CONTENTS

OF

THE THIRD VOLUME.

PART II. CONTINUED.

CHAP. VI.

SECT. X.

Concerning the ministers of the kingdom of Christ.

Which are of a fourfold rank and order: first, the su-

preme minister of it is the Holy Ghost, 1. secondly, next to

him are the whole world of angels, both good and bad ; and

as for the good, they are subjected to Christ by the order

and appointment of God the Father, ibid. That the good

angels were not subject to him as Mediator, till his ascension

into heaven; but had their distinct regencies over the seve-

ral Gentile nations, 2. but upon Christ's ascension these their

distinct regencies were all dissolved, and they subjected to

Christ's mediatorial sceptre, 6. and as for the bad angels,

they were subjected to him by just and lawful conquest, 8.

that this conquest he obtained while he was upon earth, but

especially in his last agony, 9. Seven particular instances of

the ministry of good angels under Christ: first, they declare

upon occasion his mind and will to his church and people,

17. secondly, they guard and defend his subjects against

outward dangers, 18. thirdly, they support and comfort them

upon difficult undertakings, and under great and pressing

calamities, 20. fourthly, they protect them against the rage

and fury of evil spirits, 22. fifthly, they further and assist

them in their religious offices, 25. sixthly, they conduct

their separated spirits to the mansions of glory, 28. seventhly,

they are hereafter to attend and minister to him at the ge-

neral judgment, 30. The ministry of evil angels to Christ in
four particulars: first, they try and exercise the virtues of

his subjects, 32. Secondly, they chasten and correct their

faults and miscarriages, 35. thirdly, they harden and con-

firm incorrigible sinners, 39. fourthly, they execute the ven-

geance of Christ on them in another world, 42. The third

sort of the ministers of Christ's kingdom are the kings and

governors of the world, 45. by their subjection to Christ

they are not deprived of any natural right of their sove-

reignty, 47. but in the first place have the same command-

ing power over all indifferent things, and that in ecclesias-

tical causes as well as civil, that they had under the law of

nature, 48. and secondly, are as unaccountable and irresist-

ible as they were before, 56. What those ministries are

which kings are obliged to render our Saviour, shewn in ge-

neral from Isa. xlix. 23. p. 60. particularly, first, they are to

protect and defend his church in the profession and exercise

of the true religion, 61. secondly, they are to fence and cul-

tivate its peace and good order, 62. they are to chasten and

correct the irregular, 63. they are to provide for the decency

of its worship, and for the convenient maintenance of its of-

ficers and ministers, 65. The fourth sort of ministers of

Christ's kingdom are the spiritual or ecclesiastical governors,

67. That Christ hath erected a spiritual government in his

church, ibid. That this government is episcopal, proved from

four arguments: first, from the institution of our Saviour,

71. secondly, from the practice of the apostles upon it, 76.

thirdly, from the universal conformity of the primitive church

to the apostolic practice, 86. fourthly, from our Saviour's

declared allowance and approbation of both, 103. Of the mi-

nistries of this spiritual government, which are either such

as are common to the bishops together with the inferior offi-

cers of the church ; as first, to teach the gospel, 109. se-

condly, to administer the evangelical sacraments, 110. thirdly,

to offer up the public prayers and intercessions of Christian

assemblies, 112. Or such as are particular to the bishops ;

as first, to make laws for the peace and good order of the

church, 114. secondly, to ordain to ecclesiastical offices, 117.

thirdly, to exercise that spiritual jurisdiction which Christ
hath established in his church, 120. fourthly, to confirm such

as have been baptized and instructed in Christianity, 126.

SECT. XI.

Of Christ's regal acts in his kingdom.

Which are of three sorts, first, such as he hath performed

once for all, of which there are four: first, his giving laws to

his kingdom, 129. That what Christ taught as a prophet

had the force of a law, 130. His law spiritual, ibid. His law

reduced under two heads; first, his law of perfection, 132.

secondly, his law of sincerity, 135. The second of those re-

gal acts which he hath performed once for all, is his mission

of the Holy Spirit, 137. a third is, his erecting an external

polity and government, 138. Another sort of Christ's regal

acts are such as he hath always performed, and doth always

continue to perform; of which there are four: first, his par-

doning penitent offenders, the nature of which is explained,

141, the scripture attributes it both to Christ and God the

Father, 142. that both of them have an appropriate part in

it, 143. The part of God the Father is, first, to make a ge-

neral grant of pardon, 144. secondly, to make it in consi-

deration of Christ's death and sacrifice, 145. thirdly, to limit

it to believing and penitent sinners, 146. The part which

Christ performs in it is, to make an actual and particular

application of this general grant of his Father to particular

sinners upon their faith and repentance, 154. The second of

these regal acts of Christ is, his punishing obstinate offend-

ers, 156. a third is, his protecting and defending his people

and kingdom in this world, 158. the fourth is, his rewarding

his faithful subjects in the life to come, 162. The third and

last sort of Christ's regal acts are those which are yet to be

performed by him, of which there are three: first, he is yet

further to extend and enlarge his kingdom by a more uni-

versal conquest of his enemies, 165. secondly, he is yet to

destroy death, the last enemy, by giving a general resurrec-

tion, 170. This proved from his own resurrection, 171. The

objection against this argument, and the doctrine of the re-

surrection answered, 179. The manner of the resurrection de-

scribed at large from 1 Cor. xv. 42. p. 179. first, this mortal
body is to be the seed or material principle of our resurrec-

tion, 180. secondly, this seed must die and be corrupted be-

fore it is to be raised and quickened, 181. thirdly, this dead

seed is to be raised and quickened by the power of God, 183.

fourthly, it is to be raised and quickened into the proper

form and kind of a human body, 186. fifthly, this human

body is to be very much changed and altered, 188. The

change that will be made in the bodies of good men is four-

fold: first, from base and humble into glorious bodies, 189.

secondly, from earthly and fleshly into spiritual and hea-

venly, 190. thirdly, from weak and passive into active and

powerful, 192. fourthly, from corruptible and mortal into

incorruptible and immortal, 195. They will differ in degrees

of glory proportionably as they differ in degrees of perfec-

tion, 196. Of the woful change which the bodies of the

wicked will undergo, 198. The third and last of these regal

acts of Christ is, his judging the world; where, first, the

thing is proved that he shall judge the world, 200. secondly,

an account is given of the signs and forerunners of his com-

ing to judgment, 201. thirdly, the manner and circumstances

of his coming, 204. as, first, the place from whence he is to

come, ibid. secondly, the state wherein he is to come, 205.

thirdly, the carriage on which he is to come, 207. fourthly,

the train and equipage with which he is to come, 210. fifthly,

the place to which he is to come, 213. fourthly, the process

of this judgment, 215. and first of the judgment of the

righteous; wherein is implied, first, their citation or summons,

216. secondly, their personal appearance, 217. thirdly, their

trial, 218. fourthly, their sentence, 220. fifthly, their as-

sumption into the clouds of heaven, 222. The judgment of

the wicked implies also, first, their citation, 223. secondly,

their personal appearance, 224. thirdly, their trial, 226.

fourthly, their sentence, 227. fifthly, their execution, 228.

Secr. XII.
Concerning Christ's surrendering his kingdom.
Christ hath a twofold kingdom, viz. his essential kingdom,
which is coeternal with him, and can never be surrendered ;