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THe Lord hath prepared his throne in the Heavens, and his King∣dom
ruleth over all; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and with∣out end. God is a Spirit, his King∣dom is spiritual, his habitation is suitable to his own nature; he is immortal, his Kingdom, is so; he is light, his dwelling place is so, a pure scituation in which there is no uncleanness, nor ever shall be: It's eternal dignity, it is an immutable being, that remaineth always in it's purity and pleasantness: Eternally glo∣rious, it consists in power, in righteous∣ness, in purity, in joy, in hope, in peace, in life, in vertue eternal: in quietness, its a quiet habitation, it is incompre∣hensible, unsearchable, and inde∣clareable; words are too short, they are but as sounds, as vails: It is unex∣pressible, in it is the treasure-house of wisdom, out of which all that be∣lieve in him, (who is the King of eternal and immortal glory) comes to receive of his wisdom, of his life, of his power, vertue, righteousness, and comes to enjoy him, who is the fulness that filleth all things, whether visible or invisible; whether terrestrial, or
coelestial; his power is over all, his dominion is over all, who is eternally blessedness it self, and felicity it self; who makes all that believe in him to partake of his kingdom, of his grace, of his power, of his dignity, of his dominion, and of his glory coelestial; but these things are hid from the world, who are not redeemed from the earth, neither never looks to be while they are in the body: Unto such I say, Gods kingdom you shall never see nor enjoy, while you are in that faith which is reprobate, but may be truly called unbelief, although you imagine a glory, and a kingdom in your earthly minds, and dream of a thing to come, suitable unto that wherein your glory now standeth; but that will all fail▪ and those imagi∣nations will be confounded, and dis∣solved into nothing, because they are centred in that which is out of the truth, Christ, and so are without ground or bottom, and are out of that which should give you the sight and knowledge of God in your selves and his kingdom.
Christ when he taught them that followed him, exhorted them, that first of all they might seek the kingdome of God, even while they were in the body, Mat. 6. & 36. The Pharisees were gazing abroad in their earthly knowledge, although they had the Scripture that declared of Gods king∣dome, yet they knew it not; and this generation is the same who are in the same nature, and in the same wisdome which is earthly and litteral, and they are imagining as the Jewes were, and are, loe here, and loe there, in this ob∣servation and the other, and look to see it there. Nay Christ said, The Kingdome of God is within you to the Pharisees: He bad them and others seek it first; what strange doctrine was this, might the Pharisees say; he saith, the kingdome of God is within us, and yet bids us seek it: Need we seek that which is in us, may professors say? Yea, it's like a pearl hid in the field; its like a grain of mustard-seed among many great seeds, which is not easily found; it's like a piece of silver lost in the house among much rubbish,
till that be swept away, thou wilt not find it; thou must dig deep, sweep clean, search narrowly before thou find it; although he did say to the Pharisees, The kingdom of God is within you, he did not say they were possessors of it, or that it was theirs; but to the Disciples whom he taught to pray in faith thy kingdome come, and they came to find it; that which they prayed for, that pearl, that groat, that grain of mustard-seed which it was like, and having found it, and believed in it, he saith unto them, Mat. 5. 3. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. And in Luke 6. 20. And he lift up his eyes on his disciples and said, blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. They had seen it, and were possessors of it, it was theirs. And Christ said unto his disciples, There are some of you standing here that shal not taste of death till ye see the kingdom of God come in power. And his words were ful∣filled; they declared what they had felt and seen; and some of them said, The Kingdome of God is not in word but in power. And Paul to the Romans
writes, Rom. 4. 17. who was also made partakers of the same power and the same kingdome; he spoke his knowledge of it, and sayd. It's not meat nor drink, but righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost. And the Colossi∣ons who had waited for it, and belie∣ved in that through which it was re∣vealed; the Apostle was in the same Faith, Coloss. 1. 12. & 13. Who hath made us meet partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse, and hath transformed us into the kingdome of his dear Son: And those things were seen in the body, and witnessed in the bo∣dy: And the Apostle to Hebrews saith, He that believes is entred into the rest. And this and all these things were fee∣led within by the seed immortal the birth immortal, and they that witness the birth immortal to live in them: One said, He hath made us joynt-heirs with Christ who is the King of eternal glory, and they were Joint-heires with him of the kingdome that fades not away, and all that ever comes to see the kingdome of God in the spirit,
which is spiritual, must wait in the spirit, and in its manifestation; that so God and his Kingdome, and the things of Gods Kingdome may be felt and seen and enjoyed in the spirit which is glorious.
Object. All this which thou hast spo∣ken may some say is the kingdome of grace; and that we hold there is a two-fold king∣dome, the one of grace here, the other of glory hereafter; which none comes to en∣joy glory, or any part of it in this life, or in the body.
