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REMARKS.

UR Author not only afferts, but proves,
That the Millenary Reign of Christ was an

uncontested orthodox Doctrine, conveyed thro all the Primitive Ages*. And he well obferves farther, that, "The Corruptions introduced by the " present Millenarians, who have fixed upon a more " modern Situation, and have taken care for pre"sent Felicity equal to their Wishes, have warmed " several Fanatic Imaginations, and blown their vain " Hopes into Tumults, to the Offence and Scandal " of wife and difcreet Men, and have cast a Slur

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upon this innocent, tho' in some measure hated " Opiniont,

This just Observation of Dr. Burnet's was felf evident during the time of our Civil Wars, in almost every enthusiastic Freak of the fifth-monarchy-Sect, into whose Conduct we shall make some Enquiry, as being very applicable to our present Purpose.

In the Year 1643, one of the chief Paftors among those People, and who (in the Stile of the Times) called himlelf a London Divine, was Mr. John Archer; he published a Book, Of the Personal Reign of Chrift on Earth, laying forth and proving that Jesus Christ, together with the Saints, should visibly possess a monar

* See Mr. Earbery's Translation of The State of the Dead, Vol.

II. p 7. + Ibid.

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chical State and Kingdom in this World. This Book was, about seven Years after, judiciously and thoroughly examined by an Anonymous Writer, as fully appears by its Imprimatur *.

He gives us a regular Abstract of Mr. Archer's Performance, and declares, that he was One esteemed of fo great Sanctity and Worth, as that no mean Person doubted to file him amongst Men as precious as any the Earth bore in his time; I shall fearlesly (adds he) 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.

Mr. Archer lays for his Foundation, that there is a Three-fold Kingdom of Chrift; 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 Soveraignty which he exercises over the Consciences of fome People, and in special the Elect; fubduing 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 Oppreffion, and Senfually, but with Honour, Peace, Riches, and whatsoever in, and of, the World is not finful; so as Chrift shall administer this Soveraignty over all the Earth, in a visible, and worldly Manner, for Splendor, Riches, Peace, &c. tho' not in a fleshly or finful Manner: He thence descends to the Confideration 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. Majesty of an higher and lower Rank shall vanish before him; he thall change all worldly Custom, and so all kingly Glory; and fet 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 for a partial Judgment of fome, 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 strictlytaken Judgment, long before the last and general Day.

* The Title of the Piece here referred to is as follows, viz. The Revelation Unrevealed, concerning the thousand Years Reign of the Saints with Christ upon Earth. 12°. 1650.

" 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 Modera" tion, that I approve it very well worthy the Printing and Pub

lishing.

JOHN DOWNAME.

But even that former shall be, he faith, a general Judging (tho' not to the second Death) of all the Ungodly in the World, at least of all that will not stoop to Christ's Scepter; and Secondly, adjudging 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 be fitly 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 ceafing of the Lighs

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Light and Glory of the fore-going Day; fo Christ's 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 Christ's Monarchy, both believing Gentiles and Jews, with Ifraelites, 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 Christ's 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 laft Judgment, but a middle coming betwixt the two other; for Christ, he faith, 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 fecond coming of Christ shall be long before his coming to the last Judgment. In which fecond coming Chrift will do these three things. First, he will raise up the Saints which are dead before this his coming, not only fuch as have been martyred as fome think, but all Saints who have died in the Faith; for which cause he is faid to come with all his Saints. (Zach. xiv. 5.) But all the Dead which are not Saints, shall lie still in the Duft, till the last and general Judgment, for the second

Death.

The Saints which are thus raised in the very first Refurrection, 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 Prefence, for they shall shine as the Sun, but they shall be in a middle State, betwixt Glory and Mortality, as Christ was after his Refurrection, before his Afcenfion: 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; only now he will ruin the Armies of them, and so he will break the Head and Arm of them, as it was with the Egyptians at the Red 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 arife out of fuch as prove Hypocrites, or excommunicated, for there shall be none such there; but these wicked ones left, shall be the Nations ruled with Iron. (Rev. ii. 27.)

Thirdly, he shall examine, blame and shame the Saints who are alive at his coming, if they be found to have walked loofely; he will not kill them, nor change them in a moment, but shame them; therefore Peter exhorts to be holy, that we be not blamed at his coming.

Now when Christ hath thus done, 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 shall 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 only rule as Kings, but as Priests; that is, difcipline 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

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