tinct before the ultimate day of judgement. Otherwise the testimony of many chapters of the Book of Revelation is destroyed, wherein it is shewn that he falls before new Jerusalem is set up; and his fall is set forth as the cause that Christ reigns (at least in and by his saints) on earth a thousand years. So that the appearance of Christ, destroying Antichrist, is at the beginning of the thousand years.

Matthew xxvi. 29.

"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this "fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you " in my Father's Kingdom."

Some may think this place is to be understood of Christ's conversing with the disciples, after his resurrection: nevertheless, even Calvin, Marlorat, Grotius, &c. are against that exposition of it. Besides, it is not said in Luke xxiv, 42, 43, that Christ did drink with the disciples after his resurrection : eat with them he did, to shew the verity of his risen humanity; but it is not said he drank, as if he needed it either for concoction, or to allay some corporal passion of heat. Peter also says, touching himself and the rest of the apostles, "We did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead;"z which may signify their more familiar society with him, according to Luke xiii, 26; We have eaten, and drank in thy presence :" but it doth not assert Christ's drinking. It is generally corceived that this cup was his last that he drank in this present world.*

If any however will insist, that he did drink after his resurrection some sort of drink or other, let them duly consider the emphasis in this sentence : ου μη πιω απ' αρτι, I will by no means drink from henceforward εκ τουτου του γενηματος της αμπελου of this, this same, fruit (or kind) of the vine, until, &c. So that beyond all dispute Christ will no more drink of THIS kind, until that day, when he shall drink it new with them, in his Father's kingdom: which emphasis at THAT day, with the distinction of his Father's kingdom, cannot relate to three days after; Christ then being still in execution of his mediatorship, rising again for our justification, as he was delivered to death for our offences.a All which is further confirmed by the phrase new being in the adjective and not in the adverb: for he saith not, " I will drink it newly," but "I will drink it new;" which could not be within three days after, and in the winter time, (when there was need in Judea of a fire in the high priest's hall;)b at which time there could not be any new wine. But at the thousand years all things are made new; and the learned Grotius saith "The fruit of the vine is said to be new, the same as it is said New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse:"d and we know that Jerusalem is new (in St. John's sense) in the time of the thousand years, as appears by collating Rev. xxi. 1, with Rev. xx, 1, &c. The great Joach. Camerarius on this text approves of Theophylact's sense of the new wine, and thus recites it : "New, that is, saith Theophylact, after a new manner; not in a vulgar or common, but in a new and singular way."e To which let me add what further Theophylact there adds ;-" Or else by

new understand a new cup, and the revelations of the mysteries "of God; that is, in his second coming shall be revealed what

things are truly new; such as we have not any where heard."f Piscator saith, "That 'the kingdom of his Father' signifieth "that royal nuptial, whereat Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and "all the elect shall sit down together with Christ."g It is also said, Rev. xx, 4, of the saints, "that they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years :" which agrees with Matt. xix, 28, "Ye which have followed me shall, in the regeneration, when "the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his glory, sit also

upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel :"* where we have the fruit of the vine new, explained by παλιγγενεσια; i.e. another Genesis, or creation of the world. And (saith the Apostle,) this second creation is such, as that therein the creature itself, (the whole creation, as well as the election of believers,) shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, &c. That is, the creatures shall be delivered from the blasting curse brought on them by Adam's fall: viz. both from the vexation, wrong, and abuse they suffer by man's sinful use of them; as also from the vanity, weakness, and emptiness that is in them for fallen man's sake. Now this royal and nuptial banquet must be at that Wedding spoken of in Rev. xxi, 2, 9, and which, in its order, falls into the thousand years before mentioned, and follows the ruin of Babylon.

