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. "This Reign of a Thousand 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 a thousand years, after the restitution of it in these parts of Europe, whose is the First Resurrection: we only have seen three whole hundreds of it past, since the First Resurrection:" thus he. "Not so," saith Mr. Cotton, "but, after the destruction of Antichrist, the Saints shall enjoy that liberty a thousand years together: not any one of them, but men of the same spirit shall reign with Christ a thousand years 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, Mede, and Archer, that sense falls too short: but the bodies of the Martyrs and Saints shall rise again in the beginning of those thousand years, before the universal and last Resurrection; and shall reign here with Christ upon earth, as being appointed governors 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 only men to be fit to have crowns on their heads, and INDEPENDENT government committed to them" thus he.

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But I may not tire the reader too much, with the enumeration of these differences.

Some take this Thousand Years' 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 ecstacies, than to pity their glory.

"It

Mr. Mede makes the Thousand Years' Reign to be the day of a more visible and apparent judgment; circumscribed with two conspicuous Resurrections, as two limited terms. shall be," saith he", "begun, first, with the particular and timely judgment 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 Years granted to his holy Spouse, the New Jerusalem, here on earth, and others that shall 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 Church's enemies, with the General Resurrection and Judgment of all the dead; which being performed, the wicked shall 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 Thousand Years shall be personal and visible: so Mede 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: so Mr. Burroughs*,

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 Fulke and Aretius. Others take it of a bodily resurrection of some elect persons, before the general: as Alstede and Mede. Others take it of a resurrection of Churches, when recovered from their apostatical and dead estate in idolatry: so Mr. Cotton. 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 Gagnæus. Some appropriate this First Resurrection and Reign to Martyrs only 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 judgments, 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 litigare de incertis: "It is better to doubt of things hidden, than to quarrel about things uncertain." And, to the same purpose, is that discreet and moderate counsel of Deodati: "In all this prophecy," saith he, "it is better and more sure to expect and stay for the explication of the event,

than 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 overpleasing discourse.

SECT. 4.

BUT, when I saw so many well-minded Christians, by a creThe History of dulous trust of some modern authority strongly the Ancient carried back into the opinion of the ancient ChiChiliasts briefly liasts, which was so many hundred years ago reported. hooted out of the Christian Church; and so passionately affected therewith, as that they run themselves into wild consequents, both of paradoxes in opinion, and resolutions in practice: I might not but break silence; and, if no more, yet charitably to advise them to a safe suspension of judgment, 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, withal, 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 Austin calls them; to shew 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 Irenæus to be an auditor of St. John and companion of Polycarpus, a well-meaning man, but opikpos Tov voûv " of a mean judgment," 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 prophecy, soon dispelled that cloud, and induced the Church to find a better sense of so obscure a clause than the merely literal.

Wherein, yet, some eminent authors thought fit still to rest; as Irenæus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Lactantius: yea, we are told by that worthy and orthodox Dionysius Alexandrinus, that Nepos, an Egyptian Bishop, wrote a book in those early times to this purpose, which he called Elenchum Allegis

About the year of Christ 270.

torum; wherein he too grossly maintained that Thousand Years' Reign, in all earthly pleasure and delicacy: seconded also by one Coracion, the then famous ringleader of that sect: against whom that reverend and holy Dionysius bent his style, 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 oppugns his mis-raised opinion; and spends three days' conference with Coracion, to so good a purpose, as that he brought him, by strength of argumentation, 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 posthac omnino 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 Augustin; 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 years; and now is raised up out of the grave of oblivion, by some, that think themselves wiser than their predecessors.

SECT. 5.

BUT, forasmuch as it doth not so greatly concern us to know, what in this case hath been held by former The Summary opinionists, as what is now insisted upon for the Relation of present, let us both carefully ENQUIRE INTO THE the doctrine of SUBSTANCE of this uncouth doctrine lately taken the late Milup by some of our brethren, and unpartially lenarians. EXAMINE THE GROUNDS whereupon it is maintained.

And, for that I find none hath laid forth this opinion so fully and confidently, as a late London Divine, Mr. John Archerd; one esteemed of so great sanctity and worth, as that no mean person doubted not to file him amongst men as precious as

- Έλεγχος ̓Αλληγοριστῶν.

c Eccles. Histor. 1. vii. c. 22, 23.

b

Περὶ ἐπαγγελίαν.

d In his Book of "The Personal Reign of Christ on Earth; laying forth and proving, that Jesus Christ, together with the Saints, shall visibly possess a Monarchical State and Kingdom in this World." Printed and sold by B. Allen, Anno 1643.-Mr. Archer abridged, concerning Christ's Kingdom and Coming.

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, shew the improbabilities and incongruities of it: the rather, for that I perceive his conceptions pass generally for the current tenet of the fautors of this plausible opinion.

First, then, he lays for his foundation, that there is a threefold 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 worldly manner, for splendour, riches, peace, &c. though not in a fleshly or sinful manner.

He thence descends to the consideration 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: shewing that the high ones of the earth, kings and their monarchies, shall fall before the Lord. Both sun and moon, i. e. majesty of a higher and lower rank, shall vanish before him. He shall 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 judgment: one, strictly taken, for a partial judgment 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 judgment, 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's sceptre: and, secondly, a judging to the saints alive, who shall be blamed for their former failings.

Now these two times and degrees of judgment begin and end Christ's kingdom or monarchies: so as all the time of his reign may fitly be called a Day of Judgment; wherein there is an evening and morning, answerable to the natural day.

In the Evening, or first part of Christ's kingdom, there is first an end, or withdrawing and ceasing of the light and glory