AN EXPLICATION OF THE HVNDRETH AND TENTH PSALME WHEREIN The severall Heads of CHRISTIAN Religion therein contained touching the Exaltation of Christ the Scepter of his Kingdome the Character of his Subjects His Priesthood Victories Sufferings and Resurrection are largely explained and applied Being the Substance of severall Sermons preached at LINCOLNS INNE By EDWARD REYNOLDES sometimes Fellow of Merton Colledge in Oxford late Preacher to the foresaid Honorable Society and Rector of the Church of Braunston in Northhampton-shire LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Robert Bostocke and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the Kings Head 1632. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THOMAS LORD COVENTRY Baron of Ailsborough and Lord Keeper of the great Seale of England c. Most Noble Lord IT was the devout profession which Saint Austin once made of himselfe when speaking of the great delight which hee tooke in Ciceroes Hortensius as containing a most liberall exhortation to the love of wisdome without any bias or partiality towards sects he affirmeth that the heate of this his delight was by this onely reason abated because there was not in that booke to bee found the Name of Christ without which Name nothing though otherwise never so polite and elaborate could wholly possesse those affections which had beene trained to a nobler studie And Gregory Nazianzen that famous Divine setteth no other price upon all his Athenian learning wherein hee greatly excelled but onely this that hee had something of worth to esteeme as nothing in comparison of Christ herein imitating the example of S. Paul who though hee profited in the Iewish Religion above many others yet when the Sonne of God was revealed in him laid it all aside as losse and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Iesus his Lord. The consideration of which sacred affections in those holy men together with the many experiences of your Lordships abundant favor hath put into mee a boldnesse beyond my naturall disposition to prefix so great a name before these poore pieces of my labours in Gods Church Other argument in this booke there is none to procure either your Lordships view or patronage than this one which that good Father could not finde in all the writings of Plato or Cicero that it hath that High and holy Person for the Subject thereof the knowledge of whom is not onely our greatest learning but our Eternall Life In this confidence I have presumed to present unto your Lordship this publike Testimony of my most humble duty and deep obligations for your many thoughts of favour and bounty towards me not in my selfe onely but in others unto whom your Lordships goodnesse hath vouchsafed under that respect to overflow The Lord Iesus our eternall Melchisedek meet your Lordship in al those honorable affaires which hee hath called you unto with the constant refreshment and benediction of his holy Spirit and long preserve you a faithfull Patrone of the Church which hee hath purchased with his owne blood and a worthy instrument of the justice honour and tranquilitie of this kingdome Your Lordships most humbly devoted Ed. Reynolds To the Reader CHristian Reader when I was first perswaded to communicate some of my poore labours to the publike my purpose was to have added unto those Treatises which were extant before so much of these which I now present unto thy view as concerneth the Elogies of the Gospell of Christ the instrument of begetting the life of Christ in us for little reason had I considering mine owne weakenesse the frequent returnes of that service wherein these pieces were delivered and the groning of the presse of late under writings of this nature to trouble the world a second time with any more of my slender provisions towards the worke of the Sanctuary in this abundance which is on every side brought in But finding that worke grow up under mine hand into a just volume and conceiving that it might bee both more acceptable and usefull to handle a whole Scripture together especially being both of so noble a nature and at first view of so difficult a sense as this Psalme is than to single out some verse and fragment by it selfe I therefore resolved once more to put in my Mite into the Treasurie of the Temple which though for no other reason may yet I hope be for this cause accepted because it beareth the Image and Inscription of Christ upon it Some passages therein are inserted which were delivered in another order and on other Scriptures and some likewise which were delivered in other places and on other occasions which yet being pertinent to the series of the discourse I thought might justly seeme as naturall parts and not as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incoherent and unsuteable pieces Such errors as have escaped in the presse and the unfitnesse of some of the Titles of the Pages which in my farre absence from the presse while most of the booke was under it were ordered by others who attended upon it I shall desire thee courteously to passe by those greater slips which may haply perturbe the sense I have noted together So submitting my poore labours to thy favourable Censure and commending thee to the Blessing of God I rest E. R. A Table of the Contents CHrist Iesus the summe of Holy Scriptures Pag. 1 The Ordination of Christ unto his Kingdome 6 The Qualifications of Christ for his Kingdome 7 The Qualitie of Christs Kingdome 9 How the will is drawen unto Christ. 11 Subjection unto the Kingdome of Christ. 12 How Christ is a Lord to his people and to his fore-fathers 17 The right hand of God 22 Christs sitting at Gods right hand noteth 1 His glorious Exaltation 23 All strength from his exciting and assisting grace 25 2 His accomplishing all his workes on earth 29 3 The actuall Administration of his Kingdome 33 4 The giving of gifts unto men 34 The Arke how a Type of Christ. 35 How the Spirit was given before Christ and how after 37 The difference was in the Manner of his mission pag. 39. The difference was in the Subjects to whom hee was sent pag. 39. The difference was in the Measure of his grace in regard of knowledg p. 42 The difference was in the Measure of his grace in regard of strength p. 42 The Reason of the Spirits Mission How the Spirit is a comforter to the Church 43 1 By being our Advocate and how 44 2 By representing Christ absent to the soule 47 3 By a sweete and fruitfull illumination  4 By unspeakable and glorious joy 48 How the Spirit worketh this joy in the heart 49 By his Acts of Humbling By his Acts of Healing By his Acts of Renewing By his Acts of Preserving By his Acts of Fructifying By his Acts of Sealing Enmitie against Christ in all his Offices 56 Grounds of misperswasion touching our love to Christ 1 The countenance of Princes and publick Laws 59 2 The
Wee have a Holy Catholick Church gathered together by the Scepter of his Kingdome and holding in the parts thereof a blessed and beautifull Communion of Saints The Lord shall send forth the Rod of thy strength out of Sion Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holinesse from the wombe of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth Wee have the last Iudgment for all his enemies must bee put under his feete which is the Apostles argument to prove the end of all things 1 Cor. 15.25 and there is the day of his wrath wherein he shall accomplish that judgment over the heathen and that victorie over the Kings of the earth who take counsell and bandie themselves against him which he doth here in his word beginne We have the Remission of sinnes comprised in his Priesthood for hee was to offer Sacrifice for the remission of sinnes and to put away sinne by the Sacrifice of himselfe Eph. 1.7 He. 9.26 Wee have the Resurrection of the Bodie because he must subdue all his enemies under his feete and the last enemie to bee subdued is death as the Apostle argues out of this Psalme 1 Cor. 15.25 26. And lastly wee haue life everlasting in the everlasting merit and vertue of his Priesthood Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek and in his sitting at the right hand of God whither he is gone as our forerunner and to prepare a place for us Heb. 6.20 Ioh. 14.2 and therefore the Apostle from his sitting there and living ever inferreth the perfection and certaintie of our salvation Rom. 6.8.11 Rom. 8.17 Eph. 2.6 Col. 3.1 2 3 4. 1 Cor. 15.49 Phil. 3.20 21. 1 Thess. 4.14 Heb. 7 25. 1 Ioh. 3.2 The Summe then of the whole Psalme without any curious or artificiall Analysis wherein every man according to his owne conceite and method will varie from other is this The Ordination of Christ unto his Kingdome together with the dignitie and vertue thereof v. 1. The Scepter or Instrument of that Kingly power v. 2. The strength and successe of both in recovering maugre all the malice of enemies a Kingdome of willing subjects and those in multitudes unto himselfe v. 2 3. The Consecration of him unto that everlasting Priesthood by the vertue merit whereof he purchased this Kingdome to himselfe v. 4. The Conquest over all his strongest and most numerous adversaries v. 5 6. The proofe of all and the way of effecting it in his sufferings and exaltation Hee shall gather a Church and hee shall confound his enemies because for that end he hath finished broken through all the sufferings which hee was to drinke of and hath lifted up his head againe Vers. 1. The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole Here the Holy Ghost beginnes with the Kingdome of Christ which hee describeth and magnifieth â— By his unction and obsignation thereunto The Word or Decree of his Father The Lord said 2 By the Greatnesse of his person in himselfe and yet neernesse in bloud and nature unto us My Lord. 3 By the Glorie power and heavenlinesse of this his Kingdome for in the administration thereof he sitteth at the right hand of his Father Sit thou at my right hand 4 By the Continuance and Victories thereof Vntill I make thy foes thy footstoole The Lord said Some read it certainly or assuredly said by reason of the affinity which the originall word hath with Amen from which it differs onely in the transposition of the same radicall letters Which would afford this observation by the way That all which Gods saies of or to his Sonne is very faithfull true For which cause the Gospell is by speciall Emphasis called The Word of Truth Eph. 1.13 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A faithfull saying worthy of all acceptation 1 Tim. 1.15 Or most worthy to be beleeved and embraced For so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being applied unto the Gospell signifie Ioh. 1.12 Ioh. 3.33 Act. 17.11 Being opposite unto 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 13.46 But the principall thing here to bee noted is The Decree appointment Sanctification and sealing of Christ unto his Regall Office For the Word of God in the Scripture signifies his Blessing Power Pâ—easure Ordination Man liveth not by bread alone but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God Matth. 4.4 That is by that command which the creatures have received from God to nourish by that Benediction and Sanctification which maketh every Creature of God good unto us 1 Tim. 4.5 Gods saying is ever doing something his words are operative and carry an unction and authoritie along with them Whence we may note That Christs Kingdome belongs to him not by usurpation intrusion or violence but legally by order decree investiture from his Father All Kings raigne by Gods providence but not alwayes by his approbation They have set up Kings but not by mee they have made Princes and I knew it not Amos 8.4 But Christ is a King both by the providence and by the Good will and immediate Consecration of his Father He loveth him hath given all things into his hand Ioh. 3.35 He judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to his Sonne Ioh. 5.22 That is hath entrusted him with the oeconomie and actuall administration of that power in the Church which originally belonged unto himselfe He hath made him to be Lord and Christ Act. 2.36 Hee hath ordained him to bee Iudge of quicke and dead Act. 10.42 Hee hath appointed him over his owne house Heb. 3.2.6 He hath crowned him put all things in subjection under his feete Heb. 2.7 8. Hee hath highly exalted him and given him a name above every name Phil. 2.9 Therefore hee calleth him My King set up by him upon his owne holy hill and that in the vertue of a solemne decree Psal. 2.6 7. But wee must here distinguish betweene Regnum naturale Christs naturall Kingdom which belongeth unto him as God coessentiall and coeternall with his Father and Regnum oeconomicum his Dispensatory Kingdom as he is Christ the Mediator which was his not by Nature but by Donation and unction from his Father that hee might be the Head of his Church a Prince of Peace a King of Righteousnesse unto his people In which respect he had conferr'd upon him all such meete qualifications as might fit him for the dispensation of this Kingdome 1 God prepared him a Bodie or a Humane nature Heb. 10.5 and by the grace of personall and Hypostaticaâ—l union caused the Godhead to dwell Bodily in him Col. 2.9 2 He anointed him with a fulnesse of his Spirit not such a fulnesse as Iohn Baptist and Stephen had Luk. 1.15 Act. 7.55 which was still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fulnesse of a measure or vessel a
present and things to come all are yours saith the Apostle Death it selfe and persecutions are amongst the legacies of Christ unto the Church and a portion of all that goodnesse with which in the Gospell shee is endowed It containes the glory of Gods power and strength for it is the Power of God unto salvation as hath beene declared It containeth the glory of Gods grace The grace of his favour towards us and the grace of his Spirit in us The Law was given by Moses but grace came by Christ that is favour in stead of Gods fury and strength in stead of mans infirmitie for because man was unable to fulfill the Law therefore the Law came with wrath and curses against man but in the Gospell of Christ there is abundance even a whole kingdome of grace the Apostle saith that by Iesus Christ grace raigned there is grace to remove the curse of the Law by Gods favour towards us so that on all sides the Law is weake unable by reason of mans sinne to save and unable by reason of Gods favour to condemne and there is grace to remove the weaknesse of man by Gods Spirit in us for though our owne spirit lust unto envie or set it selfe proudly against the Law of God yet hee giveth more grace that is strength enough to overcome the counterlustings of the flesh against his will and to enable us in sincerity and evangelicall perfection to fulfill the commands of the Law Lastly it containeth in some sort the glory of Gods heavenly kingdome in that therein are let in the glimpses and first fruits the seales and assurances thereof unto the soule by the promises testimonies and comforts of the Spirit And therefore it is frequently called the Gospell of the kingdome and the mysteries of the kingdome of God namely that kingdome which beginneth here but shall never end As if a man borne in Ireland bee afterwards transplanted into England though he change his countrey he doth not change his King or his Law but is still under the same government so when a Christian is translated from earth to heaven he is still in the same kingdome in heaven it is the kingdome of glory mended much by the different excellencie of the place and preferment of the person in earth it is the same kingdome though in a lesse amene and comfortable climate the kingdome of the Gospell These and many other the like things are the glorious matters which the Gospell containeth Here then wee see how and wherein we are to looke upon God so as that wee may abide his glory and bee comforted by it wee must not looke upon him in his owne immediate brightnesse and essence nor by our sawcie curiosities prie into the secrets of his unrevealed glory for he is a consuming fire an invisible and unapprochable light we may see his back-parts in the proclaiming of his mercy and wee may see the hornes or bright beames of his hands in the publishing of his Law but yet all this was under a cloud or under the biding of his Power His face no man can see and live Wee must not looke upon him onely in our selves Though wee might at first have seene him in our owne nature for we were created after his Image in righteousnesse and true holinesse yet now that Image is utterly obliterated and we have by nature the Image onely of Satan and the