delight in the Glory of God, though to thy own particular damage, God will more abundantly recompence thy feeking of his Glory, than that very Petition which is denied could have done, if granted. Thou fervest a Bountiful Mafter, that will furely recompence thy Love of his Glory above thy own particular advantage. And thou ferveft a Wife Mafter, that will recompence thee in fuch a kind, or at fuch a Seafon, as fhall be more fuitable, and more Comfortable, than if thou had'ft been thy own Carver. And this thou shalt clearly and fenfibly find, that which thou did'ft in the firft place ask, is granted in kind, viz. the Honour of God; and that which thou didst as for thy felf, though denied in kind, is the more granted in value, thy own particular benefit. Our Saviour prayed that that bitter Cup of Death might pafs from him, yet with fubmiffion to the Will and Glory of God, Matth. 26. 39. yet his Soul must be made an Offering for Sin; and it was fo. The Glory and the Truth of God required it: yet he was heard in that be Feared, Heb. 5. 7. he fuffers him to die, but raifeth him from Death; and be faw of the travail of his Soul, and was Satisfied, Ifaiah 53. 11. Thou prayeft for deliverance from any Affliction, from a Disease, from Poverty, for knowledge or Affurance in fuch a degree. It may be it will not be fo much for the Glory of God to grant it, or to grant it yet, as for the prefent to deny it. First therefore pray, Thy Name be hallowed; and though I am for the prefent denied, it is enough; I am abundantly answered, if God be glorified, though I be denied. Thou fhalt find that none that wait upon him fhall be afhamed; if he grant thee not deliverance, he will give thee fufficient Grace; if he deny thy recovery, he will give thee patience; if he deny thee Riches, he will give thee Contentedness: If he deny thee that measure of Grace, he will grant thee Humility: If he deny thee that degree of Affurance, he will give thee Dependance. So that though thou walk in Darkness, for a while, and haft no Light, yet thou shalt truft in the Name of the Lord, and ftay upon thy God, Ifaiah 50. 10. fuch is

the.

the goodness of God, that while we feek his Glory in the firft place, and other things with fubordination to it, our other requeft fhall be granted either in kind, or compensation.

Thy Kingdom Come.

The Kingdom of God hath feveral Acceptations.

Matth. 10. 39.

Luke 12.6.

1. His Univerfal Kingdom. The Kingdom of his Pro Evidence, which extendeth to all the Actions and Events of all his Creatures, even to the falling of a Sparrow. Pfalm 103. 19. The Lord bath prepared his Throne in Heaven; his Kingdom ruleth over all. Pfalm 66.7. He ruleth by his Power for ever, his Eyes behold the Nations. And this he doth by planting originally in his Creatures their several Laws or Rules, by which they move; by a derivation of a continual influence whereby they are fupported and preserved in their several Motions, Operations, and Beings, which if he should withdraw but one Moment, all things would return unto their Nothing; but correcting and over-ruling of all things, fometimes contrary to their Nature, to fhew his Freedom and Soveraignty; but always by the mingling and interweaving of the Actions and Motions of one Creature with another; by which conjunctures, though unto us accidental, he brings about moft Wife and Various Events according to his own Counsel: So that while Natural Agents move neceffarily according to their Natures, Voluntary Agents move freely according to their liberty, Contingent Agents move and are moved contingently; yet every one of them apart, and all of them together, are guided and managed to the most infallible fulfilling of his moft Wife and Free Counfel. And by this Kingdom all things in the World, though to us feemingly cafual and confufed, are led to Ends, and by Means; which they themselves neither fee nor intend. But the fame is moft admirably Evinced and Discovered in the Sacred History; wherein we fea how his determinate and pofitive Counfels are most infallibly, and yet moft ftrangely brought about, through divers varieties of Actions and Events feemingly moft

