THE THIRD SERMON UPON THE LORD'S PRAYER. MATTHEW vi. Thy kingdom come. THIS is the second petition of the Lord's prayer. I trust you have not forgotten your two lessons before rehearsed unto you. First, the beginning of the Lord's prayer, what a treasure of doctrine is contained in every word. "Our," what it signifies. "Father," what it means; and then this addition, "which art in heaven." How many things are to be noted by every one of those words: and I trust also you have remembered the contents of the first petition, "Hallowed be thy name." Here I told you wherein standeth the holiness of his name, and what it means, namely, we require that his name may be sanctified in us, that is to say, we require that all our conversation may be to the honour of God, which follows when we endeavour ourselves to do his pleasure, when we hear his word with great diligence and earnest reverence, and so walk in the works of our vocation, every man whereunto God hath appointed him. And because the word of God is the instrument and fountain of all good things, we pray to God for the continuance of his word, that he would send godly and learned men amongst us, who may be able to declare to us his will and pleasure. So that we may glorify him in the hour of our visitation, when God shall visit us, and reward every one according unto his desert. One thing we must well consider and not forget, namely, that our Saviour teaches us to pray and desire of God that 66 Here his name may be hallowed. Where he paints us in our own colours, and would have us to confess our own imperfections, that we are not able to do any thing according to God's will, except we receive it first at his hands. Therefore he teaches us to pray, that God would make us able to do all things according to his will and pleasure. This is our request, Thy kingdom come:" Thou Father, we beseech thee, let thy kingdom come to us. we pray that the kingdom of God come not to one only, but to us all. So that when I say this prayer, I beseech God that he will let his kingdom come to you as well as to me. Again, when you pray, you pray as well for me as for your ownselves. "Let thy kingdom come.' You must understand that, to speak properly, these words are not to be understood of God's inferior kingdom; of his earthly kingdom, as though it hung upon our petitions, so that he could not be lord and ruler over the earth, except we pray for him. No; we pray not for his inferior kingdom to come, for it is come already: he rules and governs all things. He is called in Scripture, "The King above all kings," "the Lord above all lords.” (1 Tim. vi.) Therefore he rules and governs all things according to his will and pleasure, as Scripture saith, "Who will withstand his will?" (Rom. ix.) So our Saviour reports; saying, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work also:" (John v.) What worketh he? He worketh the works of governance. For at the first beginning he created all things. But he left them not so. He assists them, he rules them according to his will. Therefore our Saviour does not teach us to pray for his worldly kingdom to come; for he rules already as Lord and King, yea, and all the kings and rulers rule by him, by his permission, as Scripture witnesses; "Through me, that is by my permission, kings reign." (Prov. viii.) I would wish of God that all kings and potentates in the world would consider this well, and so endeavour themselves to use their power to the honour and glory of God, and not presume on their own strength. For this is a good admonition for them, when God saith, "through me kings do reign:" yea, they are so under God's rule, that they can think nothing nor do any thing without God's permission. For it is written, "The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord, and he turneth the same whithersoever it pleaseth him." (Prov. xxi.) This is good to be considered, and specially sub jects should mark this text well-when the rulers are hard, and oppress the people, think ever, "The king's heart is in the governance of God." Yea, when you are led to prison, consider that the governor's heart is in the hand of the Lord. Therefore yield obedience, make your moan unto God, and he will help, and can help. Surely I think there is no place in Scripture more pleasant than this: "The heart of the king is in the hand of God;" for it makes us sure, that no man can hurt us without the permission of God our heavenly Father. For all those great rulers that have been from the beginning of the world till now, have been set up by the appointment of God; and he pulled them down when it pleased him. There have been principally four monarchies in the world; the first, the Babylonians, who had great and many nations underneath them: which was God's ordinance and pleasure, for he suffered them so to do. After them came the Persians, who were great rulers and mighty kings, as appears by histories written by learned men at that time. Then came the Greeks and took the dominion from the Persians, and ruled themselves for a while, till they were plucked down. At the last came the Romans with their empire, which shall be the last:* and therefore it is a token that the end of the world is not far off. But wherefore were those mighty potentates plucked down? Marry, for wickedness' sake. The Babylonians, Persians, and Grecians, (and a good part of the Romans) were cast down for wickedness' sake. What were