old Adam in us we must not looke upon him onely in mount Sinai in his Law lest the fire devoure us and the dart strike us thorow we can finde nothing of him there but rigour inexorablenesse wrath and vengeance But we must acquaint our selves with him in his Sonne wee must know him and whom he hath sent together there is no fellowship with the Father except it be with the Sonne too we may have the knowledge of his Hand that is of his workes and of his punishments without Christ but we cannot have the knowledge of his bosome that is of his counsels and of his compassions nor the knowledge of his Image that is of his holinesse grace and righteousnesse nor the knowledge of his presence that is of his comforts here and his glory hereafter but onely in and by Christ we may know God in the World for in the Creation is manifest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which may bee knowne of him namely his eternall power and God-head But this is a barren and fruitlesse knowledge which will not keepe downe unrighteousnesse for the wise men of the world when they knew God they glorified him not as God but became vaine in their imaginations and held that truth of him which was in the Creation revealed in unrighteousnesse Wee may know him in his Law too and that in exceeding great glory when God came from Teman and the Holy One from mount Paran whereabout the Law was the second time repeated by Moses his glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of his praise his brightnesse was as the light c. But this is a killing knowledge a knowledge which makes us flie from God and hide our selves out of his presence and fight against him as our sorest enemies and come short of his glory therefore the Law is called a firy Law or a fire of Law to shew not onely the originall thereof for it was spoken out of the middest of the fire but the nature and operation of it too which of it selfe is to heap fire and curses upon the soule and therefore it is called the ministration of Death 2 Cor. 3.7 But now to know the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ is both a fruitfull and a comfortable knowledge wee know the patterne we must walke by we know the life we must live by we know the treasure wee must be supplied by we know whom wee have beleeved wee know whom wee may be bold with in all straits and distresses wee know God in Christ full of love full of compassion full of eares to heare us full of eyes to watch over us full of hands to fight for us full of tongues to commune with us full of power to preserve us full grace to transforme us full of fidelity to keepe covenant with us full of wisdome to conduct us full of redemption to save us full of glory to reward us Let us therefore put our selves into this Rocke that Gods goodnesse may passe before us that he may communicate the mysteries of his kingdom and of his glory unto us that by him our persons may be accepted our prayers admitted our services regarded our acquaintance and fellowship with the Lord increased by that blessed Spirit which is from them both shed abroad in his Gospell upon us Now lastly the Gospell of Christ is glorious in those ends effects or purposes for which it serveth And in this respect principally doth the Apostle so often magnifie the glory of the Gospell above
duty of that honour which hee is called unto namely to hold on the Crowne on the head of his Soveraigne to make it the maine end of his greatnesse to study and by all meanes endeavour the establishment of his Princes Throne so every Christian as soone as he hath the honour to be called unto the kingdome and presence of Christ hath immediately no meaner a depositum committed to his care than the very Throne and Crowne of his Saviour than the publike honour peace victorie and stability of his masters kingdome The Gospell is committed to the custody of the Bishops and Pastors of the Church to preach it They are as it were the Heralds and Fore-runners of Christ to prepare his way into the soules of men To the custody of the Princes and Judges of the earth to defend it to be a guard about the person and truth of Christ to command the obedience and to encourage the teaching of it The Gospell is the Law of Christs Throne and the princes of the world are the lions about his Throne set there to watch and guard it against the malice of enemies And therefore it is recorded for the honour of David that he set in order the courses of the Priests and appointed them their formes and vicissitudes of Service Of Salomon that he built adorned and dedicated a Temple for Gods solemne worship Of Iosiah that hee made the people to serve the Lord their God Of Ezekiah that he restored the service and repaired the Temple of God that he spake comfortably to the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the Lord that hee proclaimed a solemne passeover that hee ordered the courses of the Priests and Levites that hee gave commandement concerning the portion of their due maintenance that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord a patterne worthy the admiration and imitation of all Christian princes in spight of the sacrilegious doctrine of those men who would rob them of that power and office which God hath given them for the establishment of his Gospell and it was imitated by the first Christian Prince that ever the world had Lastly the Gospell is committed to the keeping of every Christian to practise it to adorne it to pray for it to be valiant and couragious in his place and station for the truth of it And for a man to neglect these duties is to betray and dishonour the Kingdome of Christ and to degenerate from that high and publike condition in which God had placed him Againe it putteth a spirit of Fortitude and boldnesse into the hearts of men Boldnesse to withstand the corruptions of the times to walke contrary to the courses of the world to out-face the sinnes and the scornes of men to be valiant for a despised truth or power of religion not to be ashamed of a persecuted profession to spread out contra torrentem brachia to stand alone against the power and credit of a prevailing faction as Paul against the contradiction of the Iewes and Peter and Iohn against a Synode of Pharises and those invincible champions of Christ Athanasius against the power of Constantius the frequent synodicall conventions of countenanced heretiks and the generall deluge of Arrianisme in the world Ambrose against the wrath and terrour of the emperour of the world to whom having imbrued his hands in much innocent bloud that holy Father durst not deliver the bloud of Christ. Chrysostome against the pride and persecution of the Empresse Eudoxa Luther against the mistresse of fornications the princesse of the earth and as himselfe professed if it had beene possible against a whole citty full of divels The Christians of all ages against the fire fury and arts of torment executed by the bloudy persecutors of the Church Nay further the Gospell giveth boldnesse against that universall fire which shall melt the Elements and shrivell up the heavens like a role of parchment Herein saith the Apostle is our love made perfect that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement because as he is so we are in this world that is we have his image in us and his love shed abroad in our hearts and therefore wee are able to assure our hearts before him and to have confidence towards him Now he who hath boldnesse to stand before God to dwell with consuming fire and with everlasting burnings who can get the Lord on his right hand and put on the Lord Jesus though he bee not out of the reach or beyond the blow yet is hee above the injurie of the malice of men they may kill but they can never overcome him I am he that comforteth you who art thou saith the Lord that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye and forgettest the Lord thy Maker c What an invincible courage was that of Eliah which retorted the slander of Ahab upon his owne face I have not troubled Israel but thou and thy fathers house And that of Micaiah against the base request of a flattering Courtier who thought God to bee such an one as himselfe that would magnifie and cry up the ends of a wicked king As the Lord liveth what the Lord saith unto me that will I speake And that of Amos against the unworthy instructions of Amaziah the priest of Bethel Thou saiest prophesie not against Israel and drop not thy words against the house of Isaac therefore thus saith the Lord Thy wife shall be an harlot in the citie and thy sonnes and thy daughters shall fall by the sword and thy land shall be divided by line and thou shalt dye in a polluted land and Israel shall surely goe into captivitie forth of his land And that of Ieremiah who boldly gave the lye to Irijah the captaine of the ward It is false I fall not away to the Caldeans The time would faile if I should speake of the unbended constancy or as the Gentiles stiled it obstinacie of Ignatius Polycarp Iustin Cyprian Pionius Sabina Maximus as those infinite armies of holy martyrs who posed the inventions tyred out the cruelties withstood the flatteries and with one word Christiani sumus overcame all the tyrannies quenched the fire and stopped the mouthes of their proudest persecutors Againe the Gospell putteth a kinde of lustre and terrour on the faces of those in whom it raigneth and maketh them as the Law did Moses to shine as lights in the world and to bee more excellent than their neighbours worketh in others towards them a dread and awfulnesse Though Ieremie were a prisoner cast-into the dungeon and in such extremity as he was there likely to perish yet such a majestie and honor did God even then put upon him and that in the thoughts of the king himselfe that he could not be in quiet till hee consulted with him about the will of the Lord and by his many conferences with him made it plainely appeare that hee stood in
in sincerity as hypocrites some not so much as in externall conformity as evill workers The heretike corrupteth Christ the schismatike divideth him the hypocrite mocketh him the prophane person dishonoreth him and all deny him Let us then learne to look unto our hearts for we may slatter Christ when we doe not love him we may inquire and seeke early after him and yet have no desire to finde him wee may come unto his schoole as untoward children not for love of his Doctrine but for feare of his rod we may call him husband and yet bee wedded to our owne lusts we may be baptized in his name so was Simon Magus we may preach him so did the false brethren we may flocke after him so did the multitude who followed him not for his words or miracles but for the loaves we may bow unto him so did his crucifiers wee may call upon his name so did the hypocrites that said Lord Lord and yet did not enter into the kingdome of heaven we may confesse and beleeve him so doe the very divels in hell we may give him our lips our eyes our tongues our knees our hands and yet still our kingdome our throne our hearts may bee Satans And all this is to make him but a mock-mock-king as the Jewes did when indeed we crucifie him Note thirdly Christs Word and Spirit are stronger than all adverse opposition This is his Glory that his kingdome commeth in unto him by way of Conquest as Canaan unto Israel Therefore at the very first erecting of his kingdome when in all presumption it might most easily have beene crushed he suffer'd his enemies to vent their utmost malice and to glut themselves with the bloud of his people that so it might appeare that though they did fight against him they could not prevaile against him but that his counsell should still stand and flourish and should consume and breake in pieces all the kingdomes which set themselves against it that they all should be affraid of the Ensigne of the Gospell and should fly from it This jealousie of God for his Church may be seene in frustrating the attempts and pulling off the wheeles on which the projects which are cast against his Church doe move as hee dealt with Pharaoh Hee can dissolve the confederacies shatter the counsels cast a spirit of treachery unfaithfulnesse and mutinous affections into the hearts of his enemies as hee did into the Midianites and into the children of Ammon Moab and Edom when they gathered together against his people He can infatuate their counsels and make them the contrivers and artificers of their owne ruine as we see in the consultation of Rehoboam with his young men and of Ieroboam in his idolatrous policy and of Haman in his gallowes He can defeat their expectations and disannull their decrees and make his owne Counsell alone to stand But when all this is done this is onely to rule in spight of his enemies But besides this his Kingdome fetcheth his enemies under and in some sort ruleth over their consciences and striketh them to the ground maketh the divels in hell the stoutest of all sinners to tremble breaketh the rockes asunder affrighteth judgeth sealeth hardeneth thresheth revengeth the pride of men and maketh them before-hand to taste the bitternesse of that damnation which waketh over them and commeth swiftly against them Let us take heed then of being Christs enemies in opposing the power and progresse of his word the evidence and purity of his Spirit in the lives of men It is but to make a combination to pull the Sunne out of heaven or for a wave to contend with a rocke for as the ruines of a house are broken on the things upon which they fall so are the enemies of Christ which gather together against his Church and fall upon the rocke at length ruined by their owne malice Sampsons foxes were themselves burnt amongst the corne which they fired The land brought forth corne the next yeere againe and it may be more plentifully by reason of that fire but the foxes never came up any more Even so can the Lord deale with those enemies which waste and depopulate his Church make them the authors of their owne utter confusion and bring forth his Church with shouting and with doubled graces Who then is the man that desireth tranquillitie of life and securitie against all evill Let him become a subject in this conquering kingdome and cast himselfe under the banner and protection of Christ and he cannot miscarrie He that walketh uprightly walketh surely The Name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous flieth unto it and is safe The Lord is a Sunne and a shield a Fountaine of all good Grace and Glorie will hee give and no good thing will hee with-hold from them that walke uprightly and a protection against all evill I will not be affraid of ten thousand of men saith the Prophet David that compasse me about When there is no light nor issue nor in nature possibility of escape he can open a doore of deliverance to relieve his Church As a man in the kings high-way is under the kings protection so in Christs way we are under his protection Let us then never repine at the miscarriages of the world nor murmure against the wise proceedings of God in the severall dispensation towaâ—ds his Church on earth when he punisheth he doth it in measure lesse than our sinnes deserved and when we search and try our wayes and returne unto him hee knoweth how to worke his owne glory in our deliverance Those stones which are appointed for a glorious building are first under the saw and the hammer to be hewed and squared and those Christians in whom the Lord will take most delight he usually thereunto fitteth by trials and extremities Hee that is brought to tremble in himselfe may with most confidence expect to rejoyce in God Note fourthly this is the honour of Christs kingdome to be a peaceable quiet and secure kingdome not onely after the victory but in the midst of enemies This man saith the Prophet of Christ shall be the peace when the Assyrian the enemie is in the land Wee have peace in him when wee have tribulation in the world Christ saith of himselfe I came not to send peace but a sword and yet the Apostle saith That hee came and preached peace to those which were afarre off and to them which were neere How shall these things be reconcil'd Surely as a man may say of a Rocke Nothing more quiet because it is never stirr'd and yet nothing more unquiet because it is ever assaulted so wee may say of the Church Nothing more peaceable because it is established upon a Rocke and yet nothing more unpeaceable because that rocke is in the midst of seas windes enemies persecutions But yet still the Prophets Conclusion is certaine The worke of righteousnesse is
