God having exalted His Son into the highest heaven saith unto Him, "Sit Thou at My right hand, till I make Thine Ps. 110. 1. enemies Thy footstool."

"The last enemy that is to be destroyed is death." 1 Cor. 15. Wherefore our desire is, that there may be such a Kingdom,

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as wherein the Law of God may be exactly kept, and that it would please God in this Kingdom to "tread down Satan Rom.16.20. under our feet," that not only death itself, but he that hath "the power of death" being destroyed, "God may be all Heb. 2. 14. in all."

When we behold the state of the world, and see that good men are trodden under feet, and the vessels of wrath and sin are exalted and prosper, then we may know that that is not the true Kingdoin, and therefore we pray that God will set up His Kingdom in our hearts, and govern us by His Spirit.

And therefore this point doth not only concern ourselves but also God, for unless His Kingdom come, His name cannot be sanctified of us.

As there are temporal kingdoms, so there is a spiritual Kingdom, called the Kingdom of grace, whereof our Saviour speaketh, "The Kingdom of God is within you.'

As before we prayed for the Kingdom of glory, so now for this Kingdom of grace; for without this we shall never be partakers of that other Kingdom.

1 Cor. 15.

28.

Lu. 17. 21.

The glory of other kingdoms is the reformation of things that were before amiss, but the glory of the Kingdom of grace is, that as during the tyranny of Satan "sin reigned unto death," so now under this Kingdom "grace may reign Rom. 5.21. through righteousness by Jesus Christ."

That we may have interest in both these Kingdoms, we

must hearken to that which Christ proclaimeth, "Repent, Mat. 4. 17. for the Kingdom of God draweth near." As it draweth near to

us, so we must draw near to it, else we shall never enter into

it, for "except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Joh. 3.3,5. Kingdom of God." ·

And that we may begin to draw near to it, there is an outward regiment to be used, which is a token of the grace of God bearing rule in our hearts; we must by the Kingdom of God within us cast out devils. We must entreat God by the power of His Spirit to plant in our hearts that which is

X.

Mat. 13.48.

SERM good, and to root out and remove out of them that which is bad. We must displace Satan and sin that they set not up their thrones in our hearts, and instead of it we must set up God's Kingdom ruling in us by IIis Spirit; for the Kingdom Rom. 14. of God stands in "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

17.

If we find these virtues in us, they are sure pledges of the Kingdom of grace, and we may assure ourselves that after this life is ended we shall be received into the Kingdom of glory.

And howsoever He hath appointed kings and rulers over us for our outward safety and defence, yet they have their sceptre from Him, and the end of their rule is to further 1 Tim. 2. 2. God's Kingdom, as the Apostle speaketh, "that we may live under them in all godliness and honesty."

Touching the coming of His Kingdom, it may be demanded why we pray that it may come to us, seeing that it were meeter that we should come toward it. But hereby Christ giveth us to understand what our corruption is. It is with us as with the Israelites, that were so addicted to the flesh-pots of Egypt that they cared not to go into the promised land; likewise we are so in love with this present world, as that we have no mind of heaven.

Besides, there are so many stumbling blocks in our way as that the Kingdom of God must come unto us, or else we shall never possibly come unto it. Therefore, as we pray that God would lighten our blind eyes, and inflame our hard hearts with a love of His heavenly Kingdom, so also that He Mat. 13.41. would send His "angels to gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend."

The things that we pray against are the kingdom of Satan, darkness and sin, that they may depart from us, and that the inward Kingdom of grace may take place in our hearts; but the principal Kingdom that we desire is the Kingdom said, "Behold, I come

Rev. 22. 7. of glory, whereof our Saviour quickly."

Rev. 22.20.

This is the Kingdom which the saints desire, saying, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus;" and all creatures do wait for this KingRom. 8.20, dom, looking when they shall be "made free from the bondage of their corruption." For whereas now all things are

21.

"subject unto vanity," then there shall be a Kingdom that shall not perish.

It is not for the wicked to desire the coming of His Kingdom: "Woe be to you that desire the coming of the Lord, it Amos 5.18. is darkness and not light." The wicked shall say to the mountains, "Fall upon us;" for the wrath of the Lord, no man Rev. 6. 16. is able to abide it. But to the godly it is a day of comfort, "Lift up your heads, for the day of redemption draws near." Lu. 21. 28. Howsoever, He will render vengeance to the ungodly that have not known nor obeyed the Gospel of God. Yet He 2Thes.1.8. comes to make a garland to crown the godly, and to set them in His throne; they shall be received into His Kingdom of glory, where they shall enjoy the things which "neither 1 Cor. 2. 9. eye hath seen, nor ear hath heard, nor hath ever entered

into the heart of man, which IIe hath prepared for them that love Him."

