The Revelation Unrevealed Concerning the Thousand Year Reign, Section 20 – Section 24

The Revelation Unrevealed Concerning the Thousand Year Reign · Section 20 – Section 24

p. 148§. 20 The third time then (he saith) Christ shall come down from heaven to earth, 1212Paradox The day & judgment to hold a thousand years.for his finall judgement of the world; the day whereof shall dawn immediately upon the expiration of the thousand years raign; Pag. 39.but may (for ought he knowes) 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 p. 149what do we talk of years when the Angel before this, swore that Time should be no more? what a bold weaknesse is this, to measure the infinite God by our selves? The necessity of the length of that time of Judgment is evinced (hee 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 p. 150wherein every knee shall bow to him.

As if the Almighty should be limited to do his acts by leasure; as if he that made the world in six days, and could have made it in an instant, cannot as wel in that space of time judg it? Alas, what is time but a poore circumstance of finite mortality? not reaching up to the acts of the Eternall? That Ancient of days may not have his workings confined to houres, days, moneths, yeares; and justly do wee say, that hee who is of himselfe one most pure and simple act, works in an instant; he can therefore gloriously reveale his p. 151Justice, Truth, Power, to men and Devils without any such leasurely 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 hee ascended up on high, and led 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 lingring forms of a protracted solemnity: For the performance whereof, it is supposed by this p. 152Author; and his contests in opinion: that, whereas the Lord Jesus in his first comming down from Heaven stayed not full 34 yeares upon earth: and in his second comming down continued his visible presence amongst men, but til he had setled 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 locall heaven from whence he descended: A cōceit that would have sounded very strangely in the eares of our un-inlightned fore-fathers: Who were ever wont to conceive p. 153that this great businesse of the last judgment, being managed by the infinite Wisedome 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 processe out of Records, they were wont to construe these expressions as such, wherein the Spirit of God meant to condescend to p. 154our weaknesse, setting forth his own incomprehensible acts, by the forms of our humane judicatures which must necessarily 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.

§. 21 Well then, towards the end of the second thousand yeares the Judgement is ended, 1313Paradox A new determination of a double hell, and the place thereof.the finall sentence passed both of life and death, the elect are carried up to their blisse, the wicked sent to their place; both setled in their eternity; But here, I confesse, I stand p. 155amazed at the confident and peremptorie assertion of this Author, and other favourers of his opinion, concerning the place of the present, and future hel. Doubtlesse, the departed souls of wicked, and unrepentant sinners, are not in custody onelyonly, but in torture, as being both separated eternally from the face of that God, in whose presence is the fulnesse of joy, and seized upon immediately by the dreadfull executioners of divine vengeance; although not in that full exquisitenesse of torment, which awaits for them in that great Day; when their bodies, which were partners p. 156with 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 unconceiveable horrour for the Devill 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 Gospell) no man hath been sent thence to them, to informe them of these infernall regions of darknesse; and I am sure God hath no where revealed p. 157this to them, in his holy Scripture: as not daring therefore, so much as to scan this point, much lesse 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 keyes of the bottomlesse pit, and leaving these bold and curious Dogmatists to their own concits.

§ 22 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 faln from the pens, but have been studiously maintained by the p. 158hands and tongues of the abettors of this Millenarie raigne; 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 necessarily follow upon that opinion. I finde in a published Letter from D^r. Twisse of Oxford, to M^r. Mede of Cambridge, that this subject was privately much agitated betwixt those two learned Divines; and that the Doctor had furnished twelve compleat arguments against this Tenet; which if they could have come to my hands, might both have given p. 15me 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, 11That in the Lords Prayer, we pray for this Monarchie. Archer, p 10.that in the Lords Prayer, we are taught to pray, Thy Kingdome come; therefore we do therein pray for the accomplishing of this Monarchicall and personall raigne of Christ with his Saints on earth; when as, both such a Kingdome was never acknowledged nor believed, by the Universall Church of Christ from that day till this hour; and it is clear, that it was Christ himself, p. 160who taught the Disciples herein to pray to his Father for the accomplishing of his Fathers Kingdome, which is meerly spirituall not for his own personall, and visible as mediator.

Secondly, 22That 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 terrour for a generall 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 Kingdome. For, as for those Saints that are raised up from the dead to an immortall estate, they can have p. 161no 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 wickednesse, according to the profession of the Psalmist, Mine eyes gush out rivers of waters because men keepe 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.

p. 162§. 23 Thirdly, there had need to be a firm ground whereon to build a belief of so unlikely a Truth, 33Conseq. That Christ who hath all power should descend from heaven to depute new Governors, &c.that the Son of God, who, a little before his Ascensiō, could say, All power is given to mee 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 depute new Governours in this his Monarchy, and having setled the administration in their hands should again take his leave of the earth: Further, p. 163If those of the ungodly which will not stoop to the Scepter 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 terrour, 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 raigne of his, is personall for 1000 years upon earth? since personall presence and deputation cannot stand together; p. 164There may be a virtuall presence of the Prince in delegation of power to others, but a personal there there cannot be.

§. 24 Fourthly, if this new Kingdome must consist of raised Saints, 44Conseq. 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 spirituall, the living bodies fleshly; the raised Saints immortall, the Saints living, mortall; and at an hundred yeares dying: what kind of commerce shall here be? p. 165how unequall, how unsuitable? how can it be other then a disparagement to creatures immortall, and glorious to be matcht with flesh and bloud? how can it be but too much honour for mortall, and earthly creatures ordinarily to consort with the blessed Denizens of Paradise?

Fiftly; 55Conseq. All Saints, yet saith hardly to be found on earth.If all Saints that ever were before Christs second comming 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 commeth shall he find faith upon earth?

p. 166Sixtly, 66Conseq. If the Apostles shall sway this Monarchie, 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 comming, 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 Monarchicall 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.