for us that are Pastours to teach us what God requires at our hands who witnessed a good confession saieth the Apostle a better confession can none make nay this daunts the hearts of feeble minded Pastours they not dareing to shew forth their faithfullnesse to Christ and this is the maine point both in the confession of Christ the Prince of Pastours and of all that shall succeed him to avouch the Lord Iesus Christ to be King for the world is content of any thing else that wee can say of Christ they will allowe of his propheticall or priestly office but for him to rule and raigne that they will not indure they will not have him to be king It was no offence to Cesar that Christ was called a Prophet or a Priest by office but to call him selfe a King that brought him to his death Cesar cold not endure it so now a daies Kings and Princes will be content to have Christ called by any name that can be given him besides this but you must not say hee is a King the King of his Church every Magestrate now will be King himselfe of the Churche therefore the Papists call the Pope the King of the Church and those likewise that have shakeÌ„ off the Popes authority yet themselves will be Lords in Gods house and if Pastours will stand to maintaine that there is no other king in the Church but Christ alone there is nothing vnder heaven which will more endanger his life then this and yet this is the confession wee must stand vnto vnder the paine of loosing eternall life and this is that which Christ lost his life for and for this wee must be willing to lay downe our lives rather then to suffer any to be the King of Saints but Christ alone and therefore it is that the Apostle calls this a good confession But a man may aske me why this is called a good confession more then to have confessed Christ to be the onely high Priest and Prophet of his Church I answere that both these acknowledgments are good for we must not acknowledge any more high Priests to reconcile us to God but Christ alone and hee is the onely Prophet of his Church whose voice must onely be heard but why is this acknowledgment of him to be king called to be a good confession above the rest Certainly there is great reason for this and it is not without cause that in the scriptures of God this title is given to him more then any other titles all the kings of Israell were but tipes of him Salomon was but a shadow of him therefore the scriptures tell us that when the Iewes shall be gathered together they shall submit to David their king meaning Christ The reason of it is because in the Kingly office stands the crowne of his glory I say it againe that the crowne of his glorie stands in his Kingly office how â—o because God hath not given to any in heaven or earth by which a man can besaved but by the name of Iesus onely Now which is more the Apostle writing to the Ephesians in his first Chapter speaking of the mightie power of God that raised him up from the dead and set him at his owne right hand in the heavenly places far above all principallities and powers and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but in the world to come and hath put all things vnder his feet and gave him to be head over all things in the Church So the Apostle concludes the greatnesse of the sonne of God by this that God hath made him to be the head of the Church who is the fullnesse of him that filleth all things so that this exaltation of Christ to glorie and the dignitie which Christ is exalted vnto above all men or angells this is the cheife glory and honour of the sonne of God wee shall speake somewhat more of this hereafter how that all the other offices of Christ they are but servile Christ doth abase himselfe to be the Prophet of his Church and hee was not ashamed to take vpon him to teach the law of God to the people with his owne mouth neither was hee ashamed to take upon him to be our Priest to offer to God for sinnes of the world in all these hee was abased and suffered himselfe in a manner to be spoiled of his honour and glorie but when hee comes to his Kingdome which hee sheweth by his resurrection and when hee hath prevailed against his enimies and had subdued sinne and Sathan then hee stands triumphing in heaven and there sits at the right-hand of God and herein stands his dignitie and it is a wonderfull thing that the world considers it not those which were the former offices to be Prophet or Priest in his Church stands in the abasing and humiliation of the sonne of God but in his kingly office stands his exaltation this is his dignity and Royall prerogative hee that medleth with it medleth with the cheifest dignitie of Christ Furthermore as the former 2. offices of Christ are but servile functions so the third by vertue of his exaltation makes the other 2. both effectuall both his word as Prophet or of his sufferings as a Priest depends vpon his Royall power for except hee have power over all things hee were not able to keepe us in his feare nor present us into the favour of God nor make it effectuall to salvation for Sathan and sinne and the world would prevaile against us but Christ by his power is stronger then all so as neither man nor angell can make frustrate that which hee hath done for his Church therefore hee is said to be declared to be the sonne of God by the resurrection from the