WHAT IS CHRISTES KINGDOME

A King is a person ordained by God,¹ to gouerne in a people and beare rule alone according to honest Lawes, and to haue power to reward the good, and punish the bad, & to defend his subiectes against their enimies, hauing no superiour gouernuor aboue him. The King of Kings, CHRIST,² is a person immediatelie ordeined of GOD, to gather and rule by his woorde and spirite his church, purchased by his blood; and to defend her beeing subiect vnto him and seruing him, against all her enimies both corporall and spirituall, and to rewarde her with eternall rewards, but to cast her enimies into euerlasting paines and torments.

Wherefore CHRISTES royall office is, First,³ to rule by his woorde and spirite his Church gathered out of all nations from the beginning of the woorlde. For that it may go well with vs vnder this King, it is not enough, if hee outwardly teach vs, what hee would haue vs, his subiectes, to perfourme, vnlesse also by his spirit he moue our heartes, and cause vs to bee obedient to his commaundements.

Secondly, To defend and preserue this his Church in this life against al both inward and outward, domesticall and forraine foes, which also he dooth perfourme, while not onlie by his power-ful hand hee is euer present with vs, but furnisheth vs also with those weapons, wherewith our selues also may constantlie and happilie enter the combat against our most mighty foes, and vtterly vanquish and discomfit them. This sacred harnesse and war-like furniture is described, Ephese. 6.13. Thirdly, To make his church partaker of the blessings of his kingdome, and to adorne her raised vp from dead with euerlasting glorie, & blisse. Fourthly, To ouercome & rule his enimies by his might & power, and at length to thrust them downe beeing falselie ouercome and conquered into eternall torments.

We are in this place to obserue the difference of the Prophetical, Priestlie, and roiall office, both of them who were in the olde Testament, and of Christ, and of our selues. In the olde Testament, they were types, or typicall Prophetes, Priestes, and Kings. Christ is indeede the true Prophet, King, and Priest which they prefigured: we are Prophetes, Kinges, and Priestes, by participation, as hauing Christs dignities communicated with vs. Now then, let vs see what is our propheticall, Priestly, and roial office.