for themselves The Lord is not at our left hand to succor us in our idlenesse and negligence but at our working hand to give successe to our honest endeavors The sword of the Lord doth not fight without the sword of Gedeon Iudg. 7.18 In the miracles of Christ when hee fed and feasted men hee never created wine or bread of nothing but blessed and so changed or multiplied that which was by humane industry prepared before Our Savior had fish and bread of his owne and yet hee would have his Disciples put in their net and catch and bring of their owne to note unto us that Gods power and providence must not exclude but encourage mans industry Ioh. 21.9 10. Hee protecteth us in viis nostris non in praecipitiis in our wayes not in our precipices or presumptions Psal. 91.11 So long then as the Church is valiant and constant in withstanding the enemies of her peace prosperity God is undoubtedly with her to blesse that courage and to strengthen that right hand so long as Moses held up his hand God fought for Israel There was Ioshuas sword and Moses his hand or prayer and upon those Gods blessing Exod. 17.12 13. And they were all to concurre If the sword should cease the Prayer would doe no good for God will not bee tempted If the Prayer faint the sword is in vaine for God will not bee neglected As in a curious Clock stopp any wheele and you hinder the whole motion If God promise to bee present Ioshua must promise to bee couragious Iosh. 1.5.6.9 Secondly to note unto us the care and militarie wisedome of Christ our Captaine to meete with and to prevent our enemies and to intercept their blowes against us for wee may observe in the Scripture that Satan plieth the right hand of the Church laboureth to weaken and assault us where there is most danger towards him Let Satan stand at his right hand Psal. 109.6 That is either give him over to the rage of Satan that hee may bee hurried to execute his will or set Satan to hinder him in his mischievous intents Thus Satan stood at the right hand of Ioshua the high Priest to resist him Zech. 3.1 Noting the assiduous and indefatigable endeavors of Satan to resist disappoint and overthrow the workes of the worthies in Gods Church I would have come unto you even I Paul once and againe but Satan hindered us 1 Thess. 2.18 And to divert the strength of men upon his service And therefore to rebuke him and to shew to the Church that our strength is from him and due unto him hee also stands there to outvie the temptations and impulsions of Satan These are the two expositions which are given of these words The Lord at thy right hand Now though of all places of Scripture there is indeed but one literall sense yet when two are given which both tend unto the same generall scope and are suteable not onely to the analogie of faith but to the meaning mainely aimed at by the Holy Ghost in the place and when there is no apparant evidence in the face of the Text for preferring one before the other I thinke it is not unfit to embrace both and so something I shall touch upon both senses Shall strike through or wound or make gore bloudie Kings in the day of his wrath The word is Hath stricken through Kings It is a Prophesie of things future spoken as of things to bee done To strike thorow notes a complete victory and full confusion of the enemie an in curable wound that they may stagger and fall and rise up no more and that affliction may not arise a second time Nahum 1.9 1 Sam. 26.8 The onely difficulty is what is meant by Kings for which wee must note that the Kingdome of Christ is spirituall and his warre spirituall and therefore his enemies for the most part spirituall Therefore I take it wee are hereby to understand the most potent enemies of Christ whether spirituall wee wrestle not against flesh and bloud but against principalities and powers and spirituall wickednesse in high places Ephes. 6.12 2 Cor. 10.4 Or Carnall as heathen and wicked men Psal. 2.8 9. The fat and the strong enemies of the Church Ezek. 34.16 Our spirituall enemies in Scripture are called Kings Satan the Prince of this world the God of this world the Prince of the power of the aire The King of the locusts c. Sinne and originall concupiscence is a King Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies And the Earthly enemies of Christ are called Kings The ten Hornes that is ten Kings make warre with the Lambe The Kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and his Christ and Death which is the last enemie is a King The King of Terrors that raigneth over men Aâ—d over all these Kings doe the victories of Christ reach Some by Kings understand the Romane emperors who are called Kings 1 Pet. 2.13.17 And their overthrow for persecuting the Church But since all sorts of Christs enemies are called Kings in Scripture and all of them doe push at his Kingdome in the Church I see no ground why wee may not by Kings understand them all with their subjects armies and associates As in great victories the Lords and principall men are said to be overcome when the servants and souldiers are routed and slaine In the Day of his wrath That is when time hath ripened the insolency and malice of the enemie when his fury is fully stirred up and provoked when the just and full time of his glory is come That it may appeare that they are overcome not by time or chance or humane power or secular concurrence but onely by the power of his wrath hee will doe it Christ is never destitute of power but in wisedome hee hath ordered the times of his Church when to have his Church suffer and beare witnesse to him and when to triumph in his deliverances So the meaning of this clause is this when the day of recompence is come when the sinnes and provocations of his enemie is ripe when the utmost period of his patience is expired 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fixed and unmoveable day which hee hath set bee the probabilities never so poore preparations never so small the expectations never so low the meanes in humane view never so impossible yet then by his wrath hee will utterly and incurably wound his enemies both spirituall and temporall that they shall not rise a second time He shall judge amongst the Heathen The word judgement noteth both Government and Punishment The Lord shall judge his people and repent himselfe for his servants when hee seeth that their power is gone Deut. 32.36 There to judge noteth government The Lord standeth up to plead and to judge his people Esai 3.13 That nation whom they serve will I judge Gen. 15.14 There to judge noteth punishment Here it is taken
fulnesse for themselves only Eph. 4.7 1 Cor. 12.11 Rom. 1â— 3 But a fulnesse without measure like the fulnesse of light in the Sun or water in the Sea which hath an unsearchable sufficiency and redundancie for the whole Church Ioh. 3.34 Eph. 3.8 Mal. 4.2 So that as hee was furnished with all Spirituall Endowments of Wisedome judgment power love holinesse for the dispensation of his owne Office Esai 11.2.61.1 So from his fulnesse did there runne over a share and portion of all his graces unto his Church Ioh. 1.16 Col. 2.19 3 He did by a solemne and publike promulgation proclaime the Kingdome of Christ unto the Church and declare the decree in that heavenly voice which came unto him from the excellent glorie This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased heare yee him Psal. 2.7 Matth. 3.17.17.5 2 Pet. 1.17 4 Hee hath given him a Scepter of Righteousnesse hath put a sword in his mouth and a rodde of iron in his hand made him a Preacher and an Apostle to reveale the secrets of his bosome and to testifie the things which hee hath seen and heard Heb. 1.8 Revel 1.16.2.16 Psal. 2.9 Esai 16.1 Heb. 3.1 Ioh. 1.18 Ioh. 3.11 12.32 34. 5 Hee hath honoured him with many Ambassadors and servants to negotiate the affaires of his Kingdome some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the Ministerie and for the Edifying of his Bodie 2 Cor. 5.20 Eph. 4.11 12. 6 Hee hath given him the soules and consciences of men even to the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession and for the territories of his Kingdome Psal. 2.8 Ioh. 17.6 7 Hee hath given him a power concerning the Lawes of his Church A power to make Lawes the Law of Faith as S. Paul cals it Rom. 3.27 Mark 16.15 16. A power to expound Lawes as the morall Law Matt. 5. A power to abrogate Lawes as the Law of Ordinances Col. 2.14 8 Hee hath given him a power of judging and condemning enemies Ioh. 5.27 Luk. 19.27 Lastly hee hath given him a power of remitting sinnes and sealing pardons which is a roiall prerogative Matth. 9.6 Ioh. 20.23 And these things belong unto him as hee is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well Man as God Ioh. 5.27 For the workes of Christs mediation were of two sorts Opera ministerii workes of service and ministerie for he tooke upon himselfe the forme of a servant and was a Minister of the Circumcision Phil. 2.8 Rom. 15.8 and Opera Potestatis workes of Authoritie and government in the Church All power is given unto me in heaven and earth Matth. 28.18 The Qualitie of this Kingdome is not Temporall or Secular over the naturall lives or civill negotiations of men He came not to be ministred unto but to minister his Kingdome was not of this World he disclaimed any civill power in the distribution of lands and possessions he with-drew himselfe from the people when by force they would have made him a King and himselfe that in this point hee might give none offence payed tribute unto Cesar Matth. 20.28 Ioh. 18.36 Luk. 12.13 14. Ioh. 6.15 Matth. 17.27 But his Kingdome is Spirituall and heavenly over the soules of men to binde and loose the conscience to remit and retaine sinnes to awe and over-rule the hearts to captivate the affections to bring into obedience the thoughts to subdue and pull downe strong holds to breake in pieces his enemies with an iron rod to hew and slay them with the words of his mouth to implant fearfulnesse and astonishment in the hearts of hypocrites and to give peace securitie protection and assurance to his people The way wherby hee enters upon his Kingdome is ever by way of Conquest For though the Soules of the Elect are his yet his enemies have the first possession as Canaan was Abrahams by Promise but his seeds by Victorie Not but that Christ proclaimes peace first but because men will not come over nor submit to him without warre The strong man will not yeeld to bee utterly spoiled and crucified upon termes of peace Hence then wee may first learne the great Authoritie and Power of this King who holds his Crowne by immediate tenure from heaven and was after a more excellent manner than any other Kings therunto decreed and anointed by God himselfe Much then are they to blame who finde out wayes to diminish the Kingdome of Christ and boldly affirme that though a King hee could not but bee yet hee might have been a King without a Kingdome a King in personall right without subjects or territories to exercise his regall power in A King onely to punish enemies but not a King to governe or to feed a people But shall God give his Sonne the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession and shall men withhold it shall God give men unto Christ Thine they were thou gavest them unto me Ioh. 17.6 and shall they detaine themselves from him what is it that he gives unto his Sonne but the soules the hearts the very thoughts of men to bee made obedient unto his Scepter 2 Cor. 10.5 and shall it then bee within the compasse of humane power to effect as it is in their pride to maintaine fieri posse ut nulla sit Ecclesia We know one principall part of the Kingdome and power of Christ is to cast downe imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and that not onely unto conviction but unto obedience as the Apostle shewes to send such gifts of the Spirit unto men as should benefit the very Rebellious that God might dwell amongst them Psal. 68.18 for in as much as Christ came to destroy the workes of the devill that is sinne as the Apostle shewes 1 Ioh. 3.8 Ioh. 8.41.44 and in their place to bring in the worke of God which is faith in him for so that grace is frequently stiled Ioh. 6.29 Phil. 1.29 Col. 2.12 Therfore it is requisite that none of Satans instruments and confederates such as the hearts of naturall men are should be to strong for the grace of Christ. But what then doth Christ compell men against their wills to become subiect unto him No in no wise He hath ordered to bring them in by a way of voluntarinesse and obedience And herein is the wisedome of his power seen that his grace shall mightily produce those effects in men which their hearts shall most obediently and willingly consent unto that hee is able to use the proper and genuine motions of second causes to the producing of his owne most holy wise and mercifull purposes As wee see humane wisedome can so order moderate and make use of naturall motions that by them artificiall effects shall be produced as in a clock the naturall moâ—ion of the weight or plummet causeth the artificiall distribution of houres and minutes and in a mill the
those men who stand at defiance with the power of Christ speaking in his servants The Apostle saith there is no escape left for those who neglect so great salvation Heb. 2.3 And yet this is the constant folly and cry of naturall men We will not have this man to raigne over us Let us breake their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us But First Every man must be subject to some King either Christ or sinne for they two divide the world and their Kingdomes will not consist And the subjects of sinne are all slaves and servants no liberty amongst them Ioh. 8.34 Whereas Christ makes all his subjects Kings like himselfe Revel 1.6 and his is a Kingdome of Righteousnesse peace and joy Rom. 14.17 Secondly If men by being the subjects of sinne could keepe quite out from the judgment and Scepter of Christ it were something but all men must one way or other be subdued unto him either as sonnes or as captives either under his grace or under his wrath As I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to mee Rom. 14.10 11. Hee must bee either a savor of life or of death either for the rising or the fall of many in Israel either for a sanctuary or for a stumbling block All must either bee saved by him or judged by him There is no refuge nor shelter of escape in any Angle of the World for his Kingdome reacheth to the uttermost corners of the earth and will finde out and fetch in all his enemies Thirdly the matter were not great if a man could hold out in the opposition But can thine heart endure or thine hands bee strong saith the Lord in the day that I shall deale with thee Ezek. 22.14 What will yee doe in the desolation which shall come from farre when you are spoiled what will yee doe where will you leave your glory what will become of the King whom you served before It may bee thy mony is thine idol and thou art held in thraldome under thine owne possessions But what will remaine of a mans silver and gold to carry him through the wrath to come but onely the rust thereof to joyne in judgment against him It may bee thou servest the times and fashions of the world rejoyceth in thy youth in the wayes of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes But thou must not rise out of thy grave in thy best cloaths nor appeare before Christ like Agag gorgeously apparelled Thou must not rise to play but to be judged It may bee thou servest thine owne lust and anothers beautie but what pleasure willt there be in the fire of lust when it shall bee turned into the fire of Hell or what beauty wilt thou finde on the left hand of Christ where the characters of every mans hellish conscience shall bee written in his face Thou servest thine owne vainglorie and affectations but what good will it bee to bee admired by thy fellow prisoners and condemned by thy Judge In one word thou servest any of thine owne evill desires foolish man here they command thee and there they will condemne thee they are here thy Gods and they will bee there thy devils The Second particular in the description of Christs Kingdome is the greatnesse and neernesse of his person unto David My Lord. David calleth him my Lord upon a double reason by a Spirit of Prophesie as foreseeing his incarnation and nativitie out of the tribe of Iuda and stock of Iesse and so hee was Davids Sonne and by a Spirit of Faith as beleeving him to be his redeemer and salvation and so hee was Davids Lord. A virgin shall conceive and beare a Sonne there we see his incarnation and descent from David and shall call his name Immanuel God with us there wee see his Dominion over David As man so he was his Sonne and as Mediator so he was his Lord. As Man so he was subject unto Mary his Mother and as Mediator so hee was the Lord and Savior of his Mother Luk. 2.51 Luk. 1.46 47. As Man hee was made for a little while lower than the Angels that hee might suffer death but as Mediator God and Man in one person so he was made much better than the Angels all the Angels of God were his subjects to worship him and his Ministers to waite upon him Heb. 2.7.9 Heb. 1.4.6.7 So then the pronoune Mine leads us to the Consideration of Christs Consanguinity with David as he was his Sonne and of his Dignity above David as hee was his Lord. From hence wee learne That though Christ was Man yet hee was more than a bare man For jure naturae no Sonne is Lord to his Father Domination doth never ascend There must be something above nature in him to make him his Fathers Soveraigne as our Savior himselfe argueth from these words Matth. 