An Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Part 9
The second Petition.
Thy kingdome come.
Q. WHy is this in the second place?
A. Because then Gods glorie is aduaunced by vsus, when he ruleth in vsus as absolute king, and wee are content to bee subiect to his lawes.
Q. What is meant by the kingdome of God?
A. The kingdome of God is three folde.
1. Of power.
2. Of grace.
3. Of glorie.
Q. Which call you his kingdome of power?
A. His vniuersall gouernement ouer all things.Psal. 99. …
Q. What meane you by the kingdome of grace?
A. The particular regiment of the elect.
Q. Which call you the kingdome of glorie?
A. The life to come which is in heauē.
Q. For which of these thrée, doe wée praye in this petition?
A. Not for the first, because that is alwaies ouer all the worlde, and euer was, and euer shall bee, though all should conspire against him.
Q. But all things are not gouerned by the power of GOD, some thinges come by chaunce and fortune, doe they not?
A. Not so, for in those thinges that are most casuall (as we say) God hath the greatest stroke: as in theaPro. 16. 33. casting of lots, the comming ofb1. Sam. 24. 4. 19. Saule to ease himselfe in the caue where Dauid hid himselfe. And the same may we say of those that are cExod. 4. 11.borne blinde, and deafe, and du… &c. the loosing of adMatth. 10. hayre from our head, the lighting of a sparrowe vponupon the grounde, and a thousand such like.
Q. If we pray not here for the kingdome of Gods power, which then is it that we pray for?
A. For the comming of the second, and the hastening of the last.
Q. What is that kingdome, which you call the kingdome of grace?
A. It is that power and gouernement which God of his free fauour and goodnes, doth exercise in his elect to saue them from hell, and to bring them to heauen, which is his kingdome of glorie.
Q. But I woulde hauehave you make it more plaine?
A. To vnderstand this kingdome of grace more plainely and fully, wee must consider of three poynts.
1. How we were created.See D. Babbington.
2. How we were corrupted.
3. How we are restored.
Q. Uery wel. How were we created?Creation.
A. According to the image and likenes of God.Gen. 1. 26.
Q. How was that?
A. In righteousnes,Ephes. 4. 24. and true holines, for so the Apostle expoundeth it.
Q. What dooth he meane by righteousnes and true holines?
A. By these two words, he vnderstandeth al perfection, as wisdome, wil to doe good, Truth, Innocencie, louelove of God, &c.
Q. And dooth man continue in this perfection still?
A. No, for when Adam transgressed,Corruption. Gods image was defaced, and his happines forfeited according to the doctrine of the Apostle.Rom. 5. 12. By one man came sinne, and by sin death entred ouer all vntounto condemnation.
Q. How is it now then with man?
A. Now it is otherwise, for
Sinne is entred.
Sathan ruleth.
Death followeth.
Our familiaritie with GOD,Gen. 6. 5. turned into mortall hatred.Rom. 7. 14. 19. 21. 23.
Our wisedome into folly,1. Cor. 2. 14. and our happines into euerlasting cursednesse.Ephes. 2. 1. 2. Rom. 8. 7.
Q. And doe we thus continue?
A. No, for God in a cōtrary course of louelove:Restauration.
1. Takes away our corruption by little and little.
2. Begettes vsus anew to a better life.
3. By Christ restoreth his image againe.
4. Lighteneth our mindes to knowe him aright.
5. Strengtheneth our willes to embrace his worde.
6. Purgeth our harts to louelove the Lord.
7. Maketh all our members in measure to become weapons of righteousnes.
And so
Sinne dieth.
Grace liueth.
Wee louelove him, and are loued of him.
And this is now the kingdome of grace.
Q. In this kingdome of grace, who be the subiects?
A. The elect, and faithfull onelyonly.
Q. What chaire of state hath this king?
A. The hearts of men.
Q. What scepter hath he?
A. His worde.
Q. What lawes doth he rule by?
A. The olde and, new testament.
Q. How doth he put them in executiō?
A. By the power of his spirite.
Q. What kingdōe is opposite to this?
A. The kingdome of Sathan.
Q. What is Sathan?
A. An enemie, & the prince of darkenes.
Q. Where doth he rule?
A. In the children of disobedience.
Q. How dooth he rule?
A. Like a tyrant.
Q. How doe the wicked serue him?
A. Like miserable bondslaues.
Q. How dooth he rewarde them?
A. With eternall confusion of body and soule.
Q. Why doe they serue him then?
A. Because he hatha2. Cor. 4. 4. blinded their eyes.
Q. How dooth he blinde them?
A. With faire shewes andaGen. 3. 4. 5. Matth. 4. 9. promises, which he can neuer make good nor performe.
Q. Where may we reade of Christs kingdome, or the kingdome of grace?
A. In Ioh. 18. 36. Rom. 14. 17. Col. 1. 13
Q. Where may we read of the kingdome of Sathan?
A. In Rom. 6. 12. Ioh. 12. 31. 2. Cor. 4. 4. Ephes. 6. 12. Luk. 11. 21.
Q. What difference is there betwéene the kingdome of grace, and the kingdome of glorie?… Kingdome o…, glorie.
A. The kingdome of glorie differeth from the kingdome of grace two waies.
1. It is not in this life, as the other is.
2. It hath no enemies, as the other hath.
Q. Who shall inherit this kingdome of glorie?
A. None butaMatth. 19. 28 Luke. 22. 28. 29. 30. those which hauehave been subiects vntounto Christ in the kingdome of grace.