Answ. People hath long been blin∣ded with confused distinctions about names; and being full of imaginary thoughts and conceptions, have brought forth foolish and unlearned distinctions; and that which God hath joyned together, they would se∣parate: grace is glorious, and glory is gratious; he that can receive it, let him; the kingdome of God, which was like a grain of mustard-seed, after∣wards it became a great tree; the tree in its strength, and glory, and height, is more glorious then when its in the seed, yet the seed and the tree is in
nature, and quality, and kind, one; if the kingdome be in dominion in purity, and power, and glory, is not here unity? yet a greater measure, yet still the dominion is one, the power one, the glory one, and the thing one wherein grace standeth and glory standeth, wherein the kingdome stan∣deth; grace is glorious, Eph. 1. 6, 7. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children, and to the praife and glory of his grace wherein he hath made us ac∣cepted in the beloved. In the Fathers house there are many mansions, places in the kingdome of God, there are many heavenly places, and they that walked to the praise of his grace, came to sit also in heavenly places, Eph. 2 6. through grace, salvation, through grace glory comes to be revealed in the earth, Isa. 6. 3. The Ear••h is full of his glory; he that makes heaven and Earth glorious, is glory it selfe, from whence grace aud every degree of glo∣ly receives its being; the least measure of Gods strength and power is glori∣ous; and to be gloried in, in the Lord by all that have seen it; Things might
be declared which God hath revealed, which is not lawful for me now to ut∣ter; for as one star differs from another in glory, yet all glorious, even so is it with the children of the resurrection, who are quickned and made alive, and raised from the dead, and fashioned like unto his glorious body, partakers of the glory of God, of his kingdome of his power; the power is his, in which the kingdome stands, the kingdome his, wherein glory stands, the kingdom, power and glory stands all in him who is the glorious God, and the God of eternal glory, who is revealing his power, his kingdome, and grace, and his glory, unto all that patiently wait upon him, in that which yet is as a grain of mustard-seed; they will come to feel his presence, his power and glory revealed in their hearts, through the spirit, and injoy God in his king∣dome, in his power, and in his glory, and through faith shall see the weight of his glory, which God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will reveal unto all that patiently wait for his appearance, and in his appearance.
Obj. But some will cry out, grievous blasphemy and error; what, I think you look for no other glory but in this Life, nor for no other Kingdome, but what you enjoy in this life; thus I know dark spirits reasons.
Answ. The Saints looked not af•• any other glory but that which stood in eternal life, and in the immortal Life, and in the incorruptable life, and the Country they sought after, was that which God was the maker and builder of, and they looked and wai∣ted to receive of his power in which the Kingdome standeth, and did in this life (I do not say the full weight of glory) and to know and injoy, and to be made partakers of his eternal dominion and authority, is that which all the Saints in measure wit∣nesse, and in due time came to injoy through faith; for by faith they saw him who was invisible, and the things of his kingdome, which is invisible, spiritual and eternal; but to speak of the carnal corruptable life in the flesh, who are dead while they live there, that life, neither the kingdome, nor
the power, nor the glory of God is re∣vealed to them, not till after the death of that life, and till after the death of him who hath the power of death, which is the Devil, which ruleth in the hearts of the children of disobedi∣ence, where all the mysteries of Gods kingdome is hid from their eyes, and ever shall while in that state; and so let the Serpent be blind, and they that have an eare to hear, blessed is that eare; for the kingdome of God is come nigh unto many, and the sal∣vation of God, and the power of Christ is seen by many, honour and praise unto him everlastingly, who is the onely Potentate that puts down all authority under his feet, that God may be all, in all, but first every one must come to feel the king∣dome which is as a little grain, in himselfe, and in it believe, before any can come to know the King∣dome, or wherein it consists, and after it be known in its measure, yet this is far short of glory in the fulness; so many may come to be partakers of the power in some measure, yet this is
far short of the eternal weight of glo∣ry; He that believes is entred into the rest, and made partakers of the hea∣venly gift, and of the heavenly power, and of the heavenly grace, which is glorious, and doth witness a heaven∣ly place in Christ Jesus, and yet many enemies to be subdued, and much of the heavenly habitation, which they see not, which comes to be revealed as there is an abiding in the faith, which stands in Gods power, in which the kingdom stands; the mysteries of God and of his kingdom comes in due time to be revealed, through death they come to be known, (that is to say) through the death of death; for Israel the true type, after they passed over Jordan, and had taken Jericho and Ai, and had made an entrance into the land, yet there was many enemies to be subdued, and much land and pos∣sessions, which they were not made partakers of long after, even so after there be of the true rest enjoyed and possessed, & an entrance made into it, yet there is many enemies to be sub∣dued, and much of the heavenly in∣heritance
to be enjoyed by them that stand in the power which giveth do∣minion over sin, the devil, hell and the grave, and they come to be made par∣takers of God, and so the enmity be∣ing slain, man comes to enjoy God who is eternal life, and comes to re∣ceive the crown immortal, which God the eternal power and strength giveth in due time, to them that wait in patience and in faith, through which the immortal inheritance comes to be revealed to all the children of light.
And so to conclude in few words, this I say unto all, who are longing after God, and waiting to feel his power, keep in your minds to the pure measure of Gods holy spirit, and therein wait to see his kingdom, and his dominion, and to be made par∣takers of it, which brings the world to an end; and will let you see to the end of it too, before it was, and him who is now glorified with the Father in the kindom of God, with the same glory he had with the Father before the world began, and who so comes to the end of the world, and to the be∣ginning
again, comes to see him and his glory, and the kingdom of glory which fades not away, which who so comes to enjoy, are eternally happy.