Thy Kingdom come. The great and material advantages of being under the immediate inspection and government of an all-wife, 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 passions in their hearts, instead of chearfully and joyfully fubmitting to the fcepter of God; like the rebellious Jews, crying out for a King, when indeed the Lord their God was their King.

As this arifes in a great measure from a total ignorance of the nature of the Kingdom here prayed for, I fhall fhew what

we

we are to understand here by the Kingdom of God, and what we mean by the coming of that Kingdom; concluding with mentioning those affections with which this petition ought always to be attended.

The Kingdom of God in Scripture is taken in feveral 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 his all-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 majesty; 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

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

This is called the Kingdom of God, because though he doth not fet up an outward and visible government, as in the Mofaick difpenfation, yet he rules inwardly in the hearts and minds of thofe who are entered into the Gospel Covenant. This is the most common acceptation of the phrase in the New Teftament. But it fometimes fignifies also the Kingdom of God's Glory, or that happy state into which at the day of Judgment, he fhall receive, and in which he fhall govern his faints for ever.

Of this Kingdom our Saviour speaks, faying, then shall the King fay unto them on his right hand, Come ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.

Having

Having thus feen in what general acceptations the Kingdom of God is taken in Scripture, let us next confider in which of thefe it is to be understood in this petition.

As to the providential Kingdom of God, it is founded upon the perfection of his nature; and as that perfection is unalterably the fame, fo must the dominion refulting from it be unalterable likewife, capable neither of addition or diminution; and therefore we cannot here have any refpect to that kingdom.

The kingdom of Grace is capable of increase, both by the coming in of those who do not now believe, and by fuch a bleffed alteration in those who do, that they may walk according to their profef fion.

The

The kingdom of Glory is capable of increase; both by receiving those who do now, and fhall hereafter lead a godly life in the ftate of grace, and by admitting those who are already departed out of this life in the fear of God, to a greater share of Glory, than they at prefent enjoy. In this petition therefore we have regard to these two kingdoms of grace and glory.

Though the kingdom of Grace is in fact but an introduction to that of Glory, and the kingdom of Glory the higheft difpenfation of God's grace, yet are they in some things different both as to the manner of the adminiftration, and the condition of the fubjects.

In the kingdom of Grace we are in a ftate of tryal, liable to be drawn away by the deceit of the world, the flesh, and the

Devil,