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SERMON XVII.

REASONS FOR MISSIONARY EXERTIONS.

MATT. vi. 10.

Thy kingdom come.

THE kingdom of God, here alluded to, is the kingdom established in the world by Christ Jesus, and created upon the ruins of the kingdom of Satan. "For this was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil;" that he might cast out "the prince of darkness," who had been too long "the prince of this world." He was to be the head of a kingdom, in which the sovereignty of God should be owned; the name of God hallowed; the will of God done.

And in making a petition that this kingdom may come, a part of that prayer which has been

left for our constant use, our blessed Lord has interested his disciples, to the end of time, in the promulgation of his Gospel. Thy kingdom come! I cannot use these words with any reasonable meaning, unless I desire that the grace of God may reign, first, in my own heart, and "bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;" next, that it may govern my family, my relations, my dependents, all, in short, with whom I am concerned: and, further, that the knowledge of God may be extended more and more widely upon earth, till the darkness is dispersed and the true light shineth everywhere, and "the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." 1

Such, as far as it regards this present world, is the force of the familiar petition, Thy kingdom come! We pray that the number be increased of willing and obedient hearts, who serve their heavenly Lord, and acknowledge their eternal King. So that all hearts may be his; and his sovereignty may be as universal as his right is indisputable;-till his will is "done on earth, as it is in heaven."

I proceed to consider why we should be

1 Rev. xi. 13.

taught to make this the subject of our constant prayer; what ought to be in our minds, that the words of our mouths, and the desires of our hearts, may ascend to God together.

It would be a sufficient reason, that God might be glorified by his creatures. This every servant of God will earnestly desire. The thought is shocking, that man, who cannot lift up an arm, except as God gives strength-man, who cannot utter a breath except through him "in whom he lives and moves," should yet defy his Maker's will, and live in habitual transgression of his laws.

Not, however, without that consequence by which God has ordained that disobedience to his laws should even here be visited. And therefore we pray that the kingdom of God may come, first, because of the wretchedness which prevails where his kingdom is not established.

I. I would not be understood to say, that in a heathen country there is nothing except wretchedness. That would be as unreasonable as to pretend that in a christian country all were happiness. There is no land where God.

has "left himself without witness," and has not bestowed many blessings of which even the wickedness of man cannot entirely deprive him. Heathen lands are compared in Scripture to a wilderness. Yet in a wilderness, among the general barrenness, some fruitful spots are found, and some flowers which, though without culture, and without valuable fruit, delight the eye, and relieve the wearied mind of the traveller who passes through.

But in heathen lands there is a vast proportion of misery; of that worst misery, which arises from men's wickedness. St. Paul has left descriptions which are still, alas! but too accurate; declaring how "the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having their understandings darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity." 2

We know the distress which a single character of this kind is able to inflict upon others; 2 Rom. i.

we know how he is dreaded in his family, and abhorred in his neighbourhood. What then must we think, when a country is filled with such characters!

But it may asked, have the heathen no religion? Is there nothing to correct the evil of their nature? My brethren, the very religion of the heathen is their misery; and to deliver them from this, is one of the greatest blessings that can be bestowed on them. What we call their religion, is commonly as cruel and as sensual as their own bad passions, and goes far towards exciting and inflaming those passions. They have "received by tradition from their fathers" what we may truly call “ a vain conversation; and according to that vain conversation their priests instruct them, sometimes to torment themselves, and sometimes to torment others; to consider cruelty as obedience, and anguish piety. Pompous ceremonies, vain repetitions, disgusting and barbarous rites, we may find amongst them; but where shall we find that which is really pleasing to the Almighty? The doing of justice? The loving mercy? The walking humbly with God? Heathenism knows not this. Fallen, sinful man discovers it not: his heart is at enmity with justice, at enmity with mercy, at enmity