cafual,

cafual, fometimes exprefly contrary, but always befides the Minds, Intentions, or Designs of the Inftruments and Means, as is evident among divers others, so especially in thefe, viz. that Counsel of God, Gen. 15. 13. and the frange conjunctures that were used to effect it, that hapned from the dislike that grew between Jofeph and his Brethren, till the going of Jacob into Egypt, and the Prophecy of Gen. 15. 16. And the ftrange varieties that were ufed to fulfil it, from the time that the Egyptian King grew jealous of them, till their coming into Cannan: That ever-to-be-admired Counfel and Promife of God of sending Christ, and his suffering for Mankind, first manifested in Paradise, Gen. 3. 15. And all the feveral particular Predictions of him and concerning him, and the most wonderful Connexion of Millions of Events, many of them feemingly inconfiderable, all of them feemingly cafual, through the whole feries of 4000 Years led on to the fulfilling of it, even from the fin of Adam till the Death of Chrift; and the Revelation of that Mercy, for the fake of which the World was Created. To these may be added the Counfels and Prophecies of the Rejection of the Jews, the Defolations of the Temple, the Converfion of the Gentiles: for the most certain fulfilling whereof, it is most confpicuous, that all the Conjunctures of Narural, Voluntary, Cafual Agents and Events, were moft infallibly and certainly managed by the most powerful hand of God. And this Kingdom is not that which is principally intended in this Petition; for this Kingdom hath been, and is come, even fince the Creation; only it fhould be our defire, that the true and wife knowledge and obfervation of this Kingdom may enter into the Hearts of all Men, that thereby we may admire and adore his Wisdom and Power in the governing and dif pofing of all things; that we may depend upon his Allfufficiency, fubmit unto the difpenfations of his Government, attribute all the Succeffes, Events and Occurrences in the World, to his Justice, Power and Providence.

2. His Kingdom over his Reasonable Creatures; Men and Angels; which though they were under the general Kingdom of his Providence in the confideration above mentioned, yet they are under a more especial Kingdom than other Creatures. To thefe he hath given Underftanding and Will, and fo they are capable not only of a fubjection to the Will of his Counfel, as they are Creatures; but of an Active Obedience to the Will of his Command [as they are reasonable Creatures], and fo are subjects of his Justice in Rewards and Punishments, as well as of his Power. And in reference to this Kingdom it is faid, Pfalm 89. 14. Justice and Judgment are the habitation of his Throne. And Pfalm 45. 6. The Scepter of his Kingdom is a right Scepter. Now the Adminiftration of this Kingdom confifteth efpecially in these things: 1. In giving the Children of Men a Law to be their Rule. 2. In difpenfing Rewards and Punishments according to the obedience and disobedience of this Law. 3. In Protection.

i. As touching the Law given to Man: In the first Creation of Man he did acquaint Man with his Will and Mind, and furely by fome fpecial Manifeftation of it, did reveal that Law unto him which should be a Rule of Righteousness to him and all his pofterity. And as he gave to all things propenfions, inclinations, and motions fuitable to the several degrees of their beings, so to Man he gave a Law or Rule fuitable to his Nature, and by a Manifeftation convenient for the condition of his Nature. And though Man by his Fall introduced that diforder and difconformity to that Law, whereby he becometh unable to keep it; yet many of those Principles of Righteousness which God had manifefted unto him, he retained in his knowledge, and traduced to his pofterity. And these as they grew corrupted by the corruptions of our Nature, and forgotten, fo he did reimprint them upon Men by the feveral Acts of his Providence: Sometimes by new publication of his Law unto fome perfons, which was by that means traduced over to divers others; thus the Law given to Noah, the Law given

to

to the Jews, was queftionless propagated and derived over to others by tradition and relation: Sometimes by enlightning and exciting men of Eminence, as divers of the Heathen Lawgivers, who were Eminent in their Generations: but moft ordinarily and univerfally fending down into the Confciences of Men fome discoveries of his Will, and Inclinations to acknowledge them, and to obey them, Rom. 2. 15. A Law written in their Hearts, their Consciences alfo bearing witness. So that there can scarcely be found any Time or Perfon wherein God's Providence did not by fome of thefe ways convey, at least some Directions of Righteousness, which should be the Rule by which they fhould live, and by which they fhould be judged. So that they that have finned without the Law, fhall perish without the Law; and they that have finned in the Law, fhould be judged by the Law, Romans 2. 12. That is, Somewhat of the Will of God touching Righteoufnefs is derived to all men, though to fome more, to fome lefs; to fome by a more clear Difpenfation; to fome by a more obfcure Difpenfation: yet fuch is the Exact Juftice of God, that though he might Judge all Mankind according to the Exactest Rule of his Law, given to Man even in his Innocency, yet, that every Mouth may be ftopped, he will Judge them according to fo much of his Law, as he hath communicated to them. He will not Judge the Heathen that never heard of the Law of God, fo clearly published to the Jews, by that Law; but by that manifeftation or conviction of Righteousness that he hath. Thus if he fin, he fhall be condemned without the Law, that is, without calling in any other Law to Judge him by, than that Law which hath been in fome meafure declared unto him.

2. As the Adminiftration of this Kingdom over men is by giving them a Law, fo there is likewise an Execution of that Law by Rewards of Obedience, and by Punishments of Difobedience. And this God published in the infancy of the World. Gen. 4. 7. If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou dost not well, fin lies at the door. Pfalm 62. 12. Thou rendreft to every man according to his works.

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