his discij)les to pray, "thy kingdom come," he did not mean it of any earthly kingdom, that he should reign here in outward pomp and splendour. 2d. It is not meant of God's providential kingdom, Ps. ciil. 19., " His kingdom ruleth over all ;" that is, the king- dom of his providence. This kingdom we do not pray for, when we say, " thy king- dom come;" for this kingdom is already come ; God exerciseth the kingdom of his providence in the world, Ps. Ixxv. 7., " He putteth down one and setteth up another." Nothing stirs in the world but God hath an hand in it; he sets every wheel a-working; he humbles the proud, and raiseth the poor out of the dust, to set them among princes, 1 Sam. ii. 8. The kingdom of God's pro- vidence ruleth over all ; kings do nothing but what his providence permits and orders. Acts iv. 27. This kingdom of God's pro- vidence we do not pray should come, for it is already come. What kingdom then is meant here when we say, " Thy kingdom come?" Arts. Positively. There is a two- fold kingdom meant here. \st. The king- dom of grace, which kingdom God exer- cises in the consciences of his people: this is regjium Dei mikron, — God's lesser king- dom, Luke V. 3. When we pr.ay, " Thy kingdom come:" (1.) Here is something tacitly implied, that we are in the kingdom of darkness. 1. We pray that we may be brought out of the kingdom of darkness. 2. That the devil's kingdom in the world may be demolished. (2.) Something posi- tively intended, — ndvaiiat ngnum gratue et gloria. 1. Wc pray, that the kingdom of grace may be set up in our hearts and increased. 2. When we pray, "Thy king- dom come ;" we ])rayj that the kingdom of glory may hasten, and thivt we may in God's good time be translated into it. These two kingdoms of grace and glory, dif- fer not specifically, but gradually ; they dif- fer not in nature, but only in degree. The kingdom of grace is nothing but the incho- ation or beginning of the kingdom of glory ; the kingdom of grace is glory in the seed, and the kingdom of glory is grace in the
OF THE SECOND PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
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flo«vr: tlio kiiifj^dom of grace is glory in the daybreak, and the kingdom of glory is grace in the full nuM-idiaii ; tlic kingdom of grace is glory militant, and tlio kingdom of glory is grace triumphant. There is such an inseparable connexion between these two kingdoms, grace and glory, that there is no passing into the one kingdom but by the other. At Athens there were two tem- ples, a temple of virtue and a temple of honour, and tlierc was no going iuto the temple of honour, bnt through the temple of virtne : so the kingdoms of grace and glory are so close joined together, that we cannot go into the kingdom of glory, but through the kingdom of grace. Many peo- ple aspire after the kingdom of glory, but never look after grace : but these two, which God hath joined together, may not be put asunder ; the kingdom of grace leads to the kirifrdom of fflorv.
I. I begin \vith the first thing im])licd in this petition, " Thy kingdom come ;" it is implied, that we are in the kingdom of dark- ness ; and we pray that we may be brought out of the kingdom of darkness ; the state of nature is a kingdom of darkness; 'tis a kingdom; sin is said to reign, Rom. vi, 12. And 'tis a kingdom of darkness ; it is call- ed, " the power of darkness," Col. i. 13. Man, before the fall, was illuminated with perfect knowledge, bnt this light is now eclipsed, and he is fallen into the kingdom of darkness.
Quest. IIoic many ways is a natural man in tlie k'nigdovi cf (Utrlmcss f
Alls. 1. lie is under the darkness of ig- norance, Eph. iv. 18., " Having the under- standing darkened." Ignorance is a black veil drawn over the mind ; men by nature may have a deep reach in the things of the world, but ignorant in the tilings of God. Nahash the Amnnmite would make a covenant willi Israel to thrust out their right eyes, ] Sam. xi. 2. Since the fall, our left eye remains, a deep insight into worldly matters; but our i ight eye is thrust out, we have no sa\ing knnwhdge of (iod; something we know by nature, but notliiug as we ought to know, 1 Cor. viii. 2. Igno- rance draws the curtains round about the soul, 1 Cor. ii. \\.
d. 2. A iiaturjil man is under the dark-
ness of pollution ; hence sinful actions aro called " works of darkness," Rom. xiii. 12. Pride and lust darken the glory of the soul : a sinner's heart is a dark conclave, it looks blacker than bell.
A. 3. A natural man is under the dark- ness of misery ; he is exposed to divine ven- geance; and the sadness of this darkness, is, that men are not sensible of it; yet they are l)lind, yet they think they see. The darkness of Egypt was such thick darkness as " may be felt," Exod. x. 21.: men are by nature in thick darkness, but here is the misery; the darkness cannot be felt; they will not believe they are in the dark, till thev are i)ast recoverv-