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CONTENTS
OF
THE THIRD VOLUME.
PART II. CONTINUED.
CHAP. VI.
SECT. X.
Concerning the ministers of the kingdom of Christ.
WHICH are of a fourfold rank and order: first, the su-
preme minister of it is the Holy Ghost, 1. secondly, next to
him are the whole world of angels, both good and bad; and
as for the good, they are subjected to Christ by the order
and appointment of God the Father, ibid. That the good
angels were not subject to him as Mediator, till his ascension
into heaven; but had their distinct regencies over the seve-
ral Gentile nations, 2. but upon Christ's ascension these their
distinct regencies were all dissolved, and they subjected to
Christ's mediatorial sceptre, 6. and as for the bad angels,
they were subjected to him by just and lawful conquest, 8.
that this conquest he obtained while he was upon earth, but
especially in his last agony, 9. Seven particular instances of
the ministry of good angels under Christ: first, they declare
upon occasion his mind and will to his church and people,
17. secondly, they guard and defend his subjects against
outward dangers, 18. thirdly, they support and comfort them
upon difficult undertakings, and under great and pressing
calamities, 20. fourthly, they protect them against the rage
and fury of evil spirits, 22. fifthly, they further and assist
them in their religious offices, 25. sixthly, they conduct
their separated spirits to the mansions of glory, 28. seventhly,
they are hereafter to attend and minister to him at the ge-
neral judgment, 30. The ministry of evil angels to Christ in
four particulars: first, they try and exercise the virtues of
his subjects, 32. secondly, they chasten and correct their
faults and miscarriages, 35. thirdly, they harden and con-
firm incorrigible sinners, 39. fourthly, they execute the ven-
geance of Christ on them in another world, 42. The third
sort of the ministers of Christ's kingdom are the kings and
governors of the world, 45. by their subjection to Christ
they are not deprived of any natural right of their sove-
reignty, 47. but in the first place have the same command-
ing power over all indifferent things, and that in ecclesias-
tical causes as well as civil, that they had under the law of
nature, 48. and secondly, are as unaccountable and irresist-
ible as they were before, 56. What those ministries are
which kings are obliged to render our Saviour, shewn in ge-
neral from Isa. xlix. 23. p. 60. particularly, first, they are to
protect and defend his church in the profession and exercise
of the true religion, 61. secondly, they are to fence and cul-
tivate its peace and good order, 62. they are to chasten and
correct the irregular, 63. they are to provide for the decency
of its worship, and for the convenient maintenance of its of-
ficers and ministers, 65. The fourth sort of ministers of
Christ's kingdom are the spiritual or ecclesiastical governors,
67. That Christ hath erected a spiritual government in his
church, ibid. That this government is episcopal, proved from
four arguments: first, from the institution of our Saviour,
71. secondly, from the practice of the apostles upon it, 76.
thirdly, from the universal conformity of the primitive church
to the apostolic practice, 86. fourthly, from our Saviour's
declared allowance and approbation of both, 103. Of the mi-
nistries of this spiritual government, which are either such
as are common to the bishops together with the inferior offi-
cers of the church; as first, to teach the gospel, 109. se-
condly, to administer the evangelical sacraments, 110. thirdly,
to offer up the public prayers and intercessions of Christian
assemblies, 112. Or such as are particular to the bishops;
as first, to make laws for the peace and good order of the
church, 114. secondly, to ordain to ecclesiastical offices, 117.
thirdly, to exercise that spiritual jurisdiction which Christ
hath established in his church, 120. fourthly, to confirm such
as have been baptized and instructed in Christianity, 126.
SECT. XI.
Of Christ's regal acts in his kingdom.
Which are of three sorts, first, such as he hath performed
once for all, of which there are four: first, his giving laws to
his kingdom, 129. That what Christ taught as a prophet
had the force of a law, 130. His law spiritual, ibid. His law
reduced under two heads; first, his law of perfection, 132.
secondly, his law of sincerity, 135. The second of those re-
gal acts which he hath performed once for all, is his mission
of the Holy Spirit, 137. a third is, his erecting an external
polity and government, 138. Another sort of Christ's regal
acts are such as he hath always performed, and doth always
continue to perform; of which there are four: first, his par-
doning penitent offenders, the nature of which is explained,
141. the scripture attributes it both to Christ and God the
Father, 142. that both of them have an appropriate part in
it, 143. The part of God the Father is, first, to make a ge-
neral grant of pardon, 144. secondly, to make it in consi-
deration of Christ's death and sacrifice, 145. thirdly, to limit
it to believing and penitent sinners, 146. The part which
Christ performs in it is, to make an actual and particular
application of this general grant of his Father to particular
sinners upon their faith and repentance, 154. The second of
these regal acts of Christ is, his punishing obstinate offend-
ers, 156. a third is, his protecting and defending his people
and kingdom in this world, 158. the fourth is, his rewarding
his faithful subjects in the life to come, 162. The third and
last sort of Christ's regal acts are those which are yet to be
performed by him, of which there are three: first, he is yet
further to extend and enlarge his kingdom by a more uni-
versal conquest of his enemies, 165. secondly, he is yet to
destroy death, the last enemy, by giving a general resurrec-
tion, 170. This proved from his own resurrection, 171. The
objection against this argument, and the doctrine of the re-
surrection answered, 173. The manner of the resurrection de-
scribed at large from 1 Cor. xv. 42. p. 179. first, this mortal
body is to be the seed or material principle of our resurrec-
tion, 180. secondly, this seed must die and be corrupted be-
fore it is to be raised and quickened, 181. thirdly, this dead
seed is to be raised and quickened by the power of God, 183.
fourthly, it is to be raised and quickened into the proper
form and kind of a human body, 186. fifthly, this human
body is to be very much changed and altered, 188. The
change that will be made in the bodies of good men is four-
fold: first, from base and humble into glorious bodies, 189.
secondly, from earthly and fleshly into spiritual and hea-
venly, 190. thirdly, from weak and passive into active and
powerful, 192. fourthly, from corruptible and mortal into
incorruptible and immortal, 195. They will differ in degrees
of glory proportionably as they differ in degrees of perfec-
tion, 196. Of the woful change which the bodies of the
wicked will undergo, 198. The third and last of these regal
acts of Christ is, his judging the world; where, first, the
thing is proved that he shall judge the world, 200. secondly,
an account is given of the signs and forerunners of his com-
ing to judgment, 201. thirdly, the manner and circumstances
of his coming, 204. as, first, the place from whence he is to
come, ibid. secondly, the state wherein he is to come, 205.
thirdly, the carriage on which he is to come, 207. fourthly,
the train and equipage with which he is to come, 210. fifthly,
the place to which he is to come, 213. fourthly, the process
of this judgment, 215. and first of the judgment of the
righteous; wherein is implied, first, their citation or summons,
216. secondly, their personal appearance, 217. thirdly, their
trial, 218. fourthly, their sentence, 220. fifthly, their as-
sumption into the clouds of heaven, 222. The judgment of
the wicked implies also, first, their citation, 223. secondly,
their personal appearance, 224. thirdly, their trial, 226.
fourthly, their sentence, 227. fifthly, their execution, 228.
SECT. XII.
Concerning Christ's surrendering his kingdom. Christ hath a twofold kingdom, viz. his essential kingdom, which is coeternal with him, and can never be surrendered;