his kingdom, this his inference is made void by this account of the thing. If our Lord had given the leaft intimation of this to Pilate, or if Pilate had taken the leaft fufpicion of this from his words, he would have been apprehensive of his kingdom, and found fault in him; which yet he did not. It is true, he fays, "Now is my kingdom not from hence." But this now, as has been said, refers to the state of God's kingdom before this in Ifrael, and is plainly opposed to it, importing the great change now a-making in that point. And when our Lord is making an account of his kingdom to Pilate, is it reasonable to fuppofe, that he speaks of it only in that time, when he was but laying the foundations of it, and when it was not yet set up?

2. He calls his followers to imitate him in this very thing, "patient fuffering." When he foretells his fufferings and death, Matth. xvi. 21. Peter, who had made that excellent confeffion concerning his perfon, yet affecting a temporal kingdom, and filled with that fort of zeal, rebukes his master, faying, "Be it far from thee, Lord; this fhall not be unto "thee," y 22. We do not read of a more sharp rebuke given to his disciples on any occafion, than that which he gave to Peter at this time, "Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art

an offence unto me: for thou favoureft not the things that "be of God, but those that be of men." He minded earthly things, and fo fet himself against the fufferings and death of Chrift, the wisdom of God, and the power of God, for the redemption and falvation of the church. But though his fufferings were thus abfolutely necessary, and Peter far in the wrong to ftand against them; yet this may be supposed to be far from his fervants and followers; feeing the cafe is not the fame with them as with him, whom it behoved to fuffer for the redemption of the church. Our Lord deftroys such a suppofition, by telling his difciples, and all his followers, that they must be conformed to him their mafter and leader, in this point of fuffering, and fo deprives them of all hopes of a temporal kingdom, and lays a perpetual bar in the way of their minding earthly things. His followers, though they be not to fuffer for the redemption of the world, yet they must be conformed to their leader, they must follow their crucified master, bearing their crofs after him, ✯ 24. 25. " Then faid "Jefus unto his difciples, If any man will come after me, "let him deny himself, and take up his crofs, and follow me. "For whofoever will fave his life, fhall lofe it; and whofoever will lofe his life for my fake, shall find it."

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Luke has

it, "Let him take up his crofs daily," chap. ix. 23. To the fame purpose, fays our Lord, when speaking of his fufferings for the falvation of his people, and for gathering them unto him, John xii. 23-26. "He that loveth his life, shall lose it; and "he that hateth his life in this world, fhall keep it unto life "eternal. If any man ferve me, let him follow me," &c. The true profeffion of Chrift's truths, and all his commands and inftitutions, will always, one way or other, cross our worldly interest: "For all that will live godly in him, must "suffer." And it is a vain thing to think to hold him and our worldly intereft together: "No man can serve two ma ❝fters," 2 Tim. iii. 12. Rev. xii. 17.

"For

This fame Peter, that could not endure to hear of his mafter's fufferings, tells us exprefsly, that Chrift hath left all his people an example of patient fuffering, and sets before us that fame very thing that fome would make peculiar to our Lord, as a pattern to copy after, 1 Pet. ii. 19.-23. "this is thank-worthy, if a man for confcience toward God "endure grief, fuffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, "if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it "patiently? But if when ye do well, and fuffer for it, ye "take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even "hereunto were ye called; because Chrift alfo suffered for ❝us, leaving us an example, that ye fhould follow his steps: "Who did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth; "who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suf"fered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him "that judgeth righteoufly." Thus he fets forth Chrift as a pattern, not only to flaves, as fome conceive, but unto all his followers. And chap. iv. 1. he thus exhorts Christians, "Forafmuch then as Chrift hath fuffered for us in the flesh,

"

arm yourselves likewife with the fame mind." Here is armour for Chrift's followers, instead of the fword, which Peter bimelf once took when he was in no good condition for fuffering but now he fays, " Arm yourfelves with the fame "mind that Chrift had, when he fuffered for us in the flesh."

Our Lord tells his difciples, Matth. x. 16. " Behold, I fend you forth as fheep in the midft of wolves: be ye therefore "wife as ferpents, and harmlefs as doves." I have found this wifdom of the ferpent much infifted on, and our Lord's call to it much perverted, to patronife his followers in ufing that wisdom of this world, as to which a man must become a fool, that he may be wife. But the harmlessnefs of the dove, the Chriftian meeknefs, and patience in fuffering for the name

of

of Chrift, is lefs fpoke of. He would have his followers to outshine the men of this world, in bearing injuries, especially in his cause; and calls them rather to prepare for more fufferings, when they are injured, than to refent injuries done them, under pretence of avoiding greater wrongs that may follow if they should bear patiently, Matth. v. 38.-48. He does not allow his fubjects to disturb the kingdoms of this world, by taking the fword to advance or defend his interest and kingdom in the world, but calls them to be fubject to the powers that be, to " pay tribute" to them, "to pray for "them, and to lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness " and honesty," Matth. xxii. 21. and xvii. 24.-27. Rom, xiii, 1.-8. 1 Tim. ii. 1.-4. Tit. iii. 1. 2. 1 Pet. ii. 13.-17. And it has been obferved, that the Chriftians, while they were fufferers, had no hand in the infurrections that were in the Empire.

