et aliis eruditis commissimus, &c." Nevertheless, I was diffident of stating, even under these circumstances, that these were the opinions of the chief persons,"-implying the whole of them: I advisedly wrote chief persons," omitting the article; and thus leaving it to be inferred, that some might have been otherwise minded.* * II. It only remains for me to make a few remarks on the views of P. R. respecting the Millennium. It is not indeed very easy to ascertain his real sentiments on this subject: but so far as I am able to infer from his communication, he neither perceives all the great and leading truths immediately connected with the doctrine; nor is he apparently aware, that Millennarians cordially hold many other points in common with those who take the figurative view, and yet compatibly with the more prominent features of their own system. are to remain continually in heaven. This point necessarily includes the restitution of all things." (2) Another distinguishing feature is, the literal restoration of the Jews to their own land and the rebuilding of Jerusalem; a point which no man who interprets the prophecies figuratively can consistently maintain. (3) An explicit admission, that the kingdom of God in its primary signification is yet future, is a third important tenet; and subversive of that system of interpretation, which expounds the various passages referring to it to mean the Gospel dispensation, and the spiritual reign of Christ in the hearts of his people. (4) To this I might add the destruction of Antichrist, effected by the advent of the Lord: which, as it necessarily fixes that advent before the Millennium, at once establishes the point for which Millennarians contend. Now I do not mean, that persons holding these sentiments do also avow the personal reign of Christ and his saints saints; but that they are admissions wholly at variance with the spiritualizing system of Origen and Jerome. They evince how the literal principle of interpretation (in fact how Millennarian principles) must have pervaded the Church at one time since men, who perhaps fought against the single tenet of the thousand years, could * Though I lay no stress upon it, yet am I inclined to suspect, that those private expository exercises called prophesyings, so general in England in Elizabeth's time, and which archbishop Grindal positively refused to suppress when commanded and that so to do by that princess, were chiefly of a prophetical character the expectation of the approaching advent of Christ was commonly set forth in them. I infer this on four grounds. First, their name-prophesyings; evidently distinguished in Bentham's letter from preachings. Secondly, Elizabeth's desire to suppress them; which probably arose from a jealousy of any thing approaching to anabaptist sentiments. Thirdly, it is certain that Bentham, bishop of Litchfield and Coventry, writing briefly to his archdeacon, and advising the discontinuance of them, lest they should seem to despise the laws; recommends in the meanwhile, that by preaching they should still set forth Jesus Christ and his kingdom; and concludes by praying for unity and peace among "all that look for the coming of our Saviour Christ." (Fry's Ch. Hist. p. 508.) Fourthly, it is well known, that the principal alteration at this time, in that portion of the liturgy which is for general service, was in the collects &c. for Advent, to which a considerable augmentation was made. AT THE REFORMATION. not at all times speak consistently with the erroneous system they had adopted. It was for this reason chiefly that I brought forward the testimonies to which I appealed, as proving the existence of millennarian doctrine, even though not avowed under that name-yea even when the name of Chiliast or Millennarian was rejected. I apprehend, that no modern opponent of the premillennial advent of Christ will avow those tenets which I have just instanced: if any will, I am persuaded that we have them entangled in a dilemma from which they cannot escape, without setting at defiance the most evident synchronisms of Scripture. It was not indeed until the revival of these doctrines at the Reformation caused them to be more directly insisted on, that others, who disliked them, then set their wits to work to find out a different meaning for these things: and by the later figuratists they are therefore either retracted or explained away. * In addition to the testimony afforded by the extracts from the Catechism, (and which it really behoves the modern spiritualizers to explain consistently with their views, if they deny it to be millennarian doctrine,) I would observe, that Prideaux, whom I have adduced as an opponent, contends in his Inaugural Orations (vi, Parag. 7) for a literal restoration of the Jews, after the destruction of Antichrist, and before the end of the world; and after quoting many among the ancients who held these views, he adds: "Defendunt inter recentiores P. Martyr, Beza, Grinæus, Paræus, et (in Hexapla sua, &c.) Doctor Willetus." The eminent Dr. I. Owen, who certainly took in the main the spiritual view, nevertheless held, that the Jews, being restored to the faith of Christ, shall be formed into a state, and have Judges and Counsellors over them as formerly; the Lord Christ himself being their King, who shall then also be acknowledged over all the earth."