the work of creation, and fo have deferved evil, God as Creafor doch not take beleevers fo as to bring afflictions upon them, but he gives them up to Chrilt, It's Chrilt thy King that dol correct him, and the afflictions being within this kingdome, they are of another nature then the evills that are inflicted upon those that are under the kingdome of Gods power: Now the evills that are inflicted upon ach for their fin, they come from revenging wrath; But the evils that are inflicted upon thofe that are brought into this kingdome, they are inflicted upon them by Chrift the Mediator and to come to them in another way, fo that there is aboundance of bleffedneffe in b.ing within this kingdome :

Thirdly, And then further, From hence thou haft proˇection, though thot beeft poore and meane in thy felfe, thou haft Jefus Chrift the Son of God that undertakes to protect thee, to deliver thee from evill, and to fupply thee in all thy wants: that's the work of a King, and thofe that are fubjects in a kingdome, they have a great deale of benefit in the protection of the Governour of that kingdome, and for any man to be in a kingdome and to be denyed the protection, is a great mifery: Now there are none in the Kingdome of Ch ift, that Chrift will deny the benefit of protection, but protects them all, and provides for all within his kingdome. Indeed Kings of the earth may leave the protection of their Subjects, and if they should deny protection to their Subjects, there is fome other help for them to protect themselves fome other way :but there is no protection to the Saints but onely by this their King:

Fourthly, And all provisions necetfary,a King doth not take cognisance of every family, bur Chrift doth rake cognisance to provide for every particular foule.

Fifthly, In this kingdome Chrift undertakes to fubdue all the enemies that are against thy fpirituall and eternall good: Chrift is thy King, and either he must loofe his power or faithfulnesse, either of which he will not do,therefore he must si bdue thy enemies, he will fubdue Sin,and Death,and the Devil, yea and all the enemies of the Church fhall at length be fubdued.

K 2

Sixthly,

Sixthly, He as a King,gives ordinances and gifts and adminiftrations, all the ordinances gifts and adminiftrations of the Church they are given by Je us Chrift as the King of it, and thou that art poor in spirit thou haft right to them. It is not fuch a one as hath fuch a high degree of grace that hath right to the ordinances,but where there is any that are but fenfible of their poverty, thou haft right to all ordinances upon that,but though there be right to them, yet you must be exercised in them, in a way futable to the Ordinances: All the gifts of the Saints are thine, and all adminiftrations are thine,thou haft the benefit of them all in this Kingdome.

Seventhly, Further, All the world is brought into fubjection to this kingdome; The kingdome of the Father, the kingdome of power, whereby the Lord do:h rule the created world, and fo by providence is continued, all thisis in order to this kingdome of the Meffiah: Certainly there is a great deale in this, for one to know that all the adminiftrations of God in the ordering of heaven and earth: It is for the furtherance of the kingdome of the Melfiah, and of the fpirituall good of all thofe that are within this kingdome, Bleffed therefore art thou, for thine is this kingdome of Heaven.

Eightly, & Laftly, For this will bring thee at length to reign with Chrift: Thou doft in fome degree reigne with Chrift already, all the Subjects of Chrift kingdome are made Kings and Priefts to God, and they must be in a further glorious manner made to reigne with Chrift, fo you have it in the 3. Reve: 21. To him that over cometh will I grant to fit with me in my Throne, even as I also overcame, and am fat downe with my Father in his Throne: it is a text that hath a great deale of difficulty in it: but here clearely you fee there are two Thrones that Chrift mentions, his Fathers and his one,now faith Chrift, I overcame, and am fet down with my Father in his Throne: So that Chrift doth fit with the Father, and rules altogether with his Father, but faith Chrift, I will give you to fit downe upon my Throne, as I fit upon my Fathers. There is a Throne that is more particularly the Throne of Jefus Chrift,and all the Saints fhall fit with Jefus Chrift thereupon,Now for this Throne, it is that that we

