Shall we think that that Christian that saith these words in good earnest
542 THE cuuRcn's echo.
will put Christ away in his ordinances, and not care for to hear his word, nor care to meet Christ here in earth, and yet pretend a desire to meet him in heaven ? Where is Chi-ist here ? Is he not in his congregations and assemhlies of his saints ? Those, therefore, that despise the ordinances of God, and yet pretend that they desire that Christ should come, do they not profane the Lord's prayer when they say, ' Hallowed be thy name,' ' Thy Idngdom come ' ? They patter* it over ; they do not mean it in good ear- nest. When they despise the ministry and the ministers, and whatsoever is Christ's, despise the motions of his Spirit, and will not sutler him to rule in their hearts, but are ruled by rules of policy and reason and flesh, can they say, ' Come ' ? No ! They do abominably profane the Lord's prayer. What kind of sendee is that, when their desires are quite clean contrary ? It is a protestation contrary to their faith, and therefore it is a nullity. They profess in their prayers that they would have Christ to come, and yet their course of life is contrary ; they would not have him come.
(2.) Again, those that truly desire Christ should come, they will he subordi- nate helpers under Christ, to promote those things that tend to his coining. Before Christ comes, antichrist must be abohshed and consumed; the Jews must be converted, and the number of the elect must be con- summate and finished. Therefore what shall we say, when those that pretend to desire the coming of Christ shall countenance heresies that must have an end first ? And those that are against wholesome laws to be made in that kind, those that countenance idolatry and false worship, stablishing what Christ must abolish before he come, can they say, ' Come,' in good earnest ? Their course is contrary to what they pray. There- fore in deed and in good earnest we pray, 'Thy kingdom come,' and say with our souls as the church here, ' Come,' when we set ourselves to abolish heresy and false worship of God, that is adulterous, and promote the true service of God ; when we labour in our places that the number of the elect may be consummate ; when we labour that our children may be God's childi'en, and om* servants may be God's servants, and every one in our places labour that the kingdom of Christ may be enlarged — if we put not to our helping hand to that we pray for, it is a contradiction. Those, there- fore, that live scandalous lives, in scandalous courses and speeches, and hinder the conversion of people's souls , and labour to draw them to wicked, hellish courses, when they post to hell themselves, and labour to draw others into cursed society with themselves, they cannot truly say, as the church here, ' Come.' Let us take it to heart, that we do not mock and dally with reUgion. It is a greater matter than we take it for. It is impossible but a Christian that saith his prayers in earnest, should be thus afiected, unless we make a mockery of religion.
(3.) Again, if we can indeed say ' Come,' there will be a fitting for this coming, a preparing ourselves for it, for our going to Christ. Is it not so in civil things ? And doth not gi-ace work that that nature doth, in a higher degree ? If we desire that a great person should come to us, will there not be a fitting of our houses, of our apparel, and entertainment suitable to the worth of the person ? or else a man may say, Surely you look for nobody this day ; there is nothing fitted and prepared. So if we pretend we desire Christ to ' come,' and yet notwithstanding we are careless of getting knowledge and of purging our souls, of growing in grace, careless of being such as Christ may delight to come unto, this carelessness of fitting and preparing * The allusion is to the pater nosier of popery. — G.
THE church's echo, 543
ourselves shews that we do but in hypocrisy speak the words when we have no such thing in our hearts. Those that desire the kingdom of Christ, and the happy condition of Chi'istians in another world, they desire the way of it here, that is, by fitting and preparing themselves for that estate ; and in- deed it will work those effects as it is Tit. ii. 12, and other places, "What is the motive there to live a holy and righteous and sober life ? ' Looking and waiting for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' There he inserts a holy life between the two comings of Christ, shewing that the believing the end of both, will work this effect in the change of our lives, 'to be sober to ourselves, and just to others, and holy to God.' ' The grace of God hath appeared,' that is, in the first coming of Christ, * teaching us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts,' &c., and then looking forward still for the second coming of Christ, ver. 13, So that he believes that the grace of God hath appeared in saving our souls by the death of Christ in his first coming; and he that believes that he will come to be glorious after in his second coming, certainly he will hve justly and soberly and righteously in this present world ; he will fit himself for that estate that he professeth to desire. Let us try ourselves by these evidences in some measure, and not think our state good till we can say fi'om our hearts, ' Come,'