verted; But when the more modern Millennaries had partly corrupted this Doctrine, and partly faw lefs clearly into it, who plac'd the Seat of this Kingdom in the prefent Earth, and its Felicity in the prefent Life; and when this Error had given a Handle to warm and fanatick Spirits, puff'd up with a groundless Hope, of raifing great Disturbances in the Church, which gave Offence to the Good and the Wife; this innocent and orthodox Doctrine began to lofe its Reputation with many, and is, even to this Day, in fome meafure, inviduous. Wherefore, that we may find a Remedy for this Mischief, it will be worth our while briefly to unfold what the antient Fathers determin'd concerning this Matter, and when and where they believ'd that this Kingdom would be.

As to the Point itself, we have already, in another Place, if I am not very much miftaken, prov'd from the Writings of the Prophets and the Apoftles, that there will be one Day a millennian Kingdom of Chrift upon Earth, either the Earth which we have at present, or the new one which will fucceed it: And the moft antient Fathers of almost all Nations are produc'd as Witneffes in this Caufe. Many Grecians, and likewife Latins and Africans. In this Number are chiefly Papias, the Hieropolitan Bishop, Juftin Martyr, and the Reviver or Enlar ger of the Sibylline Verfes before the Time of Justin; the Writer of the Epiftle that

goes

goes under the Name of St. Barnaby, Irenæus, Melito of Sardis, Methodius: Befides thefe, there is Tertullian, and St. Cyprian, his Difciple, Africans: Then there is Nepos, the Egyptian Bifhop, and Victorinus and Lactantius, Latins. All these liv'd within the third Century, while the Apoftolick * Doctrine yet remain'd intire and uncorrupted. And of thefe Fathers there are fome who do not only declare that this is their own Opinion, but the Opinion of the whole Church that was contemporary with them, and of all others who had right Sentiments with regard to the Chriftian Faith; nay, fome of them do not doubt to affirm, that this Doctrine defcended traditionally from St. John and the other Apoftles.

BUT befides these express Testimonies which offer themselves naturally the first in the Caufe before us, there are other Arguments and Proofs that are founded on the Hiftory of thofe Times, which manifeftly fhew that this Doctrine of the Kingdom, for fo it was formerly call'd, was esteem'd a Christian Doctrine; and that, as well by the Heathens as ours. By the Heathens, I fay, who dreaded that King whom the Christians expected fhould come; whom, therefore, they accus'd of Ambition, or of fpreading the Seeds of Sedition, and of believing that they should

one

* See the Place of Gennadius. The Treatife of Tychonius is in BB. PP. and in Orthodoxogr

ακό

one day obtain a Kingdom upon Earth. The foremention'd Justin, in the Apology which he made for the Chriftians to Antoninus Pius, has thefe Words, which manifeftly relate to this very Matter: Tues andσαντες βασιλείας προσδοκώντας ἡμᾶς, ἀκρίτως ανα θρώπινον λέγειν ἡμᾶς ὑπειλήφατε, ἡμῶν τὴν μετὰ Θεδ λεγόντων, &c. You hearing it faid that we expect a Kingdom, believe that we are foolish enough to mean a buman Kingdom, whereas we intend fuch a one in which we are to reign together with God: For whereas the Chriftians were wont to exhort one another to fuffer Death with a dauntless Spirit, because they who were Martyrs in the Caufe of Chrift were to have the Enjoyment of this Kingdom, the Heathens understood by this a Kingdom in the present Life, as if the Chriftians were attempting fomething against the Roman Empire, or entertain❜d a Belief that they should become the Lords of it. To whom Juftin, in the following Words, returns a very proper Answer: Since we fuffer Death in the Caufe of Chrift with fo chearful a Spirit, 'tis manifeft, that either we have no Hope of a Kingdom in this Life, or that we rafhly and foolishly throw away that Hope, and destroy it together with Life.

BESIDES, The fame Thing is prov'd by the Acts of Domitian: For as Herod, after Christ was born, was afraid he should take his Kingdom from him, by reafon of a Re

port

Eufeb.

Hift. Eccl.

1.iii. c. 15.

phor. 1. iii.

port among the Jews, that the Meffiah, whom at that Time they expected, would reftore the Kingdom to Ifrael; fo afterwards Domitian the Emperor, as the Hiftorians relate, See like caus'd all to be deftroyed that fprung from the wife Nice- Root of David; and caus'd the Relations of C. 10, 11. Chrift to be examin'd, that they might give an Account of Chrift and his Kingdom, what it was, and when and where it was to appear; which Inquiry was occafioned by the Difcourfes and Books of the Chriftians concerning the Kingdom of Chrift that was one Day to be upon Earth.*

So

* Our Saviour never deny'd (though he had many OpSeeLuke portunities offer'd him of denying it) that he was † a King, xxiii. or that he fhould have a Kingdom. He faid, indeed, to Pilate, Acts xvii. when he ask'd him whether he was the King of the Jews, that his Kingdom was not of this World; which is true enough; for in this world the Wicked, Satan, and Antichrift reign; but when these his Enemies fhall be deftroy'd, and the World renew'd, in that new World he fhall reign, together with his Saints. Chrift deny'd the Sons of Zebedee the firft Seats in his Kingdom, but never difown'd the Kingdom itfelf: So likewife when his Difciples ask'd him about the Time of his Kingdom, Ats i. 6. he did not think proper, is true, to inform them as to that very Point; but neither does he deny that he was to have a Kingdom fome Time. But that Chrift, as well as they that propos'd the Thing to him, underfood it of the terreftrial, and not the celestial eternal Kingdom, appears from thofe earthly and temporal good Things which he promifes or makes mention of in this his future Kingdom. He promifes his Difciples temporal good Things, ev T Tanıyeviois, Matt. xix. 18. (which Words, we have before obferv'd, denote the Renovation of the World :) And at his laft Supper he tells them, that be would not

See the Appendix, at the End

of the 4th

So much for the Heathens: To come to the Chriftians.. This feems to me to be a Proof of their Faith as to this Point, that they put up Prayers for the Dead, that they might have a Part in the first Refurrection. That Prayers and Oblations for the Dead were for fome Ages in Ufe, as we obferv'd above, is to me indubitable; not that this was done always with the fame Chapter. Defign, nor that they always in their Supplications defir'd the fame Favours and the lame Benefits for the Souls of the Departed: That they might enjoy Peace and Rest, and be free from the extream Violence of the torturing Fires, that they might quickly rife again, and have a Part in the first Refurrection: This was the Sum of their Pray-ers. The last of these is plainly exprefs'd by Tertullian, when in thefe Words he defcribes the Duty of a pious Wife towards her departed Husband: She prays for his Soul; and De Moin the mean Time defires Refreshment for nog. c. 18 him, and a Share for him in the first Refur

rection: And in another Place he esteems the De Anim.

Delay cap. ult.

drink of the Juice of the Vine till he drank it new with them in the Kingdom of his Father, Matt. xxvi. 29. And at the fame Time he fays, Luke xxii. 29, 30. I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdom. In Heaven there is no eating or drinking; and although thofe Words are fometimes used metaphorically, yet we must keep close to the primary Signification of all Words, unless Neceffity obliges us to give them another Signification, which is not the Cafe here.