-" Jerusalem shall be rebuilt, and after the full restoration of the Jews shall never be destroyed, nor infested with enemies any more. "A little before the time of the Jews' call and conversion there shall be great wars, confusion, and desolation throughout all the earth." These are extracted from the headings or prefaces to an extensive collection of texts concerning the Jews, published in the old editions of Powell's Concordance. The preface to the collection of prophecies is by Owen.t In regard to the renovated earth, to be inhabited by the saints, I would add to the Catechism testimony that of the martyr Bradford on Romans viii, 22, 23; who quotes Augustine as declaring, that the ancient Fathers taught from 2 Peter iii, that the form of this world was to be altered by fire, in the same way * I might have instanced another point, which no modern upholder of the figurative system would maintain; viz. the literal return of Elijah before the advent. This was held even by those Fathers who are claimed as opposing the doctrine of the millennium; (e.g. Augustine, Theodoret, Jerome, &c.) and it remarkably illustrates, how far men could hold millennarian doctrine who nevertheless quarreled with the name, that Jerome, on the last chapter of Malachi, when inveighing against Judaizers, seems to scoff at those who expect the personal coming of Elijah and yet, forgetting himself, when he treats on Matt. xi, 14, and xvii, 11, he avows that very expectation. I did not however adduce this point, because I have not found it avowed by any of the Reformers until Mede. See also Morning Watch Vol. i, p. 72. There is likewise an able paper at page 273 of the same Vol. on the history of this doctrine, as it concerns Antichrist. Y that it had been changed by water in Noah's time.* I may indeed appeal to those very extracts from Bale, brought forward by P. R, which I think very clearly teach the same. Similar admissions may be found in most of the Authors enumerated by P. R; but as it would be swelling this article to an inconvenient length to quote from them, I shall instance only one of them;-and that the one whom P. R. more especially recommends,-LATIMER. I must first however observe, that the point in which most of the writers of the class adduced by P. R. failed, was in regard to the thousand years. Following Jerome and Eusebius, they supposed that what we call the Millennium commenced with Constantine. Thus the more avowed antagonists who afterwards sprung up, taking it from Grotius, referred to this period the binding of Satan and the reign of the saints: and this, notwithstanding the apostasy of Julian and the Arian and Popish persecutions came within those thousand years. Prideaux and Whitby try with all their might to reconcile these things with the circumstance of Satan being nevertheless bound in the bottomless pit ! In this respect the doctrine has made a great and decided advance of late years; since modern opponents even do now hold the thousand years or Millennium to be future. But mark the effect of this error upon the views of such men as Latimer, Bradford and others; for it is important as a clew to their real sentiments on this question. They held that the world would only last six thousand years; (taking no notice of the seventh thousand ;) and that the final restitution, the advent of Christ, the manifestation of the kingdom, and the judgement, were all to take place at the end of that 6000 years. So that they were in fact looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus at that very period of time, at which the Millennarians of the present day expect him. Observe how remarkably this appears in the following extracts from Latimer's third sermon on the Lord's prayer. Having spoken of a Parliament different from the parliaments of this world, to come at the last day; a parliament in which Christ will bear the rule and not men ;"- "which the righteous pray for when they say Thy Kingdom come,' because they know that therein reformations of all things shall be had;"—he presently after has these words :-" Let us therefore have a desire that this day may come quickly; let us hasten God forward; let us cry unto him day and night, Most merciful Father, thy Kingdom come."' St. Paul saith, The Lord will not come till the swerving from faith cometh;' (2 Thess. ii, 3,) which thing is already done and past: Antichrist is known throughout all the world. Wherefore the day is not far off. Let us beware, for it will one day fall upon our heads. St. Peter saith, The end of all things draweth very near.' St. Pe'ter said so at his time: how much more shall we say so? For it is a long time since St. Peter spake 'these words. The world was ordained to endure (as all learned men affirm and prove it with Scripture) six thousand years. Now of that number there be passed 5552 years, so that there is no more left • but 448. And furthermore those days shall be shortened: it shall not be full six thousand years: days shall be shortened for the 'elect's sake.' Therefore all those 'excellent learned men, which with'out doubt God hath sent into this See Richmond's Fathers of the English Church, Vol. vi, p. 608. • the ' world in these latter days to give the world warning, all those men 'do gather out of Scripture, that the last day cannot be far off." I cannot forbear giving a few brief and scattered extracts from his sermons for the second Sunday in Advent. Having observed again, that the days before the Advent will be shortened, SO that peradventure (saith he) it may come in my days, 'old as I am, or in our children's days;" he goes on : There will be great alterations at that day; 'there will be hurly burly, like as ye see when a man dieth, &c. 