...._" 'V .l'J.eaa • T.6e SaiJJ!J kingly Power• upon us fr or.~ the F<ither. the fou ntain of h!effing, as he is the God and Father r1 our LerdJ e(uJChrt/i, th rc op:h whom we a re bldTed, Eph. i. 3· And fin ally they ar e admiued to this kingdom, as .th<H which was preparedfor them.ft·om· the foundation of the 'iJ.Jorld, iq God 's eter.nal purpofe, be– fore they .ot any of them were ; th a t ·a.ll the wodd may:: fee eternll life to be· the free gift of God. - · - . . .. Do CT. Th~Jaints foal/ be made cr;,mpleatly happy in the. pojfc:J!ion r1 t he kingdom· of heaven. Two 'things I fuall here inquire into, (I.) The nature of this ki o~dom. ( '2.) The admiilion of th e fa ints tbertto. ·'\nd. then I fhaU make fome practical improvement of the w!, o1e. F'IRST, As t:o the nat ure of the kingdom of heaven, our knowledge of i·t is vel'Y imperfect; for e;•e hath not Jeen . nor car heard, neithr helve en/red tnto t he heart of lllflU.,, . / the thil'lgJ which God bath prepared }or them that love hi"m, 1 Cor. ii. 9· A;s by fam ili'arr.efen}bia r;ces , paren rs 1o fhucr·: their little children, cor;ce rning things of which otherwde. they can hav.e no tole'ra ble notion·; fo our gracious God, im confide_ration of'our weaknefs. is plea[ed- t~ reprefent to us . heaven's haPtpi nefs . under fimilitu des tab·n from earthly t hirPs, g·lorious i n the eyes men·; ·finc e naked difc vvcr ies of 0 - the he avenly glory , divefle-d ofeanhly refemblances, wo~ld ' be tOO bri ght. for our weak eyes, and in them we wou (d' but l o fe ourfeives. · \Vhert!fore now, one can b)lt fpea.k as a cbildef thefe th ings , which the clay will full ifcover. The fl:ate of gi ory is reprefented under the no (ion of a kingdom; a kingdom among men , being that in which the. .gre ateft number ofearth! vfl OOd things dot'h concen ter . Now every'f;jint fhalJ .--a s a· kin~ , inherit a kingdom . All Chrirt's fubjetts !ball be k1r.gs, "each one with his crown upon -his head; not that the great King fh.:tll divdl hirnfelf of h~ roya1·– t,y, but he will r;'-:1ke all his children paTtakers of his kingdom. - I·. The fa i n ~s fhall have kingly power anrl aut hority given them. · Our Lord gives not empty tith~s to f~is fa vourites; :. he makes them kings incteed· T'he Jomin,on 1)f tht: l;iints– wiiJ be a. dominion far exceec!ing that of t h e greateft mo– n:uch ev~r was on rhe earth.· · T hey wdi be :-1bfo!ute ma Hers . over fin, that fometime had domin ion over them. Th~y, will.hav.e.a ~omp}ea.t rule. a.ve.r their.own fr:irits ; an eot.i i·e : . . . manaoe:-- G# '
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