dued those who rose up against him, he reigns in Peace over a loyal and a wil ling People. A King's Reign may be more properly faid to begin than to end, when he begins to reign without Oppofition. Accordingly, as I have already fhewn, Chrift's Kingdom is reprefented as coming at the End of the World, not because he does not reign now, but becaufe his Dominion fhall then first be univerfally acknowledg'd and fubmitted to. There is no need of repeating what has been before said to prove that Chrift's Reigning till all his Enemies are put under him, does really fignify his Reigning always; and that the Subjection of the Son to the Father, and God's being all in all, do not import any Refignation of the Son's Authority. This learned Bishop's Hypothefis fuppofes, that these Expreffions do not exclude the Son from being Lord of all, and ruling for ever over the People which he hath purchased with his Blood. And if fo, I do not fee how it can be proved, that they do imply the Surrender of any Authority at SERM. VII, VIII ན all; SERM. VII, VIII all; which if they do not, it is manifeft the Bishop's Expofition can receive no Strength nor Countenance from them. in INDEED neither in this Paffage of St. Paul, nor as far as I have obférv'd any Part of the infpired Writings, nor yet in the Writings of any Apoftolical Man, are there any Expreffions, which being taken in their natural Signification, import the Refignation of the Meffiah's Dominion, excepting one only in the beginning of my Text, where we are told, that Chrift fhall deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father; which I freely own may naturally fignify the Surrender of his Royal Authority. But then I hope to fhew, that even this Expreffion will fairly and without offering Violence to it, admit of another Senfe confiftent with thofe Texts, which declare that the Kingdom of Chrift fhall be perpetual. And no one will deny, that when an Expreffion is fairly capable of divers Senfes, that Sense which accords with the plain Declarations of Scripture elsewhere, is to be preferr'd to another which clafh es with them. And this brings me in the SERM. Second Place, To propofe that which VII,VIII I think to be the true Meaning of this Text; which I fhall do with all the THAT We may underftand what is meant by the Son's delivering up the Kingdom to the Father, let it be observed that the Word readid, here render'd by delivering up, does not always, nor yet for the moft part fignify the Refignation of a Thing to the Perfon from whom it was receiv'd; but most usually it has a more general Signification, viz. to deliver a Thing into the Hand of another, to put a Thing into another's Power or Poffeffion, or else to commit a Thing to the Care or Protection of another. LET it also be obferv'd, that the Word Kingdom fignifies not only Kingly Authority, but also, and that very frequently, a People or Body Politick under the Government of a King. This Senfe SERM. VII, VIII it plainly bears, when David on Occafion of the Murder of Abner says, I and my Kingdom are guiltlefs; As alfo when our Saviour foretells, That Nation fhall rife against Nation, and Kingdom againft Kingdom. And to bring this Remark nearer to our Purpofe; in the XIXth Chapter of Exodus God promifes the Children of Ifrael that they should be to him a Kingdom of Priests, and an boly Nation. Which Language the Apoftles Peter and John have warranted us to apply to the Chriftian Church. Christians are now what the Jews were formerly, the peculiar People, the holy Nation, the Kingdom, the Body Politick, over which God ruleth by Chrift. The Kingdoms of the World, by embracing the Faith of the Gofpel, do become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Chrift. Accordingly Chrift himself manifeftly ftyleth the Church his Kingdom, when he faith, The Son of Man fhall fend forth his Angels, and they fhall gather out of his Kingdom all Things that of fend, and them which do Iniquity; and fhall fhall caft them into a Furnace of Fite. pels by the Kingdom of Heaven and of SERM. VII,VIII |