But some may object, that it is said in the text, Christ would drink the wine new in his Father's kingdom; and therefore this place is not so clear for Christ's kingdom. To this we answer two ways. First, that the kingdom may in this text be called his Father's kingdom, because the Father gave it him; according to Psalm ii, 8, at verse 6 of which Christ is consequently called His King; and the apostles pray to the Father, in the words of this Psalm, to maintain his Son in his kingdom.h So Psalm viii, 4, 5, "What is man that thou art " mindful of him, or the Son of Man (the common style of

Christ) that thou visitest him; for Thou hast made Him a "little while lower than the angels, and (i. e. d. after that) hast " crowned him with glory and honor. Thou hast made him to " have dominion over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put "all things under his feet."-All which the Apostle expounds of Christ, and of the inhabited world to come, and saith, (though Christ was ascended,) that all things were not yet put under his feet.i

Secondly, we answer; that it is the kingdom of God his Father, because Christ reigns over it in unspeakable union with the Godhead: for though he be but one person, yet he hath two natures; so that the sense is, the kingdom of a God-Christ, or a God-man Christ. Now the term Father is ascribed in Scripture to the Godhead usually in relation to Christ incarnate; so that because the two natures are joined as colleagues in one person, over this empire, therefore it is called, in Ephes. v, 5,

"the kingdom of Christ and of God." It is also in effect called the kingdom of God and of Christ, in Rev. xii, 10:— "Now is salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ." So that Christ as Man doth reign jointly with God in this millennary kingdom.

2 Timothy iv, 1.

" I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who "shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his kingdom."

"

The kingdom of Christ, here mentioned, cannot be referred to his past government of the Church; for though he was now ascended it is expressed in the future tense, that he "shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom." Nor can it signify any kingdom of Christ after the ultimate judgement, for then Christ resigns his kingdom. But when Christ next appears (to judge or rule among the quick and dead saints, and to destroy the then living incorrigible wicked, by a particular day of judgement at the beginning of the thousand years,) then he shall have a kingdom; for he shall say to his saints, "Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you:" according to Matt. xxv, 34, and Rev. xi, 15-18.

The word appearing is the same in the Greek as in 2 Thess. ii,; so that Christ must appear to the inhabitants of the earth, where this his kingdom is. For the present, "Christ is gone " into a far country, (viz. into heaven,) to take to him a king"dom:"k that is, in the metropolis, heaven, he is to be crowned king of the kingdom he is to have on earth; and he is to return, and then "to take account of his servants" in this his kingdom, and to dignify the well-doers.

Acts iii, 19-21.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may " be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come, from "the presence of the Lord. And He shall send Jesus Christ, " which was before preached unto you, whom the heaven must "receive, until the times of restitution of all things, which God " hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the " world began.”

This Scripture is the more important, in that it is urged by some against Christ's glorious kingdom; whereas, if well weighed, it speaks most strongly for it. For the phrase times, twice mentioned in the plural, cannot relate to a state after the last judgement; for then "there shall be time no longer."1 Moreover these times are said to be " spoken of by all the prophets since the world began:" they therefore that pretend to be skilled in the prophets disgrace themselves, in denying that which is the chief thing in all the prophets. All the prophets since the world began have not spoken of the last day of judgement; but of the kingdom of the Messiah they have all spoken: and so much and so plainly about it, that the apostles minds did much run upon it, even at the first appearing of Christ, as is evident from the Gospels. From hence arose the request of the Mother of Zebedee's children, entreating Christ, "that her two sons might sit the one on his right hand, the other on his left hand in his kingdom;"m hence the strife among the twelve, which of them should be the greatest ;n hence the question of the apostles, touching Christ's restoring the kingdom to Israel:0 in all which places Christ doth not in the least hint a negative to the thing itself. And the Jews do yet much expect the coming of the Messiah to restore them; insomuch that one ancient learned Rabbin on his death bed exhorted the Jews, that if the Messiah did not come about 1650 they should embrace the christian Messiah as the true one.

Peter also, speaking to the Jews in his second Epistle, quotes the prophets for this state of the Church whereof we speak : "We have a more sure word of prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as to a light that shineth in a dark place until the day star arise in your hearts.P Now the Lord Christ had come in the flesh, the Spirit had been abundantly poured out, the Gospel openly promulgated to the world, and they to whom Peter writes in part converted; (v. 1 ;) and yet the Apostle calls it a dark time, in comparison of the rising of the day-star (that