and dishonour him; and fet up an idol of our own fancy, inftead of the true God. The confequence of which will be, that in proportion as our notions of him are false, our worfhip, imitation, and obedience will be erroneous alfo; our piety and our morals will both be corrupted; we shall neglect what alone can recommend us to him; we fhall hope to please him by performances of no value, perhaps by wicked deeds s; and the light, that is in us, will become darkness

No wonder then, if we are directed to make it our firft petition, that we and all men may hallow God's Name, as we ought that fo right a sense of his nature and attributes, especially his wisdom, justice, and goodness, may prevail through the world, as may banish at once both profaneness and superftition, and engage us all to fear and love him equally: that we may entertain fuch notions of Christianity, as will promote its honour; and allow ourfelves in nothing, that may bring difgrace upon it, or tempt any to blafpheme, instead of fanctifying, that worthy Name by which we are called †: but that each of us, in our ftations, may, with all diligence, and all prudence, propagate the belief of pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father. This is the way, and the only way poffible, for us truly honour him, and be truly good and happy happy in ourselves, and in each other; in the prefent world, and that which is to come. With this petition therefore our bleffed Lord moft rationally directs us to begin. And let us all remember, that what he bids us pray for in the first place, he will expect that we fhould endeavour after in the first place; and as we acknowledge him who hath called us, to be holy, that we should be holy alfo in all manner of converfa tion §.

#Mat, vi. 23. † Jam. i. 7.

Jam. i. 27.

1 Pet. i. 15.

LE C

T

LECTURE

XXXI.

Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done.

HE fecond petition of the Lord's Prayer, Thy kingdom come, follows very naturally after the firft, Hallowed be thy Name. For hallowing the name of God, that is, entertaining juft notions, and being poffeffed with a deep fenfe, of the holiness of his nature, his abhorrence of fin, his justice and goodness; is the neceflary preparative for fubmitting to, and being faithful fubjects of, that kingdom, for the coming of which we are directed to pray.

God indeed is, ever was, and cannot but be, Lord and King of the whole world, poffeffed of all right and all dominion, over all things: as the plaineft reafon fhows, and the conclufion of this very prayer, in conformity to the rest of scripture, acknowledges. In this fenfe therefore we cannot pray for his kingdom, as fomething future, but only rejoice in its being actually prefent: for what can be greater joy, than to live under the government of infinite mercy, wifdom, and power? The Lord reigneth: let the carth rejoice, let the multitude of ifies be glad thereof*.

But befides this natural kingdom of God, there is a moral and fpiritual one, founded on the willing cbedience of reafonable creatures to those laws of righteoufnefs, which he hath given them. Now this, we have too plain evidence, is not ⚫ yet come amongft men fo fully as it ought. The very first of human race revolted from their Maker; and their defcendants, as both fcripture and other history fhows, grew, age after age, yet more and more disobedient; till at length the inhabitants of the whole earth, inftead of being the happy fubjects of God's rightful empire, became, by immoral lives, and idolatrous worship, most wretched flaves to the ufurped dominion of the wicked one. The wifdom and goodness of God made immediate provifion, through his only Son our Lord, to VOL. IV.

3 M

oppofe

*Pfalm xcvii. 1

oppofe this kingdom of daiknefs, as foon as it appeared in the world: not by his abfolute power; for obedience loses its value, unless it proceed from choice; but by the rational method of inftructions, promises, and warnings from Heaven, superadded to what nature taught, and fuited to the circumftances of every age.

These he gave at firft by the patriarchs to all men promifcuoufly: and whoever acknowledged his authority, and obeyed his laws, was a good subject and true member of his kingdom. But when afterwards, notwithstanding this care, the corruption of mankind was become general, he chofe the pofterity of his fervant Abraham, and diftinguished them by his efpecial favour: not as cafting off the reft of the world; for in every nation, at all times, they that fear God, and work righteoufnefs, are accepted with him*: but that, in this people at least, the profeffion of faith in him, and fubjection to him, might be kept alive: not merely for their own benefit, but the information of others alfo. With them therefore was the kingdom of God, in a peculiar degree, for 1500 years. While they flourished in their own land, they held forth the light of truth to all the nations round them. And when they were led captive or difperfed into other lands, they spread it yet farther: and thus were great inftruments in preparing the reft of mankind for that general re-cftablishment of obedience to the true God, as King and Lord of all, which our bleffed Saviour came to effect.

