The covenant of nature made with Adam described and cleared from sundry great mistakes. And thereby proving, I. That the kind of death that was threatned in that covenant, in Gen. 2.17. ought not to be understood of any other kind of death but of a double spiritual death, 1. By depriving Adam of Gods concreated image: and 2. By corruption of nature that followed thereupon. II. Proving that the said covenant was totally extinguished and made utterly null, as soon as Adam had but tasted of the forbidden fruit, and received the said threatned punishment. III. Expounding Gal. 3.10. and proving that the curse therein threatned must not be understood of the curse of the said covenant of nature, but of that curse that is threatned in the covenant of grace to the fallen posterity of Adam, for their not doing of Moses law by faith in Christ, which was given to them for the covenant of grace and reconciliation only. ... VIII. Expounding Rom. 8.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 8. in ch. 25. By William Pynchon.

8. The King.

The Hebrew Nagid is diversly translated by the Seventy: But in 1 Chr. 29. 22. and in Prov. 28. 16. they translate it King. 2. Pilate in his first Question ask∣ed Christ, art thou the King of the Jews? John 18. 33. and presently after he asked

him again, art thou a King then? Christ answered, To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, John 18. 37. and this answer of his is called * 1.1 a good Confession in 1 Tim. 6. 13. Though the malignant Jewes that were acted by Sathan did scoffe at it, Ma••. 27. 42. Mar. 15. 22. But Nathaniel that was a true Israelite indeed did make this confession of his Faith to Christ in John 1. 49. Thou art the King of Israel. And the like confession did the better sort of the Jewes make, when they cryed Hosanna, blessed is the King of Israel, John 12. 13. But Mark saith in chap. 10. That when they cryed Hosanna, they said, blessed be the Kingdom that cometh in the Name of the Lord our Father David; alluding thereby unto the eternal Kingdom that was promised unto David, 2 Sam. 7. 13. And all these acclamations were done to fulfill the Prophesie in Zach. 9. 9. and though the Pharises were much offended at their acclamations, yet Christ did justifie them for it, Mat. 21. 15. Luke 19. 29. It seems by these acclamations, t••ey did apprehend that the Kingdom of Christ should be of a Spiritual and Heavenly Nature, as it is expounded in Luke 1. 32, 33, 69. and the Spiritual Je∣rusalem is called the Throne of this King, Jer. 3. 17. and Jehovah; Christ doth build this Jerusalem continually by the preaching of the Gospel, Psalm 147. 2, 3.

2. It hath been a received Maxim among the Antient Hebrew Doctors, that their Messias should be a King, and that he should sit upon the Throne of Da∣vid for ever. See Ains. in Gen. 49. 11. and in Gen. 14. 18. But at last the car∣nal Jewes, thought that this promise was, that he should sit as a pompous King upon the worldly Throne of David; But our Saviour corrected their mistake: he told them his Kingdom was not a worldly Kingdome, but that it was of a Spiritual and Heavenly Nature, John 18. 36. Luke 22. 30. And the ••ngel told Daniel in v. 26. That the Messias the King should suffer, or be cut off, or execu∣ted as a wicked Malefactor on the Crosse by his old proclaimed Combater, Sa∣than and his potent seed: By which words he gave Daniel to understand, that the Messias should be such a King as should Conquer Sathan by his righteous perfor∣mance of his said Combat of Sufferings: and therefore that his Kingdom must needs be of a Spiritual Nature, and in that Respect he must be called the King of Righteousnesse, Heb. 7. 2. and the Scepter of his Kingdom, a Sc••pter of Righte∣ousnesse, Psalm 45. 8. And Jesus said unto Pilate, my Kingdom is not of this world: if my Kingdome were of this world, then would my Servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jewes, but now is my Kingdome not from hence, John 18. 36.

Solomon the Son of David was chosen by God to sit upon the Throne of Da∣vid; and he was such a King as had all the Royalties that this world could af∣ford: and yet at last upon his own long study and experience, he telleth in Ec∣clesiastes, That all things under the Son be vain: and from thence also it follows, that the quality of the Kingdom of the perpetual Throne of David, (2 Sam. 7. and 1 Chr. 17. and Psalm 89.) must be acknowledged to be of a Spiritual and Heavenly Nature; Namely, for the attaining of the World to come; and in that Respect it is, that the Spiritual Kingdom of Gods elect Church here on earth is called the Kingdom of Heaven, Mat. 3. 2. Mat. 4. 17. Mat. 10. 7. Mat. 11. 11, 12. Mat. 13. 11, 24, 31, 33, 34, 45, 47. Mat. 18. 1, 4, 23. Mat. 23. 13. Mat. 25. 1, 14. and indeed the members of it are all built upon Christ the Heavenly King, and up∣on

Spiritual and Heavenly Principles of Grace. This is the true Nature of the Kingdom of Christ, when he was promised to sit upon Davids Throne. But as I said before, he is called King in Daniel, in relation chiefly to his Kingly Con∣quest of Sathan in his Combat of sufferings, and in his death and sacrifice by his righteous performance of the whole Combat.

Notes

• * 1.1

  John 18. 37. 1 Tim. 6. 3. The Messias was not to be a pompous worldly King, but a spi∣ritual King to his spiritual Kingdom,