འ SERMON VI, The fourth Sermon on the LORD's MATTH. VI. x. Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Ν praying that God's Kingdom may come, IN we express our Defire of Chrift's fecond coming, when the Kingdom fhall be delivered up to the Father, the Priesthood and Mediation of Christ fhall be ended, and God fhall be all in all. But in this Petition we pray that the State of Christ's Kingdom upon Earth may come as near as may be to that of God's Kingdom hereafter, and that can be no other way effected, than by our doing the Will of God on Earth as it is done in Heaven. In fpeaking to this Petition, I. I fhall I. I fhall fhew what we are to underftand by the Will of God. 2. How it may be done upon Earth ας it is in Heaven. 3. Why we fhould afpire after doing the Will of God in this manner, and how therefore this is a fit Matter for our Prayer. 4. What Qualifications this Petition fup. pofes in him that useth it. 1. By the Will of God here we are to understand Only his Commands, as I intend to fhew you. Some Men love to understand this Petition of fomething more, that is, of God's Secret Will as well as his Revealed. For they are wont to call God's Commands, or the Rules he hath given us, his Revealed Will, and his Decrees or Counfels, what Things fhall come to pass, his Secret Will, that is, thofe Decrees concerning Things which the Event hath not yet revealed, for that they must mean. Now as to those that think all Events are abfolutely predetermined, according to that Propofition in a certain Catechifm, That the Decrees of God are his eternal Purpose, according to the Counsel of his own Will, whereby for his own Glory he hath fore-ordained whatsoever. comes to pass, fuch Men had need have a care how they apply their Doctrine to this Petition, left praying for the Accomplishment of all Events, they pray that those Sins may come to pass, which they suppose amongst other Things to be fore-ordained to come to pass. For this would be to pray for contrary Things, fince, under this Petition, that Prayer is certainly included, that I may not fin, and that others may not fin; and yet according to the forementioned Doctrine the Petition might include the direct Contrary, that is, that I and others may fin if we were fore-ordained to it. But they fpeak rather according to Reason and Scripture, who fay, that God forefeeing what wicked Men would do, if they were not hindred by his irrefiftible Power, decreed to leave them under their Liberty of finning in many Inftances, and withal to bring Good out of their Evil. Thus the Ambition and Tyranny of Heathen Kings was fometimes the Rod of God's Anger, to. punith the Sins of his own People. Thus the Treachery of Judas proved one Means of bringing about that Redemption by the Death of Chrift, which God had fore-ordained. And thus all Kind of Evils are brought under his Providence, without making Man's Sin to be the Effect of God's Decree, that is, of his Will. ་ 3 But they are only the Commands of God ftill that are to be understood by his Will in this Petition, not thofe Counfels whereby the Sins of Men are over-rul'd to bring about his gracious and holy Purposes, and that that because there is no fuch Will of God performed in Heaven. For we pray that God's Will may be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. But in Heaven God's Will is perfectly obeyed. There is no Sin, no Evil, no Mifery there, to be over-rul'd to good Ends, not because God could not do it, if there was any Occafion, but that there is no fuch Occafion; and God, who would not fuffer the fall'n Angels to tarry there, will fuffer nothing that is unclean to enter there. Wherefore the abfolute Predetermination of Sin, which Doctrine is in it felf False, and the making the foreseen Sins of Men the Means of bringing about wife and good Ends, which Doctrine is in it felf True, are neither of them the Will of God, which we pray to be done in this Petition, because the first is not the Will of God, and the fecond is not That Will which Heaven yields any Example of mɔ perna di It remains then to enquire, whether the reft of God's Decrees concerning Things that are to come to pass, be in part that Will of God which we pray may be done. And I fhall fhew that thefe cannot be intended in this place. That by the Will of God here we are not to understand his Counfels and Decrees concerning Events that fhall infallibly come to pass, tho' without the Forefight of any ぎ Evil done by Man, is plain from this Confideration, that the doing of God's Will in Heaven is mentioned in this Petition as the Pattern of doing his Will on Earth. And this supposes what is always too true in the Experience, that his Will is not fo perfectly done upon Earth as it is in Heaven, but that there is a compleat and perfect Example of doing his Will there, which we de fire may be imitated by us here, where indeed it is feldom done in good Proportion to that Exactness wherewith it is done in Heaven. But we all know, that whatever God doth ordain fhould come to pafs, is equally done, and with the fame Infallibility comes to pafs, whether in Heaven or on Earth. Those Providences of God, which are Executions of his abfolute Promises, or his abfolute Decrees, do no more fail upon Earth than they do in Heaven. For the Counfel of the Lord that shall stand, Prov. 19. 21. and nothing can poffibly hinder it. But now that Will which we pray may be done in this Petition, is not fo perfectly done upon Earth as it is in Heaven. And therefore it cannot be the Will of God's Decrees concerning any Events whatsoever, for that is equally accomplished in Heaven, and on Earth. It seems plain then that the Laws of God, which he hath prescribed to us for the Rule of our Actions, are to be under |