"a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of "life."

These words feem to declare the full accomplishment of this promife, and of all the Old Teftament promises of this kind for they contain a description of the church in its perfection, at "the reftitution of all things;" and a further declaration of the fame thing that is declared Rev. xi. 15. where it is faid, "The kingdoms of this world are become the "kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift, and he fhall " reign for ever and ever."

This is a part of the short fum which that context gives of the iffue of the voice of the seventh angel; of which voice it was faid, chap. x. 7. "But in the days of the voice of the "feventh angel, when he fhall found, the mystery of God "fhall be finished, as he hath declared to his fervants the " prophets."

Now, the voice of this seventh angel iffues in the kingdoms of this world their becoming the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Chrift, where he is to reign for ever and ever; the coming of God's wrath, the railing of the dead, the rewarding of the prophets, faints, and them that fear God, both small and great, and the destruction of them that deftroy the earth, Rev. xi. 15.-18.

This is the fum of the things more fully declared from chap. xiv. to the end of the book. And for a more full declaration of that 15th verfe of chap. xi. we have what is faid in the end of chap. xxi. which represents the glorious state of the church after Chrift's fecond coming, when he hath put down all rule, and authority, and power: "And when the "fulness of the elect of all nations is brought into the "church." And what church is that there spoken of? Surely no other but that which confifts of all them, and in no wife of any other but them that are faved, and are written in the Lamb's book of life: for where it is faid, "The glory " and honour of the nations shall be brought unto it," it is also faid, "There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that "defileth."

Of this holy catholic church, and not fo much of any particular church, does this Old-Teftament promise speak, as is evident from the context.

Now, let it be declared, in what sense kings are nurfing fa. thers to this church. Do they beftow worldly privileges up. on it? and have they any other to bestow? Do they fave and defend this Mount Zion from its enemies by their power? VOL. I.

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and is all their power fufficient for this task? Are they to look upon this church as a father does on a child nursed by him? And is this church to regard the kings of the earth as a child regards its nurfing father? They that would have it thought, from these words, that the kings of the earth are nurfing fathers to the church, as they are to the nations where they rule, muft find fome difficulty in reconciling this with the following words, "They fhall bow down to thee "with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of "thy feet."

3dly, It is easy to understand, how kings are nurfing fathers to the nations where they rule, and to their subjects in those nations and as it is the duty of their subjects to regard them as their nurfing fathers, fo it is their duty to be. have toward their fubjects fuitably to this designation, and particularly to protect them in their natural and civil rights, of which the liberty of their confciences ought to be looked upon as a very valuable one. And if the kings of the earth had but maintained this, there had never been fuch a thing feen in the world, as the "whore fitting on the beaft, drunk "with the blood of the faints."

But it is not so easily understood, how kings and queens, in that capacity, are nurfes unto any but their fubjects; and that as they are their fubjects, and as of the nations and kingdoms where they rule. If these nations be churches, the king of the nation is king of the church, and fo nurses the church. But this promise speaks of the holy catholic church, and not of a national church; and the New Teftament speaks nothing of a national church: fo that there is no fuch thing inftituted by Chrift, to be nurfed by any king or queen; and therefore this cannot be the fenfe of the promise, that the kings and queens of the nations fhall nurfe national churches.

Neither is there any encouragement given in the New Teftament unto that way wherein fome would have the kings to be the church's nurfing fathers. For they think, the kings fhould nurse the church, by providing abundant maintenance for the clergy, and fo making it needlefs for all them that are taught in the word to give obedience to Chrift, commanding them to communicate to him that teacheth in all good things; and further, by fupporting their authority over the people, and employing the kingly power against all them that fubmit not to it; and by beftowing worldly privileges upon the church, and defending her in the poffeffion of thefe: thus making a

worldly

worldly kingdom for Chrift and his minifters, like the lords of the Gentiles. But, efpecially, the kings muft nurse the church, by defending her from the arguments of fuch teachers as the dignified clergy judge heretics or fchifmatics, and by their authority pronounce them fuch, while they either cannot ftop their mouths by convincing arguments, or will not be at pains to do it; and the king is to defend the church from fuch falfe teachers, by cutting them off, or fome way effectually reftraining them from speaking. Yet heretical teaching (however evil it be before God and his church, and however Chriftians, in a private capacity, may fhew their abhorrence of it, without disturbing civil fociety) is none of those evil deeds that the New Teftament fubjects to the wrath and punishment inflicted by the magiftrate: for thefe are open immoralities, and breaches of the fecond table of the law; as is very evident from Rom xiii. which speaks only of the second table; and from 1 Pet. ii. 12.-16. It is not easily to be believed, that the church of Christ is nurfed by the very fame means whereby the antichriftian church is nursed, and by which more of Zion's children have been fufferers than of heretics or falfe teachers. Our Lord, foreseeing herefies and heretics would go along with his gofpel, and the pure profeffion of it in the world, and that many of his faithful fervants would be cut off out of the world, under pretence of cutting off heretics and fchifmatics, has given in this caution against it, in the parable of the tares and wheat, Matth. xiii. "Let both grow together until the "harvest, left while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the "wheat with them."

