Prophecies Concerning the Kingdom of Christ, Title page – Dedication

Prophecies Concerning the Kingdom of Christ · Title page – Dedication

Chiliaſto-maſtix. Or, THE PROPHECIES IN THE OLD AND NEVV TESTAMENT CONCERNING THE KINGDOME OF OUR SAVIOUR IESVS CHRIST, Vindicated from the miſinterpretationes of the Millenaries and ſpecially of Mr. Maton in his book called Iſraels redemption,

By ALEXANDER PETRIE Miniſter of the Scots Kirk at Roterdame.

The epiſtle ſhevves the ground and pedigree of the miſtake.

To ſhew the original of an errour is a convincing of it.

AT ROTERDAME, Printed by Iſaak Ʋ Ʋaesbergen, at the ſigne of Fame on the Steiger, 1644.

To the VVorthie and his beloved, the Scotes and Engliſhes of the Scots congregation at Roterdame; AlexanderPetrie wiſheth conſtancie in the faith which wes once delivered.

SOme prophecies ſpeak plainly of CHRIST, and can not be underſtood of another; Eſa. 9.6. VntoUnto us a child is borne, unto us a ſone is given,—his name ſhalbe called Wonderfull, &c. Some ar typical or delivered with coveres of thinges ſignifying Chriſt, his offices and benefites. And of theſe ſome ar ſpoken of the type or thing ſignifying, and can be underſtood only of the thing ſignified, and ſome ar true both of the type and of Chriſt ether in the ſame or in a different maner, that is, ſome ar true of both in a proper ſenſe; ſome ar true of both in a tropical or figurative ſenſe; and ſome ar true of the one properly, and of the other figuratively. All theſe ſortes ar manifeſt in ſundrie prophecies: here I touch one for all. 2 Sam. 7.12. When thy dayes be fulfilled, and thou ſhall ſleep with thy fathers, (ſayth the Lord unto David) I will ſet up thy ſeed after thee, which ſhall proceed out of thy bowelles, & I will eſtabliſh his kingdome. This wes true in the perſone of Solomon and of Chriſt too properly. V. 13, He ſhall build an houſe for my name. This wes true of Solomon in the proper acceptation of the word houſe, & figuratively of Chriſt, who ſayd Mat. 16.18, Upon this rock will I build my Church. It followes; I will eſtabliſh the throne of his kingdome for ever. This wes not true of Solomon in reſpect of his perſone (for he died) nether of his poſteritie, from whom Iacob had foretold that the ſcepter ſhould departe at the coming of Shiloh Gen. 49.10, but of Chriſt it is true: for his throne is eſtabliſhed for ever and ever Heb. 1.8. v. 14. I will be his father, and he ſhalbe my ſone. This is true of Solomon in reſpect of adoption, and of Chriſt in reſpect of eternal generation. Fiftly it is ſayd there; If he commite iniquitie, I will chaſten him with the rode of man—but my merciemercy ſhall not departe from him, as I took it from Saul. This is true of Solomon, and not of Chriſt (who wes free of ſin) unleſſe we underſt and his members, or their ſines imputed unto him. V. 16, Thy houſe and thy kingdome ſhalbe eſtabliſhed for ever before thee: thy throne ſhalbe eſtabliſhed for ever. This can not be underſtood of David or Solomons houſe or kingdome (as experience proves now for the ſpace of 1600 yeers and more) but of Chriſts houſe and kingdome, which ſhall never faile. By this one paſſage it is manifeſt, 1. how miſerable ignorance it is, to expone all the prophecies after one and the ſame maner or in a proper ſenſe only; 2. that the Euangeliſtes and Apoſtles exponing theſe prophecies in a ſpiritual and figurative ſenſe, doe not wreſte them, even albeit theſe have been fulfilled ſome way before; but according to the intendment of the Spirit they bring them unto CHRIST, who is the end of the lawe and ſcope of the Prophetes. So the promiſes of deliverance from Babel hade their own accompliſhment in the dayes of Ezra and Nehemia: but that wes not all the meaning of theſe prophecies, which wer in another maner and more fully performed by Chriſt: for this cauſe it is ſayd Col. 1.12, Giving thankes unto the Father, who hes made us meet to be partarkers of the inheritance