22.42 45. Christ then is a Lord to his people he had Dominion and was the salvation of his owne fore-fathers A Lord. First By right of the Creation For hee is before all things and by him all things consist Col. 1.17 which the Apostle makes the argument of his Soveraignitie To us there is but one Lord Iesus Christ by whom are all things and wee by him 1 Cor. 8.6 Secondly By a right of Sonship and Primogeniture as the chiefe the first borne the Heire of all things Hee is not in the House as Moses was a Servant but a Sonne over his owne House Heb. 3.5 6. That is hee was not a Servant but Lord in the Church as the Apostle else where gives us the same distinction We preach Christ Iesus the Lord and our selves Servants 2 Cor. 4.5 For in the Scripture phrase the first borne notes Principality Excellencie and Dominion I will make him saith God my first borne higher than the Kings of the earth Psal. 89.27 So in Iob The first borne of death is the same with the King of terrors Iob 18.13 14. and so the Apostle saith That the Heire is the Lord of all Gal. 4.1 and therefore from his primogeniture and designation to the inheritance of all things he inferreth his preeminence and honor even above the Angels Col. 1.18 Heb. 1.2.4 Thirdly By the right of his Vnction Office and mediatorship unto which he was designed by his Father He was to have in all things the preeminence For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell Col. 1. 18 19. Where by fulnesse either wee must understand fulnesse of the God head bodily as the Apostle speakes Col. 2.9 Or fulnesse of the Spirit of Grace which S. Iohn speakes of Iob. 1.16 Ioh. 3.34 And in both respects he is a Lord over all in one by the Dignity of his Hypostaticall union in the other by the grace of his heavenly unction and in both as Mediator and head in the Church Therefore the Apostle saith That God hath made him Lord and Christ Act. 2.36 and by the accomplishment of his office
that proceed out of our mouth Eph. 4.29 a respect unto the glory of God in whatsoever workes wee goe about 1 Cor. 10.31 The whole soule body and Spirit should bee Sanctified throughout and that even till the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Thess. 5.23 Christ hath service much more than enough to take up all the might strength studies abilities times callings of all his servants Businesses towards God and himselfe worship feare Communion love prayer obedience service subjection businesses towards and for our selves watchfulnesse repentance faith sincerity sobriety growth in grace businesse towards other men as instruments and fellow members exhortation reproofe direction instruction mourning rejoycing restoring releeving helping Praying Serving in all wayes of love So much evill to bee avoided so many slips and errors to bee lamented so many earthly members to bee crucified so much knowledge and Mysteries to bee learned so many vaine Principles to bee unlearned so much good to bee done to my selfe so much service to bee done to my brother so much glory to bee brought to my Master every Christian hath his hands full of worke And therefore Christ expostulateth it as an absurd thing to call him Lord Lord to professe and ingeminate a verball subjection and yet not to doe the things which hee requires Luk. 6.46 The third thing observed touching the Kingdome of Christ is the Glorie and Power thereof intimated by his sitting at the Lords right hand Gods right hand in the Scripture is a Metonymicall expression of the strength power majesty and glorie that belongs unto him This is mine infirmitie saith the Psalmist but l will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most high Psal. 77.10 Where wee finde Gods power under the metonymie of a right hand opposed to the infirmitie of his servant My infirmitie and weake faith made me apt to sinke under the sense of Gods displeasure but when I called to minde the experiences of Gods former power in alike distresses I recollected my Spirits and was refreshed againe So the right hand of the Lord is said to spanne or extend the heavens Esai 48.13 And the Psalmist expresseth the strength and salvation of the Lord by his right hand Psal. 118.14 15 16. and his fury is the Cup of his right hand Hab. 2.16 And he strengthneth and helpeth and upholdeth his people by the right hand of his Righteousnesse that is by his Power and faithfull promises which in their weaknes strengthens them in their feare and flagging helps them in their sinking and falling upholds them Esai 41.10 So the Psalmist saith of wicked men that their right hand is a right hand of falsehood Psa. 144.11 that is either confidence in their owne power will deceive themselves or they will deceive others to whom they promise succour and assistance Therfore Gods right hand is cald the right hand of Majesty Heb. 1.3 and the right hand of power Luk. 22.69 To sit then at Gods right hand noteth that great Honor and Judiciarie Office and plenitude of power which God the Father hath given to his Sonne after his manifestation in the flesh in his nativity and justification by the Spirit in his resurrection he was then amongst other dignities received up into glory 1 Tim. 3.16 This wee finde amongst those expressions of honor which Salomon shewed unto his Mother that shee sate at his right hand 1 King 2.19 And herein the Apostle puts a great difference betweene Christ and the Leviticall Priests that they stood daily Ministring but Christ after his Offering Sate downe on the right hand of God Heb. 10.11 12. noting two things First That Christ was the Lord and they but Servants for standing is the posture of a Servant or Minister Deut. 10.8.17.12 Ezek. 44.24 and not sitting Luk. 17.7 Secondly that their worke was daily to bee repeated wheras Christs was consummate in one offering once for all after which hee rested or sate downe againe This fitting then of Christ at the right hand of Majestie and glorie notes unto us first The great Exaltation of the Lord Christ whom God hath highly honoured and advanced and given a name above every name First his Divine nature though it cannot possibly receive any intrinsecall improvement or glory all fulnesse of glory essentially belonging thereunto yet so farre forth as it was humbled for the oeconomie and administration of his office so farre it was readvanced againe Now he emptied and humbled himselfe not by putting off any of his divine glory but by suffering it to be overshaddowed with the similitude of sinfull flesh and to be humbled under the forme of a Servant as the light of a candle is hidden in a darke and close Lanterne So that Declaratorily or by way of Manifestation he is in that respect magnified at Gods right hand or as the Apostle speakes declared to be that Sonne of God by Power in rising from the dead and returning to his glory againe Rom. 1.4 Againe how ever in Abstracto wee cannot say that the Deitie or Divine nature was exalted in any other sense than by evident manifestation of it selfe in that man who was before despised and accused as a blasphemer for that he made himselfe equall with God yet in Concreto and by reason of the Communication of properties from one nature to another in the unitie of one person it is true that as God saved the World by his bloud and as it was the Prince of life that was crucified and the Lord that lay in the grave so God likewise was in the forme of a servant humbled and at the right hand of Majestie exalted againe Secondly the humane nature of Christ is most highly exalted by sitting at Gods right hand for in the right of his Hypostaticall union hee hath an ample and immediate claime to all that glory which might in the humane nature bee conferr'd upon him So that though during the time of his conversation amongst men the exigence and oeconomie of the Office which he had for us undertaken made him a man of sorrowes and intercepted the beames of the Godhead and Divine glorie from the other nature yet having finished that dispensation there was in the vertue of that most intimate association of the natures in one person a communicating of all glory from the deitie which the other nature was capeable of For as by the Spirit of Holinesse he was filled with treasures of wisdome and knowledge and grace and thereby fitted for the Office of a Mediator and made the first fruits the first borne the heire of all things the head and Captaine of the Church furnished with a residue and redundancie of the Spirit to sanctifie his brethren and to make them joynt heirs and first borne with himselfe so by the Spirit of glory is he filled with unmatchable perfections beyond the capacitie or comprehension of all the Angels of Heaven being not onely full of glory but having in him all the fulnesse of glory
his graces unto it Psalm 42.3 105.4 2 Cor. 5.2 2 Tim. 4.8 Phil. 1.23 Cant. 3.1 2. Cant. 5 6-8 Gen. 49.18 Psal. 119.131 Cant. 1.4 2.4 Cant. 7.5 Ion. 14 21-23 Revel 3.20 Having thus by occasion of the enemies of Christ spoken something of the true and false Love which is in the world towards him we now proceed to the particulars mentioned before And the first is the terme of Duration or measure of time in the Text Vntill It hath a double relation in the words unto Christs Kingdome and unto his Enemies As it looks to the kingdome of Christ it denotes both the Continuance and the Limitation of his kingdome The continuance of it in his owne person for it is there fixed and intransient He is a King without successours as being subject to no mortality nor defect which might be by them supplied The kingdome of Christ as I observed is either Naturall as he is God or Dispensatory and by Donation from the Father as he is Mediator and not onely of the former but even of this likewise the Scripture affirmes that it is Eternall It is a kingdome set up by the God of heaven and yet it shall never be destroyed but stand for ever Dan. 2.44 I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion that notes the unction and donation Psalm 2.6 and in mount Sion where God hath set him hee shall reigne from henceforth even for ever Mic. 4.7 Though hee be a childe borne and a sonne given yet of the encrease of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdome to order it and to establish it with judgement and justice from henceforth for ever and ever Esay 9.6 7. unto the Sonne hee saith Thy throne O God is for ever and ever Heb. 1.8 And here wee must distinguish betweene the substance of Christs kingdome and the forme or manner of administring and dispencing it In the former respect it is absolutely eternall Christ shall bee a head and rewarder of his members an everlasting Father a Prince of peace unto them for ever In the latter respect it shall be Eternall according to some acception that is it shall remaine untill the consummation of all things as long as there is a Church of God upon the earth there shall be no new way of spirituall and essentiall government prescribed unto it no other Vicar Successour Monarch or Vsurper upon his office by God allowed but he onely by his Spirit in the dispensation of his ordinances shall order and over-rule the consciences of his people and subdue their enemies yet he shall so reigne till then as that hee shall then cease to rule in such manner as now hee doth when the end comes hee shall deliver up the kingdome to God the Father and when all things shall be subdued unto him he also himselfe shall be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all 1 Cor. 15 24-28 He shall so returne it unto God as God did conferre and as it were appropriate it unto him namely in regard of judiciary dispensation and execution in which respect our Saviour saith that as touching the present administration of the Church The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement and hath given authority to execute it unto his Sonne Ioh. 4.22 27. Now Christ governeth his Church by the ministery of his Word and Sacraments and by the effusion of his Spirit in measure and degrees upon his members by his mightie though secret power he fighteth with his enemies and so shall doe till the resurrection of the dead when death the last enemie shal be overcome and then in these respects his kingdome shall cease for he shall no more exercise the offices of a Mediator in compassionating defending interceding for his Church but yet he shall still sit and reigne for ever as God coequall with his Father and shall ever be the Head of the Church his body Thus we see though Christs kingdome in regard of the manner of dispensation and present execution thereof it be limited by the consummation of all things yet in it selfe it is a kingdom which hath neither within the seeds of mortality nor without the danger of a concussion but in the substance is immortall though in regard of the commission and power which Christ had as Mediator to administer it alone by himselfe and by the fulnesse of his Spirit it be at last voluntarily resigned into the hands of the Father and Christ as a part of that great Church become subject to the Father that God may bee all in all Now the grounds of the Constancy of Christs government over his Church and by consequence of the Church it selfe which is his kingdome are amongst others these First the Decree and promise of God sealed by an oath which made it an adamantine and unbended purpose which the Lord would never repent of nor reverse All Gods Counsels are immutable though he may alter his workes yet he doth never change his will but when he sealeth his Decree with an oath that makes their immutability past question or suspition In that case it is impossible for God to change because it is impossible for God to lye or deny himselfe Hebr. 6.18 Now upon such a Decree is the Kingdome of Heaven established Once have I sworne by my Holinesse that I will not lye unto David saith the Lord Psal. 89.35 Once that notes the constancie and fixednesse of Gods promise By my Holinesse that notes the inviolablenesse of his promise as if he should have said Let me no longer be esteemed an Holy God than I keepe immutably that Covenant which I have sworne unto David in my truth Secondly the free gift of God unto his Sonne Christ whereby he committed all power and judgement unto him And Power is a strong argument to prove the Stability of a kingdome especially if it bee on either side supported with wisedome and righteousnesse as the power of Christ is And therefore from his power hee argues for the perpetuitie of his Church to the end of the world All power is given mee in heaven and earth Goe yee therefore and preach the Gospell to all nations and loe I am with you alwayes to the end of the world Matth. 28 18-20 And the argument is very strong and emphaticall for though kingdomes of great power have beene and may be subdued yet the reason is because much power hath still remained in the adverse side or if they have beene too vast for any smaller people to root out yet having not either wisdome enough to actuate so huge a frame or righteousnesse to prevent or purge out those vitious humours of emulation sedition luxury injustice violence and impietie which like strong diseases in a body are in states the preparations and seminaries of mortalitie they have sunke under their owne weight and beene inwardly corrupted by their