dead who was ever able to loose the sorrowes of death but hee which is stronger then death Christ therefore by death destroyed death and him that had the power of death the divell and for this cause Christ saieth speaking of the vertue of his exaltation to wit his Blessing when to his owne hee saieth every one that thirsteth should come vnto him and hee would give them the waters of life this hee spake of the spirit because Christ was not yet glorifyed for vntill hee was set in his Kingdome hee could not dispence his spirit to his disciples as afterwards hee did therefore when hee was to depart from his Disciples hee gave them commandement that they should not depart from Ierusalem till hee had indued them with vertue from above the world must be subdued to Christ and therefore hee could not dispence that measure of the spirit till after his ascension then did hee send the Holy ghost downe vpon them and indued them with all vertues necessary to speake all languages constantly to preach the gospell notwithstanding the opposition of men so this was verified likewise in the prophesie of Micha concerning the powring forth of
the spirit upon all flesh it shewes the great aboundance of grace that Christ should give his elect hee being glorified being made the head of the Church and was possessed with all power to give grace so this worke of his Kingdome is that which wee must take to heart as being the ground of our comfort to wit that the King of Saints as hee is called in the Revelation hee is with us hee it is that fighteth our battells against the dragon and the whore his might and power onely prevailes and the scripture telleth us that if wee will fight valiantly Christ shall tread Sathan vnder our feet all our strength stands in his strength as the Apostle saieth hee was able to abound and to want and to do all things through Christ that strengthened him elsewhere hee saieth with what power hee laboureth to convert men vnto God by power from him which worketh mightily in him where he did acknowledge that all the power he had to doe any good in Gods howse was even in Christ the sonne of God alone therefore saith he it is not I but the grace of God that is in mee seing then that all the vertue of a Preacher and strenght of a Christian and all the vertue of Christs mediation suffering depends upon Christs Kingdome and power how much the more should we consider this with ioy as the Cheife ground of our consolation in all dangers to vvit that Christ the Lord hath all povver given him in heaven and in earth to give eternall life to those that the Father hath given vnto him as hee saieth of himselfe the end of Gods giving such great povver vnto Christ is that hee may bring his Children vnto glorie therefore is hee called the Prince of our salvation and he saieth Christ being to bring many to glory to consecrate the Prince of their salvation vvell then this point being of such high moment it is not vvithout cause that the Apostle in this case calleth this confession of Christ a good confession which is nothing but his professing himselfe to be King And the reason of it may likewise be this because Christs propheticall and Priestly office are in two respects more easily imbraced then his kingly office first in what respect they are more manifested and more sensible and more easie to be seene of the world then his Kingly power for hee was seene to teach on earth and hee taught with authoritie and not as the scribes and Pharises did and hee performed his Priestly office in the sight of all the world the world heard him preach and the world saw him die these are not things of much secrecie as this is to wit this man so base on earth that now they should see him Crowned with honour and glory there is great difference betweene the glory of his messengers here and the glory of the servants or messengers of earthly kings for the one is wholly earthly the other is wholly spirituall and heavenly so that so farre as heaven differs from earth so farre differs Christs Kingdome from the Kingdoms of the earth his Kingdome stands not in fleshly pompe but it stands wholly in the spirit and power of it So this brings us to the second point of his confession to wit that his Kingdome was not of this world the Iewes would have made Christ a King but hee refused as hee was a King so hee was constant to avouch the matter of his kingdome to be spirituall and not carnall why should we that are his ministers make his glorie and his kingdome a worldly kingdome Doe we not thereby falsify Gods trueth seeing our master refused all carnall and wordly authoritie but onely the power of the spirit why should we seeke after a carnall glory and pompe when the glory of the sonne of God and his kingdome is not of this world Certainly the lesse we are in the world and the lesse we are like to men in worldly honour the more like we are to the sonne of God if we be cloathed with grace with Sanctification and the trueth of God dwell in us plentifully this should be our honour and thus we see how we are bound to place the kingdome of Christ in this wherein it stands certainely all earthly power is so farre from appertaining to the kingdome of Christ as that those that seeke it walke not with an even foote in the ministrie neither doth he the part of a faithfull Minister the Apostle hath