Therefore St. Paul saith, "I desire to be dissolved, and to Phil. 1. 23. be with Christ." Simeon's desire is, "Lord, now let Thou Lu. 2. 29. Thy servant depart in peace."

Thus the remembrance of the day of our redemption is a joyful remembrance to them, and the chief thing that they desire, so that they are willing to depart, in regard of their future hope, rather than to tarry here; and howbeit that Christ defers His Kingdom and coming, yet we are to be watchful, "for it will come as a snare," and when He cometh Lu. 21. 35. He will rather be for us than against us.

1Thes.5.2.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

SERMON XI.

SERM.

XI.

Ps. 84. 11.

Thy will be done.

THE sum of all our desires is set down by those words of the Prophet, where he saith, "The Lord shall give glory and peace, and no good thing shall be withheld from them that live uprightly;" and our Saviour doth excellently express the Mat. 6. 33. same, "Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other things shall be ministered."

The petitions of glory, and God's Kingdom, have already been handled. Now in this third-which is the second of those which concern ourselves-we are suitors for the grace of God in this life, whereby we may be enabled to do His will here, that so we may obtain the Kingdom of glory in the world to come; for the Kingdom of God and of glory is the Heaven that we desire all to arrive at, and grace and righteousness is the gale of wind that drives us forward thereunto, and our suit to God in this petition is, that by doing of His Rom. 5.21. will here on earth "grace may reign" in our hearts "by righteousness," that so hereafter we may reign with Him in glory. He doth not only will us to "seek God's Kingdom,” and Mat. 25.34. tells us that there is one "prepared for us before the foundation of the world," but also how we may find it and attain to Mat. 7. 21. it: "Not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of God, but he that shall do the will of My Father Which is in heaven."

Mat. 6. 33.

Therefore touching the order of this prayer, as of those things which concern our good, the first is, that God's Kingdom may come to us, so the door whereby we must enter

into the same is the doing of God's will; and therefore in the second place we are taught, that the Kingdom of God shall come, not by wishing or desiring but by doing of God's will, as Christ saith, "The Kingdom of God is come near [Lu. 10.9.] you." So Christ tells us, "If we draw near to God, He will Jas. 4. 8. draw near to us."

Touching the will of God it may be demanded, why we should

demand and ask this petition; for as the Psalmist saith, “Our Ps. 115. 3. God is in heaven, IIe doth whatsoever He will.” "What- Ps. 135. 6. soever the Lord willed, that did IIe in heaven, in the earth,

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and in all deep places;" and, "Who hath resisted His will?" Rom. c. 19. "No counsel or wisdom can prevail against the Lord." And Prov. 21. do oppose themselves against His will, yet they do but "kick against the pricks."

if

any

The answer to this objection is, that we pray not so much that God's will may be done, but rather that what God willeth may be our will; for there is one will of God which. we may resist, another which we may not resist.

Acts 9. 5.

For the distinction of God's will, it is either hidden and secret, or revealed and open: the one is that which the Prophet calls "the counsel" or "thought of His heart;" the other is Ps. 33. 11. that will of His word, wherein He declareth and openeth to men what His will is.

His secret will is, voluntas beneplaciti, 'the good pleasure of His will;' His revealed will is, voluntas signi, which is disclosed to us.

God's secret will is, voluntas quam Deus vult, that will which God willeth;' His revealed will is, voluntas quam Ipse nos velle vult,' that will which He willeth us to will.' The secret will of His heart is, voluntas adoranda non scrutanda : he that curiously searcheth the glory of heavenly things, Prov. 25. shall not enter into glory. "How unsearchable are His 27. judgments;" and, "Who hath known the will of the Lord? or 34. who was His counsellor?" But the open and revealed will of God is, voluntas scrutanda et facienda, both to be searched out, and to be done of us.' "Be not unwise, but understand Eph. 5. 17. what is the will of God." The knowledge of His will is not

Rom. 11.

enough, but as Christ saith, "If ye know these things, blessed Joh.13.17.

Of the secret will of God, that is true which the Apostle