Exposition of the Lords Prayer, Treatise · Part 18
For, thine is the Kingdome, &c.
Hence ariseth this observation for our instruction. That;
God is the onelyonly absolute and Soveraigne King over Observa. all the whole world.
This David acknowledgeth using the very words that our Saviour useth in this place, thine 1 Chron. 29. 11.is the Kingdome O Lord, and thou excellest as head over all. And the like doth Nebuchadnezer, after that Daniel had told him his dreame and the interpretation thereof, Your God (saith he) is the God of Gods, and the Lord of Kings: and it stands with good reason that the absolute soveraigntie ouer all the Potentates on the earth should bee ascribed unto him.
First, because he is the author of their being, Reas. 1 and of the being of their subjects, as also of all the meanes whereby they and their Kingdomes are upheld and maintained; For, he made of one bloud all mankind to dwell on the face of the earth, Acts 26. 25.and in him they liue and moue and hauehave their being: and as he bestowed life upon them, so doth he still owe unto them breath, and all things whereby life must be continued. No earthly Monarch can giuegive a being unto any one of his subjects, nor keepe the breath in his nostrels when the Lord calleth for it: nay it is not the most mighty and puissant Prince in the world, that can (by his onelyonly command) make one haire white that was before blacke, or blacke that was before white, the most that they can doe, is to performe the office of nursing Fathers to bring up such as are committed to their charge: as for life and breath, meanes and maintenance, and such like, they are all the proper and peculiar gifts of God.
Secondly, as he is the author of all these, so Reas. 2 he is the owner of them: and therefore hath goodPsal. 24. right to bestow them at his pleasure. The earth is the Lords (saith the Prophet) and the fulnesse thereof: no earthly King hath any thing of his owne, but his very soule and body are the Lords, and therefore all other things must needes be his, they are but his Under-officers and Uicegerents, even tenants at will, he pulleth downe one and setteth up another.
Thirdly, he is the disposer of all things that Reas. 3 are intended or effected by them: Their hearts Pro. 21. 1.are in his hands, and he frameth them as hee thinkes best: all their actions are ordered byEzek. 1. 20. him, though the sinfulnesse of them be from themselues. And lastly, the successe of their action is disposed of by his providence, The horse is prepared against the day of battell, (sayth Solomon) but salvation commeth of the Lord.Pro. 21. 31. Reason 4.
Fourthly, he will call all the Kings of the earth to a reckoning, for that which they doe in their bodies whether good or evil For they are more strictly tyed to bee accountable unto the Lord, for all their thoughts, words, and workes, then the meanest subject in the dominion is bound to be answerable unto them for any thing that isIsa. 30. 33. committed unto his charge: Tophet is prepared for great men, as well as for the basest vassall that is, if they be impious and prophane: In all these respects may the Lord be justly termed the absolute King of the whole world, which point may be usefull sundry wayes. As,
First of all, to teach us to make him our feare and Vse 1 dread, and to stand in greater awe of him, then of any earthly governour whatsoever he be, as he saith. Feare not them that can kill the bodie, (sayth our Saviour) but feare him that is able to cast both body and soule into hell fire for ever, And shew forth this your feare, by eschewing all manner of sinnes, whereby the eyes of his glory may be provoked. Good subjects will be affraid to commit such evils as will procure the displeasure of their Soveraigne, because thePro. Kings anger is a messenger of death: how much more fearefull should we be of offending the Majestie of the King of Kings, whose anger is a consuming fire, that burneth to the very bottome of hell: whose hand can reach us whithersoever we flee: and whose glory it is, to be the Lord of Hoasts, and to hauehave the command of all the creatures, to pursue us unto our utter confusion, and eternall destruction, if wee persist in our rebellion against him. Vse 2
Secondly, is God the King of Kings? then if wee meane to bee great men indeede, and to ascend unto the highest promotion, Let us preferre his service before any other; For heere the common proverb holdeth most true; There is no service to the service of this King: for hee knoweth all his servants by name, and taketh speciall notice of every one of them, and of every good service that they performe (be it never so secret and hidden from the eyes of men) and hee doth no sooner see it, but hee is ready to reward them in due season: neither will hee bestow upon them those promotions only, nor chiefly, which concerne their bodies, but those especially, that concerne their soules. And that not onelyonly in this life, but principally in that which is to come. Neither shall one of his subjects forestall another, but though many hundred thousands hauehave sped exceeding well before us, wee shall fare never the worse, but according to our workes shall our reward be: nay, there is not the meanest of his subjects, but he shall be made a King, yea a farre better King then any worldly Potentat that is a meere naturall man, that ever hath beene, is, or shall bee, to the end of the world; For the poorest Christian that is, doth raigne and beare rule over the flesh, the world and the divell in this present life, and is heire apparant unto the crowne of glory prepared for him in the heauens. Would we then faine get true honour and promotion? oh, then let us seeke his favour and his face evermore, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and can make us in all respects truly honourable both in his owne sight and in the eyes of men and Angels.
Thirdly, sith God is the absolute Governor Ʋse 3 of all the whole world, and all other Princes are but his substitutes; If we would hauehave good things effected by any that are in authoritie, let us beseech the Lord, to perswade and incline the hearts of his officers thereunto, to stirre them up to the performance of those services, which may make most for the glory of his Name, and for the comfort and benefit of his afflicted people, and then if such Magistrats belong vntounto the Lord, he will with draw them from evill, and incline them unto good by his holy Spirit: If they be not his, he will doe it by his providence, for their comfort and refreshing that call upon him, and waite for his MercieMercy.
Fourthly; sithence all Authoritie is in Gods Ʋse 4 hand, let us obey them that are set over us, be they never so meane, as farre as they command things that are lawfull and warrantable: otherwise, be they never so great in excellencie, let us doe as the three Children did, rather submit our selvesDan. to any punishment, then yeeld unto the lusts of our commanders: for in so doing wee shall not obey their commission, but their corruption.
Lastly, here is an use for Governors, that seeing Ʋse 5 they hold their places, from and for the Lord, therefore they should use their Authoritie well, even to those very ends, for which the Lord hath appointed them, for the Lord will call themRom. 13. to a reckning for their Steward-shippe, as well as the most abject person that are under their Dominion; The consideration hereof was it, that made Iob so good a Ruler, that hee would not wrong the basest that was under him, for hee knew that hee had a master in heaven, to whom hee must yeeld up his accountes, and before whom hee must answer for all his dealings; If I did contemne the judgment of my servant Iob 31. 13. 14.(saith hee) and of my maide, when they did contend with mee, what then shall I doe when God standeth up, and when hee shall visit mee? what shall I answer? hee that made mee in the wombe, hath hee not made him, hath not hee alone fashioned us in the wombe? Hereby did Iob shew, that hee beleeved that all his preheminence, and superioritie was from the Lord: in that hee carried himselfe equally and moderatly towards those that were under his government, whereas those that use their authoritie to tyrannie and oppresse their inferiors, howsoever in word they say, Thine is the Kingdome yet they shew in deede, that it is but from the teeth outwardly, that they acknowledge so much: for if they did stedfastly beleeue it, they would use their athoritie so, as God might hauehave most glory and men most comfort.