"whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, "Unto what then were ye baptized? And they faid, Unto "John's Baptifm." Rom. viii. 15. 16. 17. 23. "For ye " have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but " ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, "Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our "spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, " then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ: if " so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glori"fied together. Ourselves also, which have the first-fruits " of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, " waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our " body." 2 Cor. i. 21. 22. "Now he which stablisheth us " with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who " hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in " our hearts." Gal. iii. 13. 14. "Chrift hath redeemed us " from the curse of the law, that the blessing of Abraham " might come on the Gentiles, through Jesus Christ; that we " might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Gal. iv. 3.-6. "Even so, when we were children, we were in bond. "age under the elements of the world; but when the fulness " of the time was come, God fent forth his Son, made of a "woman, made under the law, that we might receive the " adoption of fons. And because ye are fons, God hath " fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, "Abba, Father." Eph. i. 13. 14. " In whom ye also trust"ed, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of "your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye " were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the " earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the pur"chafed poffeffion, unto the praise of his glory."

These are some instances of the excellent new things of this glorious kingdom; which being duly confidered, with what has been before said, may fatisfy us, that it was not unworthy of God to speak so much of it by the prophets, and to represent it beforehand in so many figures. And if neither the present state of this kingdom, nor the glorious perfection and manifestation of it " in the times of reftitution " of all things," which are to take place at our Lord's second coming, will fatisfy us, as to the accomplishment of the prophecies concerning the glory of this kingdom, I know not what will fatisfy us, if it be not that temporal kingdom, which the Jews have been looking for in their unbelief and hardness of heart, and in their opposition to the kingdom of our Lord Jesus; but it ought to be most firmly believed among Christians, that they shall be ashamed of these their expectations. They despised the kingdom of God which they had of old; and now, when that is done away, and the kingdom of heaven is come, they affect that old kingdom much, and exceedingly despise this; and while they are so affected, it is evident they cannot receive this kingdom of God, which is not of this world. But when the vail which is upon their hearts in the reading of the Old Testament is taken away, they will fee the glory of this kingdom, and its excellency above that which is removed: fo will they forget the earthly things, and seek the things that are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God; and, if they shall rise with Christ from that death under which they lie, they will be dead to this world, and have their life hid with Christ in God, not to appear, till he appear, and they with him in glory, Col. iii. 1.-4.

And thus far we have been considering the import of our Lord's expression, "Now is my kingdom not from hence; " my kingdom is not of this world." We shall next see how he manifests to Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world.

Of the distinction betwixt the kingdoms of this world, and the kingdom of Chrift.

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E have heard how our Lord confessed himself to be the King promised to the Jews, and owned his kingdom before Pilate; and we have also heard his teftimony concerning the nature of his kingdom, as not now of this world, and so quite distinct from that which his accusers were looking for. By this his teftimony it is evident, that the charge brought against him, of being against Cæfar, by making himself a king, was altogether without foundation. But further, he demonstrates to Pilate, that his kingdom in the world is not a worldly kingdom, and so does not interfere with Cæfar's kingdom, when he says, " If my kingdom were " of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should " not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not " from hence."

It was a fact that might be plain to the observation of VOL. I. Pilate

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Pilate and the Jews, that he did not allow his servants to fight to defend him from the Jews.

It is true, he had signified to his disciples, that they would be in such circumstances as wherein they would stand in extreme need of this fort of defence; and had faid to them, "He that hath no fword, let him sell his garment, and buy " one," Luke xxii. 36. Yet, while they stood in the greatest need of felling their garments to buy swords, before the Emperor turned Christian, they did not reckon that these words of the Lord were intended to oblige them to take the sword for their defence in their profession: For when the disciples answered Christ, saying, "Here are two swords," he faid unto them, " It is enough; " surely not for eleven difciples; but it was enough for his purpose, which was to give occasion, first, for the "miracle of healing Malchus's " ear," wherein he gave a notable evidence of his good-will to his enemies, and that he was able to deliver himself, but condescended to fuffer; and a notable pattern to his people, of doing acts of kindness to enemies, and of patience in fuffering; and, fecondly, for the following prohibition of drawing the sword in his quarrel; for, when he healed the ear, he said to his enemies, "Suffer ye thus far," Luke xxii. 51.; and to Peter, Matth. xxvi. 52. "Put up again thy sword intohis place; " for all they that take the sword, shall perish with the sword." He speaks there of another fort of defence, more agreeable to the nature of his heavenly kingdom, than the sword of his disciples, which he would have used rather, if it had not been unsuitable to his present condition, and against the fulfilment of the scripture, 53.54. "Thinkett thou that I cannot " now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me " more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall "the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" There is no need of the sword of the disciples to defend the kingdom of heaven; the armies of angels are more fuitable to this kingdom than armies of fighting men.