The gofpel difpenfation therefore having this for its end, and being much more perfectly fitted to attain it, than any preceding manifestation of religion had been; the fcripture, in a diftinguished manner, calls it the Kingdom of God, or of Heaven: both which words denote, in exactly the fame view, that dominion, which in Daniel it is forctold, the God of Heaven fould fet up, and which fould never be deftroyed. Our Saviour was then, after John the Baptift, only giving notice. of its approach, and opening the way for fetting it up, when he first directed his difciples to pray, that it might come. By his death he raifed it on the ruins of the devil's ufurpation, over whom he triumphed on his croft and now it hath been many ages in the world. But ftill it is by no means come, in

that

*Ads x. 35.

† Dan. ii. 44.

Col. ii, 15.

that extent, and to that good effect, which we have reason to beg that it may, and to believe that it will. The largest part of mankind hath not, fo much as in profeffion, entered into this kingdom: but lies overwhelmed in Pagan idolatry, Jewifh unbelief, or Mahometan delufion. The largeft part of Chriftians have corrupted the doctrine of Chrift with grievous errors: and those who preferve the pureft faith, too generally live fuch impure and wicked lives; that, though the kingdom of God hath indeed taken place amongst them in outward appearance, yet in that fenfe, which will prove at laft the only important one, they are ftill far from it. For the kingdom of God, faith our Saviour, is within you*: and confifts, as the apostle further explains it, in righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the grace of the Holy Ghost +.

Here then is great room, and great need, for praying; that the heathen may become the inheritance of Chrift, and the uttermoft parts of the Mahometan world his poffeffion‡: that the Jews, from whom, for their unbelief, the Kingdom of God hath been fo long taken § away, may be restored to a share in it; as the prophets, both of the Old and New Teftament, have foretold they fhall and laftly, that all who profefs and call themfelves Chriftians, may not only be led into the way of truth, but hold the faith in unity of Spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteoufnefs of life. How little profpect foever there may be at present of such happinefs as this, yet we have a fure word of prophefy¶, for the ground of our prayers, that the time fhall come, when the kingdoms of this world fhall be the kingdoms of our God and of his Chrift, in a degree that they have never been yet: when all the people shall be righteous 4, and know the Lord, from the greateft unto the leaft

.++

But the kingdom of God upon earth, even in its best estate, is comparatively but short-lived and imperfect, indeed a mere introduction to that glorious and eternal manifestation of it in heaven, which ought ever to be the objects of our most ardent defires and requefts. For as the governor, and the governed, and the great fundamental laws of government, are

ftill to be the fame, in the present state of trial, and the fu ture one of recompence; they both make up together but one kingdom of God, And therefore, when we pray for the coming of it, we pray, in the last place, for the arrival of that time, when the King and Judge of all shall fit upon the throne of his glory*, and reward every man according to his works † ; when the righteous fhall shine forth as the fun, in the kingdom of their Father; even that kingdom which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world §; and shall reign with bim in it for ever and ever ||.

But then, as we pray for this time, we must prepare for it alfo: elfe we do nothing but afk our own condemnation; as the Prophet Amos hath most awfully warned us: Wo unto you that defire the day of the Lord. To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light ¶.

To inftruct us therefore, on what it is, that our fhare in the kingdom of God depends, our Saviour immediately subjoins another petition, expressing it very clearly: Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. For not every one that faith unto him, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but they only who do the will of God, shall receive his promife +.

Indeed what God wills to do himself, that he doth aceordingly, both in the army of heaven, and amongst the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand ++. But what he wills us to do, that he only requires of us, as we value his favour, or fear his difpleafure; leaving us defignedly that power of not doing what he bids us, without which, doing it were no virtue. But though difobedience to his will is in our power, yet obedience is not fo, without the affiftance of his grace: which therefore, in thefe words, we defire for ourselves, and for all men. And fince, by the means of prayer, we may have ftrength to obey his will granted us; we are certainly with as much justice, expected to obey it, as if we had the power already of our own.

Now the will of God confifts in these two things: That we fuffer patiently what he lays upon us, and perform faithfully what he commands us. The former of these; to bear with