place and as it is not either the gallows or the prison that is a dishonour to the kingly government, so neither is hell, or the sins on earth, a dishonour to the government of God.

4. And as every man is nearest to himself, it is the duty of us all carefully to record all the mercies and special providences of God to ourselves, that we may know his government and him, and use the remembrance of them to his glory.

Q. 17. How is the heavenly glory as a Name of God to us that see it not?

A. We see vast lucid bodies and regions above us; and, by the help of things seen, we may conceive of things unseen, and by divine revelation we may certainly know them. We have in the gospel, as it were, a map of heaven, in its description, and a title to it in the promises, and a notifying earnest and foretaste in our souls, so far as we are sanctified believers.

Q. 18. How must we hallow this Name of God?

A. 1. Firmly believing the heaven.y glory, not only as it shall be our own inheritance, but as it is now the most glorious and perfect part of God's creation, where myriads of angels and glorious spirits, in perfect happiness, love, and joy, are glorifying their most glorious Creator; and as the saints with Christ, their most glorious Head, shall for ever make up that glorious society, and the universe itself be seen by us in that glorious perfection, in which the perfection of the Creator will appear.

2. And in the constant delightful contemplation of this supernal glorious world, by heavenly affections and conversation, keeping our minds above while our bodies are here below, and looking beyond this prison of flesh, with desire and hope. As heaven is the state and place where God shineth to the understanding creature in the greatest glory, and where he is best known, so it is this heavenly glory, seen to us by faith, which is the most glorious of all the names or notices of God to be hallowed by us.

Q. 19. What is the profaning of this Name of God?

A. The minding only of earthly and fleshly things, and not believing, considering, or admiring the heavenly glory: not loving and praising God for it, nor desiring and seeking to enjoy it.

Q. 20. So much of God's works which make him known. Next, tell us what you mean by the words which you call his Name ?

A. 1. All the sacred Scripture, as it maketh known God to

penal threats; with all 2. More especially the

us, by history, precepts, promises, or God's instituted means of worship. descriptions of God by his attributes. 3. And, more especially, his proper name, God, Jehovah, &c.t

Q. 21. I will not ask you what his attributes are, because you have told us that before; but how is this Name of God to be hallowed?

A. When the soul is affected with that admiration, reverence, love, trust, and submission to God, which the meaning of these names bespeaks: and when the manner of our using them expresseth such affections, especially in public praises with the churches."

Q. 22. How is this Name of God profaned?

A. When it is used lightly, falsely, irreverently, without the aforesaid holy regard and affections.

Q. 23. III. What is that which you call 'God's Name imprinted on man's mind?'

A. God made man very good at first, and that was in his own image; and so much of this is either left by the interposition of grace in lapsed nature, or by common grace restored to it, as that all men, till utterly debauched, would fain be accounted good, pious, virtuous, and just, and hate the imputation of wickedness, dishonesty, and badness; and on the regenerate the divine nature is so renewed, as that their inclination is towards God, and "holiness to the Lord" is written on all their faculties; and the Spirit of God moveth on the soul, to actuate all his graces, and to plead for God and our Redeemer, and bring him to our remembrance, to our affections, and to subject us wholly to his will and love. And thus, as the law was written in stone, as to the letter, which is written only on tender, fleshy hearts, as to the spirit and holy effect and disposition; so the Name of God, which is in the Bible in the letter, is, by the same Spirit, imprinted on believers' hearts, that is, they have the knowledge, faith, fear, and love of God.*

Q. 24. How must we hallow this inward Name of God?

A. 1. By reverencing and loving God, that is, God's image and operations in us; not only God as glorified in heaven, but God, as dwelling by grace in holy souls, must be remembered

Exod. iii. 15, and vi. 3; Psalm lxxxiii. 18; Acts ix. 15.

" Exod. xxxiv. 5—7, and xxxii. 19; Acts xxi. 13; 1 Tim. vi. 1; Tit. ii. 5; Rom. ii. 24; Psalm xxii. 22; Heb. ii. 12; Neh. ix. 5; Psalm 1. 23, and Ixvi. 2; Mich. iv. 5; Rev. xi. 15.

* Psalm xxix. 2, and xlviii. 10.

and reverenced by us. 2. By living as in habitual communion and conversation with that God who dwelleth in us, and who hath made us his habitation by the Spirit. 3. And by readily obeying the moving operations of the Spirit of God.

And to contemn or resist these inward ideas, inclinations, and motions, is to profane the Name of God.

Q. 25. But what is all this to the sanctifying of God himself? A. The signs are but for him that is signified. It is God himself that is to be admired, loved, and honoured, as notified to us by these signs or Name, otherwise we make idols of them. In a word, God must be esteemed, reverenced, loved, trusted, and delighted in, transcendently as God, with affections proper to himself; and this is to sanctify him, by advancing him in our heart, in his prerogative above all creatures; and all creatures must be used respectively to this holy end, and especially those ordinances and names which are especially separated to this use: and nothing must be used as common and unclean, especially in his worship and religious acts.y

CHAP. XXVI.

Thy Kingdom come."

Q. 1. WHY is this made the second petition?

A. To tell us, that it must be the second thing in our desires. We are to begin at that which is highest, most excellent, and ultimate in our intentions, and that is, God's glory shining in all his works, and seen, admired, honoured, and praised by man, which is the hallowing of his Name, and the holy exalting him in our thoughts, affections, words, and actions, above all creaAnd we are next to desire that in which. God's glory most eminently shineth, and that is his kingdom of grace and glory.

tures.

