortation to stick fast to the old Principles. let me beseech them to stick fast to their received principles in these four points which are incident to the matter that lies before us. And first not to believe any Kingdom of Christ but spiritual and heavenly. First, that they fix not their belief upon any kingdom of Christ our Saviour, but spiritual and heavenly: I am sure no other can be enforced upon them by the text; for it is not said, Christ shall reign with them on earth, but they shal reign with Christ; rather intimating, that they should be fetch up to him, then that he should come down to them; and besides this reign is attributed to the souls not to the bodies of the martyred Saints; If it be urged that this reign of theirs is upon a Resurrection from the dead, it is as easily return'd, that the resurrection intimated is no less spiritual then the soul which it concerns; Awake, thou that sleepest, Ephes. 5.14. and stand up from the dead, and Christ shal give thee light, saith the Spirit of God: Lo, that sleep is death, and both that dead sleep and the awaking out of it is purely spiritual. Neither indeed is this personal, and visibly monarchical reign of Christ other then disagreeable to the heavenly condition of the Son of God, in the fullness of his glorification; which certainly, if ever he would have exercised, it should have been when he was here like unto us, a man amongst men; that so he might have ruled over subjects suitable to himself; but now that his human body is in a celestial and glorious estate, and his blessed deity shining forth in the full beams of resplendent Majesty, which mortal eyes are not capable to behold, to bring him down from the highest heaven to take the personal government of men, subject both to sin and death,( as Alstedius yields them) seems to be extremely incongruous: And if we would imagine a visible and personal monarchy, here must be all things correspondent thereunto, the place, the form, the attendants, the officers, the laws, the processes, the rewards and punishments in an outward bodily,& little-other-then-secular way: all which how probably it may sound to Christian ears, I leave to the Judicious Reader to judge. Had our blessed Saviour, whiles he was here on earth, or his inspired Apostles after him, given us the least hint of this his future monarchy, we should humbly have prostrated our souls to the belief and expectation of it; but if men will be raising such Doctrines out of their private constructions of an enigmatical text, capable of a more safe and received sense, we must crave pardon to with-hold our assent, and to leave them to their own imaginations. Secondly, that they do not out of this conceit of a personal and visible Kingdom of Christ, Secondly, Not to think of any absolute freedom from sin, or affliction here below. flatter themselves into an opinion of an absolute freedom from either sin, or bodily affliction here in this earthly life; since both these are, and ever will be the unavoidable companions of frail humanity; and the miserable symptoms of our fleshly nature. It is a true word of Eliphaz the Temainte: Job 15 14. What is man that he should be clean; and he that is born of a woman that he should be righteous? Certainly, we must cease to be men, when we begin to be sinless; Sin though it be not of the essence of our nature, as some have erroneously thought, yet it is a proper, and inseparable adjunct thereof: which we cannot hope to be quit of, by the most perfect regeneration; And as for affliction, he hath told us, that cannot deceive us, Job 16.33. even Truth itself, In the world ye shall have tribulation; and his blessed Apostles to the same purpose; That through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heaven; And, Act. 14.22. if Alstedius shall hope to avoid the blow by shifting his foot, and referring the words to the present condition of the persecuted Disciples; which yet should afterwards be interchanged with vicissitudes of calm, and peaceable times; he might well have considered, that this life of ours is necessary obnoxious to many other afflictions, beside violent persecutions; and might have paralleled that sentence with the experimental observation of the great pattern of patience: Man that is born of a woman is of few dayes, Job 14.1. and full of trouble. Neither indeed can this conceit of theirs stand with that old, and never-contradicted distinction of the Church Militant and Triumphant; for if this Church of Christ upon earth shall after the next return of him, be freed both from Satan( who is now chained up) and from all whatsoever afflictions, with what warfare shall we say it is exercised for the space of a whole 1000 years? what adversary can it meet with for confliction? And, if Alstedius shall tell us, that in this mean while the living Saints( though not the raised) are still combated inwardly in their breasts with their rebelling corruptions; we sand