Ans. By this kingdom is meant, tliat glo- rious estate which the saints shall enjoy when tliey shall reign with God and angels for ever. If a man stand ujxtn the sea- shore, he cannot see all the dimensions of the sea, the length, breadth, and dej)th of it, yet he may see it is of a vast extension : so, though the kingdom of heaven be of that incomparable excellency that neither tongue of man or angels can express, yet we may conceive of it to be an exceeding glorious thing, such as the eye hath not seen.
Concerning the kingdom of heaven I shall show, 1. AVluit it implies ; 2. AVliat it im- ports.
1. AAHiat it implies.
Ans. It implies a blessed freedom from all evil.
2. What it imports.
Ans. It imports glorious fruition of all good.
1. What the kingdom of heaven implies,
Ans. I. It imjilies a freedom from all evil.
1. A freedom from the necessities of na- ture. We are in this life subject to many necessities ; we need food to nourish us, — clothes to cover us, — armour to defend us, — sleep to refresh us; but in the kingdom of heaven there is no need of these things ; and it is better not to need them, than to have them, as it is better not to need crutch- es, than to have crutches. What need will there be of food when our bodies shall be made spiritual ? 1 Cor. xv. 4 !•. Though not f^piritual for substance, yet for qualities. Wliat need will there be of clothing when our bodies shall be like Christ's glorious
body ? What need will there be of armour when there is no enemy ? What need will there be of sleep, when there is no night ? Rev. xxii. 5. The saints shall be freed, in the heavenly kingdom, from these necessi- ties of nature to which they now lie exposed.
2. In the kingdom of heaven we shall be freed from the imperfections of nature. Since the fall, our knowledge hath suffered an eclipse.
(1.) Our natural knowledge is imperfect, it is chequered with ignorance. Tliere are many hard knots in nature, which we can- not easily untie : Why the sea should be higher than the earth, yet not drown it? What way the light is parted ? Job xxxviii. 24. What is the reason of all the occult qualities, sympathies, and antipathies? He who sees clearest, hath a mist before his eyes. Socrates said on his deathbed, there were many things he had yet to learn. Our ignorance is more than our knowledge.
(2.) Our divine knowledge is imperfect; " we know but in part," saith Paul, 1 Cor. xiii. 9. Though he had many revelations, and was wrapt up into the third heaven. We have but dark conceptions of the Tri- nity, Job. xi. 7., " Canst thou by searching find out God ?" Our narrow capacities will no more contain the Trinity, than a little glass vial will hold all the water in the sea. We cannot unriddle the mystery of the in- carnation,— the human nature assumed into the person of the Son of God, — the human nature not God, yet united with God ; we see now in anigmate., — in a glass darkly, but in the kingdom of heaven the vail shall b taken off, all imperfection of nature shall be done away. A\'hcn the sunlight of glory shall begin to shine in the heavenly horizon, all dark shadows of ignorance shall fly a- wjiy, our lamp of knowledge shall burn bright, we shall have a full knowledge of God though not know him fully.
3. In the kingdom of heaven we shall he freed from the toilsome labours of this life. God enacted a law in paradise, " In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,'* Gen. iii. 19. There is the labour of the hand in maiuifacture, and the labour of the mind in study, Eecl. i. 8., " All things are full of labour ;" but in the kingdom of hea- ven we shall be freed from our labours.
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Ot THE SECOND PETITION IN THE LORD'S PRAYER.
(1.) Tliere needs no labour when a man hatli f^ot to the liaven, he liath no more need of sailing. In lieaven there needs no la- bour, because the saints shall have that glo- ry which they laboured for.
(2.) There shall be no labour, Rev. xiv. 13., They rest from their labours. As (jod when he had finished the work of creation, rested from his labours, Gen. ii. 2., so, when his saints have finished the work of sanetification, they rest from their labours. WTiere should there be rest, but in the hea- venly centre? Not that this sweet rest in the kingdom of heaven excludes all motion, for spirits cannot be idle ; but the saints glorified shall rest from all wearisome em- ployment ; it shall be a labour full of ease, a motion full of delight; the saints in hea- ven shall love God, and what labour is that? Is it any labour to love beauty? They shall praise God, and that sure is de- lightful ; when the bird sings, it is not so much a labour as a pleasure.