of the Saintes in licht, who hes delivered us from the power of darknes, and hes tranſlated us into the kingdome of his deare Sone, in whom we have redemption through his blood: and Rev. 5.9. thou haſt redeemed us unto God by thy blood out of everie kinred and people and natione. There is our Redeemer more glorious than Ezra or any other: there is our inheritance and kingdome better than Ieruſalem: and there is a redemption from all nationes. Now when theſe prophecies ar fulfilled once in reſpect of the type, and againe in a more tranſcendente maner by Chriſt; If we denie what God hes done, we ar falſe and ungrate: and if we expect them to be fulfilled yet again in the type, it wer a worſe returning than that of the Galatianes c. 4.9: that wes unto the types of his prieſtly, and this unto the types of his kingly office:) and Chriſt is become of none effect unto ſuch. The elect Iewes did not reſt upon the Moſaical types, but all the Prophetes gave witneſſe unto Chriſt, that through his name whoſeever believes in him ſhall receive remiſſion of fines Act. 10.43. they believed that through the grace of the Lord Ieſus Christ they ſhould be ſaved even as wee, Act. 15.11: in this faith they all died, Heb. 11.13, I ſay, This faith, becauſe as faith is one in reſpect of the object, Eph. 4.5, ſo the Apoſtle declares our faith by the exemple of the antientes. Neither did they reſt on the promiſes as only earthly, but they deſired a better countrie, that is heavenly, Heb. 11.16: and when they wer tortured, they wold not accept deliverance from their tormentes, that they micht obtain a better reſurrection v. 35. Wes that an earthly hope? no: they believed the redemption of their ſoules by the Meſſias Pſal. 34.22; that he wes to be wounded for their tranſgreſſiones, and bruiſed for their iniquities, and the chaſtiſement of their peace wes to be upon Him, and that they wer to be healed by His ſtripes, Eſa. 53.5. And Symeon waiting for the conſolation of Iſrael, when he ſawe Him, bleſſed God, and ſayd, Lord now let thy ſervant departe in peace—for my eyes have ſeenethy ſalvation, Luk. 2.29. He craves not longer lyf to reigne with Chriſt on earth, but wes content to departe, having ſeen the ſalvation of God, the licht of the gentiles and glorie of Iſrael. And nevertheleſſe many Iewes ſought richteouſneſſe by the workes of the Lawe, and not by faith, Rom. 9.32, and they looked upon the promiſes with a bodily ey only, as if the Meſſias wer to erect an earthly Monarchie at Ieruſalem: and looking thorow theſe ſpectacles they could not think that Ieſus Chriſt is the Meſſias, and ſo they ſtumbled at his worldly baſeneſſe, & being miſcaried in their braines they could not ſee His ſpiritual power and benefites. After their miſerable exemple others acknowledging Ieſus Chriſt to be the promiſed Meſſias, and not conſidering the difference of the promiſes have not attained fully unto the trueth of them, and ſo have erred in miſtaking His natures and benefites. Thus Ebion thought him to be a man and not God, as if all the promiſes could been performed by a man endowed with ſingulare grace. Cerinthus lykwiſe held that Chriſt is only a man, and becauſe he ſawe Him not ſitting on the throne of David, he held that Chriſt is not riſen from the dead as yet, but ſhal riſe and reigne in Ieruſalem 1000 yeeres, and all His ſubjectes ſhalbe ſatisfied with all maner of pleaſures in meat, drinke, mariage, feſtival dayes, and offer oblationes and ſacrifices, Euſeb. lib. 3. c. 25. VponUpon this occaſion the Apoſtle Iohn wrote the goſpell againe, and more largely than any other of the Euangeliſtes ſpeakes of Chriſts Godheid, his wonderfull workes, his kingdome, reſurrection and his coming again, eſpeciall that the Sone of man is now glorified c. 16.33. that he hes overcome the world c. 16.33. that his kingdome is not of this world, and if his kingdome wer of this world, his ſervantes wold feight that he ſhould not be delivered