I fhall difmifs my Confideration of this Petition by seriously exhorting every Good Christian to extend his regards to his fellow-creatures, to endeavour to propagate a due veneration of God's holy Name, not only by the goodness of his life, and the fincerity of his Prayers, but also by giving his advice, and exerting his authority. It is naturally implied in the words of this petition, that we hallow God's name ourfelves, and promote it in others, as much as lies in our power; and if we are deficient as to ourselves, or negligent as to others, every time we repeat this petition, we incur the cenfure and punishment due to hypocrify.

There are it is to be feared, many wellmeaning and fincere Chriftians, who thro' fear of laughter, imputation of fingularity, and cenfure of hypocrify, forbear to rebuke and exprefs their dislike to those many ways, by which God's name is difhonoured in moft converfations. But furely if it is becoming, if it is the duty of a man N

to

to vindicate the character of his friend, ftill more becoming, ftill more the duty must it be of every Christian to defend the honour of his God; efpecially as those who profane it will be apt to construe filence into approbation, and think thofe fecretly for them, who are not openly against them. Now that religion is at fo low an ebb, every difciple of Chrift, who hath at heart the honour of his Mafter, ought to display the banners of Christianity abroad, to declare open war against wickedness and vice, to confider himself as accountable to God for his backwardness in rebuking his profeft enemies, and to look upon himself as a light which is to give light to all that are in the houfe, and in confequence of fuch confiderations, to let his light fo shine before men, that they may fee his good works, and glorify his Father which is in Heaven.

Now to God the Father, &c.

SERMON

SERMON V.

MATTHEW vi. 10th.

WER

Thy Kingdom come.

ERE we but once thoroughly convinced of the existence of a God, and of the great benefits which we have received at his hands, did we but confider, know, and acknowledge him to be our Father which is in Heaven, and suffer such confiderations to have their due weight and proper effect upon us, to incline us to reverence his name, and render it holy and respectable among men, the next step would be our repeating as we ought, this Petition.

Thy Kingdom come. The great and material advantages of being under the immediate inspection and government of an allwife, powerful, juft and gracious King, are fo evident, that nothing but a degenerate and corrupted nature, nothing but a partial understanding blindly fubmitting to the irregular dictates of a perverse will could prevent our feeing, acknowledging, pursuing, and praying for them. Most men, however, thus biaffed from their natural rectitude, fet up the throne of extravagant paffions in their hearts, instead of chearfully and joyfully fubmitting to the fceptre of God; like the rebellious Jews, crying out for a King, when indeed the Lord their God was their King.

As this arises in a great measure from a total ignorance of the nature of the Kingdom here prayed for, I fhall fhew what we are to understand here by the Kingdom of God, and what we mean by the coming of that Kingdom; concluding with men

tioning

tioning those affections with which this Petition ought always to be attended.

The Kingdom of God in Scripture is taken in several fenfes. Sometimes it means his natural or providential Kingdom, or that univerfal dominion which he exercises over all things, and which is the neceffary refult of all his perfect nature.

In this fenfe holy David declares, thine, O Lord, is the greatnefs, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majefty; for all that is in the Heaven, and in the Earth, is thine; thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.

Sometimes it means the Kingdom of grace, or the difpenfation of the Meffiah.

This is called the Kingdom of God, because though he doth not fet up an outward and visible government, as in the Mosaick dispensation, yet he rules inwardly in the

hearts