owne vices But now first the power of Christ in his Church is universall there is in him all power and no weaknesse no power without him or against him and therefore no wonder if from a fulnesse of power in him and an emptinesse in his enemies the argument of continuance in his kingdome doth infallibly follow for what man if hee were furnished with all sufficiencie would suffer himselfe to be mutilated and dismembred as Christ should if any thing should prevaile against the Church which is his fulnesse Againe this power of Christ is supported with wisdome it can never miscarry for any inward defect for the wisdome is proportionable to the power this All power and that All the treasures of wisdome Power able by weaknesse to confound the things which are mighty and wisdome able by foolishnesse to bring to nought the understanding of the prudent and both these are upheld by righteousnesse which is indeed the very soule and sinewes of a kingdome upon which the thrones of Princes are established and which the Apostle makes the ground of the perpetuitie of Christs kingdome Thy throne O God is for ever and ever a scepter of righteousnesse is the scepter of thy kingdome Hebr. 1.8 Thirdly the quality of Christs kingdome is to be a Growing kingdome though the originals thereof be but like a graine of mustard-seed or like Eliahs cloud to a humane view despicable and almost below the probabilities of subsistence the object rather of derision than of terrour to the world yet at last it groweth into a widenesse which maketh it as catholike as the world And therefore that which the Prophet David speakes of the Sunne the Apostle applies to the Gospell Rom. 10.18 to note that the Circle of the Gospell is like that of the Sunne universall to the whole world It is such a kingdome as groweth into other kingdomes and eats them out The little stone in Nebuchadnezzars vision which was the Kingdome of Christ for so Ierusalem is called a stone Zech. 12.3 brake in peeces the great Monarchies of the earth and grew up into a great mountaine which filled the world Dan. 2.34 35. for the kingdomes of the earth must become the kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ Revel 11.15 Therefore the Prophets expresse Christ and his kingdome by the name of a Branch which groweth up for a standard and ensigne of the people Esay 11.1.10 Zech. 3.8 A branch which growes but never withers It hath no principles of death in it selfe and though it be for a while subject to the assaults of adversaries and forren violence yet that serves onely to trie it and to settle it but not to weaken or overturne it The gates of hell all the powers policies and lawes of darknesse shall never prevaile against the Church of Christ he hath bruized and judged and trodden downe Satan under our feet He hath overcome the world he hath subdued iniquitie hee hath turned persecutions into seminaries and resurrections of the Church he hath turned afflictions into matters of glory and of rejoycing so that in all the violence which the Church can suffer it doth more than conquer because it conquers not by repelling but by suffering And this shewes the sacrilege and sawcinesse of the Church of Rome which in this point doth with a double impiety therefore pervert the Scriptures that it may derogate from the honour of Christ and his kingdome And those things which are spoken of the infallibility authority and fulnesse of power which Christ hath in his body of the stability constancie and universalitie of his Church upon earth doth arrogate onely to the Pope and his See at Rome As the Donatists in S. Augustines time from that place of the Spouse in the Canticles Tell me O thou whom my soule loveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocke to rest in Meridie excluded all the world from being a Church save onely a corner of Africa which was at that time the nest of those hornets So because Christ sayes his Church is built upon a rocke and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it therefore the Romanists from hence conclude all these priviledges to belong to them and exclude all the famous Churches of the world besides from having any communion with Christ the Head That scornefull expostulation which Harding makes with that renowned and incomparable Bishop under whose hand hee was no more able to subsist than a whelpe under the paw of a Lion shall wee now change the song of Micheas the Prophet Out of Sion shall come the Law and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem and sing a new song out of Wittenberg is come the Gospell and the Word of the Lord from Zurich and Geneva may most truely and pertinently be retorted upon himselfe and his faction who boldly curse and exclude all those Christian Churches from the body of Christ and the hope of salvation who will not receive lawes from Rome nor esteeme the Cathedrall determinations of that Bishop though haply in himselfe an impure diabolicall and intolerable beast as by their owne confessions many of them have beene to be notwithstanding the infallible Edicts of the Spirit of God and as undoubtedly the Word of Christ as if S. Peter or Saint Paul had spoken it an arrogancie than which there is scarce any more expresse and characteristicall note to discerne Antichrist by It is true that Christs regal power doth alwaies shew forth it selfe in upholding his Catholike Church and in revealing unto it out of his sacred Word such necessary truths as are absolutely requisite unto its being and salvation but to binde this power of Christ to one man and to one See as if like the Pope he were infallible only in S. Peters chaire is the meere figment of pride and ambition without any ground at all raised out of a heape and aggregation of monstrous presumptions of humane and some most disputable others most false conceits of which though there be not the least vestigia in sacred Scriptures yet must they be all first wrested in for indubitate principles and laid for sure foundations before the first stone of Papall authoritie can bee raised As first that the externall and visible regiment of the whole Church is Monarchicall and that there must be a predominant mistresse Church set over all the rest to which in all points they must have recourse and to whose decisions they must conforme without any hesitancie or suspition at all whereas the Apostle tels us that the unity of the Church is gathered by many Pastors and Teachers Eph. 4.11 12 13. for as if severall needles bee touched by so many severall Loadstones all which have the selfe-same specificall vertue in them they doe all as exactly bend to one and the same point of heaven as if they had beene thereunto qualified by but one so in as much as Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors Teachers come all instructed with one and
ye shall be glad also with exceeding joy And this joy shall be so much the greater because it shall grow out of the everlasting subjection of the enemie under Christs feet and those whom here they persecuted and despised shal there with Christ be their judges Secondly as it noteth the Rest so likewise the Triumph of Christ when he shall set his feet on the necke of his enemies The Apostle saith that he triumphed over them in his Crosse Coloss. 2.15 And there are two words which have an allusion unto the formes of triumph Expoliation and Publication or representation of the pompe unto the world of the faithfull He spoiled principalities and powers that is He tooke from them all their armour wherein they trusted and divided the spoiles Luke 11.22 The armour of Satan was principally the hand-writing of the Law which was against us or contrary unto us so long as wee were under the full force and rigour of that so long we were under the possession and tyranny of Satan but when Christ nailed that unto the Crosse and tooke it out of the way then all the other panoply of Satan was easily taken from him he was then spoiled of all his weapons and provisions of lust for the world and therewithall the things which are in the world were unto us crucified in the Crosse of Christ so that now by faith in him wee are able to overcome the world to value it aright to esteeme the promises thereof thinne and empty and the threatnings thereof vaine and false the treasures thereof baser than the very reproches of Christ and the afflictions thereof not worthy to bee compared with the glory which shall bee revealed in us as being in their measure but light and but momentary in their duration The power and wisdome of Satan was likewise in the Crosse of Christ most notably befooled and disappointed for when hee thought that hee had now swallowed up Christ hee found a hooke under that bait he found that which neither himselfe nor any of his instruments could have suspected that Christ crucified was indeed the wisdome of God and the power of God and that through death hee chose to destroy him who had the power of death 1 Cor. 1.24 Heb. 2.14 Againe he made a shew or publike representation of this his victory and of these his spoiles openly unto the world As the Crosse was his triumphall chariot so was it likewise ferculum pompae the pageant as it were and table of his spoiles for though to a carnall eye there was nothing but ignominy and dishonour in it yet to those that are called there is an eye of faith given to see in the Crosse of Christ Hell disappointed Satan confounded his kingdome demolished the earthly members of the old man crucified affections and lusts abated and captivity alreadie led captive And indeed what triumph of any the most glorious Conquerour was ever honoured with the opening of graves the resurrection of the dead the conversion of enemies the acclamation of mute and inanimate creatures the darknesse of the Sunne the trembling of the earth the compassion of the rockes the amazement of the world the admiration of the Angels of heaven but onely this triumph of Christ upon the Crosse And if he did so triumph there how much more at the right hand of the Majestie on high where he is crowned with glory and honour and at that great day which is therefore called the Day of the Lord Iesus because hee will therein consummate his triumph over all his enemies when hee shall come with the attendance of Angels in a chariot of fire with all the unbeleevers of the world bound before his Throne and with the clamour applause and admiration of all the Saints And this is a plentifull ground of comfort to the faithfull in all their conflicts with Satan sinne temptations or corruptions they fight under his protection and with his Spirit who hath himselfe already triumphed who accounteth our temptations his and his victories ours who turned the sorest perplexities which the world shal ever see into a doctrine of comfort unto his Disciples Luke 21 25-28 When ever then we are assaulted with any heavie temptation to discomforts feares fainting wearinesse despaire sinfull conformities or the like let us not tosse over our owne store nor depend upon any strength or principles of our owne but looke onely by faith unto the victories of Christ and to this great promise which is here made unto him as Head and Captaine of the Church by whom wee shall be able to doe all things and though wee were surrounded with enemies to escape as he did thorow the midst of them all Wee know the Cats unum magnum in the fable was more worth than the Foxes thousand shifts notwithstanding all the which he was caught at the last Our enemies come against us in armies with infinite methods and stratagems to circumvent us this onely is our comfort that we have unum magnum one refuge which is above all the wisdome of the enemie to climbe up unto the Crosse of Christ and to commit the keeping of our soules unto him out of whose hands no man can take them When David went forth against Goliah he did not grapple with him by his owne strength but with his Sling and his stone at a distance overthrew him It is not good to let Satan come too close unto the soule to let in his temptations or to enter into any private and intimate combate with him this was for our Captain onely to doe who we know entred into the field with him as being certaine of his owne strength but our onely way to prevaile against him is to take faith as a sling and Christ as a stone he will undoubtedly finde out a place to enter in and to sinke the proudest enemie we are beset with enemies yea we are enemies unto our selves the burden of the flesh the assaults of the world the firy darts of Satan treason within and warres without swarmes of Midianites troopes of Amalekites the Sea before us the Aegyptian behinde us sinne before Satan and the world behinde either I must runne on and bee drowned in sinne or I must stand still and be hewed in peeces with the persecutions of wicked men or I must revolt and turne backe to Aegypt and so be devoured in her plagues In these extremities the Apostle hath given us our unum magnum Looke unto Iesus he that is the Author will be the finisher of our faith It is yet but a little while he will come and will not tarry he is within the view of our faith hee is within the crie of our prayers hee sitteth at the right hand of power nay hee there standeth and is risen up already in the quarrell of his Saints Act. 7.56 The nearer the Aegyptian is to Israel the nearer he is to ruine and the nearer Israel is to deliverance Though Moses have
an escape from himselfe the priviledge wherof hee did afterwards in vaine lay hold on And thus will Christ deale with his enemies at the last day Here they trample upon Christ in his word in his wayes in his members They make the Saints bow downe for them to goe over and make them as the pavements on the ground They tread under foote the bloud of the covenant and the Sanctuary of the Lord and put Christ to shame here and there their owne measure shall bee returned into their owne bosome they shall bee constrained to confesse as Adonibezek as I have done so God hath requited mee Yea this they shall suffer from the meanest of Christs members whom they here insulted over They shall then as witnesses and as it were co-assessors with Christ judge the very wicked Angels and tread them under their feet They shall take them captives whose captives they were and shall rule over their oppressors All they that despised them shall bow themselves at the soles of their feete They who gathered themselves against Sion and said let her bee defiled and let our eye see it shall themselves bee gathered as sheaves into the floore and the Daughter of Sion shall arise and thresh them with hornes of iron and with hooves of brasse Then saith the Church shee that is mine enemies shall see it shame shall cover her which said unto mee Where is the Lord thy God Mine eyes shall behold her Now shall shee bee troden downe as the mire of the streetes Even so let all thine enemies perish O Lord but let them which love thee bee as the Sunne when he goeth forth in his might Lastly herin wee may note the great Power and wisedome of Christ in turning the malice and mischiefe of his enemies into his owne use and advantage and in so ordering wicked men that though they intend nothing but extirpation and ruine to his Kingdome yet they shall bee usefull unto him and against their owne wills serviceable to those glorious ends in the accomplishing wherof hee shall bee admired by all those that beleeve As in a great house there is necessary use of vessels of dishonour destinated unto fordid and meane but yet dayly services so in the great house of God wicked men are his utensils and houshold instruments as footstooles and staves and vessels wherin there is no pleasure though of them there may bee good use The Assyrian was the Rod of his anger his axe wherwith hee pruned and his Saw wherwith hee threatned his people Pharoah was a vessell fitted to shew the glory and power of his name It is necessary saith our Savior that offences come and there must bee heresâ—es saith the Apostle Because as a skilfull Physitian ordereth poysonfull and destructive ingredients unto usefull services So the Lord by his wisedome doth make use of wicked mens persons and purposes to his owne most righteous and wonderfull ends secretly and mightily directing their wicked designes to the magnifying of his owne power and providence and to the furthering of his people in faith and godlinesse VERSE 2. The Lord shall send the Rod of thy strength out of Sion Rule thou in the mids of thine enemies THis Verse is a continuation of the former touching the Kingdome of Christ and it containes the forme of its spirituall administration Wherin is secretly couched another of the Offices of Christ namely his Propheticall Office For that is as it were the dispensation and execution of his regall Office in the militant Church The summe of this Administration consists in two principall things First in matters military for the subduing of enemies and for the defence and protection of his people Secondly in matters civill and judiciall for the government preservation and honor of his Kingdome And both these are in this Psalme The former in the latter