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To evidence this disagreement three things are proposed: first, wherein the felicities of the future state do consist, 588. secondly, what the temper and disposition of wicked souls will be in the future state, 591. thirdly, how contrary such a temper and disposition must be unto such felicities, 594. For, first, there is in it an antipathy and contrariety to the vision of God, 595. secondly, to the love of God, 596. thirdly, to the resemblance of God, 598. fourthly, to the SOciety of the spirits of just men made perfect, 600. From all which these following inferences are deduced: first, how unreasonable it is for any man to presume upon going to heaven upon any account whatsoever, without mortifying his lusts, 602. secondly, the indispensable necessity of mortification, since it is plain we cannot be happy without it, 606. thirdly, what is the only true and solid foundation of our assurance of heaven, 610. fourthly, what is the great design of the Christian religion, 614.

OF

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

PART II.

CHAP. VII. CONTINUED.

SECT. X.

Concerning the ministers of the kingdom of Christ.

HAVING in the foregoing section treated at large concerning the nature and constitution of Christ's kingdom, I shall in the next place shew who the ministers are, by whom he rules and governs it. And these are all included under a fourfold rank and order.

First, The first and supreme minister by which Christ rules his kingdom is the Holy Ghost.

Secondly, The second and next to him are the angels of God.

Thirdly, The third are princes and civil governors. Fourthly, The last are the bishops and pastors of the church.

I. The supreme minister by which Christ rules his kingdom is the Holy Ghost, or third person in the holy Trinity, of whose person and ministry, under our Saviour in his kingdom, I have treated at large in vol. ii. p. 279-328.

II. Therefore the next order of ministers by which Christ rules his kingdom are the angels of God, that is, the whole world of angels, whether they be

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good or bad, angels of light or angels of darkness. In the prosecution of which argument, I shall endeavour first to prove the thing, viz.

That the angels, both good and bad, are the ministers of Christ in the government of his kingdom. Secondly, To shew wherein their ministry doth consist. First, That the angels, both good and bad, are Christ's ministers in his kingdom: for as for the good angels, they are subjected to Christ by the order and appointment of God himself; who is the Father of spirits, and to whom they are inviolably obedient and for the bad, they are subjected to him by just conquest, contrary to their own wills and inclinations. Of each of which, I shall endeavour to give some brief account.

First, The good angels are subjected to Christ by the order and appointment of God, to whom they are always inviolably obedient. It seems at least very probable, that before our Saviour was exalted upon his triumphant ascension into heaven to the universal empire of the world under God the Father, angelical powers were not all of them subjected to his mediatorial royalty, but that some of them had their distinct regencies and presidentships, immediately under God the most high Father, over such and such nations and countries as he in his grace thought meet to allot to them; for so it is evident the Septuagint thought, when in Deut. xxxii. 8. instead of, He (i. e. God) set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the children of Israel, they render it, He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God: for as the ancient Jews distributed the Gentile world into seventy-two nations, so they also

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