a strange saying and yet a true one if our gospell be hid it is hid in them that perish vvhom the God of this world hath blinded for we preach not our selves but Christ Iesus the Lord and our selves your servants for Christs sake and that the excellencie of the power may be of God and of Christ that all the world may see that the power of our Ministrie is not from our selves that we should force your consciences to submit vnto the sonne of God for our Ministrie is wholly spirituall as the Apostle tels us that all the weapons of our warfare are from God in heaven they are not carnall but mightie through God it is God that makes the gospell powerfull and that makes the labours of mortall men powerfull to subdue men to obedience Thus to be briefe the second point of Christs confession is to disclame his kingdome from being a worldly kingdome therefore vve should Disclame all worldly pompe and not compare Christ to any worldly pettie king for it is wholy spirituall as the Lord saith to his peoples to comfort them against the Egyptians hee saith the Egyptians are flesh and not spirit as if hee would say they are but flesh and therefore they can doe nothing against the spirit The 3. point of his confession was this that hee came into the world and was borne to this end to beare witnesse of the trueth wherefore this is to teach Pastoures to follow his footesteps and to know what is our calling wherefore the Lord hath sent us into this world which was to beare witnesse of the trueth God hath not sent us into this world to beare witnesse vnto a lye nor to justifie any falshood but to maintaine the trueth vntill death as Christ avouched this to be his office and hee did accordingly so should we that are Pastours acknowledge this to be our office not to justify mens lies but to beare witnesse and record to Gods trueth so we see this affords great instruction for us to shew us wherein our felicitie stands especially in witnessing him to be our King and his Kingdome not to be of this world thus the penitent theefe did beleeve that hee was a King and that his Kingdome was not of this world therefore he besought him to remember him when hee came in his Kingdome and that we are sent of God to beare witnesse vnto his truth and for this we are to lay downe our lives it is a wofull thing to
power last his power is this because he is the onely Potentate that is he is the Lord of al powers and principalityes the argument is this he that is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords he must needs be the onely potentate in heaven and earth and so it is that God is the head of all principallityes and powers therefore he must needs bee the onely Potentate It is strange that this argument should hold since it is graunted that there are manie Kings and Lords besides God how then can this prove God to be the onely Potentate there being other Kings and Lords besides him It would seeme by this property here ascribed unto God that it would confirme the false fancyes of the Anabaptists who hold that now under the Gospell there should be no Magistrate but God onely because in the New Testament he is called the onely Potentate and this is one of their grownds wherupon they build their opinion but the argument of the Apostle doth manifest the contrary so the argument is set down by the Apostle in great wisdome for this argumente doth not take away all Magistrates in the world but onely makes God to be over them all to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords now if there were no more Kings nor Lords but God alone how could he then be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords So that the very words of the Apostles argument doe confute this vanity and lets us see that the authority which he claymes to God doth not take away mans authority over their subjects but lets that remain still notwithstanding that God is King of Kings and Lord of Lords But to understand aright what is the Apostles meaning in his argument it is of great force for God is said to be King of Kings in divers respects first because there is not a King or Lord but by him it is and by him Kings reigne it is he onely that rayseth to authority and none but he so for this reason God is said to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords because they have not their authority but from God and this is that for which Nabuchadnezar that great king of Babell did suffer such a great judgmente from God as to be cast out from amongst men and to live among beasts for the space of seven years that he might know that the most high had rule over the Kingdoms of men as Daniel tells him in plain termes because he in the pride of his heart did think he had raysed himself to his honour when these words came out of his mouth Js not this great Babell which I have built for mine honour and Honour of my Kingdom Immediately his kingdome was taken from him untill he was forced to acknowledge that the most high had rule over men this is a fearfull spectacle to teache kings to know from whom they have their kingdoms and their authority Pilate when he did boast of his authority to Christ saying unto him knowest thou not I can save thee or take thy life from thee Christ answered him thou couldest not have anie power over mee except it were given thee from above This is the first