unto the Iewes, but now is his kingdome not from hence c. 18.36: & of the cōdition of his ſubjectes he ſayth, Remember the word that I ſayd unto yow, the ſervant is not greater than the Lord: if they have perſecuted mee, they will alſo perſecute yow c. 15.20: Verely I ſay unto yow, Yee ſhall weep and lament, and the world ſhall rejoyce, and you ſhalbe ſorowfull, but your ſorowe ſhalbe turned into joy: theſe thinges have I ſpoken unto yow, that in mee yee micht have peace i… …he world yow ſhall have tribulation, but be of good cheer c. 16.20.33: And of his coming again he ſayth, In my Fathers houſe ar many manſiones—if I goe and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myſelf, that wer I am, there you may bee alſo c. 14,2: now you have ſorowe, but I will ſee you again, and your heart ſhal rejoice, and your joy no man takes from you c. 16.22. All which wordes wer written flatly aganſt the errores of Cerinthus, and teach us that Chriſts kingdome is not an earthly kingdome, nor delayed for one or two 1000 yeeres, but now is his kingdome, now he hes overcome the world, his ſubjectes ar not to live on earth without perſecution and ſorow, and when he comes again, he will receive them with him into his Fathers manſiones, and their ſorow ſhalbe turned into joy, that ſhal never be taken from them. After Cerinthus we read nixt of Papias, of whom Euſeb. lib. cit. c. 39, writes thus; He reportes ſtrange parables of our Saviour, mixed with fabulous doctrine, wher he dreameth, that the kingdome of Chriſt ſhall corporally here on earth laſt the ſpace of 1000 yeeres after the reſurrection of the dead: which errour (as I ſuppoſe) grew heerof, in that he received not richtly the true and myſtical meaning of the Apoſtles, nether deeply weyed the thinges delivered of them by familiar exemples: for he wes a man of ſmal judgement, as by his bookes plainly appeares: yet heerby he gave unto diverſe Eccleſiaſtical perſones occaſion of errour, who reſpected his antiquitie, namely unto Irenaens and others, if ther be any found lyk minded. Then lib. 7, c. 22 and 23, he writes of Nepos, Coracion and others in Egypt infected with this errour about the yeer 250: whom Dionyſius Biſhop of Alexandria did convince in a ſynode by Demonſtrationes and doctrine of the holy Scripture, and did reclame them from their errour. Thus he ſpeakes ever of theſe opiniones as of erroures contrarie unto the holy Scriptures. After Lactantius (who lived about the yeer 320) this errour wes univer ſally abhorred, ſo that Hierome on Eſa. l. 18, & Auguſtin ad Quodvultd haereſ. 8, write of it as a damned errour, & we read of few or none in this opinion till in this laſt age it comes apace with the Anabaptiſtes and ſome Engliſh Novatoures: few write aganſt it, becauſe the argumentes ar ſo ſillie and ridiculous, that everie underſtanding perſone reading them, findes not only the weakneſſe of the groundes, but even out of them doe gather pregnant argumentes in the contrarie. Albeit theſe Authores doe aggrie in the time and place of this imagined Monarchie, yet they write one aganſt another in many circumſtances therof, as is marked heerafter. They ſpeak not now of feaſtes and ſacrifices, as Cerinthus did but if they will mantaine this opinion, I ſee not how they can e: ject them, ſeing the Prophetes ſpeak als expreſſely of them, asof Chriſts kingdome, Jer. 33.17, Thus ſayth the Lord, David ſhall never want a man to ſite upon the throne of the houſe of Iſrael, nether ſhall the prieſtes the Levives want a man before mee to offer burnt-offeringes, and to kindle meat-offringes, and to doe ſacrifice continowally. See v. 21.22. Zech. 14.16.21. But that theſe and ſuch other textes ſhould be exponed ſpiritually, it is plaine by Mal. 1.11: wher incenſe and offeringes ar not reſtrained unto the Iewes at Ieruſalem, but made commune unto the gentiles everie where: and more plainly in the New Teſtament. If the Millenaries will ex pone with