1. Be a preparing. A man that expects and desires the coming of a great person to his house wiU make all things ready, is careful to furnish himself ; when all is sluttish and nasty, and nothing of pro- vision, do you look for your guest ? What have you done as to the day of Christ's coming ? Have you judged yourselves ? 1 Cor. xi. 31, * If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.' Have you ever seriously passed sentence upon yourselves, according to the law, that you may be found in Christ ? Eom. viii. 1, ' There is no condemna- tion to them that are in Christ.' That you may have Christ's righteous- ness to bear you out in that day against Christ's judgment ? Are you so as you would be found in him ? Do you ' live soberly, right- eously, and godly in this present world ' ? Strict walking is a pre- paring and providing for this day; you do but provide for terror when you give way to sin : 2 Pet. iii. 10, 11, ' The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ; therefore what manner of persons should ye be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God?' We should be trimming up our lamps.
2. Wliat kind of entertainment do you give to Christ now ? Do you entertain him for the present into your hearts, in his ordinances ? A woman that never cares to hear from her husband, doth she long for his coming ? Oh, be careful now to get Christ into your hearts !
3. What doth this expectation produce ? what revivings in the fore- thoughts of it ? John viii. 56, ' Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.' He means the day of his incarnation, the day of his abode in the world. Abraham foresaw, by the eagle eye of his faith, through all mists, clouds, veils, and ceremonies ; he got a sight of Christ's day, and it did him good at heart. Do the appro-
120 AN EXPOSITION OF [MaT. VI. 10.
hensions of it make your hearts spring and leap within you for joy ? What groanings longings, what dealing with God about it doth it produce? Eom, viii. 19, ' For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.' What support and strength doth it give you against the burdens and sorrows of this pre- sent life, to remember Christ will come ?
Use 3. To press us to this sweet affection and dis]:)osition of the saints. I might mention the profit of it ; this longing, looking, and waiting for the coming of Christ, it will make us heavenly in our con- versation. Christ is there : where should we converse most but where Christ is ? And it makes us faithful in improving our talents : ' Our Lord will come, and reckon with his servants,' Luke xix. 15.
Tliy luill he done in earth, as it is in lieaven.
"We are come to the third petition, which is fitly subjoined to the former. Li the preface we own our relation to God, ' Our Father.' In the first petition we express our care of his gloiy ; in the second, our desires of his kingdom ; and now we beg obedience to his will. We may judge of our respect to his name and kingdom by our obedi- ence to his will, without which we neither sanctify his name nor submit to his kingdom. The kingdom of God implieth two things, — his government over us, or the privileges which we enjoy thereby.
1. As it is taken for his government over us, so there is a fair con- nexion between these two requests. Before, we pray that God would rule us, and now, for a soft and pliable heart, that we may be ruled by him. Christ is not our king when we do our own will. These two are distinct ; government is one thing, and obedience to it another : as, Mat. vi. 33, ' The kingdom of God,' and ' the righteousness thereof,' they are distinguished. The kingdom of God we plead for in the second petition, and here for the righteousness thereof ; that Christ may not be a titular prince and sovereign, as certainly he is, when we do our own will. Every sovereign stands upon his own will, and the more absolute, still the more his will is to be looked upon as a law and rule. Now, God being so absolute a sovereign, it is but fit his will should be done in the perfectest manner : ' Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.'
2. If you take the kingdom of God for the privileges of his govern- ment, especially if they be considered in their consummation and final accomplishment, for that which the scripture calls the kingdom of God, by doing God's will we enter into his kingdom: see Mat. vii. 21, ' Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.' It is not the blandishment of a spiritual compliment, but a true and hearty subjection to the will of God, that availeth in God's kingdom, and is intended by this petitionary clause, ' Thy will be done.'