took of the spirit that was upon Mofes for that purpose,

Numb. xi.

This nation, in all its forms of government, was a theocracy. God was the very King of the nation; and therefore he was offended with his people for defiring a king like the reft of the nations. And though he allowed them a king, as he had given directions about this before, Deut. xvii. from

14. to the end; yet that king was to be of his chufing, and the manner of the kingdom was declared by him, 1 Sam. viii. ix. & x. The King was to be under his express command and direction in the matters of government, and of war and peace. So that they were not kings like the kings of the nations for the Lord remained ftill the King of that nation, and the government of it was his; fo it was a facred thing.

The judges that the Lord raised up to judge Ifrael were plainly facred rulers, and types of the Chrift; and the Lord refers to them, when he makes the promise to David of building him an house, and of the Meffiah's kingdom, 1 Chron. xvii. 6.—II.

There were feveral occafional types of the Meffiah's kingdom and government, and several inftances and acts of temporal rule and government fome way relating to Ifrael, and feveral temporal rulers that prefigured Chrift's kingdom, as Jofeph, Mordecai, Efth. x. and Cyrus, If. xliv. & xlv. and the like. But the rule and government in Ifrael, the church of God, was a standing type and conftant prefiguration of the kingdom of Chrift. It was for his fake that Ifrael became a nation and kingdom; and when it was determined clearly in David's promife, that he should spring of Judah, and David's kingdom was fet up in Judah, (1 Chron. xxviii. 4. 5.), as an efpecial type of the Meffiah to come of his houfe, the rest of the tribes were fuffered to apoftatise from the covenant at Sinai; and that apoftate kingdom, if it was typical of any thing, it was rather antichrift: but the whole government in Judah prefigured the Meffiah, our Judge, Lawgiver, and King, If. xxxiii. 22. There was an especial prefence of God therefore among thofe rulers beyond other rulers; and Jehofhaphat, when fetting judges in the land, tells them, "Ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is "with you in the judgment:" He stood in their congrega tion, and judged among them,

Something to this purpofe feems to be intended in Pfal. lxxxii. It is agreed, that magiftrates and rulers are there

spoke

fpoke of, and called "gods" and " fons of the Higheft." But it is not of all rulers that this is fpoken; for they are plainly distinguished from other princes, and called gods on that ac count wherein they are diftinguifhed from them. Yea, it is manifeft, that they are the rulers in God's nation: for they were rulers, as our Lord tells us, "to whom the word of "God came," John x. 35. And fuch were only the rulers in Jacob : "God did not make known his statutes, and the "doctrine of his word, to other nations." Or if we may understand "the Word" that our Lord fays came to them, or was with them, the fame way as John i. 1.; that is, if we take it for the Son of God himself, whose name is the Word of God; then we may explain the first verse of that Pfalm of him, and his prefence among the rulers of God's nation : "God ftandeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods. If he called them gods unto whom "the word of God came." (pòs üs ô nóyos tü ☺tü iyivero) [See Bisterfield upon the place against Crellius]. The duties of their office are pointed out to them, and these are the same wherein Solomon is made a type of the Meffiah. Pfal. lxxii. 12. 13. 14. And they are complained of as not understanding their great office, nor fuitably exercising it, but acting contrary to the defign of it; fo that the church was in a la mentable condition under their government, y 2.-5. Then the Pfalmift concludes thus concerning them, y 6. & 7. "I "faid, Ye are gods, and all of you fons of the Highest. But "ye fhall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." After this great account of their office, beyond that of other princes, and grievous complaint of their wickedness, and of their weakness and infirmity as dying men, whofe eminence ended with their life, he cries out in the laft verfe, "Arise, "O God, judge the earth; for thou shalt inherit all nations." This is he from whom thefe rulers had the defignation "gods," and "fons of the Higheft," even the Meffiah, the Son of God, who is indeed the true God. It was their excellency above other princes, that they were rulers in God's nation, and that in this their office they were types of him who is indeed God; and thus they are called gods in a way very agreeable to fcripture; and this that is faid of the types is abundantly verified in the antitype, fo the fcripture is not broken. The Pfalmift, complaining of the types, cries for the glorious antitype; even as, Jer, xxiii. and Ezek. xxxvi. the types are complained of, and Chrift, the antitype, promifed. These rulers were called gods, yet they

were

were but mere men; and he defires that he should take the kingdom who is God in reality, from whom they borrowed that name, and in whom that defignation of theirs is verified. They judged unjustly and weakly, like men; but righteous judgment is expected from him: they were dying men, and their government ended with their life; but the Meffiah, the Son of God, arifes from the dead, and takes the kingdom: their government was in that nation; but his kingdom extends to every kindred, tongue, people, and nation: "Arife, "O God, judge the earth; for thou shalt inherit all nations."

In this view of that Pfalm, we perceive our Lord's reference to it, John x. 32.-36. carries in it a ftrong argument for his Godhead, and what is ordinarily pleaded against it from that place is entirely taken off.

CHA P. II.

Of the diftinction between the Old Teftament and the New with respect unto the church, and of the nature of the kingdom of Christ.