us theſe textes of ſpiritual ſacrifices, they can not ſhew any probable reaſoun, why the prophecies concerning Chriſts kingdome ſhould not lykwiſe be exponed ſpiritually. And Hierome in Eſa. 65, lib. 18 ſayth, If we grant theſe wordes to be exponed carnally, let them hear the lyk promiſes made unto Sodome as unto Ieruſalem Ezek. 16.53. When I ſhall bring again their captivitie, the captivitie of Sodome and her doughters, and the captivitie of Samaria and her doughters, then ſhall I bring again the captivitie of thy captives in the midſt of them—: when thy ſiſter Sodome and her doughters ſhall returne—then thou and thy doughters ſhall returne. Wherfor (ſayth Ierome) theſe houſes [mentioned Eſa. 65.21] muſt be underſtood vertues, or the diverſe manſiones beſide the Father—and of ſuch houſes our Saviour ſpeakes Mat. 7.24, I will liken him to a wiſe man, who buildes his ho… …n a rocke. And the Apoſtle ſayth 2 Cor. 5.1, we have a building … houſe not made with handes, eternal in the heavens. Becauſe we … heaven in ſuch maner as it is, it pleaſeth … our affectiones by ſimilitudes of thinges … teach us faith by ſenſible thinges: and therfor we … on theſe borrowed wordes, but know that the thing deſc… goes beyond the earthly ſimilitude. I knowe, ſome Milleraries will take it hardly, that they ar called the off-ſpring of Cerinthus, ſeing they differ from him in ſundrie particulares; and ſome ſay, It's no mater, who hes ſayd it before, whither Cerinthus or Swenkfeld, if it be true. I anſwer, Scarcely any heretike did ever renew an old hereſie in all the particulares; and nevertheleſſe it is truely called the ſame hereſie: and we call them ſo, no more than they be ſuch: And when any opinion hes no other father nor abetoures, but heretikes, it is odious. By this hiſtorical narration, Beloved in the Lord, you may ſee that this doctrine is no new licht reveled in this laſt age (as yow have heard ſome teach) but an old Jewiſh fancie and Cerinthian fable: old erroures ar lyke old whoores, that is, the more to be abhorred. What I have done here, is for your good, for 1 you have heard this errour preached in ſtead of the doctrine of Chriſt (albeit it wes firſt broached by the enemies of Chriſt) by ſome of the Authoures of the Apologeticall narration for Independencie, who hade in their congregation not only Millenaries, but groſſe Anabaptiſtes: and ſo their practiſe manifeſtly declares what they write obſcurely in that Narration pag. 12, ſaying, Wee took meaſure of no mans holyneſſe by his opinion, whither adverſe unto us, &c. Towit, whatſoever Noveller is welcome unto them. Their Dinah is libertie-of-cōſcience: their grand amunition is anarchie or no-diſcipline; and they call it a bondage to be tied in the faith. 2. the book of M. Maton called Iſraels redemption, hes been oft put into your handes, and upon ſeveral occaſiones of my declaring the trueth in this point, you have been intreated to put that book into my hand: wherfor you had need of an antidote. Peruſe this plaine refutation of it: wherby (I hope) you ſhall ſee, that the reward of your ſerving Chriſt is not meat that periſhes, but everlafting lyf, which the Sone of man ſhall give unto you, Joh. 6.27, and that the kingdome of God comes not with obſervation [or wordly reſpect and attendance] but behold! the kingdome of God is within you, Luk. 17.20; and as the wicked can not have hope of long immunitie from juſt puniſhment of their bodies and ſoules in hell, ſo our deliverance from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious libertie of the childeren of God, ſhall not be long delayed. Walk you therfor in holyneſſe with ſinceritie and cheerfulneſſe, as it becomes the heires of ſo great ſalvation, and give all diligence to make your calling and election ſure: for ſo an entrance ſhalbe miniſtred unto you aboundantly, not into an earthly Monarchie, but the everlaſting kingdome of our Lord and Saviour IESUS CHRIST.

Auguſte 1. 1644.