Thy kingdom come— 2. The kingdom of God being universal and everlasting (Psalms 145:13.), these words cannot be understoodof it; but of the kingdom of the Messiah, which is also called The kingdom of God, ch. Matthew 3:2. There are in the coming of this kingdom several steps to be observed:—The resurrection of Jesus Christ, his ascension, and the sending down of the Holy Ghost, were the beginnings of it. Acts 2:32; Acts 2:36. The preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles extended it beyond the bounds of Judaea, especially when, after the destruction of Jerusalem, and the utter extirpation of the ceremonial law, the earthly kingdom of Judaea, over which God in a peculiar sense presided, entirely ceased, and the Gospel came to be preached over the known world. This kingdom has ever since enlarged its bounds, as the Gospel has been by degrees, received in the world, and will continue to enlarge itself, till our adorable Redeemer has put all enemies under his feet. What we desire or pray for in this second petition is, the advancement and progress of the Gospel; obedience to the faith or doctrine of Christ, and his appearance in glory. See 2 Timothy 4:8. Romans 8:19; Romans 8:39. Revelation 17:18. It may be paraphrased thus: "May thy kingdom of grace come quickly, and swallow up all the kingdoms of the earth; may all mankind, receiving thee, O Christ, for their king, and truly believing in thy name, be filled with righteousness and peace and joy; with holiness and happiness, till they are removed hence into thy kingdom of glory, there to reign with thee for ever and ever."
Thy will be done in earth, &c.— 3. In this third petition we pray not that God may do his own will, as Dr. Whitby observes, nor that the will of his providence may be done upon us; neither do we pray that we may become equal to the angels in perfection, or that God may compel us to do his will; but that, in consequence of the coming of his kingdom, or the establishment of the Gospel in the world, men may be enabled to imitate the angels, by giving such a sincere, universal, and constant obedience to the divine commands, as the present state of human nature will admit of. This is the most humble, as well as the most prudent wish, that it is possible for the creature to express; because it implies that the Supreme Being will do nothing but what is for the interest of his creatures, who simply and wholly depend upon him; and that he knows better than they what is for their real good. Dr. Heylin joins the two petitions of this verse together; because, says he, they have a mutual dependence, and may best serve to explain each other. The latter, wherein we pray that we may do the will of God on earth, as the angels do it in heaven, might seem a strange, or perhaps presumptuous, certainly an impossible request, had we not been first taught to say, Thy kingdom come. If the kingdom of God comes; that is to say, if God vouchsafes to govern us, he will subdue all our enemies under our feet; a sceptre of justice is the sceptre of his kingdom. It will bring every thought into subjection; it will animate and govern our souls, as our souls do our bodies, and make us do his will on earth as the angels do it in heaven.