FOR the That strain of error, which runs through the whole discourse of Mr. Archer; and is the common mis-opinion. SECT. 7. FIRST, that which is the general fault not of this author only, but of all other that look towards the Millenary way, and indeed the main ground of all their heterodoxy in this point, is, that they put a merely-literal construction upon the prophecies and promises of Scripture, which the Holy Ghost intended only to be spiritually understood. Hence it is, that those frequent predictions, ground of this which we meet in every page of the Prophets, concerning the kingdom of Christ, the re-edifying of the Jewish cities, the pomp and magnificence of restored Israel, their large privileges and marvellous atchievements, are altogether drawn to a gross, corporal, and syllabical sense; which the judgment 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 years or more ago, a learned gentleman, an eminent Serjeant at Law, a man very skilful in the holy tongue, and that professed no less acquaintance with the laws of God than of man, published a large volume concerning, not the imminent conversion only, 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 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 hærere in cortice, and savoured too strong of the flesh, as being too servilely addicted to the letter. And, now, those very texts, whose misunderstanding hath hitherto led the Jews into a Fool's 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; 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; Zech. ii. 12, 10: this is, by the author of "Zion's Joy," applied to that repaired and happy estate of the city of Jerusalem, at this second coming of Christ in glory: whereas the Prophet only foretells the restoration of that city and country, after their then-present captivity; and, under that figure, describes the comfortable condition of the Evangelical Church. So, again, by the Prophet Isaiah, God saith; I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountain; and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there; Isa. lxv. 9. This, the same author cites, in a literal way, to make good the re-settlement 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 fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in. But ye are they, that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain. Surely, if one of them be applicable to the New Jerusalem, the other must be so also. The truth is, these prophecies have their reference either to God's 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 misapplication: or, if that did not, yet the event would; forasmuch 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 necessarily cross the way of us, upon occasion of the several passages which we are about to examine. SECT. 8. OF PARADOXES, let it be the first, but not the least, that Christ, the Son of God, now glorified, shall come The First Paraand personally set up and administer a monarchi- dox of Millenacal state of a kingdom here upon earth, in a rism. A Movisible and worldly manner, for splendor, riches, peace, &c. narchical State of I had thought we had heard him say, My king- dom, in a visidom is not of this world. Now to what world do ble and worldriches, and honour, and earthly contentments be- ly manner. long, 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 than 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. Zebedee's wife certainly never thought of such a kingdom, wherein her sons should be the primere peers. Neither did the good thief think of such a state, when he 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 years, 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, that all the Prophets, since the world began, have spoken of this marvellous 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 God's people should be abused by the feigned glosses of men, drawing those Scriptures, which speak of Christ's coming to the final judgment 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 only to give some light touches at those paradoxal and unwarrantable positions, which meet with me in this Discourse. That, in this visible monarchy of Christ, he shall change all Second Para- worldly customs, and put down all kingly power dox. The and greatness, however just, and set up a new; so change of all as there shall be no more lords but he; even as tom, and putt- the earthly monarchies swallowed all kingly power ing down king- under them; may well pass for a sufficient ly power. paradox. worldly cus We grant, indeed, there shall be none in competition with him, even in his spiritual rule; but that there shall be none in subordination to him in his supposed visible monarchy, were too bold a word. That there shall be a double judgment, one a thousand Third Para- years before the other: the one, wherein many, dox. A Double both saints and sinners, shall be judged, and that Judgment. with great terror and solemnity, which shall be 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: the other, of all devils and men, upon the expiration ⚫ Acts iii. 21. 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 clay; 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: the first, when. he came to take our nature; the second, when he Fourth Paracomes to receive his kingdom; the third, when he dox. A Threecomes to judge all and end the world; may well fold Coming of Christ. pass for a paradox, not inferior to the rest. Besides the metaphorical comings of Christ to any soul or nation, whether in mercy or judgment, 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 inured 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 Judgment: and, that there may be no thought of an intermediate and partial judgment 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; The Faith, which was once delivered to the Saints; Jude 2: 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." A Double Re Necessarily depending upon this, is that other gross conceit of a double general resurrection: the one, of those Saints, which were dead before this coming Fifth Paradox. of Christ, which shall be raised up a thousand surrection. years before the rest, at his next coming; the other, of all flesh at the end of the world, and the final coming and judgment. But whether that first resurrection shall be only 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, than they all from the truth. Alas, good Martha, thou wert much deceived, when thou saidst concerning thy brother Lazarus, Pp. 12, 13, 14. I know he shall rise again in the Resurrection, at the last day; John xi. 24: why, woman, the resurrection of that Saint, thy brother, shall be a thousand years sooner than thou thoughtest of. Neither did St. Paul ever take notice of this first resurrection of the Saints, while he adjures his Timothy, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing; 2 Tim. iv. 1: for, surely, the Lord Jesus's judging of the quick and dead, indefinitely spoken, must suppose a resurrection of all the dead whom he judgeth: but here, saith the Chiliast, is only in Christ's 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 judgment; 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 Christ's threefold ascension into heaven: for, saith the 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. Sixth Paradox. 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 immortalized, and translated from death to life, to be the governors 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 withdraw 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 a thousand years 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 a high presumption is this in flesh and blood, to send the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, from |