his enemies, and put them under the feet of his members, as they are already under his own feet perfonally confidered, and fully fubjected all his members to the Father, then he shall rule no more in the midst of his enemies, or for bringing his people in fubjection to the Father: for then will he deliver up that commiffion fulfilled, and deliver them up perfectly fubjected to the Father in himself their head. And then, when that which belonged to the imperfection of this kingdom is ended, this kingdom will be in its perfection, and the fubjects remain for ever in perfect fubjection to the Father in the Son, their head, from whom the whole body has that denomination, the Son, as being all joint heirs with him, and as being his members, even as the whole body, the church, is called Chrift, 1 Cor. xii. 12. God is already in all those who are members of Chrift's body the church; but is not yet all in them, while they remain unperfected, and while the laft enemy is not deftroyed; neither yet is he in all those who are defigned by him for being members of the church; but when the last enemy is deftroyed, and God is "all in all, " and every one of them," this will be the perfection of the state wherein they were before; "only that which is in part "fhall be done away, when that which is perfect is come," 1 Cor. xv. 24.—28.

The temple of God that is now a-building, and is all re ceiving ftability, unity and order, glory and beauty, from that glorious foundation and corner-stone Chrift, and is grow ing in him unto a holy temple; when it is fully built and finished, will not be another building, but this fame perfected, and it will ftand perfect for ever, as a holy temple in him the Lord, even as it is "now fitly framed together, and growing "in him," Eph. ii. 20. 21.

3. Christ, the head of the church, is already in the pof feffion of that glorious perfection of this ftate unto which his people fhall then come in fellowship with him; for their per fection will confift in their conformity to him, and communion with him, in that which he now poffeffes, John iii. 2. Col. iii. 3. 4. Seeing then he is perfected, and will remain fo for ever, the perfection of his members, in fellowship with him, in that whereof he is already poffeffed for them, will not be another state of the church, but the perfection of this fame which hath taken place by the shaking of the hea ven and the earth; fo then the state of the church, raised by this laft fhaking, muft remain for ever, muft grow unto perfection, but can never be done away. K

VOL. I.

Obf.

Obf. 8. "The things removed were moveable, as being "made things; but the things that remain are unmoveable, "and cannot be fhaken."

This is the reafon of the removing the things that are shaken, and of the remaining of the things established by the fhaking of heaven and earth. The things removed were, in their own nature, moveable; but the things that remain are - things" that cannot be shaken," 1 Pet. i. 24. 25.

For, 1. The things removed were merely created things; but the things that remain have fomething uncreated in them.

The blood of the Old Testament was the blood of mere creatures, and all their facrifices were mere creatures; but the blood fealing the New Teftament is the "blood of God,” and the facrifice is divine, Heb. ix. & x.

They that fat on the throne of the Lord in that his earthly kingdom were mere men; but the Son of man, who fits in the throne of his kingdom, is "Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, "Jehovah our righteousness."

The pricfts that miniftered in the worldly fanctuary were weak dying men; but the minifter of the heavenly fanctuary is the eternal Son of God," able to fave to the uttermoft all "that come to God by him," Heb. iv. 14. 15. and vii.

The inheritance of the earthly church was a fpot of this carth flowing with milk and honey, and abounding in earthly good things; but the inheritance of this church is "all the "fulness of God."

The glory of the Old-Teftament church, even that within the vail, was no more but a created thing; but here the uncreated glory of the invifible God fhines in the perfon of Jefus Chrift: and this is the glory of the New-Teftament church 2 Cor. iii.

2. The things removed were of this building, earthly things made on carth, and many of them made with mens hands; fo they might be fhaken: but the things remaining are fpiritual and heavenly, not of this building, nor made with hands, and therefore cannot be fhaken.

The things of the Jewish church were earthly, made on earth. The law, though written with the finger of God, yet it was written and ingraven only in flones; and this in graving, however durable, could be done away. The ftones were broken by Mofes; and when renewed, they might be defaced by time, and deftroyed; as they were at length. But now the law of Chrift is written in the hearts of his fubjects, with the Spirit of the living God, fent down from heaven

with the gospel, dwelling and abiding in them for ever and this can never be done away: "I will put my fear in their "hearts, they fhall never depart from me."

The things done away, the tabernacle and temple, were the work of mens hands: the things that remain are not made with hands, having God himself for the builder and maker of them; and are eternal in the heavens; and fo they cannot be fhaken.

3. The things removed were moveable, if we confider the end of their make, and the purpofe for which they were made. They were made as a figure for the time then prefent, and as patterns of the heavenly things, that now take place; but the things that remain are the things prefigured by them; and fo it behoved the shadows of good things to come to give place to the good things themselves, or the very image of them, Heb. ix. & x.

IN 28. we have the application of all this: "Wherefore "we receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved, let us "have grace," (or rather, hold the grace)" whereby we may "ferve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear."

The Apostle here tells us, that this is the great product of this fhaking of the heaven and the earth, and this is what is come out of it to us; we have received an immoveable kingdom.

