brought down, and, for this end, be much in studying the law in its holinefs and fpirituality.

2. Recive and entertain the word of the King; for this is the King's chariot of ftate in which he makes his entry; we receive the Spirit by the hearing of faith; this is the weapon whereby he fubdues rebels.

3. Be much in viewing the glory of Chrift, for at the fight of him the heart opens: "We, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

4. Put up that petition he has put in thy mouth, "Thy kingdom come." O, he is ready to hear the petition which he himself dictates, and believe that he will hear it, because it is of his own compiling. O wrestle, and wrestle by faith fixed on his promife.

5. Put the key of the heart in his own hand, and plead earnestly, that he may give it a turn, and prefs and urge him with his own word of promife, Pfal. cx. 3. "Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power." Sirs, do not stand out under a pretence of inability, for he is fo ready to enter into thy heart, and fet up his kingdom within thee, that he is willing to take the whole work on himfelf; he makes the duty ours, but he makes the work his own: "Work out the work of your falvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleafure," Phil. ii. 12. 13.

Secondly, I come to offer a word to believers who have the kingdom of God within them. You, who by the power of the eternal word and Spirit of Chrift, have been determined to fubmit to the authority of him, whom God has fet as King in his holy hill of Zion, faying, "The Lord is my King, the Lord is my Judge, the Lord is my Lawgiver." Have the trong holds of thy understanding, will, and affection, been brought into captivity unto the obedience of Chrift? Is this the cafe? Then I offer you, (1.) A word of confolation; (2.) Of advice and exhortation.

1, A word of confolation and encouragement to you who have the kingdom of God within you: Here is ground of coffolation, that as his vifible kingdom in the world fhall be perpetual to the end of time, fo his invisible kingdom, or work of grace in thy heart, is an everlasting kingdom, and "his dominion that which shall never be deftroyed." Hell and earth may invade it, and indwelling fin may make infurrection, but the "gates of hell thall never prevail against it," to deftroy it utterly. And I will tell you of fome fecurities or strong bulwarks, whereby this kingdom in the heart is preferved.

1. Then,

1. Then, it is fecured by the unalterable love of God, "The mountains fhall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness fhall not depart from thee." The fense of his love may be withdrawn, fo far as the foul may cry, "The Lord hath forfaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me;" but that shall not be," for he refts in his love, and changes not."

2. The purpose of God is a noble fecurity for the preservation of this kingdom of God within you, Rom. viii. 28. They are faid to be called according to his purpose, the erection of the kingdom of God in the heart, is just the execution of the decree," Whom he did predeftinate, them he alfo called: And we are predeftinate to be conformed to the image of his Son." Now, is it poffible that the purpose of God can be frustrate? No, no, "The counsel of the Lord fhall stand:" The golden chain of falvation cannot be broken, or one, of the links of it be loofed, Rom. viii. 30. "Whom he did predeftinate, them he alfo called; and whom he called, them he alfo juftified: and whom he juftified, them he also glorified."

3. The indenture that the Son of God entered into with his Father, from eternity, in the counfel of peace, fecures this fpiritual kingdom. When God the Father gave a company of the loft race of Adam unto Chrift, he engaged that he would fet up his kingdom within them, repair his image, carry on the work of fanctification in them, till he had made them meet for glory; and that at the last day he would deliver up the kingdom to his Father, and fay, Here am I, and the children. thou haft given me; here I prefent them without spot, or wrinkle, or any fuch thing. And God the Father, upon this engagement and undertaking of his Son, promifed that he fhould "prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord fhould profper in his hand." So that the counfel of peace between the Father and Son must come to nought, before this kingdom of God can be destroyed.

4. The blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift fecures this kingdom. Chrift has purchafed a church for himself. Before he could, by his word and Spirit, take poffeffion of one foul in all Adam's family, he behoved, as their Surety, to fulfil the prept, and to underly the penalty of the law, and to pour out his foul unto death: He comes to the kingdom and govern ment by the expence of his royal blood, and is it to be fuppo fed, that his kingdom, which he has bought with the blood of his heart, fhall be ruined by fin, Satan, or the world, if he have an arm to defend it? No, no, I will give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither fhall any man be able to pluck them out of my hand. And this he speaks of

his fheep, for whom he laid down his life, John x. 15. and 28. compared..

5. The covenant of grace and promise secures this kingdom of God within you: This covenant is well ordered in all things, and fure, and contains all the falvation of his people: "The covenant of my peace fhall never be removed. My covenant I will not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." See how the work of grace is fecured by this covenant, Jer. xxxii. 39. "And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever." Ver. 40. " And I will make an everlafting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me."

6. The effectual call that the Lord gave thee when he called thee unto his kingdom and glory. He called thee from the power of darkness, and tranflated thee unto the kingdom of his dear Son; and this call fecures the poffeffion of this kingdom of God within thee, for his gifts and callings are without repentance; and how can it be otherwife, feeing he calls them according to his purpose.

7. Thy union with Chrift, believer, fecures the preservation and the perfecting of this kingdom. The whole myftical body of Chrift, and every particular member of it fhall be perfected; "neither death, nor life, nor things prefent, nor things to come, fhall feparate" between you and him; not one ftone shall be turned off the foundation God hath laid in Zion; the mortar by which the ftones of the building are knit to the foundation, is fo well tempered, and he and they are fo cemented together, that hell fhall never prevail to loofe any one of them; no, God's building fhall never be demolished.