Q. Which is the way vntounto it?
A. The one bringeth vsus to the other, for by grace we must come to glorie.
Q. And not by nature?
A. No … for the naturall man seeth not the things of God.1. Cor. 2. 14.
Q. Nor by merits?
A. Yes, by the merites of Christ.
Q. And not by our owne merites?
A. No, for then it were a kingdome of merite, and not of grace, of desert, not of fauour.
Q. Where may wee reade of this kingdome of glorie?
A. In 1. Cor. 2. 9. Reue. 7. 9. 14.
Q. Nowe shewe what is ment by comming?Com….
A. To come, signifieth the approching of any thing in our presence.
Q. But what is vnderstoode by the comming of Gods kingdome?
A. Here it being spoken of the kingdome of grace, it signifieth two things.
1. An erecting of it where it is not begun before.
2. Where it is once erected, a full continuance of it to the end.
Q. Being vnderstoode of the kingdome of glory, what is ment by comming?
A. Then it signifieth also two things
1 A hasteningaApocal. 22. l…s…. forward of that time wherein we shall be partakers of it.
2 A fullbMat. 25. 34. possessing of it when that time is come.
Q. By what meanes is this kingdom erected, and maintained in us?
A. The principall meanes are in number foure.
Q. Which is the first?
A. The powerfull ministerie of theaRom. 1. 16. 2. Cor. 10. 4. 1. …et. 1. 23. word, vntounto which are ioyned the sacraments, for the greater strengthening and confirming of our faith.
Q. Which is the second meanes?
A. The effectuall workingaEzec. 36. 26. 27. of the spirite of God in our heartes,Esa. 11. 3. without which the other meanes are vnprofitable vntounto vsus.
Q. Which is the third?
A. Godly princes, good rulers, and Magistrates.
Q. Why? what must they doe?
A. It belongeth to them to reforme religion, to purge the Church of God, and to defend the true worship, and worshippers of God: and to subdue all that bee enemies vntounto the same.
Q. How proue you that?
A. By the testimonie of the Apostle, who willeth that they bee prayed for,1. Tim. 2. 2. for this ende,Esa. 49. 23. that men may leade vnderunder them an honest and a godly life: As also by the Prophet Esay, who for this cause calleth Kings and Queenes nursing fathers, and nursing mothers for the Church of God.
Q. What is the fourth & last meanes for the building vp of the kingdome of God?
A. Ecclesiasticall discipline, or the gouernment of Christ in his Church.
Q. Wherein standeth it?
A. It standeth in three things
Admonition.
Suspension.
Excommunication.
Q. By whome and howe must these things be put in execution?
A. By such officers, and in such manner as Christ himselfe hath ordayned in his Gospell.
Q. What be the effects and benefits of this kingdome?
A. The Apostle hath set them forth,Rom. 14. 17.
1 Negatiuely, nor meats & drinks, that is, not any transitory, or earthly matter.
2 Affirmatiuely, but Righteousnes peace, and ioy in the holy Ghost.
Q. Now shewe briefely what is the sense & meaning of this second petition?
A. The meaning of it is this, wee pray that the Lord would subdue vntounto his Maiestie all the power of Sathan in vsus, and all the wicked lustes of the flesh: and enable vsus both in body & soule by his holy spirite, to worke acceptably in his sight: And to throw downe all his enemies and ours, that hee may gloriously raigne and triumph ouer all: And that we by Christ may finally bee made partakers of his euerlasting kingdome of glory in heauen.
Q. Now as briefly shew the particular graces that we craue in this petitiō.
A. The particulars are these: we craue,
1 That it would please the Lord to pull downe by the preaching of the worde, and working of his holy spirite, the kingdome of sinne, and Sathan: and to establish his owne kingdome in the hearts of the faithfull.
Q. What els?
A. 2 That Christ may raigne by his owne lawes, and that hee would giuegive all furtherance vntounto it:
As that it would please him:
1 To encrease the number of faithfull preachers.
2 To encrease the giftes of the preachers.
3 To maintain al schooles of learning.
4 To ioyne with the outward preaching, his spirite within.
5 To stirre vp the people, to heare, confer, reade, beleeue, and obey, &c.
Q. What els doe we pray for?
A. 3 That the Lorde would raise vp carefull Magistrates, which may be nurses to his Gospell.
Q. What els?
A. 4 That God would erect and maintaine such an ecclesiasticall gouernment for his church, as he knoweth fit to aduāce his glorie.
Q. What els?
A. 5 That he would remoue all contrary lettes, and whatsoeuer is against the furtherance of his kingdome.
Q. Is there anie more?
A. 6 And lastly,2. Tim. 4. 8. that God would hasten either the day of iudgement, or the day of death.
Q. But many you knowe cannot abide to heare of death, nor the comming of Christ.
A. It is true indeed, for the wicked tremble at the hearing of them, as Foelix did when Paul spake vntounto him of the iudgement to come.Act. 24. But the children of God being holden with the temptations of Sathan, and their owne corruption: Cry out with themselues,Apocal. 22. last. Come Lord Iesus, and with hartie affection do pray and say: Thy Kingdome come.
Q. What say you to such as hinder the kingdome of Christ?
A. I would wish them to consider that when they say this petition, they pray for their owne confusion and destruction.