275 SERMON X.LJs Religion, our firft and great Concernment. MATTI. 6. 33. But feeye firft the Kingdom of God, and his Righteoufnefs; and all thefe things (hall be added untoyou. IN the latter part of this Chapter, our Saviour cloth in a long Difcourfe cau- tion his Difciples against an Inordinate Care about the Things of this Life, which he concludes with a ftritt Charge to make. Iteligion their firft and great Concernment, and above all things to take Care to fecure to themfelves the happinefs of another Life ; But feels, ye firfl the Kingdom of Gód, and his Righteoufnefs, &c. In the handling of whichwords, I (hall do thefe Four Things. Firfl, I (hall explain what is here meant by the Kingdom Of God, and his Righteoufnefs. Secondly, What byfeeking of thefe. Thirdly, I (hall lay down fome neceffary and plainDireftions, which if we ob- ferve, we cannot mifcarry in this matter. Fourthly, I (hall let before you fomeof the molt proper and powerful Motives and Encouragements to the minding of this great Intere(t and Concernment g amongwhich, I (hall particularly confider the Argument or Encouragement here afed in the Text, and all thefe things fhall be added untoyou. Firfi, I (hall explain to you what is here meant by the Kingdoäs of God, and his Righteoufnefr.' I. What is meant by the KingdomofGod. And there are two Famous accepta- tions of this Phrafe, and both of them very frequent in the New Teftamert. Sometimes it is ufed to lignifie the State of the Gofpel, or the Chriftian Religion, which by.the Jews was called the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of the Meas, Mark r. tg. The Kingdomof God is at hand ; that is, the State or Difpenfation of the. Gofpel is now approaching, and ready to take place, Luke 17. 20. The Pharifees demandingof our Saviour, when theKingdom of GodAmid come, that is, when the Reign of the Meas (hould commence ; he anfwers them, the Kingdomof God cometh not with obfervation ; that is, not with any Temporal Pomp and Splendor, fo as to draw the Eyes of People after it, as the Yews did vainly imagine; but the Kingdom ofGod, brig ute&v kip, is among'you ; not with- inyou, as our Tranflation bath improperly rendred it ; the Kingdom of God (he tells them) is already come unto you, the Meas is among you, and ye are not aware of him. In the like fenfe this Phrafe is ufed, Mat. 21. 43. The Kingdorit of God (that is, the Gofpel) fhall be taken fromyou, and given to a Nation bringing forth thefruits thereof. And fo likewife the Phrafe of the Kingdom of Heaven is ufed, Mat. ii. r t. where fpeaking of fohn the Bapti(t, our Saviour faith, that among them that were born of Women, there bath not rifen a greater than 5iohn the Baptifi; that is, there was no greater Perlon than he, under the Jewifb Difpenfa- tion, andyet he that is leafs in the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, under the Difpen- fation of the Gofpel, is greater than he. Now tho' this fenfeof theKingdom of God be not wholly excluded in theText,' yet there is another fenfe of this Phrafe very ufual likewife in the Scripture, and which is more agreeable to the (cope of our Saviour's Argument and Difcourfe, and fo it lignifies that future State of Happinefs and Glory which good Men (hall be advanced to in another World, in oppofition to this Life, and the Enjoyments of it, which our Saviour had before forbidden his Difciples to be fo folicitous about. Take ye no thought, flying, what (hall ive eat ? or what fball we drink ? or wherewithalfliall we be cloathed ? And then it föllöws in direet oppofition to this N n 2 inordi-
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