15 8 C'ilel-Cenverfation. Iiimfelf) nothingmore pleating in all the works that ever God nube in which be takes more pleafure than in the exercife of faith, and humility, and of patience, and the like ; and the holinefs ofHis Saints. Now the lets the kingdom of Chritt is of theworld, the more bright and glorious do the graces of the Saints appear, the more do they come to be exereited ; had the Saints a worldly glory and pomp here, their graces would not thine forth fo eminent, there would not be Each a fpiritual lu- fire and thine upon them: but now that God may excrcife, efpe- - cially the grace of faith, and humility, and patience, and felt- denial, and brotherly love which are fo precious to Him ; there. fore God bath fo ordered things that the kingdom of His Son ihould not be ofthis world, but it fhoulcl be fpirituall ; (it may be) you think it a fad af+fic`iion that you have not thofe com- forts that you fee others have in the world you have not inch eflates and bravery as others have, brave dwellings, coftly fur- nitures, and find cloaths as others have, and you cannot pro- vide for your children as theydo; I but is there theexercife of faith in God in the want of thefe things; the exercife of humi- lity, fell- denial, of patience ? know that thefe are more glorious things than if thou didit lit upon a throne with a crown of gold upon thy bead and a Scepter in thy hand, and al the people proftrating themfelves before thee, this were all but a childifh vanity in comparifon of the exercife of the graces of Gods Spi- rit, thouhaft that that is more excellent in the eyes of God and of His Son, and in the eyes of the bleffed Angels, far more excel- lent than thefe outward, pompous, glorious, glittering vanities that are here: &when thou findeft by experience that the King- dom of Chrifi is not of this world, Oh then think, that fure- lyGod delights much in the exercife of the graces of his Spirit in His Saints : And this is the reafon why he would not have thekingdom ofChrift to be of this world. Thirdly and hilly, Therefore He mould not have it to be of this ï'orld that hereafter when the Lordfhallc-me tofetch out allhisglory from thole things that feem to be the molt contrary,that h:spotter wifdom may be more glorious & appear more evidently, that hisglory may be more conijiicuous : as certainly it will hereafter at the great Day when the iffue ofall the great deigns that God bad in fen. ding
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