SERMON II. JOHN xvii. 36. Jefus anfwered, My kingdom is not of this THE world. 'HE rejection of earthly power, in the establishment of Christianity, was an eminent and characteristic proof of the Divine origin of that religion. Its great teacher, pleading an heavenly commiffion, required not the affiftance of the human arm. He withdrew from the election of popular favour*, and held back the fword drawn by the zeal of his Disciple †. He profeffed to lay the foundations only of a fpiritual kingdom, aiming at no dominion over the temporal poffeffions of men ‡; and * John, ch. vi. ver. 15. D 3 + Matt. ch. xxvi. ver. 52. declaring, declaring, that though he were a king, his object was only, by bearing witness unto "the truth," to establish an ascendency over the voluntary converts to its evidence. With fuch meek and unaffuming characters had the Meffiah been pourtrayed in ancient description! "Behold my fervant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my foul delighteth. I have put my Spirit upon "him he fhall bring forth judgment to "the Gentiles. He fhall not cry, nor lift 66 up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruifed reed fhall he not "break, and the smoking flax fhall he not quench*." With correspondent defignation was his kingdom also prefigured in prophecy, as a stone" cut out of the mountain "without hands," though deftined ultimately to fill the earth †. A difpenfation revealed from above, and encircled with the teftimonies and radiance of its origin, was not defigned to wave on the banners of fecular triumph; but was to reft its pretenfions on its own evidence, and to depend on the promise of miraculous sup * Ifaiah, ch. xlii. ver. 1—3. port. 39 port. With declared contempt of human ftrength and greatness, God purposely chose "the foolish things of the world to confound "the wife, and the weak things of the "world to confound the things that were mighty." The resistance which his religion encountered, ferved but to illuftrate the irresistible efficacy of the spirit, which "warred not with carnal weapons," though 66 mighty through God to the pulling down "of strong holds ;" and the difficulties over which it proved victorious," cafting down imaginations, and every high thing that "exalted itself above the knowledge of God," but furnished occafion for the dif play of the heavenly powers by which it was advanced. From the tenor of these descriptions, and from the invariable representations of Scripture as to the nature of Christ's kingdom, it is evident that it was defigned to be a dominion erected on the conviction of mankind. All violent meafures were disclaimed, and our Lord appealed only to the works which he performed, and to the Scriptures and witnesses which offered testimony to his tenfions. pre To fuch a kingdom as Chrift had received D 4 from from the Father, did he also appoint his Difciples; who were to prefide over it for administration of his laws, with gradation of order and diftinction of office *; as directors of a real society established by an apparent fovereign, with visible representation and external government; but who were not, as "the kings of the earth exercise lordship," to challenge earthly dominion, or to affume earthly power †. Such as afpired to fuperiority, were to feek it by lowlinefs; and the differences of order, or conceded pre-eminence which were to fubfift between them for the purposes of regularity and concert, were to be rendered fubfervient to condefcenfion and humility. The authority with Ephef. ch. iv. ver. 11, 12. Acts, ch. xx. ver. 28. + John, ch. xviii. ver. 36. Luke, ch. xxii. ver. 25-29. The texts here confidered evidently refpect the exercife as well as the derivation of the fpiritual power. The earlier Chriftians were fenfible of the celeftial nature of Christ's kingdom. It appears from Eufebius, that fome grandfons of that St. Jude who was called, according to the flesh, the brother of Jesus, having, as derived from the race of David, excited the fufpicious jealoufy of Domitian, fhewed, when interrogated concerning Chrift, and the nature, time, and place of the appearance of his kingdom, that it was not to be a worldly or earthly, but an heavenly and angelic kingdom; to take place at the confummation of time, when coming in his glory Chrift fhould judge the living and the dead and by this account the tyrant was induced to put a stop to the perfecution which prevailed. Eufeb. Eccl. Hift. 1. iii. c. 20. which they were invested was entirely fpiritual, was to addrefs only the conscience, and to derive all its temporal fanctions from the cheerful concurrence of the faithful. Commiffioned to propofe the conditions of eternal remuneration, the preachers of the Gospel derived from Chrift no instruction to hold out present allurements, or to denounce prefent punishment. Whatever deeds of miraculous kindness or severity might eventually characterize their miniftry in confirmation of the Word*, of" filver and gold they had "none" to distribute, but from fuch offerings as were voluntarily laid at their feet; and against the house or city which should refuse to hear their words, they were directed only to "fhake off the duft of their feet, as a teftimony against them" of wrath to be treaup against the day of final judg fured ment†. All difciples, it is true, who were admitted by baptifm into the Church under the Gofpel conditions, were pledged to reverence the * A&ts, ch. iii. ver. 6. ch. xiii. ver. 11. † Matt. ch. x. ver. 14, 15. Mark, ch. vi. ver. 7—II. Acts, ch. xiii. ver. 46, 51. ch. xviii. ver. 4—6. |