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use in the church, till all the Redeemer's enemies are made his footstool; and then it shall be exehanged for that triumphant song, (Rev. xii. 10.), "Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ. Alleluia! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready," (Rev. xix. 6, 7.)

Thus have I endeavoured to give you a short account of the sense and import of this petition. -Let us now proceed, in the

Second place, To consider more largely what may reasonably be expected from us in consequence of our using it; or rather, indeed, what is absolutely necessary to prove that we are sincere when we thus pray, "Thy kingdom come." -And,

1st, It is necessary that we should become the subjects of this kingdom, not in name only, but in deed and in truth, otherwise we cannot wish the prosperity and advancement of it.

This King of Zion, who sways a sceptre of grace over those who cordially submit to him, is likewise armed with a rod of iron, to dash in pieces his obstinate enemies; and therefore, to all such, his coming must be most terrible; and neither their inclination nor interest will suffer them

to desire it. No man can wish the increase of a power which he knows to be opposite to him, especially when the opposition is so great, and the difference so irreconcileable, as that which subsists between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan; for the one must necessarily be built upon the ruins of the other.

Let us then, my brethren, throw down the weapons of our rebellion, and yield ourselves to this gracious Sovereign; and then the increase of his power shall become the matter of our joy. Let us invite him into our hearts, and erect a throne for him there; or rather, let us beseech him to erect one for himself, to cast down every thing within us that would exalt itself against his authority, and to take the full and perpetual possession of our souls. Let us unfeignedly accept of him, in the whole extent of his office as Mediator; that standing related to him as the members of his body, we may derive from him wisdom, and righteousnes, and sanctification, and every thing necessary to our complete redemption. Let us secure to ourselves a title to the protection and privileges of his government, by submitting to the laws and constitutions of it; and then it will become easy and natural to us, to pray for the prosperity of a kingdom to which we belong, and the glory of a Sovereign who employs all his power and authority for our good.-A

2d Duty incumbent upon us, in consequence of

our using this petition, is to endeavour, by all the methods we can, to persuade others likewise to become the subjects of this kingdom.

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Lord, Lord; but

Many indeed call Christ, few," alas!" do the things which he says:-they profess that they know God, while in works they deny him,-being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate." And shall not this move our pity and compassion? Can we look around us, even within the limits of the vi sible church, and see human nature exposed in every deformed and sickly shape? Can we behold multitudes of men, who are called by the name of Jesus, counteracting the most sacred obligations of conscience, and even pouring contempt upon the only Saviour of lost sinners? Can we see all this, I say, and not afford our helping hand? Do we pray that the kingdom of God may come, and will we do nothing to introduce it into the hearts of others, who by nature are not less disposed to entertain it than we ourselves once were? If we are sincere in using this petition, let us show our sincerity by our endeavours to obtain what we ask. Let us labour, with all our might, to awaken poor sinners to a sense of their danger, that they may fly to the protection of that merciful Saviour, who hath expressly said, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." (John vi. 37.)

Various are the means which may be used for VOL. III.

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this purpose: I shall mention one, which all of us may employ, and that is, a holy and exemplary life. There is grandeur and majesty in the image of God, which exacts homage to itself from every heart. There is something within us, which, in spite of our degeneracy, confesses and approves of what is right; truth in our speech; justice and honesty in our commerce with others; patience under affliction, and pity to the afflicted; a generous contempt of the world, and a readiness to do good to all. These are virtues which the worst of men secretly honour, and the practice of them explains them better, and enforces them more, than words can do. Would we then prevail with men to become Christians indeed, let us draw out Christianity in our lives, and make it visible to their eyes, and it will speak for itself more intelligibly and convincingly than we can do for men, by beholding it, will see at once, that it is not only excellent, but, by the grace of God, practicable too. This is an argument that hath more persuasion in it than any other can have; and then it is recommended to us by our Lord himself, (Matth. v. 16.), "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in hea ven."

3dly, If we sincerely desire the prosperity and advancement of Christ's external kingdom, we will manifest this by our endeavours to support

and maintain it where it is already established, especially among ourselves.

This is an evidence which may reasonably be expected from us; and indeed without it, all our professions of love to the Redeemer, and of zeal for his glory, must pass for vain and flattering pretences, which deserve no credit. We only mock God, when we pray that the religion of his Son may become universal, and fill the whole earth, if at the same time we do not discover, by our conduct, a hearty concern for its continuance in our own land; yea, if we do not actually resist and oppose all attempts whatever to carry it away from us.

It hath pleased God to distinguish us by our religious privileges above most other nations in the world. They were purchased by our fathers, with the expence of much blood and treasure; and it would be highly criminal in us to resign them tamely, but far more to throw them away with our own hands: yet forgive me to say, that they are chargeable with a crime not les than this, who either openly attempt, or secretly wish, to bring one to the throne of these kingdoms, whose principles oblige him to pull down what we apprehend to be the kingdom of Christ, and to carry us back to that antichristian slavery, from which we have so happily escaped.

There is such a manifest inconsistency between this petition and the practice of such people, that

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