part of this verse Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies The other in the third verse Thy people shall bee willing c. and the way of compassing and effecting in the former words of this verse The Lord shall send forth the Rod of thy strength out of Sion Every King hath his jura Regalia certaine roiall prerogatives and peculiar honors proper to his owne person which no man can use but with subordination unto him And if wee observe them wee shall finde many of them as exactly belong unto Christ in his Kingdome as to any secular prince in his First unto Kings doe belong Armamentaria publica the Magazins for military provision and the power and disposition of publike armes Therefore hee is said by the Apostle to Beare the sword because armes properly belong unto him and unto others under his allowance and protection So to Christ alone doth belong and in him onely is to bee found the publike armorie of a Christian man The weapons of our warfare are mighty onely through him Nay hee is himselfe the armour and panoply of a Christian and therefore wee are commanded to put on the Lord Iesus Againe via publica is via regia the high way is the Kingâ— way wherin every man walketh freely under the protection of his Soveraigne So that Law of faith and obedience under which wee are to walke which S. Paul calleth the Law of Christ is by S. Iames called Lex Regia a roiall Law and a Law of Libertie in which while any man continueth hee is under the protection of the promises and of the Angels of Christ. Againe Bona adespota seu incerti Domini Lands that are concealed and under the evident claime of no other person or Lord doe belong unto the Prince as hee that hath the supreme and universall dominion in his countries And this is most certainly true of Christ in his Kingdome if any man can once truly say Lord I am not the servant of any other Master no other King hath the rightfull dominion or peaceable possession of my heart hee may most truly from thence inferre Therefore Lord I am thy servant and therefore Lord my heart is thine True it is Lord our God that other Lords besides thee have had dominion over us but now by thee onely will wee make mention of thy name Againe Vectigaliae and Census Tributes and Customes and Testifications of homage and fidelity are personall prerogatives belonging unto Princes and as the Apostle saith Due unto them for that Ministerie and Office which under God they attend upon So in Christs Kingdome there is a worship which the Psalmist saith is Due unto his name They which came unto the Temple which was a type of Christ were not to come empty handed but to bring Testimonies of their reverence and willing subjection unto that worship When Abraham met Melchisedek a figure of Christ as from him hee received a blessing so unto him hee gave an expression of a loyall heart the tenth of the spoiles When the people of Israel entred into
Now then this Spirituall Gospell of Christ is the Scepter of his Kingdome and therefore as it is insigne regium an ensigne of roialty it importeth Glory and Majestie It is a Gospell full of glory Wee may observe that the very Typicall prefigurations of that mercy which is the sole businesse of the Gospell of Christ are in the Scriptures honored with the name of Glory The garments of the Priests being types of the Evangelicall Righteousnesse of the Saints were made for glory and beauty The Tabernacle which was ordaind for an evidence and seale of Gods Evangelicall presence with that people is called by the Prophet David a Tabernacle of honor the place which God did use to fill with his owne glory The Ark of God which was nothing else but Evangelium sub velo the Gospell under vailes and shaddowes is called by an excellency The Glory of Israel which is the attribute of Christ All Kings shall see thy glory The Temple at Ierusalem was the place of Gods Rest This is my Rest for ever here will I dwell Arise O Lord God into thy Resting place thou and the Arke of thy strength It was so called to note first the stability of Gods Evangelicall covenant in Christ it was not to bee changed nor to bee repented of but to bee sure and fixed in Christ for ever His Kingdome a Kingdome which was not to bee shaken his Priesthood a Priesthood which was not to passe away his teaching a teaching which was to continue to the worlds end And secondly to note the delight of God in Christ and in the mercy which through him was unto the world revealed Therein the Lord â—esteth and reposeth himselfe as in the crowne and accomplishment of all his workes And this Temple is called a glorious Rest a glorious high throne a house of glory of beauty and of holinesse It is said at the first Dedication thereof that the Glory of the Lord filled it It was not the gold or silver wherewith before that Dedication it was beutified wherein the glory thereof did consist but in the evidence of Gods presence which at that time was but a cloud whereas the true glory thereof himselfe was a Sunne as the Prophet cals him And with this did the Lord fill the second Temple which for this cause is said to have been more glorious than the former though in the magnificence of the structure farre inferior Now then as the Apostle in a case of just alike proportion useth a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a terme of excesse when hee speaketh of the substance in comparison of the type If the bloud of bulls and goates did Sanctify to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the bloud of Christ So may wee in this case If the Types of Evangelicall things were thus glorious how much more glorious must the Gospell it selfe needs bee And therefore as I before observed in other things so in this is it true likewise that Christ and his Gospell have the same attribute of glory frequently given unto them Christ is called the Glory of the Lord and of his people Israel And the Gospell a glorious mysterie a Royall Law a ministration of glory Nay glory it selfe for so I understand that place of the Apostle that yee would walke worthy of God who hath called you unto his Kingdome and glory that is unto the knowledge of his Gospell for of that in all the antecedent parts and in the verse immediatly following doth the Apostle speake A glory which draweth the study and amazement of the most glorious creatures of God unto it To consider this point more particularly The glory and majesty of the Gospell of Christ appeareth principally in foure things in the Author of it in the Promulgation and publishing of it in the Matter which it containes and in the Ends purposes or uses for which it serves First in the Author of it Many things of small worth have yet growne famous by the authours of them and like the unprofitable children of renowned progenitors hold their estimation and nobility from the parents which begate them And yet from men who are uncleane there will ever descend some uncleannesse upon the workes which they doe But the Gospell is therefore indeed a glorious Gospell because it is the Gospell of the blessed God There is glory in all the workes of God because they are his for it is impossible that so great a workeman should ever put his hand to an ignoble work And therefore the Prophet David useth his glory and his handy worke promiscuously for the same thing The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke to note that there is an evidence of glory in any thing which hee puts his hand unto And yet the Prophet there sheweth that there is more glory in the law of his mouth than in the workes of his hands The Lord is better known by Sion and his name greater in Israel than in al the world besides the more God doth communicate himselfe unto any of his works the more glorious it is Now there is nothing wherein God hath so much put himselfe wherin he may be so fully knowne communicated with depended upon and praised as in his Gospell This is a glasse in which the blessed Angels doe see and admire that unsearchable riches of his mercy to the Church which they had not by their owne observation found out from the immediate view of his glorious presence In the Creatures we have him a God of power and wisedome working all things in number weight and measure by the secret vigour of his providence upholding that being which he gave them and ordering them to those glorious ends for which he gave it In the law we have him a God of vengeance and of recompence in the publication thereof threatning and in the execution thereof inflicting wrath upon those that transgresse it But in the Gospell we have him a God of bounty and endlesse compassion humbling himselfe that he might be mercifull to his enemies that he might himselfe beare the punishments of those injuries which had beene done unto himselfe that he might not offer onely but beseech his owne prisoners to bee pardoned and reconciled againe In the Creature he is a God above us in the Law he is a God against us onely in the Gospel hee is Immanuel a God with us a God like us a God for us There is nothing doth declare God so much to bee God as his mercy in the Gospell Hee is invisible in himselfe we cannot see him but in his Sonne Hee is unapproachable in himselfe wee cannot come unto him but by the Sonne Therefore when hee maketh himselfe knowne in his glory to Moses hee sendeth him not to the Creation nor to mount Sinai but putteth him into a rocke being a resemblance of Christ and then maketh
generall motion from the supreme so in the motions of grace in the soule the proportion of all the rest a riseth frō the measure of our spirituall and saving light The more distinctly and throughly the spirit of a mans mind is convinc'd of the necessity beauty and gloriousnesse of heavenly things the more strong impressions therof wil be made upon all subordinate faculties for we move towards nothing without preceding apprehensions of its goodnes which apprehensions as they more seriously penetrate into the true and intimate worth of that thing so are the motions of the soule thereunto proportionably strengthen'd As the hinder wheeles in a Coach ever move as fast as the former which leade them so the subordinate powers of the soule are overrul'd in their maner measure of working towards grace by those spirituall representations of the truth and excellency thereof which are made in the understanding by the light of the Gospel Thus the Apostle telleth us that the excellency of the knowledge of Christ was that which made him so earnest to winne him the knowledge of the power of his resurrection and fellowship of his sufferings was that which made him reach forth and presse forward unto the marke and price of that high calling which was before him Thirdly the Glory of the Gospell of Christ with his Spirit may be considered in regard of the matters which are therin contain'd namely the Glory the Excellencies the Treasures of God himselfe We all saith the Apostle with open face behold as in a Glasse that is in the spirituall ministration of the Gospell having the veile of carnall stupidity taken away by the Spirit The glory of the Lord. What glory doe we here behold but that which a glasse is able to represent Now in speculo nisi imago non cernitur nothing can be seene in a glasse but the image of that thing which sheddeth forth its species thereupon and therefore he immediately addeth we are changed into the same image from glory to glory and he elsewhere putteth these two together Man is the image and the glory of God for nothing can have any thing of God in it any resemblance or forme of him but so farre it must needs be glorious But how doe we in the Gospell see the Image of God who is invisible The Apostle expresseth that else-where God who commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. Christ is the Image and expresse Character of his Fathers glory as the impression in the wax is of the forme and fashion of the seale there is no excellencie in God which is not compleatly adequately and distinctly in Christ so that in that glasse wherin we may see him we may likewise see the glory of the Father Now the Gospell is the face of Iesus Christ that which as lively setteth forth his grace and Spirit to the soule as if he were present in the flesh amongst us Suppose we that a glasse could retaine a permanent and unvanishing species of a mans face within it though hee himselfe were absent might we not truly say this glasse is the face of that man whose image it so constantly retaineth So in asmuch as Christ is most exactly represented in his Gospell so that when we come into his personall and reall presence to know even as we are knowne we shall be able truely to say this is indeed the very person who was so long since in his Gospell exhibited to my faith sic ille manus sic ora gerebat it is therefore justly by the Apostle called the face of Iesus Christ and therefore the Glasse wherein we see the Image and glory of God as it is the same light which shineth from the Sunne upon a glasse and from a glasse upon a wall so it is the same glory which shineth from the Father upon the Sonne and from the Sonne upon the Gospell so that in the Gospell we see the unsearchable treasures of God because his treasures are in his Sonne Therefore that which is usually called Preaching the Gospell is in other places called Preaching the Kingdome and the riches of Christ to note the glory of those things which are in the Gospell revealed unto the Church It containeth the glory of Gods wisdome and that wisdome is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a manifold and various wisdome as the Apostle speaketh who therefore calleth Christ and his Gospell by the name of Wisdome wee preach Christ crucified to those that are called the power of God and the wisdome of God and we speake wisdome amongst them that are perfect wisdome to reconcile his owne attributes of mercy and truth righteousnesse and peace which by the fall of man seemed to be at variance among themselves wisdome in reconciling the world of obstinate and rebellious enemies unto himselfe wisdome in sanctifying the whole creation by the bloud of the crosse and repairing those ruines which the sinne of man had caused wisdome in concorporating Christ and his Church things in their owne distinct natures as unapt for mixture as fire and water in their remotest degrees wisdome in uniting the Iewes and Gentiles and reducing their former jealousies and disaffections unto an intimate fellowship in the same common mysteries In one word wisdome above the admiration of the blessed Angels in finding out a way to give greater satisfaction to his offended justice by shewing mercie and saving sinners than he could ever have received by either the confusion or annihilation of them It containeth the Glory of Gods goodnesse and mercy of that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good-will towards men which brought glory to God and to the earth peace for the Gospell is as it were a Love-token or commendatory Epistle of the Lord unto his Church God left not himselfe without witnesses of his care and evidences of some love even to those whom he suffered to walke in their owne wayes without any knowledge of his Gospell he did them good he gave them raine from heaven and fruitfull seasons so even they had experience of some of his goodnesse the goodnesse of his providence for hee is the Saviour of all men but the Gospell containeth all Gods goodnesse as a heape and miscellany of universall mercy I will make all my goodnesse passe before thee and I will proclaime the name of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercie Gods speciall and gracious mercy the mercy of his promises in Christ doth convey unto the soule an interest in all his goodnesse nay it maketh all things good unto us so that we may call them ours as gifts and legacies from Christ. He hath given to us all things that pertaine to life and godlinesse the world and life and death and things