reason why God is called the king of kings and Lord of Lords because it is not by succession nor by birth that kings come to rule over others but by the speciall providence of God and this is the reason why we must reverence them that are in authority because saith the Apostle all authority is of God The second reason why God is called the kinge of kings is this because he never made king yet of absolute power he never yet made an absolute king on earth but allwaies made them substitutes to himself in authority reserving to himself the supream authority over them to thrust them out of their thrones whensoever it pleased him All the kings of the world are but subjects to the king of heaven so that even in their ruling and exercising of their power they are to know there is another power above them unto which they must give an accompt of all their doings for the Lord will not let the power he hath over them to goe out of his own hands so that no kings nor Lords have anie power to doe as they list It is blasphemie to say that anie king hath absolute power for that is asmuch as to sett him in the throne of God for there is no absolute king but God alone and this is the second reason why the spirit of God describes the power of God after this māner to prove him the onely Potentate if he that is a king have another power above him which is the Lord thē must this Lord bee the onely Potētate but every king hath the Lord above him so as he cā hold it no longer then it pleaseth him neither can his race injoy it longer then God will suffer it therefore the Lord tooke away the kingdoms from some and gave it to others he tooke away authority from the house of David and gave it to Ieroboam and for the iniquityes of Ieroboam he tooke it from Ahab and gave it unto Iehu manie changes of kingdoms the Lord hath made taking kings out of their thrones and placing their enimies in their places to let us see that kings are not absolute Lords on earth but they are at the Lords disposing at his pleasure Thus we see the third reason proved wherfore the Apostle describes the power of God after this manner that by necessary evidences he concludes the main point Since there is not a power or Potentate but God is the onely Potentate to doe with men as himself please it is he that casteth down and it is he that rayseth up and thus he will have all men to know but specially his ministers to know this There is a fourth reason of this manner of describing God and that is for the comfort of his children which I have touched before to arm them against all the terrours of kings that the terrour of no power make them to dispence with the ordinaunces of this great Potentate therfore he would imprint this in their mindes that God is the king of kings therfore no king can doe more harm to them then it pleaseth God this is comfort and the same which Christ gives his desciples in the tenth of Matthew where he bids them not to fear them that can onely kill the body for he tells them that their lives are more precious then birds and are there not so manie sparrows sold for a farthing and yet not one of them shall fall to the grownd without the providence of God therefore Christ knowing that power was given over him though he could have prayed to his Father and obteyned legions of Angells yet he would not because he knew there was no resistance of Gods will therefore he comforts himself against the loosing of Pilate that hee had no power but was given him
hand to give it to thee to continew it and to restore it when it is taken from thee this consideration is of great moment to preserve us not to offend this God for the pleasure of any Potentate in the world since all the world cannot give mee life nor continue life and when I am dead and life is gone none in heaven or earth can restore me to life except God do it why then should I not be carefull that I offend not this God nay farre be it from me for to do it for any flesh in the world O let us be carefull that wee provoke not this good God to wrath who hath given us life that in his wrath we provoke him not to take it from us againe seeing that God onely gave it mee to honour him am I not bound to consecrate my life to him alone not to obey any creature to disobey him it was not my father or mother that gave mee life but the Lord onely who is the Lord onely who is the Lord of life hee hath put life into me therefore neither for father nor mother should I give my life otherwise then for the honour of God O but some may say if I do so so these men will take away my life from mee have they power to doe it without God saith not Christ feare not them which can kill the body but rather feare him which can cast both soule and body into hell fire and he said againe are not there two sparrowes sold for a farthing and yet not one of them falls on the ground without the providence of our heavenly father how much better are yee then many sparrowes if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground nor any man can take away the life of it without Gods providence than surely all the tirants of the world cannot take away thy life except the Lord suffer them the Lord Iesus himselfe giveth a sweet warning to his disciples when hee saieth to them Rise let us go to Iudea againe his disciples said unto him Master the Iewes of late sought