After this discharge of the sword, we have no command. ment to Chrift's disciples to take the sword to fight for his kingdom, nor any encouragement to expect his concurrence, or look for fuccess in that way; but rather the contrary. For as he says to Peter, " All that take the sword, shall perish by " the sword;" so this is upon the matter repeated, Rev. xiii. 10. "He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity; "he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword. "Here is the patience and the faith of the faints." Where,

it seems, the good fight of faith and patience is opposed to the fight which is by the sword. This threatening, with re. spect to the disciples and saints of Jesus their taking the sword, for the defence of his kingdom, has been verified in many instances. We need not go farther than this fame land. The disciples of Christ here took the sword, and openly professed it was for the defence of Christ's kingdom; but they went into captivity, and were killed, first by the sword of Montrose, (whereby the land also suffered for the perjury immediately going before), next by the sword of Cromwell, and then by the sword of Charles II. and the Bishops; neither was it by their own sword that they were at length delivered. The Lord owned as many of his truths and ways as they contended for, and them in adhering to them unto death; but not their mistakes, nor their way of fighting with the sword. The earth hath helped the woman in many instances against Antichrist since the reformation, swallowing up the flood of persecution, caft out of the mouth of the dragon; but the earth and the woman are two very diftinct things.

However, it was a plain fact, that our Lord did not allow his servants to fight to defend him from the Jews; and hereby he manifests, "that his kingdom is not of this world." To this purpose he gives an account of a kingdom of this world, and describes it by that without which it cannot be; and that is self-defence by worldly power.

As the kingdoms of the world took their first rise from the necessity of affociations for this defence, so it is impossible, in the nature of the thing, that they can be, or stand without it. Though a kingdom might be supposed without breaking in upon other kingdoms, yet no kingdom can bè without power to defend itself from outward attacks by the fword, and from evils arising within itself: so that our Lord's account of a kingdom of this world is most just, as it is also the fittest that could be for his present purpose.

And here he establishes the natural principle of self-defence in the kingdoms of this world. His subjects on this earth are members of those societies that have power to defend themselves by the sword, and he has allowed them to do their duty in their stations and callings in them, and his grace will make them more faithful and confcientious in the duties of their stations and callings in those kingdoms.

As violence offered to the confciences of men is one of the greatest injuries, so, in all associations for defence by the fword, this ought to be attended to, and all men have a

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right

right of defence in the kingdoms of this world from violence offered to their consciences in matters of religion. This right is by no means refused to those kingdoms by the Lord Christ. Antichrist is the great invader of the liberty of mankind in this matter. He is furnished with worldly power, and he uses it unto this purpose. Where he prevails, tyranny, as in other respects, so especially in this, hath taken place, and men are inflaved this way; but, in Proteftant kingdoms and commonwealths, there is some more freedom, and the subjects of Christ enjoy that liberty in common with others in those kingdoms where this natural right of mankind is in any measure defended. Thus far has the earth helped the woman: and this is properly the Proteftant cause, so far as the sword and the power of the kingdoms of this world is concerned in it. And upon this ground stands the revolution fully warranted, as it concerns religion.

And this is the common cause of mankind, according to the first rise, and reason of the kingdoms of this world.

Now, from the account our Lord gives of a worldly kingdom, he demonstrates that his kingdom is not of this world, and therefore does not interfere with Cæfar's; for fince he did not allow his servants to fight for his defence, and so had fet aside that without which no kingdom of this world can be, it is evident his kingdom cannot be of this world. And he plainly intimates, that his kingdom is of such a nature, that it does not admit of that kind of defence : " My servants " would fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: " but now is my kingdom not from hence."

Some think this is to be confined to his present circumstances, when he was only laying the foundation of his kingdom, in his fufferings; and that because he came into the world to fuffer for his people, who could not be redeemed without his fufferings; and to fulfil the prophecies concerning his sufferings, it behoved him to suffer. But they reckon the cafe is not so now with his subjects, since his kingdom is set up in the world. They may now associate themselves to defend his truths and institutions, and to defend one another in their profession of them, by all the power of this world that they have or can attain unto. And so should I think if it were not for the following reasons.

1. Our Lord does not here give his present circumstances as the reason of his not allowing his fervants to fight for defending him, but the nature of his kingdom; or, if he draws an inference from this matter of fact, to shew the nature of