'There will be such alterations of the earth and the elements, they will lose their former nature and be endued with another nature. And then shall they see the Son of man come in a cloud with power and great glory. Certain it is that he shall come to judge; but we cannot 'tell the time, when he will come." Then quoting 1 Thess. iv, to shew that the living saints "shall be rapt up into the air and so meet Christ our Saviour," he adds, all those I say, who be content to strive and fight with sin, these shall in such wise be taken up into the air and 'meet with Christ, and so shall come down with him again.". “I I pray God, that we may be of the number of those, which shall hear this joyful and most comfortable voice of Christ our Saviour when he will say, Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom which is prepared for you before the foundation of the world was laid," That man or that woman that saith these words thy kingdom come,' with a faithful heart, no doubt desireth in very deed that God will come to 'judgement, and amend all things in THIS WORLD, to pull down Satan 'that old serpent under our feet." I would the coming of the Lord were thus set forth and insisted on by all, who in these days profess to follow the Reformers! 2. I have now only to notice those things which I presume P. R. brings forward under the impression, that they are repugnant to the tenets of modern Millennarians. Again I repeat, I cannot answer for what some Millennarians may hold on this subject; any more than I can for the aberrations of some from the doctrines of grace, who nevertheless profess them. I can only speak in regard to those with whom I am privileged to hold communion; and of them I say, that there is very little in P. R's extracts, which I deem conflicting with our sentiments. First, as to his further extracts from the Catechism,-I believe that Christ is always present with his Church and always will be. I do not believe, that Christ will reign in the earth "as kings and ruffling princes of this world ;" nor by a certain civil policy of men;" but by a heavenly godlike order." To understand the meaning of this, the fair way is to let one part of the Catechism be the commentary to the other; and therefore I requote from my former extracts (but from the English version) the following: "that Christ may reign with his saints according to God's promises that he may live and be Lord in the world ac'cording to the decrees of the holy Gospel not after the traditions · and laws of men nor pleasure of worldly tyrants." This is substantially the same with what P. R. has quoted. If the additional extracts given by him were to be taken by themselves, we should be led to believe, that the framers of this Cate : : † The Editor of a recent edition of Latimer's Sermons, Dr. Watkins, says in a note on this opinion of the world's duration for six thousand years only-" At the time of the Reformation this notion was very prevalent.” chism did not expect any visible enjoyment of Christ, either in this world or the next. But it is beside my purpose to reconcile with my own views all that they have written. I further agree with what P. R. quotes from Latimer; that is, when it comes to be more fully quoted. "These words (thy kingdom come) are not to be understood of Christ's inferior, of his earthly kingdomno, we pray not for his inferior kingdom to come, for it is come already. The kingdom that he speaketh of is a spiritual kingdom, which kingdom doth consist in righteousness and justice, &c.” The Reader must first be made aware, that this quotation is not a continuous passage, but is picked out from various parts of upwards of one hundred lines of closely printed octavo; and contains no less than four distinct and independent clauses, strung together from those hundred lines. I do not think P. R. has designed to wrest these clauses from their real meaning; but certainly they do not express the sense of the original. For in the intermediate lines Latimer explains this "inferior or earthly kingdom" of Christ's always having, from the first beginning of creation, in his divine nature overruled or directed the potentates of the earth and to confirm it paraphrases such Scriptures as this Through me, that is, by my permission, king's reign." We are not therefore he says to pray thy kingdom come" as if his earthly kingdom (thus explained) hung upon our petitions, so that he could not be Lord and ruler over the earth except we pray for him.' But he presently after admits, that the devil hath usurped the rule of this world both in magistrates and subjects; and therefore that the kingdom, which Christ teacheth us to pray for, is a kingdom where God only beareth rule and not the devil." All these things come between the first and last clauses of P. R.'s quotation; and if he will read again, what I have advanced in my essay "On the Kingdom,”* he will find, that I have there expressly contended, and almost in the same words, that God has always by his providence ruled the world; that this is not the kingdom which the Scriptures lead us to expect; but that Satan is the prince of this world!" and if he will further read what I have written "On the Judgement" for this month's Investigator, he will find also, that I expect Christ's kingdom or rule will eminently consist of righteousness and justice." Excepting the first extract from Bale, the contents of which I am sure will not be agreed to by any intelligent Christian now on earth, I hold the two last paragraphs to be decidedly millennarian, and as such have already claimed them. And in regard to those few sentences in the extracts which cannot accord with, I think it would be quite out of the quite out of the power of any antimillennarian to reconcile them with those of an opposite tendency in the same writers, in such manner as to be consistent with the views of modern spiritualists. I do not mean that these writers must consequently have held the doctrines of the Advent with the same clearness as the primitive Fathers, or with which it is now stated by modern writers on prophecy; I feel persuaded they did not: but the testimonies from them which I have adduced must nevertheless be admitted, quantum valeant, as proving the existence generally of millennarian sentiments. It is in the same way we judge of other doctrines. Investigator, No. II, especially p. 32. |