ness and bliss, into which the saints are admitted at death; or rather, into which they shall be admitted at the resurrection, when both soul and body shall be for ever with the Lord. And it may be here remarked, that the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory are not so much two distinct kingdoms, as different states of the same kingdom; the one existing in order to the other. The genuine subjects of the kingdom of grace, are subjects also of the kingdom of glory; but while they remain in this world, they are not fully prepared for glory; although they are daily growing in meetness for it, through the various operations of the Holy Spirit. We must pray that this kingdom of glory may be hastened; which implies, 1. That this kingdom is not yet come. Christ is not yet beheld with the crown which he shall wear; but the time is approaching, when his glory shall break through every opposing obstacle, and when it shall appear to be the glory of the Father-glory, like himself, inconceivable and incomprehensible. 2. That it shall come. As certainly as Christ is now glorified, so certainly shall he come again the second time to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe. The evidence is too strong to admit of a doubt. The Father hath said it; the Son hath fought for the kingdom; and the work of the Holy Spirit upon the soul of every subject of this kingdom, proves that it shall come. 3. The fervent desires of the saints that the kingdom of glory may come. In it they themselves are exceedingly interested; but it is not merely or chiefly on this account, that they fervently desire it, but on account of him, whose is the kingdom and the glory. INFERENCES. From this subject we learn,-1. That the Gospel is a great privilege. 2. That all who are favoured with it, are not in Christ. 3. The necessity of submitting to the sceptre of Christ. 4. The happiness of those who are subjects of the kingdom of grace. 5. The misery of those who are not the subjects of Christ's kingdom. 6. That the Gospel has many enemies; but that all shall be taken out of the way. 7. That Christ has always a kingdom on earth-a seed to serve him. 8. The necessity of prayer for the coming of Christ's kingdom. Of the Third Petition in the Lord's Prayer. In the third petition, [which is, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,"] we pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. ANALYSIS AND PROOFS. We are here taught,— 1. That the third petition in the Lord's Prayer is, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."-Matt. vi. 10. 2. That of ourselves we are unable to know or to obey the will of God. 1 Cor. ii. 14.-" The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 3. That God alone can make us able and willing to obey and submit to his will. Phil. ii. 13.—“ It is God who worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 4. That we should pray that the will of God may be known and obeyed over all the earth. Psal. lxvii. 2.-" That thy way may be known upon earth, and thy saving health among all nations." 5. That we should pray that God would make us able and willing to know his will. Eph. i. 18.—“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what. is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." 6. That we should pray that God would make us able and willing to obey his will. Psal. cxix. 35.-" Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight." 7. That we should pray that God would make us able and willing to submit to his will. Acts xxi. 14.-"The will of the Lord be done." 8. That we should obey the will of God in all things. Psal. cxix. 5, 6.-"O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments." 9. That we should submit to the will of God in all things. 1 Sam. iii. 18.-"It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good." 10. That we should obey and submit to the will of God as the angels do in heaven. Psal. ciii. 20.-" Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his Word." EXPLANATION. Thy Obs. 361.-By the third petition in the Lord's Prayer, will be done on earth as it is done in heaven," we are taught to pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know and obey his revealed will in all things. The revealed or preceptive will of God is that which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; and it is comprehended in believing and obeying, or in faith and holiness; which is both the sum of his will, and the order in which it must be done.-John vi. 29; 1 Thess. iv. 3; Heb. xi. 6, and xii. 14; 1 John iii. 23. We may here observe, that it is chiefly the revealed will of God that we should pray may be done on earth; for the Lord himself will accomplish his secret will, or the things which he hath purposed. 66 With respect to the revealed will of God, we must pray, That God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to know and to obey it." And this we do, when we pray, that by his Spirit he would remove our natural blindness, and open our understanding, that we may understand the Scriptures; that he would incline us to keep up the practice of every commanded duty, in the strength of that grace which is secured in the promise, “I will cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them,"-Ezek. xxxvi. 