2dly. That wherever the gospel is by any nation owned, received, embraced, it is the blessing, benefit, prosperity, and advantage of that nation. They that love Zion shall prosper; Psal. cxxii. 6. * Godliness hath the promise of this life, and is profitable unto all;' 1 Tim. iv. 8. The reception of the word of truth, and subjection to Christ therein, caus- ing a people to become willing in the day of his power, eu- titleth that people to all the promises, that ever God made to his church ; they shall be established in righteousness, they shall be far from oppression, and for fear and terror, they shall not draw nigh unto them ; ' whosoever contends against such a people, shall fall thereby. No weapon that is formed against them shall prosper ; every tongue that shall rise against them in judgment, they shall condemn. For this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord ;' Isa. liv. 14,15. 17.
To the prosperity of a nation, two things are required :
(1st.) That they be freed from oppression, injustice, cru- elty, disorder, confusion in themselves, from their rulers, or others.
(2dly.) That they be protected from the sword and vio- lence of them that seek their ruin from without.
And both these do a people receive, by receiving the gospel.
(1st.) For the first, they have the promise of God, that they shall have judges as at the first; Isa. i. 26. Such as
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in justice and judgment shall bear rule over them and among them, as the first judges whom he stirred up, and gave to his ancient people. ' Their officers shall be peace, and their ex- actors righteousness;' Isa. Ix. 17. even the very gospel which they do receive, is only able to instruct them to be just, ruling in the fear of the Lord, for that only effectually teacheth the sons of men, * to live righteously, soberly, and godly in this present world ;' Tit. ii. 12.
(2dly.) And for the second, innumerable are the promises that are given to such a people ; whence the psalmist con- cludes upon the consideration of the mercies they do and shall enjoy, 'happy is the people whose God is the Lord;' Psal. cxliv. 15. ' The glorious God will be to them a place of rivers and broad waters, in which no galley with oars, nor gallant ship shall pass by, the Lord will be their redeemer, lawgiver, king, and saviour;' Isa. xxxiii. 21. It will inte- rest any people in all the promises that are made for the using of the church, to thrash, break, destroy, burden, fire, consume, and slay the enemies thereof: so far shall a people be from suffering under the hands of oppressors, that the Lord will use them for the breaking and destruction of the Nimrods of the earth, and this blessing of the nations do they receive by the faith of Abraham,
3dly. The rejection of the gospel by any people or nation to whom it is tendered, is always attended with the certain and inevitable destruction of that people or nation, which, sooner or later^ shall without any help or deliverance be brought upon them, by the revenging hand of Christ.
When the word of grace was rejected and despised by the Jews, the messengers of it professedly turning to the Gentiles, Acts xiii. 46. xxviii. 28. God removing it from them, unto a nation that would bring forth fruit. Matt. xxi. 43. as it did in all the world, or among all nations, for a season. Col. i. 6. with what a fearful and tremendous de- solation he quickly wasted that people, is known to all; he quickly slew, and destroyed those husbandmen, that spoiled his vineyard, and let it forth unto others, that might bring him his fruit in due season. Hence, when Christ is tendered in the gospel, the judges and rulers of the nations are ex- horted to obedience to him, upon pain of being destroyed upon the refusal thereof; Psal. ii. 12. And we have the
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experience of all ages, ever since the day that the gospel began to be propagated in the world. The quarrel of it was revenged on the Jews by the Romans, upon the Romans, by the Goths, Vandals, and innumerable barbarous na- tions; and the vengeance due to the antichristiah world is at hand, even at the door. The Lord will certainly make good his promise to the utmost, that * the kingdoms and nations which will not serve the church, even that king- dom and those nations shall utterly perish ;' Isa. Ix. 12.
4thly. That it is the duty of magistrates to seek the good, peace, and prosperity of the people committed to their charge, and to prevent, obviate, remove, take away every thing, that will bring confusion, destruction, desolation upon them ; as Mordecai procured good things for his people, and prosperity to his kindred ; Esther x. 4. And David de- scribes himself with all earnestness pursuing the same de- sign ; Psal. ci. Magistrates are the ministers of God for the good, universal good, of them to whom they are given, Rom. xiii. 14. and they are to watch and apply themselves to this very thing ; ver. 6. And the reason the apostle gives to stir up the saints of God to pray amongst all sorts of men, in special for kings, and those that are in authority, to wit, that they may in general come to the knowledge of the faith, and be saved, and in particular discharge the duty and trust com- mitted to them (for on that account are they to pray for them, as kings and men in authority), is, that we may ' lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty ;' 1 Tim. ii. 1 — 4. It being incumbent on them, to act even as kings and men in authority, that we may so do ; they are to feed the people committed to their charge with all their might, unto universal peace and welfare.