presumption ariseth, that he will give them a king, whose kingdom is not of this world. St. Paul joins this second motive to the first. I give thee charge, in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. What is this good confession? It is that which you have heard in the words of the text. Verily, I am a king, to this end was I born; but my kingdom is not of this world.

The first of these motives, my brethren, you can never study too much. It is a conduct unworthy of a rational soul, to be surrounded with so many wonders, and not to meditate on the author of them. But, our present circumstances, the solemnity of this season, and particularly the words of the text, engage us to quit at present the motive of a philosopher, and to reflect wholly on that of a christian. I exhort you to-day, by that Jesus, who declared himself a king, and who at the same time said, My kingdom is not of this world, to endeavor to divert your attention from the miseries and felicities of this world, to which the subjects of the Messiah do not belong. This is the chief, this is the only point of view, in which we shall now consider the text. We will omit several questions, which the words have occasioned, which the disputes of learned men have rendered famous; and, on which, at other times, we have proposed our sentiments; and we will confine ourselves to three sorts of reflections.

I. We intend to justify the idea, which Jesus Christ giveth of his kingdom, and to prove this proposition, My kingdom is not of this world.

II. We will endeavor to convince you that the kingdom of Jesus Christ is therefore a kingdom of truth, because it is not a kingdom of this world.

III. We will inquire whether there be any in this assembly, who are of the truth, and who hear the voice of Jesus Christ; whether this king, whose kingdom is not of this world, have any subjects in this assembly. To these three reflections we shall employ all the moments of attention, with which you shall think proper to indulge us.

I. Let us justify the idea, which Jesus Christ giveth us of his kingdom, and let us prove the truth of this proposition. My kingdom is not of this world. To these ends, let us remark the end of this king, his maxims, his exploits, his arms, his courtiers, and his rewards.

1. Remark the end, the design, of this king. What is the end of the kingdoms of this world? They are directed to as many different ends, as there are different passions, which prevail over the minds of those, who are elevated to the government of them. In a Sardanapalus, it is to wallow in sensuality. In a Sennacherib, it is to display pomp and vain glory. In an Alexander, it is to conquer the whole world.

But let us not be ingenious to present society to view by its disagreeable sides. To render a state respectable, to make trade flourish, to establish peace, to conquer in a just war, to procure a life of quiet and tranquillity for the subjects, these are the ends of the kingdoms of this world. Ends worthy of sovereigns, I own. But, after all, what are all these advantages, in comparison of the grand sentiments, which the Creator hath engraven on our souls? What relation do they bear to that unquenchable thirst for happiness which all intelligent beings feel? What are they when the lightning darts, and the thunder rolls in the air? What are they when conscience awakes? What are they when we meet death, or what is their value when we lie in the tomb? Benevolence, yea humanity, I grant,

should make us wish our successors happy : but, strictly speaking, when I die, all dies with me. Whether society enjoy the tranquil warmth of peace, or burn with the rage of faction and war ; whether commerce flourish, or decline; whether armies conquer their foes, or be led captives themselves: each is the same to me. The dead know not any thing. Their love, and their hatred, and their envy is perished: neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is under the sun, Eccles. ix. 5, 6.

The end of the kingdom of Jesus Christ is of another kind. Represent to yourselves the divine Saviour in the bosom of God, himself the blessed God. He cast his eyes down on this earth. He saw prejudices blinding the miserable sons of Adam, passions tyrannizing over them, conscience condemning them, divine vengeance pursuing them, death seizing and devouring them, the gulphs of hell yawning to swallow them up. Forth he came to make prejudice yield to demonstration, darkness to light, passion to reason. He came to calm conscience, to disarm the vengeance of heaven, to swallow up death in victory, 1 Cor. xv. 54. and to close the mouth of the infernal abyss. These are the designs of the king Messiah, designs too noble, too sublime, for earthly kings. My kingdom is not of this world.

2. The maxims of this kingdom agree with its end. What are the maxims of the kingdoms of this world? I am ashamed to repeat them, and I am afraid, if I suppress them, of betraying the truth. Ah! why did not the maxims of such as Hobbes and Machiavel vanish with the impure authors of them! Must the christian world produce partisans, and apologists for the policy of hell! These are some of their maxims. Every way is right that

VOL. II.

"leads to a throne. Sincerity, fidelity, and grati"tude, are not the virtues of public men, but of people in private life. The safety of the people "is the supreme law. Religion is a bridle to subjects: but kings are free from its restraints. There are some illustrious crimes."

The maxims of Jesus Christ are very different. Justice, and judgment, are the basis of a throne. Render unto Cesar the things which are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's. Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all other things shall be added to you. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. Let your communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil, Psal. lxxx. 14. Matt. xxii. 21. vi. 33. vii. 12. and v. 37.

3. The exploits of the kingdom of Jesus Christ accomplish his designs. He doth not employ such artillery, as the kings of the earth do to reduce whole cities to ashes. His soldiers use none of those formidable engines of death in his wars, which are called the final reasons of kings. His forces are strangers to that desperate avidity of conquest, which makes worldly generals aim to attain inaccessible mountains, and to penetrate the climes that have never been trodden by the footsteps of men. His exploits are, neither the forcing of intrenchments, nor the coloring of rivers with blood, nor the eovering of whole countries with carcases, nor the filling of the world with carnage, and terror, and death.

The exploits of the Messiah completely effect the end of his reign. He came, we just now observed, to dissipate prejudice by demonstration, and he hath gloriously accomplished his end. Before the coming of Jesus Christ, philosophers were brute

beasts: since his coming brute beasts are become philosophers. Jesus Christ came to conquer our tyrannical passions, and he hath entirely effected his design. He renovated disciples, who rose above the appetites of sense, the ties of nature, and the love of self; disciples who at his word, courageously forsook their property, their parents, and their children, and voluntarily went into exile: disciples, who crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts, Gal. v. 24. generous disciples, who sacrificed their lives for their brethren, and sometimes for their persecutors; disciples, who triumphed over all the horrors, while they suffered, all the pains of gibbets, and racks, and fires. Jesus Christ came to calm conscience, and to disarm divine justice, and his designs hath been perfectly answered. The church perpetually resounds with grace, grace, unto it, Zech. iv. 7. The penitent is cited before no other tribunal than that of mercy. For thee, converted sinner! there are only declarations of absolution and grace. Jesus Christ came to conquer death, and he hath manfully fulfilled his purpose. Shall we still fear death, af ter he hath brought life and immortality to light by the gospel? 2 Tim. i. 10. Shall we still fear death, after we have seen our Saviour loaded with its spoils? Shall we yet fear death, while he crieth to us in our agony, Fear not, thou worm Jacob, fear not, for I am with thee, Isa. xli. 14. 10.

4. Let us consider the arms which Jesus Christ hath employed to perform his exploits. These arms are his cross, his word, his example, and his Spirit.

The enemies of Jesus Christ considered the day of his crucifixion as a triumphant day. They had solicited his execution with an infernal virulence. But how much higher are the ways of God than the ways of men, and his thoughts than their thoughts, Isa. lv. 9. From this profound night, from this hour