27; that obedience to the whole will of God may be as extensive as the revelation of this will; that it may be done where it is not done; and that the only boundaries may be the ends of the earth. And this implies the following things-1. That the will of God is not done on earth as it is done in heaven. 2. An acknowledgment of weakness, blindness, indisposedness, and perverseness of heart; all which unite to prevent the will of God from being done.Eph. i. 17, 18, and iii. 16; Matt. xxvi. 40, 41; Jer. xxxi. 18, &c. 3. An expression of grief of heart, that the will of God is not done on earth, either by ourselves or by others.— Psal. cxix. 136. 4. An ardent desire, that God would remove out of the way every obstacle to the doing of his will on earth, as it is done in heaven. 415 We must pray that God would make us able and willing to know and obey his will, because we are naturally unable and unwilling to know and obey his revealed will.-1 Cor. ii. 14. All are prone to rebel against his will, although it is holy, and just, and good. And hence we must pray, that God would make us able and willing by his grace; for it is wholly of his free love and sovereign good pleasure, that he worketh in us both to will and to do. In vain does man think that he can know the will of God without the teaching of the Spirit, or that he can do it without that power which is promised from above. 66 Obs. 362.-By the third petition in the Lord's Prayer, “ Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven," we are taught to pray, that God, by his grace, would make us able and willing to submit to his providential will in all things. The providential or secret will of God, is the rule of his own procedure; and it is exercised over all men and all things, from the least to the greatest, in every possible circumstance in which they may be placed.-Matt. vi. 25-34. With respect to this providential or secret will of God, or, as it is sometimes called, his will of purpose, we must pray, "That God would, by his grace, make us able and willing to submit to it." And this implies a full, and unqualified, and unreserved submission to the Divine procedure in all afflicting dispensations which may befall us in this world, seeing they all come from God, and are all ordered for our good; and likewise an improvement of merciful providences according to his word. We must pray that God would make us able and willing, by his grace, to submit to and acquiesce in his secret will when made known to us, because we are naturally unable and unwilling to do so, and prone to quarrel with his providences. towards us, although all just and good, and designed for our spiritual and eternal welfare. 66 Obs. 363.-By the third petition in the Lord's Prayer, “ Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," we are taught to pray, that God would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. We must pray that the will of God may be done on earth as it is done in heaven. This expression may be viewed either with reference to the visible heavens and the works of God 416 which we behold, or with reference to those exalted spirits, called angels, who constantly fulfil all his pleasure. 1. With reference to the heavenly bodies. As man is frequently sent to the beasts of the field, to the fishes of the sea, and to the fowls of the air for instruction; and also to many of the works of God in nature, that he may see how obedient all things are to him who gave them existence; so we may here view him as sent for the same end to the sun, the moon, and the stars, and to all the host of heaven, which have kept an invariable motion for almost six thousand years, serving the Lord and bringing glory to his wonderful name; and among which, from the greatest to the least, and from the nearest to the most distant, nothing takes place but what is appointed by him who made them. A valuable example set before us all! But, 2. With reference to the angels in heaven; in which light the explanation given above principally views the text. If, then, we ourselves would do the will of God, and wish others to do it, we must pray that we and they may be enabled to imitate the holy angels, who perform the will of the Most High with humility,- Isa. vi. 2, and Mic. vi. 8; with cheerfulness, Psal. ciii. 20, and c. 2; with faithfulness,-Isa. xxxviii. 3; with diligence and zeal,-Psal. cxix. 4, 5, xix. 5, and Rom. xii. 11; universally,-Psal. ciii. 21, and cxix. 6; most readily,-Isa. vi. 2, and Psal. cxix. 60; constantly,Psal. cxix. 112; and with sincerity,-Psal. cxix. 80. INFERENCES. From this subject we learn,-1. That it is the duty of all to study the revealed will of God, and to submit to his providential will. 2. The danger of disobedience. 3. The necessity of the grace of God to enable us to understand and to do his revealed will, and to submit to his providential will. 4. That it is the duty of all to send the revealed will of God to all those who have not yet received it; seeing it is inconsistent to pray that his will may be done, without endeavouring at the same time to make it known to those who are ignorant of it. Of the Fourth Petition in the Lord's Prayer. In the fourth petition, [which is, "Give us this day |