The kingdom of Christ beginneth in this life, and is called the kingdom of grace, and it shall be perfected in the life to come, which is called the kingdom of glory. The kingdom of grace is that spiritual kingdom awherein Christ ruleth the harts of his elect by his word and spirit. And this kingdom he administered in the old Testament unto his elect, by Priests and Prophets, & in the beginning of the new Testament by John Baptist, and himself with his Disciples: But at the last he solemnly began to erect the same in the day ofb Pentecost, when he sent the holy Ghost to his holy Apostles, that they might go preach the Gospel to all nations. So then he hath ever continued his kingdom on earth, & shall continue it until he return to judgement, at which time he shall be ruler in the cmiddest of his enemies: whom he plagueth now and then, and destroyeth, ⟨p. 56⟩the last he cast them down, & make them his dfootstool in his most glorious ecoming, at which he shall free all his faithful members from all their afflictions, & carry them with him fto heaven, and make them partakers for ever of his heavenly kingdom, which then shall be the kingdom of glory, when all the Saints shall be translated to heaven, beautified and adorned in their souls with wisdom and holiness, in their bodies with great excellency and immortality, to be with Christ, in inspeakable joys and glory for ever and ever.
The kingdom of Christ beginneth in this life, and is called the kingdome of grace, and it shalbe perfected in the life to come, which is called the kingdome of glorie. The kingdome of grace is that spirituall kingdome awherin Christ ruleth the harts of his elect by his word and spirite. And this kingdome he administred in the old Testament vnto his elect, by Priestes and Prophets, & in the beginning of the new Testament by Iohn Baptist, and himselfe with his Disciples: But at the last he solemnely begā to erect the same in the day ofb Pentecost, whē he sent the holy Ghost to his holy Apostles, that they might go preach the Gospell to all nations. So then he hath euer continued his kingdome on earth, & shall continue it vntill he returne to iudgemēt, at which time he shalbe ruler in the cmiddest of his enemies: whom he plagueth now and then, and destroieth, ⟨p. 56⟩the last he cast them downe, & make them his dfootestoole in his most glorious ecō ming, at which he shall free all his faithfull members from all their afflictions, & cary them with him fto heauen, and make them partakers for euer of his heauenly kingdome, which then shalbe the kingdome of glorie, when all the Saints shalbe translated to heauen, beautified and adorned in their soules with wisedome and holinesse, in their bodies with great excellency and immortality, to be with Christ, in inspeakable ioyes and glorie for euer and euer.
- aJoh. 18.37.Ioh. 18.37.
- bAct. 2.
- cPsal. 110.2.
- dIbid. 1.
- e2. Thes. 2.8
- f1. Thess. 4.17.