Mr. Archer to enter the lists with him; who offers to make good upon him that those very Saints, whom our returning Saviour shall find alive, are both in themselves, and in their children in all succeeding generations freed from all the power of sin: so as though they have an original corruption still within them, yet it shal never break forth to the prejudice of their souls. So as by this rule, there should be no Church in the world till towards the end of that thousand years but Triumphant: which surely a man had need of a strong faith to believe. Thirdly, Thirdly, To expect no other coming of Christ, but that one to his final judgement. that they do not entertain the thought, or expectation of any other future coming of their Saviour, but that one onely of his return to the final judgement of the World: Surely, the blessed Apostle knew of no other, when he charged Timothy before God, and the Lord Jesus, 2 Tim. 4.1. who shall judge the quick and dead at his appearance, to preach the word; when he prayed for his Thessalonians, that God would stablish their hearts unblameable in holinesse, 1 Thess. 3. ●3. at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all his Saints: Lo, if there should be imagined a third coming of Christ, we cannot say that he comes with all his Saints, since the greatest part of them, according to this Tenet, are already upon earth before him; and do rather stay for him below then come from above with him. And, indeed, wherefore should it be imagined, that the Lord Jesus should make this middle descent from heaven to earth? Great actions must have answerable motives, what necessity, or use can they frame to themselves of this wonderful appearance; Is it to receive his kingdom? He hath it already; Host. 2.8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet, saith the Apostle: Already hath God highly exalted him, Philip. 2.9. and given him a name which is above all names, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth,& things under the earth; Is it to settle the government of that his better reformed Church? Eph. 4.10. It is done already: He that descended, is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, 11. that he might fill all things; And he gave some to be Apostles some Prophets, some Evangelists, and some Pastors and Teachers; 12. To what purpose? For the perfecting of the Saints, &c. for the edifying of the body of Christ. And how long? Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, Verse 13. unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Is it to subdue and destroy his enemies? Hath he not infinite power in his hand to effect that without a bodily descent? when he destroyed the first world of wicked men, did he descend from heaven to do it? So then we may with all Christian assurance, rest upon the word of his holy Apostle Peter, That the heavens must receive him, until the time of the restitution of all things; Act. 3.21. which is, that of the general Resurrection, as we may well see by comparing of St. Peter with St. Paul. Rom. 8.20, 21. termed by our Saviour, the day of our redemption: Till when,( which cannot be long) we have no ground to expect our Saviours return. Fourthly; Not to put the day of the last judgement far from us, nor yet punctually to determine the time of it. that we do neither out of a credulous security put the day of the last judgement far off from us, nor out of a mis-grounded presumption pass our punctual predeterminations of it. In both which extremes these last times have been too fault-worthy: The time was when the Apostle was fain to beat off his Thessalonians from the expectation of the then-instant appearing of Christ to judgement; now, we have more need, after sixteen hundred years continuance to persuade our people of the approach of this great day: They did then believe that Christ was at the door, now we are hardly induced to believe that he is upon the way to that dreadful Judicature. Surely, This operation hath this Millenary doctrine had upon the hearts of men, that though they are thereupon apt to expect an appropinquation of their Saviour for their happy advantage, yet they resolutely put off the thought of his coming to the general judgement of the world, for many generations. A man hath a good estate in his Ferme for almost an hundred years; another, that is about to purchase the inheritance in reversion, after so long a term, is told it were better to spare that cost, since in all likelihood the world would ere then be at end; he answers, Tush, no, the thousand years are not yet entred, wherein the Saints shall reign upon earth before that day: In which yet this opinionist can be no other then grossly contravene; For, is he a Saint, or is he none? If none, even the next coming of Christ destroys him, and mars his purchase; If a Saint, though he make no purchase now, he shall then( according to their doctrine) live in all fullness of riches, and earthly