of the body, three are more than I look for amongst them. Beloved, as no things are liker one another, than court and court, the same ambitions, the same underminings in one court as in another, so church and church is alike too; all persecuted churches are religious, all peaceable churches are dissolute; when Luther said that of the church of Rome, (that few of them believed the resurrection) the Roman church wallowed in all abundances, and dissoluteness, and scarce a man, (in respect") opened his mouth against her, otherwise than that the Holy Ghost, to make his continual claim, and to interrupt their prescription, in every age raised up some to declare their impieties and usurpations. But then, when they bent all their thoughts entirely, and prosperously upon possessing this world, they thought they might spare the resurrection well enough; as he that hath a plentiful fortune in Europe, cares not much though there be no land of perfumes in the East, nor of gold in the West Indies; God in our days, hath given us, and our church, the fat of the glory of this world too, and we also neglect the other: but when men of a different religion from them, (for they will needs call a differing from their errors, a different religion, as though all their religion were errors, for, excepting errors, we differ in no point) when, I say, such men came to inquire into them, to discover them, and to induce or to attempt in divers parts of their government a reformation, then they shut themselves up closer, then they grew more careful of their manners, and did reform themselves somewhat, though not thoroughly, and are the better for that reformation which was offered to them, and wrought more effectually upon others? As we say in the school, that even the devil is somewhat the better for the death of Christ, so the Roman church is somewhat the better for the Reformation. Our assiduity of preaching hath brought them to another manner of frequency in preaching, than before the Reformation they were accustomed to, and our answers to their books have brought them to a more reserved manner of writing, than they used before. Let us therefore by their example, make as good use of our enemies, as our enemies have done of us. For, though we have no military enmity, no hostility with any nation, though we must

17 In proportion: in comparison with the multitudes who were silent.

all, and do, out of a true sense of our duty to God, pray ever for the continuance of peace amongst Christian princes, and to withhold the effusion of Christian blood, yet to that intendment, and in that capacity as they were our enemies in 1588, when they provoked by their excommunications, dangerous invasions, and in that capacity as they were our enemies in 1603, when they bent their malice even against that place, where the laws for the maintenance of our religion were enacted, so they are our enemies still, if we be still of the same religion. He that by God's mercy to us, leads us, is as sure that the Pope is Antichrist, now, as he was then; and we that are blessedly led by him, are as sure, that their doctrine is the doctrine of devils, now, as we were then. Let us therefore make use of those enemies, and of their airy insolences, and their frothy confidences, as thereby to be the firmer in ourselves, and the carefuller of our children, and servants, that we send not for such a physician as brings a Roman priest for his apothecary, not entertain such a schoolmaster, as brings a Roman priest for his usher, nor such a mercer, as brings a priest for his tailor; (for in these shapes they have, and will appear.) But in true faith to God, true allegiance to our prince, true obedience to the church, true dealing with all men, make ourselves sure of the resurrection in the next life; in carne incorruptibili, in flesh that shall be capable of no corruption, by having that resurrection in this life, in carne incorruptâ, in divesting or correcting the corruptions which cleave to our flesh here, that we be not corrupted spiritually, (not disputed out of our religion, nor jested out, nor threatened out, nor bought out, nor beat out of the truth of God) nor corrupted carnally by the pleasures or profits of this world, but that we may conform ourselves to the purity of Christ Jesus, in that measure which we are able to attain to, which is our spiritual resurrection, and constitutes our second part, that kingdom of God, which flesh and blood may inherit in this life.

From the beginning we settled that, that the primary purpose of the apostle in these words, was to establish the doctrine of the last resurrection. But in Tertullian's exposition, arrhabonem dedit, et arrhabonem accepit; that God hath left us the earnest of his spirit upon earth, and hath taken the earnest of our flesh

into heaven, it grew indifferent, of which resurrection, spiritual, or bodily, first, or last, it be accepted. But take Tertullian in another place, upon the verse immediately preceding our text (Sicut portavimus, portemus, for so Tertullian reads that place, and so does the Vulgate, As we have borne the image of the earthly, so let us bear the image of the heavenly) there from Tertullian it must necessarily be referred to the first resurrection, the resurrection by grace in this life; for, says he there, Non refertur ad substantiam resurrectionis, sed ad præsentis temporis disciplinam; The apostle does not speak of our glorious resurrection at last, but of our religious resurrection now. Portemus, non portabimus, Let us bear his image, says the apostle; let us now, not that we shall bear it at the last day. Præceptivè dictum, non promissive; the apostle delivers it as a duty, that we must, not as a reward, that we shall bear that image. And therefore in Tertullian's construction, it is not only indifferent, and probable, but necessary to refer this text to the first resurrection in this life; where it will be fittest, to pursue that order, which we proposed at first, first to consider quid regnum, what kingdom it is, that is pretended to; and then, quid hæreditas, what estate and term is to be had in it: it is an inheritance. And lastly, quid caro, et sanguis, what flesh and blood it is, that is excluded out of this kingdom. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