He defigns this new state of things a kingdom; and this defignation is common to that which is removed, and to this: for by the fhaking of the earth, Ifrael after the flesh became the kingdom of God; and by the fhaking of the earth, and alfo heaven, the kingdom of God being taken from them, the true Ifrael are God's kingdom, which being prefigured by the former, goes under the fame name. This new state of the church is set forth both in the Old Teftainent and the New under the notion of a kingdom. Thus it is most frequently reprefented in the writings of the prophets, and after the promife to David, it was ftill expected by the faints under this notion. When our Lord came, the Jews were full of expectations and inquiries about the kingdom of God that fhould come. John Baptift, and the Lord himfelf, in his ministry on earth, made conftant use of this fame designation; only, as we have noticed, they corrected the error of the Jews, by calling it the kingdom of heaven; and this was the

K 2

great

great fubject of their preaching: "The kingdom of heaven

is at hand." The gofpel is defigned the gospel of the kingdom; and they that preached the gofpel, after our Lord's afcenfion, and the down-pouring of the Spirit, preached" the "things concerning the kingdom of God," Acts viii. 12. and XX. 25. and xxviii. 31. So that this is the most notour and common defignation of this new state of things, a facred notion of the New-Teftament church, the antitype of the Old; and it ought to be more insisted on by them that preach the gofpel, if they would copy after the first preachers, and if they would indeed preach the gospel of the kingdom, than ordinarily it is now, when the ancient knowledge of this mystery of Christ seems almost extinct.

Truly the New-Teftament church fully anfwers this defignation. Here is the king, the mighty one, on whom our help is laid, chofen out of the people; their glorious one of themselves, their governor proceeding, from the midst of them, and with whom none among the fons of the mighty can be compared. Here are the beft fubjects, gloriously united, and feparated from other people, Numb. xxiii. 9. and an order and government infinitely excelling that of all other kingdoms; abfolute government without compulfion or op preffion; perfect liberty, and a willing people, without any confufion or diforder; a government of rich grace, reigning through righteousness unto eternal life; unparallellable laws, written on the hearts of the fubjects; and most righteous judgment, rendering unto every one according to his works. Here is glorious power, for the defence, and for the enlarge. ment of the kingdom, and for the deftruction of its enemies, Pfal. cx. xviii. 17. 18. This is the King against whom there is no rifing up with fuccefs: "The enemy fhall not exact "upon him, nor the fon of mifchief wrong him." See If

xxxiii. 20.-24.

This is the kingdom of God; his peculiar treasure, his portion and inheritance. Here, and no where else, is he known and enjoyed; here only has he cordial fubjects; and here it is only that he is worshipped and ferved according to his mind and will in his holy place: "Why do ye leap, ye high "mountains? This is the hill which God defireth to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever. God is in his "holy place, as in Sinai; let us hold the grace, whereby we may ferve him with reverence and godly fear." This is the Father's kingdom; and all his people, the bre

thren

thren of his dear Son, their brother-ranfomer, are his children, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift Jefus.

But we do not yet fee the glory of this kingdom, which must be hid from the world, till the new Jerufalem come down from heaven at the second coming of Jefus Chrift; we only believe the holy catholic church. And why is it that we affect a temporal kingdom of God, but becaufe we abide. not in the lively faith of this glorious invisible kingdom, and mind not heavenly things, nor converfe in heaven as we ought? By this means came the earthly kingdom of Antichrift, where we have the uniformity of the letter, instead of the unity of the faith, and the unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace; human authority with tyrannical and worldly power, inftead of the authority and fpiritual and heavenly power of the Lord Jefus; and worldly fplendor and glory, a worldly inheritance, inftead of the spiritual glory of the kingdom of Christ, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints." Up, make us gods," faid they; "for as for "this Mofes, we know not what is become of him." And then of this mystery of iniquity, fet up instead of, and in op. pofition unto the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, it was faid, "This is the holy catholic church;" and the men of this world bow down to this idol, and worship it. But the Lord of the church will utterly deftroy this idol, and every thing that remains of it in the earth, by the brightness of his glorious fecond coming, when the holy catholic church fhall appear, and this after he has confumed and wasted that abomination with the spirit of his mouth, in the gospel of the kindom.

Now, the Apostle infers from what he had before said, that this kingdom cannot be moved; and fo it excels the old ' in all those respects wherein it is immoveable. It is easy to perceive, by what has been already faid, that it cannot be moved; and further, it is plain, that a kingdom fet up by God, for the deftruction of all its enemies, and unto the advantage of which he is making all things, even the oppofition of enemies, to work together, can never be moved." A kingdom founded in redemption from the curfe of God, and where his mercy that endureth for ever, his grace that faileth never, reigns unto eternal life, and that hath its feat in heaven, can never be moved by any oppofition from any quarter, or any evil within itself. And truly, there is nothing certain, nothing fafe, but in this kingdom.

The Apostle, fpeaking of himself, and other New-Tefta

ment