the Law The Law was a glorious ministery as appeares by the thunderings and lightnings the shining of Moses his face and trembling at Gods presence the service of the Angels and sound of the trumpet the ascending of the smoke and the quaking of the mountaine but yet still the glory of the Gospell was farre more excellent a better Covenant a more excellent ministery The Law had weaknesse and unprofitablenesse in it both termes of diminution from the the glory thereof and therefore it could make nothing perfect But that which the Law could not doe in as much as it was weake through the flesh the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus which is a periphrasis of the Gospell as appeareth 2 Cor. 3.6 did doe for us namely make us free from the law of sin and death So then the Law was glorious but the Gospell in many respects did excell in glory 2 Cor. 3.10 To take a more particular view of the spirituall glory of the Gospell of Christ in those excellent ends and purposes for which it serveth First It is full of light to informe to comfort to guide those who sate in darknesse and the shadow of death into the way of peace Light was the first of all the creatures which were made and the Apostle magnifieth it for a glorious thing in those other luminaries which were after created 1 Cor. 15.41 How much more glorious was the light of the Gospell The Apostle calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A marvellous light and therefore the kingdome of the Gospell is exprest by light and glory together as termes of a promiscuous signification Esay 60.1 2 3. Of all other learning the knowledge of the Gospell doth infinitly excell in worth both in regard of the object thereof which is God manifested in the flesh and in regard of the end thereof which is flesh reconciled and brought unto God A knowledge which passeth knowledge a knowledge which bringeth fulnesse with it even all the fulnesse of God a knowledge so excellent that all other humane excellencies are but dung in comparison of it What Angell in heaven would trouble himselfe to busie his noble thoughts which have the glorious presence of God and the joyes of heaven to fill them with metaphysicall or mathematicall or philologicall contemplations which yet are the highest delicacies which humane reason doth fasten on to delight in And yet we finde the Angels in heaven with much greedinesse of speculation stoope downe and as it were turne away their eyes from that expressesse glory which is before them in heaven to gaze upon the wonderfull light and bottomlesse mysteries of the Gospell of Christ. In all other learning a Devill in hell the most cursed of all creatures doth wonderfully surpasse the greatest proficients amongst men but in the learning of the Gospell and in the spirituall revelations and evidences of the benefits of Christ to the soule from thence there is a knowledge which surpasseth the comprehension of any angell of darknesse for it is the Spirit of God onely which knoweth the things of God It was the devillish flout of Iulian the Apostate against Christian Religion that it was an illiterate rusticitie and a naked beliefe and that true polite learning did belong to him and his Ethnick faction and for that reason he interdicted Christians the use of Schooles and humane learning as things improper to their beleeving religion a persecution esteemed by the Ancients as cruel as the other bloudy massacres of his predecessors To which slander though the most learned Father might have justly returned the lye and given proofes both in the canonicall bookes of holy Scripture and in the professours of that religion of as profound learning as invincible argumentation and as forcible eloquence as in any Heathen Author for I dare challenge all the Pagan learning in the world to parallel the writings of Clemens of Alexandria Origen Iustin Tertullian Cyprian Minutius Augustine Theodoret Nazianzen and the other champions of Christian Religion against Gentilisme yet he rather chooseth thus to answer that that authoritie which the faith he so much derided was built upon came to the soule with more selfe-evidence and invincible demonstration than all the disputes of reason or learning of Philosophie could create Though therefore it were to the Iewes an offence as contrary to the honour of their Law and to the Greekes foolishnesse as contrary to the pride of their reason yet to those that were perfect it was an hidden and mysterious wisdome able to convince the gain-sayers to convert sinners to comfort mourners to give wisdome to the simple and to guide a man in all his wayes with spirituall prudence for what ever the prejudice of the world may be there is no man a wiser man nor more able to bring about those ends which his heart is justly set upon than hee who being acquainted with God in Christ by the Gospell hath the Father of wisedome the Treasurer of wisedome the Spirit of wisedome and the Law of wisedome to furnish him therewithall It is not for want of sufficiencie in the Gospell but for want of more intimate acquaintance and knowledge thereof in us that the children of this world are more wise in their generation than the children of light Secondly another glorious end and effect of the Gospell is to be a ministration of Righteousnesse a publication of a pardon to the world and that so generall that there is not one exception therein of any other sin than onely of the contempt of the pardon it selfe And in this respect likewise the Gospell exceeds in glory If the ministration of condemnation saith the Apostle bee glory much more doth the ministration of righteousnesse exceed in glory 2 Cor. 3.9 It is the glory of a man to passe by an offence and the Lord proclaimeth his glory to Moses in that he would forgive iniquitie transgression and sinne that is multitudes of sinnes and sinnes of all degrees Exod. 34.7 And thus the Lord magnifies his mercie and thoughts towards sinners above all the wayes and thoughts of men even as the heavens are higher than the earth because he can abundantly pardon or multiply forgivenesses upon those who forsake their wayes and turne to him Esay 55.7 8 9. and therefore justifying faith whereby we rely upon the power of God to forgive and subdue our sinnes is said to give glory to God Abraham staggered not at the Promise through unbeleefe but being strong in faith hee gave glory to God namely the glory of his power and fidelity Rom. 4.20 21. Ye shall not bring this congregation into the Land which I have given them saith the Lord to Moses and Aaron because yee beleeved me not to sanctifie mee in the eyes of the children of Israel that is to give me the glory of my power and truth for to sanctifie the Lord of hoasts signifieth to glorifie his power by fearing him
God ever have beene and ever will be to the worlds end esteemed for wonders and markes and mad-men and proverbs of reproch And hereby the Lord doth provide to make his Gospell more glorious because hee giveth men hearts to suffer scorne and reproch for it To receive the word in affliction and yet with joy is an exemplary thing which maketh the sound and glory of the Gospell to spread abroad Now then if persecution bee thus an appendant to the Gospell every man must resolve to receive it in some affliction when he must be put to discard his wicked companies to shake off his flattering and sharking lusts to forsake his owne will and wayes to runne a hazard of undeserved scorne disreputation and misconstructions in the world and yet for all this to set an high price upon the pretious truths of the Gospell still is not this to receive the Word in much affliction And surely till a man can resolve upon this conclusion I am ready to be bound and to die for the name of Iesus I count not my life much lesse my liberty peace credit secular accommodations deare so I may finish my course with joy Lord my will is no more mine but it shall be in all things subject unto thee hee can never give such entertainment to the Word as becommeth so glorious a Gospell All his seeming profession and acceptation is but like the Gadarens courtesie in meeting of Christ which was onely to be rid of him Matth. 8.34 Lastly we should from hence learne a further Christian dutie which is to adorne this glorious Gospell in an holy conversation This use the Apostle every where makes of the Gospell of Christ that wee should walke as becommeth the Gospell that we should in all things adorne the doctrine of God our Saviour that we should walke worthy of him who hath called us unto his kingdome and glory that we shew forth the vertues of him who hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light that we should not receive so great a grace as the ministery of reconciliation in vaine but that wee should walke sittingly to the holinesse and efficacie of so excellent a rule as becommeth a royall nation a people of glory a peculiar and selected inheritance even zealous of good workes It was once the expostulation of Nehemiah with his enemies should such a man as I flie from such men as you such should be our expostulation with Satan and our owne lusts should such men as wee are who have the Gospell of Christ for our rule conforme our selves unto another Law Is not this the end why the Gospell is preached that we should live unto God Doth it become the sonne of a King to goe in ragges or to converse with meane and ignoble persons Now by the Gospell we have that great honour and priviledge given us to be called the sons of God and shall we then walke as servants of Satan Would any Prince endure to see the heire of his crowne live in bondage to his own vassall and most hated enemie Herein is the greatest glory of the Gospell above the Law that it is a Law of life and libertie a Word which transformeth men into the Image of Christ and maketh them such as it requireth them to be So that to walke still according to the course of the world as we did before is as much as in us lies to make the Gospell as weake and unprofitable as the Law How doe you say we are wise saith the Prophet and the Law of the Lord is with us Certainely in vaine made he it the pen of the Scribe is in vaine That is the priviledge of having the oracles and ordinances of God committed unto us will doe us no more good if we walke unworthy of so great a grace than if those ordinances had never beene written or revealed to men Here then it is needfull to enquire in what manner we are to adorne and set forth the glory of the Gospell To this I answer that the first and greatest honour wee can doe unto the Gospell is to set it up in our hearts as our onely rule by which we are to walke that we preferre it above all our owne counsels and venture not to mingle it with the wisdome and reasonings of the flesh that wee raise up our conversation unto it and never bend it unto the crookednesse of our owne ends or rules As yee have received Christ Iesus the Lord so walke yee in him saith the Apostle that is fashion your conversation to the doctrine of Christ let that have the highest roome and the over-ruling suffrage in your hearts There is all wisdome in the Gospell it is able to make men wise unto salvation that is there is wisdome enough in it to compasse the uttermost and most difficult end And what can the reasonings of the flesh contribute to that which was all wisedome before and which can throughly furnish a man unto every good worke This glory Saint Paul though a man of great learning of strong intellectuals of a working and stirring spirit qualities very unapt to yeeld and be silent did at the very first revelation thereof give unto the Gospell Immediatly saith he I conferr'd not with flesh and bloud I did not compare the Gospell of Christ with the principles of my carnall wisdome I did not resolve to dispute against Gods grace or to conforme unto this mystery no farther than the precepts of mine owne reason or the coexistence of mine owne secular ends and preferments would allow but I captivated all my thoughts and laid downe all the weapons of the flesh at Christs feet resting onely on this Word as a treasury of wisdome and yeelding up my whole heart to be in all things ordered by this rule It is an horrible boldnesse in many men to wrest and torture and distinguish the Gospell into all shapes for their owne lusts sake As we see what shifts men will use to make the way of life broader than it is by looking upon it thorow their owne multiplying glasses what evasions and subterfuges sinne will finde out to escape by when the letter of the Word presseth sore upon them O how many sinnes might men escape how wonderfully might they improve the Image of Christ in their hearts if they did with David make the Law their counsellor and weigh every action which they goe about those especially which they have any motions of reluctancie in the spirit of their minde unto Non in statera dolosa consuetudinum sed in recta statera scripturarum not in the deceitfull balance of humane custome but in the balance of the Sanctuary the holy Scriptures If they would seriously remember that they must alwayes walke in Christ Coloss. 2.6 make him the rule the way the end the Judge the companion the assistant in all their workes that as the members of the body doe
for hands are not to bee laid suddenly on any man to preach the word and to administer the Sacraments and to doe all those ministeriall acts upon which the edification of the people of Christ doth depend I have now done with the first of Christs regalities in the Text which was the Scepter of his Kingdome Now to speake a word of the second which is Solium the Throne of his Kingdome The Lord shall send the Rod of thy strength out of Sion Which notes unto us First that the Church of the Iewes was the chiefe originall Metropolitan Church of all others Therefore our Savior chargeth his Disciples to Tarry in the City of Ierusalem till they should bee indued with power from on high The Apostle saith that they had the advantage or precedence and excellencie above other people because unto them were committed the Oracles of God To them did pertaine the Adoption and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the service of God and the promises Of them was Christ after the flesh All the Fathers Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and writers of the Holy Scriptures were of them There is no Church can shew such Priviledges nor produce such authentique records for her precedency as the Church of the Iewes Therefore they are called by an excellency Gods first-borne and the first fruits of the creatures they are called The Children of the Kingdome whereas others were at first Dogs and strangers Their Titles Sion Hierusalem Israel are used as proper names to expresse the whole Church of God by though amongst the Gentiles Christ Iesus though hee came as a Savior unto All yet hee was sent to bee a Prophet and a Preacher onely unto them Therefore the Apostle calleth him the Minister of the Circumcision that is of the Iewes and hee saith I am not sent but unto the lost sheepe of the house of Israel And when hee gave his Apostles their first commission he sent them onely into the Cities of the Iewes the Gentiles were incorporated into them were brought in upon their rejection and refusall of the Gospell tooke the Christians of Iudea for their patterne in their profession from that Church were Rules and constitutions sent abroad into other Churches as binding and necessary things To that Church the Churches of the Gentiles were debtors as having been made partakers of their spirituall things and though they bee now a rejected people yet when the fulnesse of the Gentiles is come in Israel shall be gathered againe and made a glorious Church And in the meane time their dispersion tended unto the conversion of the Gentiles For though they were enemies to the faith of Christians yet they did beare witnesse unto those Scriptures out of which the Christians did prove their faith And there is no greater evidence in a cause than the affirmative testimony of that man who is an enemie to the cause If the Church of Rome had such evidences as these out of the booke of God to prove their usurped primacie by how proud and intolerable would they be in boasting thereof and obtruding it unto others who are now so confident upon farre slenderer grounds And from hence we may learne to take heed of the sinnes of that people which were principally the rejecting of the corner stone and the putting off the Gospell of Christ away from them as every obstinate and unbeleeving sinner doth from himselfe This is that which hath made them of all nations the most hated and the most forsaken and hath brought wrath to the uttermost upon them because when Christ came unto his owne they received him not Because of unbeliefe they were broken off saith the Apostle and thou standest by faith be not high-minded but feare for if God spared not the naturall branches take heed lest he also spare not thee And we should likewise learne to pray for the fulnesse of the Gentiles and for the restoring of this people unto their honour and originall priviledges againe for we are their debtors we entred upon the promises which were made to them and therefore good reason we have to doe for them now as they did for us before We have a little sister or rather an elder sister and shee hath no brests the oracles and ordinances of God are taken from her What shall wee doe for our sister in the day when shee shall be spoken for Cant. 8.8 Secondly this notes unto us the calling of the Gentiles into the fellowship of the same mystery which was first preached unto the Iewes that they might be the daughters of this mother Church that they may take hold of the skirt of the Iew and say We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you The Church of Ierusalem was set up as a beacon or an ensigne or a publike sanctuary to which the nations should flie as doves to their windowes Of this merciful purpose some evidences and declarations the Lord gave before in Rahab Iob Ninive the Wise-men and others who were the preludes and first fruits of the Gentiles unto God and did after fully manifest the same in his unlimited commission to his Apostles Goe preach the Gospell unto every creature And now alas what were we that God should bring us hitherto Saint Paul saith that we were filled with all unrighteousnesse that we did neither understand God nor seeke after him Aâ—l our faculties were full of sinne and the fulnesse of all sinne was in us we were ruled by no lawes but the course of the world the Prince of the aire and the lusts of the flesh without God in this world and without any hope for the world to come Here vessels of lust and poyson and fitted to be hereafter vessels of destruction and misery We were no nation a foolish people a people that sought not nor inquired after God and yet his owne people hath he set by and called us to the knowledge of his love and mercie in Christ. And that not as many other Gentiles are called who heare of him indeed and worship him but have his doctrine corrupted and overturned with heresie and his worship defiled with superstition and idolatry but hee hath for us purged his floore and given unto us the wheat without the chaffe he hath let the light of his glory to shine purely upon us onely in the face of Iesus Christ without any humane supplements or contributions How should we praise him for it and as wee have received Christ purely so labour to walk worthily in him How should we runne to him that called us when we knew him not How should we set forward and call upon one another that we may flie like doves in companies unto the windowes of the Church How earnestly should wee contend for this truth the custodie whereof he hath honoured us withall How should we renue our repentance and remember our