WE

E have been confidering fome things imported in our Lord's confeffion, that he is the King promised to the Jews. We shall next fee what he fays of his kingdom. And here he gives us a fhort fum of his doctrine concerning his kingdom; and delivers it fo as at once to point against the Jewish mistake, and to satisfy Pilate, that he was falfely accused of being against Cæfar.

"My kingdom," fays he, " is not of this world.-Now "is my kingdom not from hence."

Both John Baptift, his forerunner, and he himself, preaching of his kingdom, defigned it the kingdom of heaven. Thus they stripped the prophecies of the vail of fimilitudes, taken from that worldly kingdom of God in Ifrael, which was an earthly prefiguration of this heavenly thing. So they explained the prophecies. And this their explication of them had a foundation in the prophecies themselves. For in these such things are faid of this kingdom, as could neither agree to that old kingdom of Ifrael, nor to any kingdom of this world for this was the promise to David: "When thy "days be fulfilled, and thou fhalt fleep with thy fathers, I "will fet up thy feed after thee. And I will establish the "throne of his kingdom for ever.And thine house, and

"thy

Da

"thy kingdom fhall be established for ever before thee. Thy "throne shall be established for ever." It could not be eftablished before David in this world after his days in it were fulfilled; but after David is no more in this world, it is promised that his kingdom, and the throne of his son, shall be established before him; and in this David profeffes his full fatisfaction, when leaving this world. This kingdom must therefore be of another world, where David is, and where the King reigns. for ever gloriously "before his ancients" that have their days on earth fulfilled, If. xxiv. 23. and not of this world. vid himself says, in fpirit, that his "Lord fhould fit," ruling, on the right hand of God, Pfal. cx. 1. compare Pfal. xlvii. and lxviii. 18. and ciii. 19.-22. A kingdom that hath its king fitting on his throne in the heavens, and reigning before his ancients that are in heaven; a kingdom that is established for ever, and of which there fhall be no end, is neither the old kingdom of Ifrael that was on earth, and is done a way, nor any kingdom of this world; but must be of another world, and the kingdom of heaven. It is only in this heavenly kingdom that what is faid of the eternity of the OldTeftament church, the type of it, is verified: for if it were of this world, or from hence, it could not be eternal; but now is David's throne and kingdom not of this world, now it is not from hence. Confider Pfal. lxxxix 35.-2.

This now fuppofes another state of things before, with respect to what is here spoke of; and imports, that what is here faid of this kingdom was not before, but is now to take place. This that our Lord fays of his kingdom, is opposed unto the kingdom of God, as it had been before this in the nation of Ifrael. That was a worldly kingdom, until he came, and put an end to that state of things by his death, wherein he also laid the foundation of this his kingdom, which is not of this world. This prefent time wherein he speaks before Pilate, is that time when this change was a making, and immediately to be done in his death, fetting afide the old covenant or teftament, whereby that worldly kingdom was erected, and fealing the new covenant or teftament, whereby the kingdom of heaven is erected and established for ever.

FOR clearing the diftinction between the New Teftament and the Old, as to this point, and establishing what is now said, in order to make way for a view of this kingdom VOL. I.

F

of

of Jefus Chrift, it will be neceffary that we confider God's promife and covenants from the fall of man.

The first intimation of Chrift and the covenant of grace that was made to finners, is owned by Chriftians to be in that word of the Lord, Gen. iii. 15. " And I will put enmity "between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and "her feed it fhall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his " heel." There the whole revelation of this covenant of grace was, as it were, in embryo, to be afterward extended; and this light fhining in a dark place guided them that were faved by the faith of Chrift for feveral ages. Under the influence of this light, Abel worshipped God, in the faith of Chrift, the promised feed, and obtained witnefs that he was righteous; and Enoch walked with God, and pleased him, Heb. xi 4.5• When this promife was given out, facrifices were appointed; as appears from Abel's facrificing in faith, and being accepted in it and it is very likely, that the beafts of whofe fkins the Lord made coats to cover the nakedness of our firft parents, were the first facrifices; and that therein was a figure of the righteousness of Chrift covering our nakedness before God, Rom iv. 6. 7. xiii. 14. Rev. iii. 17. 18. Thus the worship of God among finful men, and their acceptance therein, took its rife from that promise of Chrift; and the true worship of God was never without facrifice fince the fall of man; nor were there wanting, from that time, types of Chrift, and of good things to come by him.

In that firft promise, it is remarkable, that the Lord, laying the whole of the recovery and falvation of loft finners upon his own fovereign will, and not upon the will of man, declares it is his will, to eftablifh a divifion in the earth, by reconciling fome unto himself in Chrift, the promised feed, their head, and fo fetting them at odds with Satan, and the reft of mankind, his feed, to be conquered by the sufferings of the feed of the woman. It seems alfo to have been his mind, in that promife, that this divifion and controverfy fhould be one way or other visible in the world. So it appeared very early in the cafe of Cain and Abel; and, left the controverfy fhould fail upon Abel's death, the Lord raifed up another fon to Adam in the room of Abel, whom Cain flew, Gen. iv. 25.; fo that it was kept up fome way between the pofterity of Seth, and the apoftate race of Cain, till fuch time as the pofterity of Seth, except Noah, mingled them