Now in praying that God's Kingdom, which Chrift planted upon the Earth may come, we pray for nothing less than that One Society of Believers which he inftituted, may be enlarged all over the World. And they that understand what they fay, either, do not know themfelves, or are Hypocrites in making this Prayer, if all the while they are promoting Animofities and Divifions among Chriftians.

3. We cannot be fincere in making this Prayer, if we do not fubmit our Hearts and Souls, our Lives and Converfations, to be governed by the Law of Chrift. For we pray every Man for himself, and every one for all other Profeffors, that we may by the Grace of God be more and more renewed, according to the Doctrine of the Gospel, by. dying unto Sin, and living unto Righteouf nefs. Now he that indulges himself in Carnal and Worldly Lufts, whofe Affections are fet upon the Things on Earth, and not on. Things above, and accordingly lives in a Contradiction to the Rules of the Chriftian Faith, cannot be faid in good earnest to defire God to change his Heart, and to affift him in the mortifying his Lufts, while he takes no care to mortify them himself; and he cannot be thought in good earneft to defire this for others, who himself resists the Grace of God, and hates to be reformed. The Truth is, upon One Account it appears,

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that

that the Heretick, the Schifmatick, and the wicked Liver, do greatly obftruct the Encrease of Chrift's Body, which is his Church, and by confequence his internal Kingdom in the Hearts of Men; to wit, they do all contribute to difgrace the Gospel amongst Infidels, and to hinder their Converfion; the Heretick by corrupting the true Chriftian Faith, the Schifmatick by dividing the Church, and the wicked Liver by his immoral Practices: For thefe Things are a Scandal to them that are without, and encrease their Prejudices against the Faith, and tend to flop the Progrefs of Chrift's Kingdom. Nay,

4. If we ufe this Petition with Sincerity, we fhould promote the Spiritual Good of each other. In the 18th Chapter of St. Matthew, v. 11, 15, 16, 17, our Saviour tells us what the fpecial End and Design of his establishing the Society of his Church was: For, fays he, the Son of Man is come to feek and to fave that which was loft. If thy Brother shall trefpafs against thee, go and tell him his Fault between thee and him alone; if he fhall hear thee, thou haft gained thy Brother; but if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the Mouth of two or three Witnesses every Word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the Church; but if he neglects to hear the Church, let

him be to thee as an Heathen Man and a Publican. In which Words, compared with the Verfes foregoing concerning the Recovery of one loft Sheep, and the Joy in Heaven upon it, our Saviour plainly tells us why he inftitured the Society or Polity of his Difciples, viz. the promoting of this End for which he came into the World, To fave that which was loft. And therefore all of this Body are Members one of another, Ephef. 4. 25. Every one should take fome Care for the Soul of his Brother, and watch over him, and exhort him when he doth amifs, and, if need be, chide and reprove him, and this altho' the evil Action be an Injury to the Perfon offended; he must yet ftudy to reclaim his offending Brother, not fo much out of Grief that himself is injured, as that the other hath finned. So that the Society of the Church was founded not only that there might be an Authority in it to keep its Communion pure, but that every Man fhould be more ftrictly obliged to perform Offices of Spiritual Charity to his Brother, for the recovering of him from Sin, and the faving of his Soul. For this is a Society inftituted not for Worldly Ends, for it meddles not with this World, but for Spiritual Ends, the keeping Men from Sin here, and Damnation hereafter. By which Place then, and divers others, it is plain, that the Kingdom which Chrift came to K 2

plant

but

plant in the World was really a Spiritual Society, fet up for Ends that are Spiritual, and for doing Offices of Charity to the Souls of Men, and not only to oblige the Minifters of Chrift's Flock to watch over them, but them to watch over one another, to admonish and reprove each other upon all juft Occafions; Which,none can deny, would mightily tend to the promoting of Chriftian Piety and Virtue amongst us, if it were practifed, as it is too much on all Hands neglected. Our Lord hath caufed Chriftians to be related to one another as Brethren, and Members of the fame Society, as Governours and Governed, that fo no Man might be left to ftand by himfelf, but that all the Members of his Church fhould have the fame Care one for another, and do Charitable Offices, for the Recovery of thofe that do by their Practice contradict their Profeffion.

Finally, Whereas it is foretold in the Old Teftament Prophecy, that the Church of Chrift fhall enjoy an Univerfal Peace, and be free from all Moleftations, that there fhall be no hurting nor deftroying in alf God's holy Mountain, we cannot with Sincerity and Understanding ufe this Prayer, Thy Kingdom come, as heartily wifhing for thofe good Days, if we be without those Gospel Virtues, which of themselves do tend to haften their coming. So certain it is,

that

that were the wholeföme Precepts of our moft holy Religion generally followed, the World would be in an happy Condition, that fome are apt to think that thofe Prophetick Expreffions concerning the Kingdom of the Meffias, The Wolf fhall divell with the Lamb, and the Leopard fhall lie down with the Kid, and they shall turn their Swords into Plow-fhares, and their Spears into Pruning-books, and the like, are not abfolute Predictions of a State of Things that fhall actually be fo much as a Defcription only of the peaceable Temper of the Gofpel Religion, fignifying what would be, did Men generally live up to the Rules of Christianity. Wherefore with what Senfe can we pray for a Time of Peace and Love all over the World, if there be nothing in us of that Chriftian Virtue which fhould contribute thereunto, but the Contrary, if we be given to Frowardness, Spite, Malice, and Revengefulness, pernicious Vices, which we know do diforder and toil the World, and difturb the Quiet of Mankind?

And let us fee now, Who are fit to use this Prayer, Thy Kingdom come, and Who are not fo, not confidering Things, but being either Hypocrites, or Ignorant Perfons in using it.

And I muft fay, as I did at first, that. the LORD's Prayer teaches us what we fhould Be, because if we are not what we