to stone thee goest thou then thither they thought it an hard saying of Christ that they should goe thither againe but Iesus answered them said are there not 12. howers in the day if any man walke in the day he stumbleth not because hee hath the light seeth the light of this world but if a man walke in the night hee stumbleth because there is no light in him What means Christ by this hee meanes by this to tell them that as lōg as the day of mans life doth last which hath a period sett so long he goes without feare as hee that walketh in the day feares not for the Lord is with him but if they walke in the night that is if the time appointed of their life be at an end he must fall then letting us thereby understand that men may walke in their lawfull callings without feare for all the world cannot make him stumble if God give them not leave as Christ said concerning Herod tell that foxe I must walke to day to morrow untill the third day which is appointed of God for mee so that wee may see that none can give us life but God so in the last place when wee are dead none can restore our souls and bodies to life againe but God onely therefore wee must not consecrate our life to any but to God alone these considerations are worthy to be laid up in our hearts Besides these considerations of Gods quickning all things it is an especiall ground of our faith as it is written concerning Abrahā I have made thee a father of many nations before God hee beleeved the word of God even that God that quickneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were and this was that which made Abraham to walke stedfastly with God because hee knew as the Apostle boasteth saying I am persuaded that neither life nor death nor any other creature can seperate mee from the love of God death is not able to keepe me under the power of it for Christ by death hath overcome death as the Apostle affirmeth if the spirit of him which raised Christ from the dead dwell in your mortall bodies even hee that raised the Lord Iesus shall likewise raise your mortall bodies by the same spirit so that this is the ground of our faith and hope to wit that God quickneth all things and this made Abraham to be obedient ready to offer up his sonne Isaack for hee knew that notwithstanding God would not faile to make good what he had promissed in the person of Isaack To conclude this point at this time there be manifold considerations of this argument to strengthen all Pastours especialy in their calling that they pervert not Gods word for any mans pleasure in the world for if I looke to their lives that will oppresse mee or if I shall looke to my owne life I shall finde it to be a great terrour to keepe mee from displeasing God in my calling for any mans pleasure first if I consider their lives they have it from God and as their life is from God so is all their working power that they cannot stirre a foote further then it pleaseth God for God can cut off their daies in an instant is it not then a vaine thing to feare man whose breath is in his nostrils it being so easy a matter for God to take away the life of all flesh how dare I then sinne against God to obey any man Secondly if I cōsider mine owne life I have no cause to obey man and to sinne against God seeing none can take my life away but God and none can give it mee but hee which gave it therefore I should onely feare him who gave mee life and can take it from mee and thus wee see how the spirit of God in this particular consideration of God who quickneth all things laies a strong ground to all Pastours Teachers for to harken unto this Charge that they violate not this commandement OF this great grave weightie Conclusion beloved in the Lord wherewithall the Apostle ends his Doctrine which concernes the ordering of the affaires of Gods howse aright according to the will of God wee began to speake to you the last time and wee did shew you the reason why the Apostle did ad this so weightie grave Charge and Commandement to Timothie a man otherwise of excellent guifts it was to let us see that these things are not of humane invention but of divine authoritie they are things which are not to be dispenced with all as men may dispence with the precepts of men for they are the Commandements of the living God otherwise the Apostle would never have charged Timothie and in him all Pastours in such a manner as in the sight of God and of Christ Iesus to
no man ever saw this light nor can see it Abraham never sawe him nor Moses never saw him neither can anie man see that unapproachable light that he dwells in all which doth let us see the incomprehensiblenes of the glory of God if all the Angells in heaven and all the men in earth should putt their witts in one yet they could never see Gods face as he is it is but the back parts of God that ever anie man saw or attayned to for God faith himself that it is impossible for man to see God and live well then how shall we resolve these phrases of scripture where it is said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and the Apostle saith we now see but in parte darkly as in a glasse but then we shall see him face to face How can this be true if none can see God To resolve this doubtfull point the Scriptures lead us to the knowledge of the divers kinds of the sight of God first there is a sight