people, but the Scribes and Pharisees, and High priests, and all the troop of their Clergy. They called Christ a deceiver, and Beelzebub, a companion of publicans and harlots; they lay in wait every where to entrap him, they sued him to death.

St. Paul saith, for conclusion in this matter, 1 Cor. i., "It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will cast away the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the Scribe? where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness? For seeing the world by wisdom knew not God, in the wisdom of God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believed. Brethren, you see your calling, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty things, and vile things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen."

Mark, saith he, how mercifully God hath dealt with you. Few of the learned sort, few of such as are counted wise, embrace the gospel with you, or join with you in faith, or keep you company. God hath let them be deceived in their wisdom; they take themselves to be wise and yet they are become fools; and, contrary to worldly judgment, God hath made. you, which are weak and simple, and of no reputation, wise and righteous, and sanctified, and redeemed in Christ Jesus. And Christ saith, (Matth. xviii.) "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

LECTURES ON THE CHURCH SERVICE.

No. IV.

PSALM LXV. 4.

"We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house."

"Thy kingdom come."-This petition follows upon the former as a means to an end. If God's name is to be hallowed, it will be by the coming or advancement of his kingdom. By the kingdom of God we understand that kingdom which God sets up on earth, and in the hearts of his people. The Lord hath indeed " prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all," as "King of kings, and Lord of lords;" to him every knee must bow, of things in heaven, earth, and hell; but the kingdom which is the subject of our prayer is that kingdom which he sets up in the world, in the hearts of his people, and the kingdom of glory hereafter.

The kingdom which he sets up in the world—his outward kingdom-the setting up of the knowledge of the gospel in a land, with all the machinery of means and ordinances of God, in the stead of that kingdom of heathenism, idolatry, and infidelity which Satan, as an usurper, hath been permitted to set up in the earth. Thus St. Matth. xxi, 43.

The kingdom which he sets up in the hearts of his people. Thus St. Luke xvii. 20, Rom. xiv. 17.

The kingdom of glory which differs from this only as the oak from the acorn, or the full blown flower from the imperfect bud, Matth. xxv. 34, 1 Cor. xv. 50.

Let it come-this is our prayer, let that kingdom come, Lord, which thou setteth up amid the nations of the earth. Let it be planted every where through the world-in that land where the idolater in his blindness bows down to gods of wood and stonewhere the Hindoo celebrates his licentious mysteries, and worships his 300,000,000 of gods-where the New Zealanders practice their deeds of blood, and man in brutal nature feasts upon his fellow man— where the African and the Cingalese carry on the rites of Devil worship in all their foul and awful abomination, there, O God, let thy kingdom come-there let thy word run and be glorified-there let the gospel of

grace and peace be established-that gospel before

which alone all this gross darkness flies as shades before the morning light.

It was over a world covered with darkness that might be felt that the eyes of the first Apostles looked, when they applied to their Master to be taught how to pray-in the use, spirit and practice of this petition they lived and died. And we can look back and see the wondrous effect-the mighty answer granted to the petition by the great Lord of the harvest, to whom they were taught to offer it up. To go no further than this little speck of creation, our own highly favoured island of the Gentiles. We can look back through the page of history, and rest upon the day when our own forefathers, on the very soil on which we tread, practised their heathen ceremonies, their cruel superstitions, where they raised their rude temples to the monsters of gods many and lords many, of whom we have no remembrance, but as the days of the week remind us of their names.

The kingdom of God is come amongst us, and where are they? Oh how then with like faith and earnestness of desire should we pray "thy kingdom come."

But thy kingdom come, O Lord,-the kingdom which thou set test up in the hearts of thy people. That kingdom which Christ as our head has described as to its nature-as being " within you;" as to its effects-the kingdom of "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Let it come, O Lord, into our own hearts with increasing power and manifest effect-bringing every rebellious thought, word, and deed into captivity to our rightful Sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let it come with power into the hearts of those amongst us, who as yet know it only in form. Let it come with all its blessedness into the bosom of our families-into the midst of our parishes-into the hearts of thy ministering servants who minister in holy things. Let it come, O Lord, into the midst of thy congregations-into the heart of thine anointed Servant, O God, who reigns over usinto the hearts of her counsellors, ber nobles, her magistrates placed in authority under her. Let it come with increasing brightness, wherever the name of Christ is preached, adored, and worshipped in all churches of the saints, through the whole world. Let it come, O Lord, till every knee do bow, and every heart confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

"Thy kingdom come," O Lord, even the kingdom of thy glory, prepared from the foundation of the world. That it may please thee, O Lord, of thy gracious goodness shortly to accomplish the number

of thine elect, and to hasten this thy kingdom, that we and all those departed in the true faith of thy name may have our perfect consummation and bliss both in body and soul in thy eternal glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Thus we pray for that second personal coming of Christ in his glorious Majesty, when he shall appear without sin unto salvation," to be "admired in his saints, and to be glorified in all them that believe."-to bruise Satan finally under our feet-to cast death and hell and the unbelieving world into the lake of fire, and to give his people to sit with him eternally on his throne of glory, amid the shouts of everlasting victory, and the bloodbought crowns of eternal triumph.

In the name of ourselves—in the name of the whole Church of God-in the name of the many that have already in safety crossed that flood-in the name of those that are crossing now-in the name of the spirits of just men made perfect, longing for that day of final redemption, we pray, "Thy kingdom come:" we hear him saying, "Surely I come quickly," and answer as becometh the Bride, "Amen, even SO come Lord Jesus."

Such are some of the thoughts that should fill our souls often as we are privileged to bear our parts in this petition. And may He who hath caused these words to be written for our use pour out that spirit of prayer into your hearts, and practice into your lives, that ye may both sincerely pray, and, each according to his ability, do what he can to give effect to the prayer" thy kingdom come."