6. And lastly, everlasting salvation is the privilege of all over whom Christ reigns. Prince and Saviour are joined together, Acts v. 31. He that can say, " thou shalt guide me with thy coun- 44 sels," may add what follows, " and afterwards bring me to glo- 46 ry," Psal. lxxiii. 24. Indeed, the kingdom of grace doth but breed up children for the kingdom of glory. And to speak as the thing is, it is the kingdom of heaven here begun. The difference
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betwixt them is not specifical, but only gradual: and therefore this, as well as that, bears the name of the kingdom of heaven. The king is the same, and the subjects the same. The subjects of this are shortly to be translated to that kingdom. Thus I have named, and indeed but named, some few of those inestimable privileges of Christ's subjects. We next apply it.
Inference 1. How great is their sin and misery who continue in bondage to sin and Satan, and refuse the government of Christ ! Who had rather sit under the shadow of that bramble, than under the sweet and powerful government of Christ. Satan writes his laws in the blood of his subjects, grinds them with cruel oppression, wears them out with bondage to divers lusts, and rewards their service with everlasting misery. And yet how few are weary of it, and willing to come over to Christ ! " Behold (saith one of Christ's u heralds *) Christ is in the field, sent of God to recover his right " and your liberty. His royal standard is pitched in the gospel, " and proclamation made, that if any poor sinners, weary of the " Devil's government, and laden with the miserable chains of his " spiritual bondage, (so as these irons of his sins enter into his " very soul, to afflict it with the sense of them) shall thus come " and repair to Christ, he shall have protection from God's justice, " the Devil's wrath, and sin's dominion ; in a word, he shall have " rest, and that glorious," Isa. xi. 10.
And yet how few stir a foot towards Christ, but are willing to have their ears bored, and be perpetual slaves to that cruel tyrant ? O when will sinners be weary of their bondage, and sigh after deliverance ! If any such poor soul shall . read these lines, let them know, and I do proclaim it in the name of my royal Master, and give him the word of a King for it, he shall not be rejected by Christ, John vi. 37. Come, poor sinners, come, the Lord Jesus is a merciful King, and never did, nor will hang up that poor penitent, that puts the rope about his own neck, and submits to mercy.
Inf. % How much doth it concern us to enquire and know whose government we are under, and who is king over our souls ; whether Christ or Satan be in the throne, and sways the sceptre over our souls f
Reader, the work I would now engage thy soul in, is the same that Jesus Christ will thoroughly and effectually do in the great day. Then will he gather out of his kingdom every thing that offends, separate the tares and wheat, divide the whole world into two ranks or grand divisions, how many divisions and subdivisions soever there be in it now. It nearly concerns thee therefore to know who is Lord and King in thy soul. To help thee in this great
* Gurnal's Christian armour, p. 218.
8ERM. XVI. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 209
work, make use of the following hints ; for I cannot fully prose- cute these things as I would.
1. * " To whom do you yield your obedience ? His subjects and servants ye are to whom ye obey," Rom. vi. 16. It is but a mockery to give Christ the empty titles of Lord and King, whilst ye give your real service to sin and Satan. What is this but like the Jews, to bow the knee to him, and say, Hail master, and cru- cify him ? " Then are ye his disciples, if ye do whatsoever he " commands you," John xv. 14. He that is Christ's servant in
jest, shall be damned in earnest Christ doth not compliment with you ; his pardons, promises, and salvation are real ; O let your obedience be so too ! Let it be sincere and universal obedience ; this will evidence your unfeigned subjection to Christ. Do not dare to enterprize any thing, till you know Christ's pleasure and will, Rom. xii. 2. Enquire of Christ, as David did of the Lord, 1 Sam. xxiii. 9, 10. 11. Lord, may I do this or that? or shall I forbear? I beseech thee tell thy servant,
2. Have you the power of godliness, or a form of it only ? There be many that do but trifle in religion, and play about the skirts and borders of it; spending their time about jejune and barren contro- versies : but as to the power of religion, and the life of godliness, which consist in communion with God in duties and ordinances, which promote holiness, and mortify their lusts, they concern not themselves about these things. But surely " the kingdom of God. " is not in word, but in power," 1 Cor. iv. 20. It is not meat and drink, ( i. e. dry disputes about meats and drinks) " but righte- " ousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ; for he that " in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God, and ap- " proved of men,1' Rom. xiv. 17, 18. O I am afraid when the great host of professors shall be tried by these rules, they will shrink up into a little handful, as Gideon's host did.
3. Have ye the special saving knowledge of Christ ? All his sub- jects are translated out of the kingdom of darkness, Col. i. 13. The devil, that ruleth over you in the days of your ignorance, is called the ruler of the darkness of this world ; his subjects are all blind, else he could never rule them. As soon as their eyes be opened, they run out of his kingdom, and there is no retaining them in sub- jection to him any longer. O enquire then whether you are brought out of darkness into this marvellous light ! do you see your condi-
* O how many of us would have Christ divided into halves, that we might take the half of him only ; his office, Jesus, and salvation ? But Lord is a cumbersome word, and to obey, and work out our own salvation, and perfect holiness, is the cumbersome and stormy north side of Christ, and that we eschew and shift off.
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tion, how sad, miserable, wretched it is by nature ? do you see your remedy, as it lies only in Christ, and his precious blood? Do you see the true way of obtaining interest in that blood by faith ? doth this knowledge run into practice, and put you upon lamenting heartily your misery by sin ? thirsting vehemently after Christ and his righteousness ? striving continually for a heart to believe and close with Christ ? This will evidence you indeed to be translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Christ.