their doings? They would not execute justice; the magistrates were wicked, lofty, and highminded: the subjects, taking example from their magistrates, were wicked too, and so they deserved to be punished together. Therefore the wisdom of God saith, "In the place where poor men ought to be heard, there have I seen impiety; I have seen oppression and extortion; this I have seen. Yea, and in the place of justice, there I have seen bearing and bolstering." (Eccles. iii.) So for these causes these great empires were destroyed: so *The Roman empire was divided into ten parts, among which were the principal divisions of Europe which have since existed. See Rev. xiii. 1. xvii. 12. + Partiality and favouring. shall we, if we follow their wicked examples. Isaiah, that hearty prophet, confirmeth the same, saying, "I looked they should execute justice, defend the good, and punish the ill: but there was nothing but crying.' This is a "The great matter, cry of the people:" when subjects are oppressed, so that they cry unto God for deliverance, truly God will hear them; he will help and deliver them. But it is to be pitied, that the devil bears so much rule, and so much prevails both in magistrates and subjects, insomuch that he bears almost all the rule. Not that he ought to do so; for God is the lawful ruler of the world; unto him we owe obedience; but the devil is a usurper; he comes to his dominion by craft and subtlety, and so makes himself the great ruler over the world. Now, he being the great ruler would have all the other rulers to go after him, and follow his example, which commonly happens so. you know there is a common saying, Like to like. Therefore he uses all homely tricks to make all rulers to go after him: yea, he seeks to inveigle even kings, and to make them negligent in their business and office. Therefore such kings and potentates were pulled down, because they followed the instructions of the devil. For For But our Saviour speaks not of such worldly kingdoms, when he teaches us to say, "Thy kingdom come.' these worldly kingdoms bring us not to worldly felicity: they are full of all manner of calamities and miseries, death, perditions, and destructions. Therefore the kingdom that he speaks of, is a spiritual kingdom; a kingdom where God alone bears the rule, and not the devil. This kingdom is spoken of every where in Scripture, and was revealed long ago; and daily God has his preachers, who bring us to the knowledge of this kingdom. Now we pray here that the kingdom of God may be increased, for it is God's fellowship, they are God's subjects who dwell in that kingdom; which kingdom consists in righteousness and justice, and it delivers from all calamities, and miseries, from death and all peril. And in this petition we pray that God will send unto us his Spirit, who is the leader unto this kingdom; and all those which lack this Spirit shall never come to God. For St. Paul says, "Whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ, he pertaineth not unto him." (Rom. viii.) Likewise our Saviour says, "The kingdom of God is within you." Signifying that those who have the Spirit of God shall be sure of that kingdom: yea, it begins here in this world with the faithful. The instrument wherewith we are called to this kingdom is the office of preaching. God calls us daily by preachers to come to this kingdom, to forsake the kingdom of the devil, to leave all wickedness. For customable* sinners, those that are not content to leave sin, they pertain not to that kingdom; they are under the dominion of the devil, he rules them: like as our Saviour saith to the Jews, “The devil is your father." Also, "He that doth sin is of the devil." Therefore by this petition we pray, that we may be delivered from all sin and wickedness, from the devil and his power. We desire God that we may be his subjects, which is a very godly and needful prayer. Further, by this petition we are put in remembrance what we are, namely, captives of the devil, his prisoners, and bondmen, and not able to come to liberty through our own power. Therefore we desire God's help and aid, as Christ hath taught us to call him Father: he knew his affections, therefore he commands us to call him Father, and to desire his help to be delivered out of the kingdom of the devil. Happy are those who are in this kingdom, for they shall lack nothing; and this kingdom comes to us by preaching; by hearing of God's word. Therefore those who send scholars to school, they are helpers and furtherers toward this kingdom; and truly it is needful that there be made some provision for them. For except schools and universities are maintained we shall have no preachers: when we have no preachers, when we have none which show unto us God's word, how shall we come to that blessed kingdom which we desire? What avails it when you have gotten many hundred pounds for your children, and lack God's word? Therefore, I say, this office must needs be maintained: for it is a necessary office, which furthers this kingdom; of which our Saviour speaks in the gospel to the Jews, saying, "The kingdom of God is come near." (Luke x.) Likewise he said to one, "Follow me, and preach the kingdom of God." So ought all preachers to do, they ought to allure every man to come to this kingdom, that this kingdom may be replenished. For the more there are converted, the more is the kingdom of God increased. Again, those that * Habitual. |