That the king CHAP.XVII, throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel: which dom of God by is not to be done till the day of judgment. Christ is heavenly, &c. therefore is not yet in the throne of his majesty ; the new covenant nor is that time, when Christ was conversant here in the world, called a kingdom, but a regeneration; that is to say, a renovation or restitution of the kingdom of God, and a calling of them who were hereafter to be received into his kingdom. And where it is said (Matth. xxv. 31-32): When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: we may manifestly gather that there will be no local separation of God's subjects from his enemies, but that they shall live mixed together until Christ's second coming. Which is also confirmed by the comparison of the kingdom of heaven with wheat mingled with darnell, and with a net containing all sorts of fish. But a multitude of men, enemies and subjects, living promiscuously together, cannot properly be termed a kingdom. Besides, the apostles, when they asked our Saviour, whether he would at that time when he ascended into heaven, restore the kingdom unto Israel; did openly testify, that they then, when Christ ascended, thought the kingdom of God not to be yet come. Furthermore, the words of Christ, My kingdom is not of this world and, I will not drink, &c. till the kingdom of God come: and, God hath not sent his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved: and, CHAP.XVII. If any man hear my words, and keep them not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world: and, Man, who made me a judge or divider between you? and the very appellation of the kingdom of heaven testifies as much. The same thing is gathered out of the words of the prophet Jeremiah, speaking of the kingdom of God by the new covenant (Jer. xxxi. 34) They shall teach no more every man his neighbour; saying, Know the Lord. For they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord: which cannot be understood of a kingdom in this world. The kingdom of God therefore, for the restoring whereof Christ came into the world; of which the prophets did prophecy, and of which praying we say, Thy kingdom come; if it is to have subjects locally separated from enemies, if judicature, if majesty, according as hath been foretold; shall begin from that time, wherein God shall separate the sheep from the goats; wherein the apostles shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherein Christ shall come in majesty and glory; wherein lastly, all men shall so know God, that they shall not need to be taught; that is to say, at Christ's second coming, or the day of judgment. But if the kingdom of God were now already restored, no reason could be rendered why Christ, having completed the work for which he was sent, should come again; or why we should pray, Thy kingdom come. 6. Now, although the kingdom of God by The government Christ to be established with a new covenant, were world was not a VOL. II. S of Christ in this sovereignty, but CHAP.XVII. heavenly; we must not therefore think, that they, who believing in Christ would make that covenant, counsel, or a go- were not so to be governed here on the earth too, of doctrine and as that they should persevere in their faith and vernment by way persuasion. obedience promised by that covenant. For in vain had the kingdom of heaven been promised, if we were not to have been led into it; but none can be led, but those who are directed in the way. Moses, when he had instituted the priestly kingdom, himself though he were no priest, yet ruled and conducted the people all the time of their peregrination, until their entrance into the promised land. In the same manner is it our Saviour's office, (whom God in this thing would have like unto Moses), as he was sent from his Father, so to govern the future subjects of his heavenly kingdom in this life, that they might attain to and enter into that; although the kingdom were not properly his, but his Father's. But the government whereby Christ rules the faithful ones in this life, is not properly a kingdom or dominion, but a pastoral charge, or the right of teaching; that is to say, God the Father gave him not a power to judge of meum and tuum, as he doth to the kings of the earth; nor a coercive power, nor legislative; but of showing to the world, and teaching them the way and knowledge of salvation; that is to say, of preaching and declaring what they were to do, who would enter into the kingdom of heaven. That Christ had received no power from his Father to judge in questions of meum and tuum, that is to say, in all questions of right among those who believed not, those words above cited do sufficiently declare: Man, who made me a judge or divider between you? And it is confirmed by CHAP.XVII. reason. For seeing Christ was sent to make a The government world was not a covenant between God and men; and no man is of Christ in this obliged to perform obedience before the contract sovereignty, &c. be made; if he should have judged of questions of right, no man had been tied to obey his sentence. But that the discerning of right was not committed to Christ in this world, neither among the faithful nor among infidels, is apparent in this ; that that right without all controversy belongs to princes, as long as it is not by God himself derogated from their authority. But it is not derogated before the day of judgment; as appears by the words of St. Paul, speaking of the day of judgment (1 Cor. xv. 24): Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. Secondly, the words of our Saviour reproving James and John, when they had said (Luke ix. 54): Wilt thou that we call for fire from heaven, that it may consume them? (namely the Samaritans, who had denied to receive him going up to Jerusalem): and replying (verse 56), The Son of man is not come to destroy souls, but to save them; and those words: Behold I send you as sheep among wolves; Shake off the dust of your feet; and the like; and those words, God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved; and those: If any man hear my words, and keep them not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, &c.: do all show, that he had no power given him to condemn or punish any man. We read indeed, that the Father CHAP.XVII. judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son; but since that both may, and must be understood of the day of future judgment, it doth not at all repugn what hath been said before. Lastly, that he was not sent to make new laws, and that therefore by his office and mission he was no legislator properly so called, nor Moses neither, but a bringer and publisher of his Father's laws, (for God only, and neither Moses nor Christ, was a king by covenant), is collected hence; that he said, I came not to destroy, (to wit, the laws before given from God by Moses, which he presently interprets), but to fulfil; and, He that shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Christ therefore had not a royal or sovereign power committed to him from his Father in this world, but councillary and doctrinal only; which himself signifies, as well then when he calls his apostles not hunters, but fishers of men; as when he compares the kingdom. of God to a grain of mustard-seed, and to a little leaven hid in meal. What the promises of the new covenant 7. God promised unto Abraham, first, a numerous seed, the possession of the land of Canaan, are on both parts and a blessing upon all nations in his seed, on this condition; that he and his seed should serve him : next, unto the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, a priestly kingdom, a government most free, in which they were to be subject to no human power, on this condition; that they should serve the God of Abraham on that fashion which Moses should teach lastly, both to them and to all nations, a heavenly and eternal kingdom, on : |