of God which is perfect secōdly there is a sight of God which is imperfect the perfect sight of God no man cā see but Christ neither Angell nor mā ever had or shall have the full and perfitt sight of the Majesty of God it cannot be seen for it is infinite and incomprehensible which cannott be comprehended by anie creature no not by gloryfied men nor glorifyed creature for the brightnes of God is such that it woud strike to death man or Angell if he should behold it therefore no man or Angell can see it and live as God said to Moses my face can no man see and live yet if anie man could have seen God Moses could but the Lord tels him my back parts thou majest see but my face shall no man see that is we may have an obscure sight of God as Moses had but a perfitt sight of God can no man have in heaven the Angells dare not behold Gods glory and therfore in the 6. Esay the Angells are said to have 6. wings with two they cover their faces and with two they cover their feet and with two they fly They had two to cover their faces to let us see that they dare not sett their eies upon the immediate Majesty of God they could not indure the brightnes of Gods nature if it were exposed to their sight immediately so this perfect sight of God is proper to God himself and Christ and no man els besides himself An imperfect sight of God the saincts may have and that we may know the bounds and the limitts of it we must first know the end of it and the fruit of it and that will let as see what it is to see God The ends of the sight of God are twolfold or wee may observe it in one and that is that we may be like him all similitudes of God flowe from our sight of God here in this world and in that which is to come there is no conformity to God nor likenes to him but by the shining of Gods light upon us therfore it is that in this world he sends such a light amongst us as is able to make us like unto him in grace though not in glory the small light we get in the Gospell is to shew with open face the glory of God it puts the image of God in righteousnes and holines upon us and it is given us to this end to beget us again and to translate us from the similitude of sinfull flesh to the glorious image of God see therfore what conformity in holines and righteousnes God hath appointed us in this life according to this he gives us a sight of himself in the Gospell it is a glasse wherin we may see God and according as he givs us a sight of himself so doth he conform us to his image and the measure of our conformity to God doth arise from the measure of our sight of God if we had a greater measure of the sight of righteousnes possesse us we should have a greater measure of the sight of God so that is the reason of this light that God reveales to us in this world that we may see the glory of God manifested in Christ Iesus that we may attain to this blessednes in this life to be like unto him There is yet more a second degree of blessednes in the sight of God which is not onely to have a similitude like unto God in holines but in glory and immortality we shall not onely be made righteous and holy but immortall and glorious this doth proceed from the sight of God when Christe shall come again in the cloudes then shall mortalitye be swallowed up of immortality but this effect of the sight of God cannot come to passe untill we attain such a sight of God as the Scriptures speake when he saith we are now the sons of God but when Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall we also appear with him in glory The sight that we have of God in this life though it be but a poore sight yet is effectuall to regeneration and it is as farre as sinfull man can see him here and yet this sight of God is nothing to that he is in himself and to that which we shall see in him at the last daye So likewise that sight we shall receive at Christs coming again it shall not be the sight of Gods Majesty immediately but we shall see this God clothed with his manhood for the fullnes of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodyly the Godhead is overshadowed with the flesh of Christ and we cā never see it but in and thorow his flesh his flesh is the vaile and except through this vaile wo cannot see the Majesty of God in heaven now this glorious light of his godhead which we shall see in heaven through the flesh of Christ is not the essenciall glorie of the deity but the created glory that is putt upon the manhood of Christ which glory of the manhood shall transform our flesh to the similitude of the same glory so that the sight we shall have of God in heaven shal be an earthly object in the glorifyed body of the sone of God take away this flesh of the sonne God in heaven and neither man nor Angell can see the Lord therefore in the 3. Chapter of this Epistle the Apostle tells us that Christ was manifested in the flesh and seen of Angells the Angells durst not looke upon God before but had two wings to cover their faces they durst not see the Majesty of God untill God had put this vaile upon it and then the Angells did see it which is one of the greatest points of the mystery of godlines Since then there is no happines but in conforming ourselvs to God in Holines in immortality and glory and that by the sight of him what will that teach us it should teach us to labour to see this