the prophet Jeremiah, speaking of the kingdom of God by the new covenant (Jer. xxxi. 34): _They shall teach no more every man his neighbour; saying, Know the Lord. For they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the Lord_: which cannot be understood of a kingdom in this world. The kingdom of God therefore, for the restoring whereof Christ came into the world; of which the prophets did prophecy, and of which praying we say, _Thy kingdom come_; if it is to have subjects locally separated from enemies, if judicature, if majesty, according as hath been foretold; shall begin from that time, wherein God shall separate the sheep from the goats; wherein the apostles shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherein Christ shall come in majesty and glory; wherein lastly, all men shall so know God, that they shall not need to be taught; that is to say, at Christ’s second coming, or the day of judgment. But if the kingdom of God were now already restored, no reason could be rendered why Christ, having completed the work for which he was sent, should come again; or why we should pray, _Thy kingdom come_. [Sidenote: The government of Christ in this world was not a sovereignty, but counsel, or a government by way of doctrine and persuasion.] 6. Now, although the kingdom _of God_ by Christ to be established with a _new covenant_, were heavenly; we must not therefore think, that they, who believing in Christ would make that covenant, were not so to be governed here on the earth too, as that they should persevere in their faith and obedience promised by that covenant. For in vain had the kingdom of heaven been promised, if we were not to have been led into it; but none can be led, but those who are directed in the way. Moses, when he had instituted the _priestly kingdom_, himself though he were no priest, yet ruled and conducted the people all the time of their peregrination, until their entrance into the promised land. In the same manner is it our Saviour’s office, (whom God in this thing would have like unto Moses), as he was sent from his Father, so to govern the future subjects of his heavenly kingdom in this life, that they might attain to and enter into that; although the kingdom were not properly his, but his Father’s. But the government whereby Christ rules the faithful ones in this life, is not properly a _kingdom_ or _dominion_, but a _pastoral charge_, or _the right of teaching_; that is to say, God the Father gave him not a power to judge of _meum_ and _tuum_, as he doth to the kings of the earth; nor a _coercive power_, nor _legislative_; but of showing to the world, and teaching them _the way and knowledge of salvation_; that is to say, of preaching and declaring what they were to do, who would enter into the kingdom of heaven. That Christ had received no power from his Father to judge in questions of _meum_ and _tuum_, that is to say, in all questions