A profitable and necessarye doctrine with certayne homelyes adioyned therunto / set forth by the reuerend father in God, Edmunde Byshop of London ...

¶ The exposition or declaratiō of the seconde petition, which is.

Thy kyngdome come.

THys seconde petition verye orderlye, doth folowe vppon the fyrst, for as in the fyrst we do aske of God our eter∣nall father, that hys gloryous name maye be knowen through out all the worlde, and be of all people, (whe∣ther they be turkes, Jues, or heathen) loued, magni∣fyed, and gloryfyed alwayes, aswell as it is of vs Chrysten men, which is a thynge aperteynyng to the dewe honor and glory of God, and whych we ought of dutye fyrste and pryncipallye to desyre, So in thys second petition we aske of God our heauenly father, that he wyll vouchsafe to brynge vs to hys eternall kyngdome, euermore to be wyth hym, and partycy∣pante of hys enerlastyng glorye, and heauenly enhe∣rytaunce, wyth Chryst Jesu our Sauiour (whych is a thyng of al other that a mā may wysh to hys owne selfe, y^e chief & most greatest.) And for the declaratiō of thys second peticion, you shall vnderstand that there are two kyngdomes, the one contrarye to the other, it is to wytte, the kyngedome of god, and the kynge∣dome of the Deuyll. For as concernynge worldelye kyngdomes and dominions, they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they be well go∣uerned, and guyded by order of Jystyce, doo per∣teyne to the kyngoome of god, as Saynte Paule te∣stifyeth in the. xiii. chapter to the Romaynes. And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they be misordered, through want of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, & vsyng

Tyranye they doo pertayne to the kyngdome of the deuyll. Nowe concernynge the kyngdome of god, it is of two fortes, it is to wytte, the kyngedome of grace in thys worlde, and the kyngdome of glorye in the worlde to come: and of the kyngdome of grace, S. Paule dothe speake in the. xiiii. to the Romaynes, in thys wyse. Règnum dei est iustitia & pax, & gaudium 〈◊〉〈◊〉 spiri∣tu sancto. Qui enim in hoc seruit Christo placet deo, & probatus est ho∣minibus. That is to saye: The kyngedome of God is iustyce, and peace, and ioy in the holy gost, for he that in thys serueth Chryste, pleasethe God, and is allowed with men. Lykewyse the sayd Saynt Paule speakynge of thys kyngdome of grace, doth in the fyrste chapiter of hys epistle to the Collossenses, say thus. He hath translated, or ca∣ried vs, frome the power or kyngedome of darkenes, into the kyngedome of his derelye beloued sonne, in whome we haue redemp∣tion, and remission of synnes. And moreouer we doo reade in the fyfte of the Apocalipse after thys maner, Fecisti nos deo nostro regnum. That is to saye. Thou haste made vs a kingedome vnto our God. For doubtles so longe as we remayne in grace, god doth raygne in vs, as in a spirituall kyngedome, and we as his faythfull people, doo obeye hym therein. And as concernynge the kyngedome of glorye in the worlde to come you shall vnderstand that oure Sa∣uiour in hys second comminge, which shalbe at dōes day, shal giue entrance & perpetual possessiō therof, to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 elect: whēhe shal say vnto them (as it is 〈◊〉〈◊〉)

Comeye the blessed of my father, doo you posselle the kyngedome prepared for you, be∣fore the creation, or beginning of the worlde! Nowe concernynge the kyngedome of the Deuyll, which is cleane contrarye to the kyngdome of God, that in dede is a dominion, or rule, and souerayntye, whych the deuyll hathe in the hartes of the wycked men and women, who accordyng to his pernycious wyll and entycynges, doo transgresse the commaun∣dementes of God, and doo make them selfe bonde, and thrass to synne, wyllyngly consentynge to the de∣nyles tentations, and drawen thereby to hys seruice, and holden also therein, by concupyscence of the fleshe by concupyscence of the eye, and by pryde of life. And of thys kyngedome of the deuyll, S. Paule. Ephe. ii. doth speake sayinge. He (God the father) hathe re∣uyued you al at ones, when you were deade thorough your trespasses, wherein, in tymes past, you did walke accordinge to the course of this worlde, after the prynce of the kynge dome, or power of this ayre, the spirite which nowe worketh vpon the children of vnbeleif. Accordynge wherevnto oure sauiour also, Jhon. xii. doeth call the deuyll the prynce of thys worlde, that is to saye, of all euyll and wycked people, lyuynge in the worlde. And in the. xli. chapter of Job, the deuyll is called the kynge of al proude men.

And forasmuche as it is not in oure power to de∣lyuer our selues from the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Deuyll, but

onelye by Godes helpe (For oure perdition and vndoing is of oure selues, but oure helpe and faluation is of God. as sayeth the Prophete Ozee cap. 13.) therefore it is very necessarye for all true chri∣sten people, to make this petition, incessantlye vn∣to our heauenly father, and to beseche hym, according to this doctryne of Chryste, that by hys grace, & helpe we may escape the dominion and power of the De∣uyll, and that we maye be made subiecte vnto hys heauenlye kyngedome. Therfore in this petytyon we dysyre God to gyue vs afore all thynges, true, and constant fayth in him, and in hys sonne Jesus Christ, and in the holye Ghoste, with pure loue, and charitie towardes hym, and all men, to kepe vs also from in∣fidelitie, desperation, and malyce, whyche myghte be the cause of oure destruction, and to delyuer vs from dissensions, couctuousnes, lecherye, and euyll desyres and lustes of synne, and so the vertue of his kingdom to come, to reigne within vs, that al our heart, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and wyttes, wythall our strength inwarde and out∣warde, maye be ordered and directed to serue GOD to obserue his commaundementes, and hys will and not to serue our 〈◊〉〈◊〉, the fleshe, the worlde, or the De∣uyll.

We desyre also that this kingdome, ones in vs be∣gonne, maye be daylye cucrcased, and goo forwarde more and more, so that all subtyll and secrete hate, or slouth, whych we haue to goodnes be not suffered to rule so in vs that it shall cause vs to loke back againe and to fall into synne, but that we maye haue a sta∣ble,

purpose and strenghte, not onelye to begynne the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of innocencye, but also to procede ernestly furthe in it, and to perfourme accordynge to the sayinge of Saynt Paule (Colosse. i.) where he prayeth that we maye walke worthelye pleasynge god in all thynges beyng fruitefull in all good workes, & growynge and increasynge, in the knowledge of god. Also (Eph. iiii) he doth saye. Worke and doo the truth in cha∣rite, and increase and goo forwarde in Christ. Therefore in this prayer desyrynge the kyngedome of god to come. we requyre also, that we beynge al∣redy receyued and entred into the kyngdom of grace and mercye of god, may soo contynue and perseuer therein, that after this lyfe we may come to the kyng dome of glorye, whych endureth for euer, and thys is that greate and feruent desyre, where with good men beyng mortyfyed from worldely affections haue bene and be alwayes kyndled and enflamed, as appeareth by Saynte Paule, when he sayd (Philip.)

I woulde be losed from this bodye and be w^t Chryste. and he sayth (Rom. eyght) We that haue receiued the firste fruites of thy spyryte, doo wayle and mourne, in our selues, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and loking to be delyuered from the mortalitie & miserles of this bo∣dy, into the glory of the children of God.