have mentioned in divers other Scriptures, in the 14. Matth; & 22. of Luke, Chrift tells his Difciples that had indured with him in his temptations, that they should fit with him and judge the twelve Tribes of Ifrael, and they should cat and drink with bine in his kingdome when he did come: Now thefe Scriptures feeme to hold out fome fpeciall and glorious condition that the Saints must have at length before they come to that full poffeffion of that glory that thall be in the highest heavens they hall fit upon the Lord Ch.ifts Throne, judging, furely, in the highest heavens there is no judging Throne, but there is a time of judging the wicked and ungodly, and the Saints fhall reigne with Chrift in a glorious manner, and at length they thall be brought to Heaven it felfe to the poffeffion of all And that glory that Chrift hath purchased by his blood; therefore though now for the prefent you deny your felves fo much as to be willing to fuifer poverty, to furfer the hardshi of poverty, the contempt of poverty, the trouble that there is in a poore eftate, it is in my caufe that you are willing to be poor, it may be you could get riches in the world as much as other men, but be content to be in a low condition for the things of this world,be content to be meane, to truft me; for there is a kingdome for you, the kingdome of Heaven: This kingdome feems to be poor now, as you are poor in ipirit, fo this kingdome feemes to be a poor contemptible thing, the glory of it, it is fpirituall, and only can be feen with a fpiritual eye, It cannot be feen with a carnal eye, but yet you who are mine, and have received my Spirit, you can understand the excellency of this kingdome, and the many priviledges that are in this kingdome, and therefore do you labour quietly to bear your low condition, and though you be low in parts, vet goon, though you have many weakneftes in you yet ftil comfort your felves in this, for you are thofe that fit with the Meffias, and the good of the Gospel is yours,and the glorious kingdom that both Father, Son, and Spirit doth intend to raife up to a mighty height. It is begun for the prefent in your foules, and you shall certainely come to the accomplishment of it in the fulneffe of all the glory of it: This kingdome Chrift fpeakes of

in

in 7.

Dans 24. and there calls it the kingdome of the Saints that thall prevaile in the world: Certainely there is fuch a kingdome of Chrift as will prevaile in the world let men op-i pote it what they can. The Kings of the earth they rage, and the Heathens they imagine but vaine things, for the Lord will fer his king upon his holy hill, and the Saints that are in this kingdome of Chrift they thall prevaile in the world at laft, This kingdome muft certainely go on; My brethren we read in Scripture of the good tydings of the kingdome there few things tha: I have fpoken of are fome of the good tydings of the kingdome, and in the 1. Acts 30. when Chrift was rifen againe, we finde that the great things that Chrift did,it was to tell his Disciples of the good things of this kingdome of Hea ven, you know Chrift after his refurrection did continue with his Difciples forty dayes : Now you will fay; What did Chrift do in thofe forty dayes? we read of many things that Chrift did before his death, but what have we of what he did in those forty dayes? the Scripture tells you that he did fpeak to them about the kingdome of Heaven,Chrift then did difcourfe about this point that I am now fpeaking of, telling of them what a bletled and glorious kingdome of the Meffias they were to come to, and though they were like to be poore in the world and defpifed, and be as no body, yet they were members of that kingdome, and had the priviledges of it, and Chrift would make them inftrumentall for the furtherance of that glorious kingdome,and fo told them what belongs to the kingdome, the ordinances of the kingdome, the lawes of it, and the priviledges of it, and therefore we find it that the Di ciples before the refurrection of Chritt, and the shedding abroad of the Spirit, they dream'd of a meere earthly kingdome, when wilt thou reftore the kingdome to Ifrael, but when Chrift had told them of this kingdonte, and the Spirit was fhed abroad in their hearts, they never minded an earthly kingdome more: No, they had done with that, now they came to understand what was the meaning of the kingdome of the Merliah that Chrift did preach unto them in the forty dayes that he was with them before his Afcention.

Now

Now these are fome briefe things that I have endeavoured to prefent unto you about this kingdome of Heaven that here is faid to be the portion of thofe that are poore in Spirit: You will fay O thefe are bletfed things indeed; But for the applying of them, that's the thing we have now to doe, onely at prefent remember what hath been faid, and now know what the meaning of that Scripture is, Firft fecke the kingdome of heaven and the righteoufreffe thereof, and all these things fhall be added to you: I have here briefly fet out a little of the glory of the kingdome of Heaven, though all this while I have not fpoken of the felicity of the Saints after the day of Judgement, but what shall be betweene this and their going up to. Heaven: you fee enough to fer your hearts or worke, In the first place to feek the kingdome of Heaven: O you that have fought after the world, and have thought your felves blefled if you might live bravely and have a little coming in: Now know that there is a kingdome concerns you, and for ought we know every foule in this place, and therefore above all things. feek after that kingdome that you may have your portion ins

it :

"

Sermon