( 43 ) his prefence with them unto the Confummation ofall things, Mat. 2.8. zo. chap. 18. zo. and allìgned them their Duty un- til his SecondComing. i Cor. i I. z6. with other Evidences ofthe fameTruth innumerable. Our Enquiry therefore is, Whereon the Continuation of this Church.State, unto the end ofthe World, doth depend; whatare the Caufes? What are the Means of it ? whence it becomes infallible and necell-ary. I mutt only premife, that our prefent Confideration is not fo much de lido, as unto what hath fallenout in the World, unto ourKnowledgeand Obfervation, but de jure, or ofa Right unto this Continua- tion. And this is fuch as makes it not only lawful for fuch aChurch- State to be, but requires alfo from all the Difciples of Chrift in a wayof Duty, that it be always in actual Ex- iften e. Hereby there is a warrant given unto all believers, at all times to gather themfelves into fuch a Church-State, and a Duty impofed on them fo to do. The Reafons and Caufes appointing and fecuring this Con- tinuation, are of various forts, the principal whereof, are thefe that follow. r. The fupreme Caufe hereof, is the Father's Grant of a perpetual Kingdom in this World unto Jefus Chrift, the Me- diator and Head of the Church. `Ffal. 7z. 5, 7, 15, 16, 17. ha, 9. 7. Zech. 6. 13. This Grant ofthe Father, our Lord Jefus Chrift pleaded ashis Warranty for the Foundation and Continuationof the Church. Mat. z8 17, 18, 19, zo. This Everlafling Kingdom of /efua Chri/l, given him by the irre- vocable Grant of the Father, may be confìdered three ways. (i) As unto the real Suljeis of it, true ßelievers, which are the Object of the Internal, Spiritual Power, and Rule olChrifl. Of thefe it is necefí-ary, by vertue of this Grant and Divine Conftitution of the Kingdom of Chrift, that in every Age there fhould beforne in the World, and thofe per- haps no finals multitude , but fuch as the Internal Rule G z over
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