First, for this kingdom of God in this world, let us be glad that it is a kingdom, that it is so much, that the government is taken out of the hands of saints, and angels, and reunited, re-annexed to the crown, restored to God, to whom we may come immediately, and be accepted. Let us be glad that it is a kingdom, so much, and let us be glad that it is but a kingdom, and no more, not a tyranny; that we come not to a God that will damn us, because he will damn us, but a God that proposes conditions, and enables us to perform those conditions, in such a measure as he will vouchsafe to accept from us; a God that governs us by his word, for in his word is truth, and by his law, for in his law is clearness. Will you ask what this kingdom of God is? What did you take it to be, or what did you mean by it, when, even now, you said with me, in the Lord's Prayer, Thy kingdom come? Did you deliberately, and determinately pray

for the day of judgment, and for his coming in the kingdom of glory, then? Were you all ready for that, when you said so? Puræ conscientiæ, et grandis audacia est1, It is a very great confidence, and (if it be not grounded upon a very pure conscience) it must have a worse name, Regnum Dei postulare, et judicium non timere; To call upon God for the day of judgment, upon confidence of our own righteousness, is a shrewd distemper; to say, Veni Domine Jesu, Come Lord Jesu, come and take us, as thou findest us, is a dangerous issue. But adreniat regnum, and then veniat Rex, let his kingdom of grace come upon us, in this life, and then let himself come too, in his good time, and when his good pleasure shall be, in the kingdom of glory: Sive velimus sice nolimus, regnum Dei utique veniet 12; What need we hasten him, provoke him? says St. Augustine; whether we will or no, his kingdom, his judgment will come. Nay, before we called for it, even his kingdom of grace was come. Christ said to the scribe, Non longè, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God"; and to the Pharisees themselves he said, Intra vos, The kingdom of God is among you, within you". But, where there is a whole hospital of three hundred blind men together, (as there is at Paris) there is as much light, amongst them there, as amongst us here, and yet all they have no light, so this kingdom of God is amongst us all, and yet God knows whether we see it, or no. And therefore Adreniat ut manifestetur Deus, says St. Augustin, His kingdom come, that we may discern it is come, that we may see that God offers it to us; and, adveniat regnum, ut manefestemur Deo, his kingdom come so, that he may discern us in our reception of that kingdom, and our obedience to it. He comes when we see him, and he comes again, when we receive him: Quid est, regnum ejus veniat, quam ut nos bonos inveniat? Then his kingdom comes, when he finds us willing to be subjects to that kingdom. God is a king in his own right. By creation, by redemption, by many titles, and many undoubted claims. But, Aliud est regem esse, aliud regnare", It is one thing to be a king, another to have subjects in obedience; a king is not the less a king, for a rebellion; but, Verè justum regnum est, (says that father) quando et rex vult

19 Hierom.

Augustin.

22 Luke xvii. 21.

21 Mark xii. 34. 23 Chrysostom.

homines habere sub se, et cupiunt homines esse sub eo, When the king would wish no other subjects, nor the subjects other king, then is that kingdom come, come to a durable, and happy state. When God hath showed himself in calling us, and we have showed our willingness to come, when God shows his desire to preserve us, and we adhere only to him, when there is a Dominus regnat, lætetur terra24, when our whole land is in possession of peace, and plenty, and the whole church in possession of the word and sacraments, when the land rejoices because the Lord reigns; and when there is a Dominus regnat, lætentur insula, because the Lord reigneth, every island doth rejoice; that is, every man; that every man that is encompassed within a sea of calamities in his estate, with a sea of diseases in his body, with a sea of scruples in his understanding, with a sea of transgressions in his conscience, with a sea of sinking and swallowing in the sadness of spirit, may yet open his eyes above water, and find a place in the ark above all these, a recourse to God, and joy in him, in the ordinances of a well established, and well governed church, this is truly regnum Dei, the kingdom of God here; God is willing to be present with us, (that he declares in the preservation of his church) and we are sensible of his presence, and residence with us, and that we declare in our frequent recourses to him hither, and in our practice of those things which we have learnt here, when we have gone hence.

This then is the blessed state that we pretend to, in the kingdom of God in this life; peace in the state, peace in the church, peace in our conscience: in this, that we answer the motions of his blessed spirit here in his ordinance, and endeavour a conformity to him, in our life, and conversation; in this, he is our King, and we are his subjects, and this is this kingdom of God, the kingdom of grace. Now the title, by which we make claim to this kingdom, is in our text inheritance: who can, and who cannot inherit this kingdom of God. I cannot have it by purchase, by mine own merits and good works; it is neither my former good disposition, nor God's foresight of my future co-operation with him, that is the cause of his giving me his grace. I cannot have this by covenant, or by the gift, or bequeathing of another, by works of supererogation, that a martyr of the Primitive church

24 Psalm xcvii. 1.