8. The new name that God has given thee fecures the kingdom of God, the work of grace in the foul. He has given to you who have received him the right, power, or privilege, of being called the fons of God, and this is a perpetual name that fhall never be razed. If. lvi. 5. 6. "To them that take hold of his covenant he gives a name, and a place within his walls, even an everlasting name, that fhall never be cut off." The Son abideth in the house for ever; although the fervant may be turned out at term-day, yet fo fhall not the fon, who is an

heir.

9. The feal of the Spirit fecures the kingdom of God within you, Eph. iv. 30. Believers are faid to be fealed unto the day of redemption. A feal is either, (1.) For fecrecy; what men would have kept fecret they fet their feal upon it; and therefore it is a violation of the laws of fociety, for any man to break up a fealed letter, but he to whom it is directed. (2.)

A

A feal is used for diftinction; merchants feal their goods that they may be known to be their own. (3.) A feal is ufed for fecurity; charters have the king's feal for further fecurity; and in this refpect believers "are fealed unto the day of redemption," he hath" fealed us, and given us the earnest of his Spirit." So Eph. i. 13. 14. "After that ye believed, ye were fealed with that Holy Spirit of promife, which is the earnest of our inhe ritance." Now, this fecurity of the feal of the Spirit is invio lable; for "the foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, the Lord knoweth them that are his."

10. The life of Chrift fecures this kingdom of God within you; "Because I live, ye fhall live alfo." It is not fo much the be liever that lives, as Chrift that lives in him. The life of Christ in heaven is employed for the fecurity of the work of grace in thy foul: Believer he lives in heaven as thy Head, thy Huf band, thy Redeemer, thy Advocate with the Father, and he has all power in heaven and in earth for this end, that he might be in a capacity to preferve his kingdom of grace: there fore, fays the apoftle, "When Chrift who is our life fhall ap pear, then shall ye alfo appear with him in glory," Col. iii. 4. 11. The power of God fecures this kingdom of God within you; John x. 29. " My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Rom. xiv. 24. He (viz. the believer that has the kingdom of God within him) fhall be holden up, for God is able to make him ftand: As if he had faid, The power of God is fo much engaged for the prefervation of the work of grace, that it fhall never perish, if God's arms be able to maintain it. 2 Tim. i. 12. "I know whom I have believed, and I am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." Pet. i. 5. "We are kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation." And therefore, believer,t hou mayeft fing and fay, as Jude 24. "Now, unto him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wife God our Saviour, be glory and majefty, dominion and power, both now and ever, Amen."

But I need not infift on particulars here; all the attributes of God, and the glory of each of them, is concerned in perfecting and preferving this fpiritual kingdom. The mercy of God that gave birth unto it; the wisdom of God that contrived it; the faithfulnefs of God, yea, his holinefs is laid in pawn for the prefervation of it; yea, the very juftice of God is concerned in the prefervation of this kingdoin; for justice having received complete fatisfaction from the Surety, much obligesto take care for the prefervation of this kingdom, for which

the

the ranfom of blood was paid. So that you fee how well this fpiritual kingdom is fecured against all attempts made for its ruin; and is not this unfpeakable ground of confolation to you, who have the foundation of it laid in your fouls by the Spirit of the Lord? The apoftle fpeaks of it as a glorious ground of confolation to the Philippians, chap. i. 6. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jefus Christ." 2dly, A word of exhortation or counsel to you who have the kingdom of God within you.

1. See that you answer the motto of the kingdom, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD. "Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Beware of giving the enemy occafion to blaípheme God, and the work of grace by your untenderness.

2. See that upon every occafion, and in all focieties, ye loyal to your King, wherever you fee his laws violate, his name profaned, his authority invaded, or his caufe trampled on. Strike in for the honour of your King; "be not partakers with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Come up to the help of the Lord against the mighty."

3. Wage war with all the enemies of the King, either within you or without you. Say not a confederacy with fin or with finners; "for we wrestle not against flesh or blood, but against principalities, againft powers, against the rulers of the dark nefs of this world, against fpiritual wickedness in high places." Do not fear your enemies, for they will flee, and your King will bear the charges of the war."

4. Keep and guard all the avenues of the kingdom of God within you: "Watch and pray that you enter not into tempta tion;" Watch the eyes, "I made a covenant with mine eyes Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity." Watch the ears, watch the tongue, and "keep thy heart with all dili gence, for out of it are the iffues of life.-Be fober, be vigi lant, for your adverfary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, feeking whom he may devour."

5. Obferve the laws of the kingdom as your rule, "As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Ifrael of God," Gal. vi. 16.

6. Contend for the liberties of the kingdom, even of the vi fible kingdom of Chrift without you, for the lofs of this will do great hurt to the kingdom of God within you. Gal. v. 1. "Stand faft in the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made you free;" freedom from fin, freedom from the law as a covenant, freedom from the world and yoke of bondage, inconfiftent with Chriftian liberry, is the purchase of blood.

7. Keep