contentment. But, what if that thousand years reign be to be accomplished in heaven, not in earth, as some construe it? or, if on earth, what if it be already accomplished, as others; where is then the confidence of this delay? Certainly, notwithstanding this unhappily-raised suggestion, nothing appears, why we should not make full account that the world is near to it's last period; and that our Lord Jesus is at hand for his final judgement. For if in the time of the blessed Apostles, it was justly computed to be the last hour, needs must it now be drawing towards the last minute: Neither have we any reason to say with the evil servant in the Gospel, The Lord defers his coming. It may be a question whether it be more out of boldness to maintain that delatory assertion of the last judgement, which hath passed the pens of Alphonsus, Conradus, Cotterius, and others, or the confident and punctual assignation of the time of those universal Sessions, determined by Alstedius, Archer, and others of that way: who can but be startled at those lines of Mr. Archer? Now( saith he) having found out when Christs kingdom, personal reign. p. 50 or the thousand years shall begin, it is easy to guess when the time of the last and general judgement, and the worlds end shall be. Thus he. Truly the evidence is much alike of both: For when shall that 1000 years reign begin? About the year of our Lord, 1700. saith he, following the steps of Alstedius, who upon the same ground casts it upon the year. 1694. and both of them ground the Epochaes of their Calculation, upon that fore-mentioned place of Dan. 12.11. Dan. 12.11 From the time that the daily sacrifice shal be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety dayes. Blessed is he that waiteth, Verse 12. and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty dayes: Where the days( as I formerly intimated) are taken to stand for yeares; and withall it is supposed that the 1335 years are in order of time to take their original after the expiration of the 1290 years; and both of them to take their rise from the termination of the seventy Weeks; viz. anno C'. 69. All which put together make up the number of 2694, which is the utmost period of the thousand yeares reign of the Saints; from which therefore if we deduce the said thousand, there must remain 1694. The initium Regni of the Lord of glory here upon earth; But if either the taking away of the daily sacrifice and the desolatory abomination be not understood in that place of the act and army of the Romans: Or the days there mentioned be not intended to stand for so many years: as being onely to signify the short time of Antiochus his cruel persecution; Or lastly, if those two several numbers were not meant to be successive one to the other, in the whole eomputation of them( which learned Calviu plainly censures for a vain and groundless conceit) all this aim and labour is lost, and we are yet to seek where to pitch the account either for beginning or termination. Shortly, what heed is to be given to this reckoning appears in that first parcel of it which concerns the total conversion of the Jews: which Mr. Archer with the like confidence places upon 1650, now entred upon by our almanacs, or at the furthest 1656. Wherein we see his Prognostication fails him; and his prediction is sufficiently checked by the event; No otherwise then Mr. Brightmans; by whose account, the Turkish Tyranny should have lasted but seven yeares after he wrote his Revelation; where as now near forty yeares are since passed, and that Empire holds up still in too much vigour, without any appearance of diminution. What should I need to show how others both of our countrymen and foreigners, who thought themselves wiser then their fellows, have been shamefully baffled in their fore-determining of the last day of the world, which themselves have been suffered to overlive. It will well become modest Christians to rest in revealed Truths, and to leave the unlocking of the secret Cabinets of the Almighty, to the onely key of his Divine wisdom, and Omniscience; as remembering the words of our Saviour: Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels of heaven. Let it be our care to be ever in a perpetual posture of readiness for that awful and glorious coming of our Lord, and Saviour, whensoever it shall be; and to see that our accounts be set right for that great Audit; so shall we meet our returning Master with a comfortable and happy assurance, and hear from him that blessed Euge, well done, good and faithful Servant; Enter into thy Masters joy. FINIS. ERRATA. Pag. line For red 4 18 Joannes James 51 11 Joannes James 32 8 To matter To make the matter 10 9 usual usually 41 3 Two too 43 10 By of 69 Mar. 〈◇〉 〈◇〉 62 21 doubtless but doubtless it shall 140 3 Talmudiges Talmudiques 142 12 It is Is it 167 11 Where When 183 17 March make 192 6 one on 192 3 For to 173 4 imperial empyreal. page. 203 line 9, red and reigning.