4thly, It must be noticed, that these words, If. xlix. 23. come as an answer to that question, y 21. (which follows promises of a numerous church upon the rejection of the Jews, y 19. 20.), "Then fhalt thou fay in thine heart, Whot

hath begotten me thefe, feeing I have loft my children, "and am defolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? " and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone, "thefe, where had they been?"

If the Jews fhould be caft off, it is fuppofed to be matter of wonder, whence Zion fhould have fo many children as the 19th and 20th verfes import; and the New Teftament declares what difficulty there was about this, and how aftonishing it was when it came to pafs: therefore there is a queftion about it in the prophecy, as a myfterious thing, puzzling to the minds of men. So that the fcope of the pro

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phecy

phecy is the increase of the church, by the calling of the Gentiles, when the children of the Jerufalem that was on earth are caft out, and the bringing of the elect of all nations unto Chrift, and into that new Jerufalem which is above, and is the mother of them all. This prophecy speaks. not of the defence and protection of any church by the powers of the earth, nor of their bestowing worldly privileges upon it; but it fpeaks clearly of the erection and increase of that church which is the glorious antitype of the church of Ifrael; and it must be explained according to this scope. The New Testament gives us abundant direction in this, and thews how this promife began to be fulfilled in the days of the apostles, but fignifies no other accomplishment of it to the end of the world. And if we compare 2 Cor. vi. 1. 2. with the 8th verfe of this chapter, which is wholly a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles, we will fee that we are to seek the beginning of the accomplishment of this whole prophecy in the time of the apostles.

Lastly, Therefore this promise contains not a description of any office that the kings of the earth are to exercise about the church; but it is a description of thofe of whom the church fhould confift upon the cafting out of the Jews: for when inquiry is made by Zion, "Who hath begotten me "these, seeing I have loft my children?" the Lord answers, "I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and they shall "bring thy fons in their arms." And whereas it is inquired, "Who brought up these? Behold, I was left alone, these, "where had they been?" or, What are they? and whence came they? the Lord answers, "The kings of the Gen"tiles fhall be thy nurfing fathers, and their queens thy nur"fing mothers: "They brought up thefe, they were nursed by them, as their fubjects. And thus the kingdoms of the world, where, of old, there were no children of Zion, are now as fo many nurseries, from whence Zion's children are. brought to her. The kings of the earth nurse their fubjects, and Zion has many children of them who are nurfed by the kings of the earth, that is, their fubjects. Thus the answer is fuited unto the queftion; and it is no other but a metaphorical defcription of the calling of the Gentiles, which began in the days of the apoftles, to continue through the whole accepted time, the whole day of falvation, till the Lord's fecond coming, when it fhall be faid, "The king"doms of this world are become the kingdoms of our "Lord,

"Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and " ever."

As to what is faid in the latter part of the verse, "of the "king's bowing down to the church, and licking up the duft "of her feet;" we know that the Lord Chrift has power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to his people; and that he is exalted far above all power in this world, and that which is to come, and is " head over all things to the "church," making all things, even the greatest enemies of the church, work together for its good, in a way of holy providence, while he rules in the midft of his enemies, till, at length, when he comes the second time, he put down all rule, and authority, and power, and all his enemies under the feet of the church.

So that it cannot easily be made evident from this, yea, nor from any other text of the Old or New Testament, that the kings of the nations may be unto the New-Teftament church, Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerufalem, or to the dwelling-place and affemblies of this Mount Zion, gospelchurches, inftead of the kings of the house of David, or that they shall have the fame power there that they had in that earthly nation and kingdom which was then the church of God.

Yet neither was it only the government of the kings of David's house in that nation that was typical of the kingdom of Chrift: for the government of Christ in his kingdom is the antitype of all the rule and goverment in that nation, under its feveral forms of government, from the time of its being a nation, even as he is also the antitype of all the first-born in the family-ftate of the church before that.

For that people became a nation by virtue of a divine promife, and its becoming a nation was the accomplishment of a promise proposed to the faith of Abraham, Ifaac, and Ja cob; and this promife was fubfervient to the great promise of the feed Chrift, for the fake of which it was given, as may be afterward more fully declared. And when the house of Jacob did become a nation, it was unto God a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, Exod. xix. 5. 6. That nation was his people separated from all the people upon the face of the earth, Exod. xxxiii. 1.3. 16.

The whole ruling power in this nation was first in the hands of Mofes, and his government was ecclefiaftic. When the government was too great a burden for him alone, and the feventy elders were first set apart to bear the burden with him, and to judge in that commonwealth of Ifrael, they par

took