Q. 2. What is here meant by the kingdom of God?

A. It is not that kingdom which he hath over angels, and the innumerable glorious spirits of the heavenly regions, for these are much unknown to us, and we know not that there is any rebellion among them which needeth a restoration. But

y Acts i. 15, and iv. 12; Rev. iii. 4, and xi. 13; Joel ii. 23; Deut. xxviii, 58; Exod. xxxiii. 19, and xxxiv. 5—7; 1 Kings v. 3, 5; Lev. x. 3; Nom. xx. 12, 13.

man, by sin, is fallen into rebellion, and under the condemnation due to rebels: and by Christ, the reconciling Mediator, they are to be restored to their subjection to God, and so to his protection, blessing, and reward. And because they are sinners, corrupt and guilty, they cannot be subjects as under the primitive law of innocency: and therefore God hath delivered them to the Mediator, or his Vicegerent, to be governed under a law of healing grace, and so brought on to perfect glory. So that the kingdom of God now is his reign over fallen man by Christ the Mediator, begun on earth by recovering grace, and perfected in heavenly glory.a

Q. 3. But the Scriptures sometimes speak of the kingdom of God as come already when Christ came, or when he rose and ascended to his glory, and sometimes as if it were yet to come at the great resurrection day.

A. In the first case, the meaning is, that the King of the church is come, and hath established his law of grace, and commissioned his officers, and sent forth his Spirit, and so the kingdom of healing grace is come: but in the second case, the meaning is, that all that glorious perfection which this grace doth tend to, which will be the glory of the church, the glory of Christ therein, and the glorification of God's love, is yet to

come.

Q. 4. What is it, then, which we here desire?

A. That God will enlarge and carry on the kingdom of grace in the world, and bear down all that rebels, and hindereth it, and particularly in ourselves, and that he would hasten the kingdom of glory.

Q. 5. Who is it, then, that is the King of this kingdom? A. God, as the absolute supreme, and Jesus Christ, the Son of God and man, as the supreme Vicegerent and Administrator." Q. 6, Who are the subjects of this kingdom?

A. There are three sorts of subjects. 1. Subjects only as to obligation, and so those without the church are rebellious, obliged subjects. 2. Subjects by mere profession, and so all baptised, professing Christians, though hypocrites, are the

* Col. i. 13; Matt. xii. 28, and xxi. 31, 43; Mark i. 45; iv. 26, 30; xii. 34; x. 14, 15, 23, and xv. 43.

Luke vii. 28; viii. 1, 10; x. 9; xi. 20; xiii. 18, 20, 28, 29; xvi. 16; xvii. 21, and xviii. 3, 17, 29.

b Rev. i. 9; Luke ix. 27; xiv. 15; xxii. 16, 18, and xxiii. 51.

Acts xiv. 22; Gal. v, 21; Eph. v. 5; 2 Thes. v.; Rev. xii. 10; Matt. xvi.

28; 2 Tim. iv. 1; 1 Thes. ii. 12.

3. Subjects by subjects as make

church visible, and his professed subjects. sincere heart consent, and so all such are his up the church mystical, and shall be saved. So that the kingdom of God is a word which is sometimes of a larger signification than the church, and sometimes, in a narrower sense, is the same. Christ is Head over all things to the church. (Eph. i. 23.) Q. 7. What are the acts of Christ's kingly government? A. Law-making, judging according to that law, and executing that judgment.d

Q. 8. What laws hath Christ made, and what doth he rule by?

A. First, He taketh the law of nature now as his own, as far as it belongeth to sinful mankind. And, 2. He expoundeth the darker passages of that law. And, 3. He maketh new laws, proper to the church since his incarnation.

Q. 9. Are there any new laws of nature since the fall?

A. There are new obligations and duties arising from our changed state: it was no duty to the innocent to repent of sin, and seek out for recovery, and beg forgiveness, but nature bindeth sinners not yet under the final sentence to all this.

Q. 10. What new laws hath Christ made?

A. Some proper to church officers, and some common to all. Q. 11. What are his laws about church officers?

A. First, He chose himself the first chief officers, and he gave them their commission, describing their work and office, and he authorised them to gather and form particular churches, and their fixed officers or pastors, and necessary orders, and gave them the extraordinary conduct and seal of his Spirit, that their determinations might be the infallible significations of his will, and his recorded law to his universal church to the end of the world, his Spirit being the Perfecter of his laws and government. Q. 12. How shall we be sure that his apostles, by the Spirit, were authorised to give laws to all future generations?

A. Because he gave them such commission, to teach men all that he commanded. 2. And promised them his Spirit to lead them into all truth, and bring all things to their remem

d Heb. vii. 12; Isa. ii. 3; viii. 16, 20; xlii. 4, 21, and li. 4; Mic. iv. 2; Rom. iii. 27, and viii. 2, 4; Gal. vi. 2; Isa. li. 7; Jer. xxxi. 33; Heb. viii. 10, 16.

e Matt. xxviii. 19; Eph. iv. 6-9, 16; Acts xiv. 23, and xv.

f Acts x. 42, and xiii. 47; Matt. xxviii. 19, 21; John xiv. 16, 17, 26; xv. 26, 27, and xvi. 7, 13—15; Rev. ii. 7, 11, 16, 17, 29, and iii. 6, 18, 22; 1 Pet. i. 11.