3. However much the disciples affected a temporal kingdom before the Lordfascended, Acts i. 6. ; yet, after his afcenfion, and the Holy Ghost's coming, they studied conformity to him in this matter, and never attempted to take the sword, either for promoting or defending his intereft and kingdom in the world. And here we may observe a difference betwixt the Old-Teftament kingdom and the New. Of old, the Spirit of God came upon his fubjects, in that earthly state of the church, to enable them to fight with the sword against the enemies of that kingdom, to deftroy them, and to defend the kingdom of God; and by a very few the Lord wrought great deliverances then, and destroyed vast numbers of men : "Gideon, Barak, Samfon, Jephthah, &c. through "faith subdued kingdoms, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." But the apofties of Christ, though they had five thousand men in Jerufalem, Acts iv. 4. a greater number of men than those by whom the Lord wrought great temporal deliverances of old, yet they never attempted to stir in that way, but submitted patiently to fuffer. And even when the captains and officers feared the people, left they should have been stoned, and fo were obliged to bring them without violence, they came peaceably. The church of Jerufalem was then full of the Spirit of Chrift, the people magnified them, and the power of the Spirit of God was remarkable in the great miracles done upon the bodies of men to heal their diseases. If the Spirit had been given, as of old, to enable them to fight, or if it had been the will of Chrift, that his kingdom (hould be advanced or de

fended

fended in that way, they had men enow to defend themfelves against the Jews and the Romans; for the Lord faves "by few as well as many." And what was the hand of the Jews and Romans against the hand of the Lord, and his fword in the hand of his people, as in the hand of Gideon of old? But Chrift would not have his fervants to fight for him, because his kingdom was not now of this world. I queftion not but the difference obferved by Gamaliel, betwixt those two men that arofe with the fword, who were destroyed, and whofe followers were difperfed, and the apostles of Christ, who had nothing of worldly power about them, and made no ftir that way, was the thing that made him fufpect, that "this work was of God," and "could not be overthrown," Acts v. 26. 27. and 34-39.

The Apostle infinuates a difference in this point betwixt the New-Teftament believers and the Old-Teftament worthies, whom he brings in as witneffes to the way of faith in Christ, and whom he would have us to imitate in their faith and patience, Heb. xi. and xii, from the beginning. For he fays, "Let us run with patience the race that is fet before us, "looking unto Jefus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, "for the joy that was fet before him, endured the cross, de"fpifing the fhame, and is fet down at the right hand of the "throne of God. For confider him that endured fuch con"tradiction of finners against himself, left ye be weary, and "faint in your minds. Ye have not yet refifted unto blood, "ftriving against fin." This is another race fet before us, than that of fubduing kingdoms, waxing valiant in fight, and "putting to flight the armies of the aliens." This is the Chriftian's fight, even the spiritual warfare againft fin in ourfelves, and in the world about us. This is the Christian refiftance; even holding faft the profeffion of our faith unto the death, against all contradiction and terror that ferves to move us to let it go. This is the Christian hero, that is conformed to the Captain of falvation in bearing the cross, defpifing the fhame, and enduring the contradiction of finners. And to this agrees that exhortation, Heb. xiii. 12. 13. 14. "Jefus that he might fanctify the people with his own "blood, fuffered without the gate. Let us go forth there"fore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to ❝ come."

We have the Christian warfare, fuitable to the nature of Christ's kingdom, and altogether distinct from a worldly war

fare,

fare, fet forth, Eph. vi. from y 10. to 20. Notice 12. and fee the warfare of the first Chriftians oppofed unto a worldly warfare "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but a"gainst principalities, against powers, against the rulers of "the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." And the armour unto this warfare is the armour of God, which the Apostle defcribes. Here we have no other sword but the fword of the Spirit. The first Chri ftians used no other sword but this, and withstood their enemies, the enemies of Chrift's kingdom, with no other armour but this armour of God. In those days, it was, in their eyes, the greatest honour to suffer shame for the name of Christ, Acts v. 41. They did not then diffemble or hide any part of the truth, for fear of fuffering. They were not then filled with many contrivances of worldly wisdom, to avoid perfecution, and to make to themselves a great name in the earth. Then they faw a beauty in being conformed to Christ in his fufferings, and they breathed vehemently after it, Phil. iii. 10. The Apostle calls as many as were duly instructed in the Christian faith to be thus minded, in oppofi tion to the Judaifing teachers, who minded earthly things, 15. 17. 19. 20. Obedience to our Lord's command, Matth. v. 39. 40. 41. 44. and conformity to him in that point, was no ftrange nor ridiculous thing then among Christians, as it is now: 2 Cor. ii. 20. "For ye fuffer if a man bring you " into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the "face."

4. A fociety avouching Chrift to be head and king of it, furnished with worldly power for defending his truths and inflitutions, and affociated for defending his intereft, and their profeffion of subjection to him, by the fword, is undoubtedly a kingdom of this world, by our Lord's defcription of a kingdom of this world: for it agrees with our Lord's account of such a kingdom, in that whereby it is diftinguished from his kingdom. Let it be what it will then, his kingdom it is not. And fuch an affociation is plainly crofs to this teftimony of our Lord concerning his kingdom.

But against all this it is faid, Is it not lawful to defend our natural and civil rights? And why not our religious rights too, fince they are the most valuable? Or, though the firft Christians used not the fword, when Chriftianity was not a civil right, yet when it became fo, by magiftrates and whole nations their profeffing Chriftianity, may it not be defended even VOL. I.

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