and to compose those differences thereabouts which doe so much perplex the world Secondly for those places which in their meaning are easie to be understood but in their excellent and high nature hard to be beleeved as all Articles of faith and things of absolute necessitie are in their termes perspicuous but in their heavenly nature unevident unto humane reason the office of the Church is not to binde mens consciences to beleeve these truths upon her authoritie for wee have not dominion over the faith of men neither are we lords in Christs flock and how shal any scrupulous minde which is desirous to boult things to the bran be secure of the power which the Church in this case arrogates or have any certaintie that this society of men must be beleeved in their religion who will allow the same honor to no society of men but thēselves But in this case the office of the Church is both to labour by al good means to evidence the credibility of the things which are to be beleeved to discover unto men those essentiall and intimate beauties of the Gospel which to spirituall mindes and hearts raised to such a proportionable pitch of capacitie as are suteable to the excellency of their natures are apt to evidence and notifie themselves and also to labour to take men off from dependance on their owne reason or corrupted judgement to worke in their heart an experience of the Spirit of grace and an obedience to those holy truths which they already assent unto with which preparations and perswasions the heart being possessed will in due time come to observe more cleerely by that spirituall eye the evidence of those things which were at first so difficult so then the Act of the Church is in matters of faith an act of introduction and guidance but that which begetteth the infallible and unquestionable assent of faith is that spirituall taste relish and experience of the heavenly sweetnesse of divine doctrine which by the ministery of the Church accompanied with the speciall concurrence of almighty God therewithall is wrought in the heart for it is only the Spirit of God which writeth the Law in mens hearts which searcheth the things of God and which maketh us to know them Thirdly for those places which are difficult rather to be obeyed than to be understood The worke of the Church is to enforce upon the conscience the necessitie of them to perswade rebuke exhort encourage with all authority Which should teach us all to love the Church of Christ and to pray for the peace and prosperity of the walls of Sion for the purity spiritualnesse power and countenance of the Word therein which is able to hold up its owne honour in the minds of men if it be but faithfully published we should therefore studie to maintaine to credit to promote the Gospell to encourage truth discountenance errour to stand in the gap against all the stratagems and advantages of the enemies thereof and to hold the candlestick fast amongst us to buy the truth and sell it not betray it not forsake it not temper it not misguize it not This is to be a pillar to put the shoulder under the Gospell of Christ. And surely though the Papists boast of the word and name of the Church as none more apt to justifie and brag of their sobrietie than those whom the wine hath overtaken yet the plaine truth is they have farre lesse of the nature thereof than any other Churches because farre lesse of the pure service and ministration thereof for in stead of holding forth the Word of life they pull it downe denying unto the people of Christ the use of his Gospell dimidiating the use of his Sacrament breeding them up in an ignorant worship to begge they know not what in all points disgracing the Word of truth and robbing it of its certaintie sufficiencie perspicuitie authoritie purity energie in the minds of men And this is certain the more any set themselves against the light and generall knowledge of the Word of truth the lesse of the nature of the Church they have in them what-ever ostentations they may make of the name thereof The last thing observed in this second verse amongst the regalities of Christ was Imperium his rule and government in his Church by his holy Word maugre all the attempts and machinations of the enemies thereof against it Rule thou in the middest of thine enemies that is Thou shalt rule safely securely undisturbedly without danger feare or hazard from the enemies round about their counsels shall be infatuated their purposes shall vanish their decrees shall not stand their persecutions shall but sow the bloud of Christ and the ashes of Christians the thicker they shall see it and gnash with their teeth and gnaw their tongues and be horribly amazed at the emulation and triumph of a Christians sufferings over the malice and wrath of men The kingdome of Christ is two-fold His kingdome of glory of which there shall be no end when hee shall rule over his enemies and tread them under his feet and his kingdome of grace whereby hee ruleth amongst his enemies by the scepter of his Word And this is the kingdome here spoken of noting unto us that Christ will have a Church and people gathered unto him by the preaching of his Gospell on the earth maugre all the malice power or policie of all his enemies Never was Satan so loose never heresie and darknesse so thicke never persecution so prevalent never the taile of the Dragon so long as to sweepe away all the Starres of heaven or to devoure the remnant of the womans seed The gates of hell all the policie power and machinations of the kingdome of darknesse shall never root out the Vine which the Father hath planted nor prevaile against the body of Christ. His Gospell must be preached till the worlds end and till then he will be with it to give it successe Though the Kings of the earth stand up and the Rulers gather together against the Lord and his Christ yet they imagine but a vaine thing and hee that sitteth in heaven shall laugh them to scorne The grounds of the certainetie and perpetuitie of Christs Evangelicall Kingdome is not the nature of the Church in it selfe consider'd either in the whole or parts for Adam and Evah were a Church at first a people that were under the law of obedience and worship of God and yet they fell away from that excellent condition And the Prophet tels us that except the Lord had left a very small remnant the Church had beene all as Sodom and like to Gomorrah But the grounds hereof are First The Decree ordination and appointment of God Psal. 2.7 Acts 10.42 Hebr. 3.2 and wee know what ever men project the counsell of the Lord must stand Secondly Gods Gift unto Christ Aske of mee and I wil give thee the heathen for thine inheritance c. Ps. 2.8
faine to confesse and declare to the world in their Councell of Trent Onely herein is the difference The Councell pretended a Reformation in points of Discipline and manners and wee made a Reformation in points of Doctrine too When Christ purged the Temple of buyers and sellers it was the same Temple after which before When a man separateth the wheate from the chaffe it is the same corne which before In these corrupter ages then the pure Professour of Christ who denied not his faith did dwell where Satan had his seate The members of Christ were amongst the Rulers of Antichrist Wee are not another Church newly started up but the same which before from the Apostles times held the common and necessarie grounds of Faith and Salvation which grounds being in latter ages perverted and over-turned by Antichristianisme have beene by valiant Champions for the faith of Christ therefrom vindicated who have onely pruned the Lords Vine and picked out the stones and driven out the bores out of his Vineyard but have not made either one or other new Now this point that Christ ruleth in the midst of his enemies is ground of great confidence in his Church in as much as shee subsisteth not upon any corruptible strength of her owne but upon the Promise decree oath power and love of God things invincible by all the Powers of darkenesse Let the enemies rage never so much they cannot dis-throne Christ nor extinguish his Gospell for it is an everlasting Gospell It is but as the comming forth of a Shepheard against a Lion as the Prophet compareth it For either Christ is unable to protect his people and that is against Saint Iude Hee is able to keepe you from falling and to present you faultlesse c. or else he is unwilling and that is against Saint Paul This is the will of God even your sanctification Or else both his Power and his will are suspended upon expectation of humane concurrence or nullified and disappointed by us and that is against the influence of his Grace which giveth us both the will and the deed against the mercie of his gracious promise I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sinnes and their iniquities will I remember no more I will heale their back-slidings I will save them freely against the immutabilitie of his Covenant and holy nature I am God and not man I change not therefore the sonnes of Iacob are not destroied Now besides this generall observation the words afford some particular notes which I will but briefly touch As first That Christs kingdome in this world is Regnum Crucis a Kingdome beset with enemies of all other the most hated and opposed They that submit unto it must resolve to be herein conformable to their head a Crosse was his Throne and Thornes were his Crowne and every one which will live godly must suffer persecution and through many afflictions enter into his Masters Kingdome Quod erat Christus erimus Christiani No marvell if the world hate the Church of Christ for it hated him first In his word he is resisted disobeyed belied and if it were possible silenced and corrupted in his officers mocked and misused in his subjects persecuted and reviled in his Spirit thrust away and grieved in his worship neglected and polluted in all his wayes slandered and blasphemed The Reasons of which strange entertainement of the Kingdome of Christ are first because it is a New Kingdome which enters into the world by way of chalenge and dispossession of former lords and therefore no wonder if it finde opposition Secondly it is an invisible unconspicuous unattended desolate and in appearance ignoble kingdome It began in the forme of a servant in the ignominie of a Crosse none of the Princes of this world none of the learned of this world to countenance or helpe set it up but amongst them all esteemed as an offensive and foolish thing Thirdly it is an universall kingdome Nec parem patitur nec superiorem Christ will admit of no Consorts or Corrivals in his Government Body and Soule and Spirit hee will have wholly and throughout unto himselfe And this amongst others is given for the reason why when Tiberius proposed Christ unto the Romane Senate with the priviledge of his owne suffrage to be worshipped they rejected him because hee would be a God alone If hee would exempt some of the earthly members from his subjection let lust have the eye or folly the eare or violence the hand or covetousnesse the heart or any other evill affection share with him he would be the easier tolerated but when he will be absolute and nothing must remaine in our hearts but as his vassall to be spoiled subdued condemned and crucified by him if the whole state of sinne must bee ruined and the body destroied no wonder if the world cannot away with him Fourthly which is the Summe of all It is a heavenly Kingdome a spirituall Kingdome My Kingdome is not of this world and therefore no marvell if the divels of hell and the lusts of the flesh doe set themselves against him Note secondly even there where Christs Throne and Kingdome is set up hee hath enemies Satan hath his seate even where Christ dwelleth Men may say they are Jewes and are not but of the Synagogue of Satan and men may say they are Christians and are not but of the kingdome of Satan too A Wenne in the body seemeth to belong unto the integrity of the whole when indeed it is an enemie and thiefe therein Ivie about a tree seemeth to embrace it with much affection when indeed it doth but kill and choake it Men may take upon them the profession of Christians and like a Wenne bee skinned over with the same out-side which the true members have may pretend much submission worship and ceremony unto him and yet such is the hellish hypocrisie of the heart the same men may haply inwardly swell and rancle against the power of his truth and Spirit This people saith the Lord draw neere me with their mouth and honour mee with their lips but have removed their heart farre from me and their feare towards mee is taught by the precepts of men In the Apostles times there were false brethren and false teachers who crept in to spie out and betray the libertie of the Church and privily to bring in damnable heresies and to speake lies in hypocrisie that is under the pretext of devotion and carnall humilitie to corrupt the Doctrine of Christ and under a forme of Godlinesse to denie the Power thereof Therefore Antichrist is called a Whore because hee should seduce the Christian world with much expression of love and creepe peaceably and by flatteries into the kingdome of Christ of these severall enemies of Christ under the profession of his name and worship some are Christians but not in purity as heretikes some not in unity as schismatikes some not
to the wayes of grace as there is in any The consideration whereof may justly humble us in our reflexion upon our selves whom neither the promises of heaven can allure nor the bloud and passions of Christ perswade nor the flames of hell affright from our sinnes till the Lord by the sweet and gracious power of his holy â—â—irit subdue and conquer the soule unto himselfe If a man should rise from the dead and truly relate unto the conscience the woefull and everlasting horrors of hell if a mans naturall capacity were made as wide to apprehend the wrath fury and vengeance of a provoked God the foulenesse guilt and venome of a soule fuller of sins than the heavens of stars as the most intelligent divels of hell doe conceive them If an Archangell or Seraphim should be sent from heaven to reveale unto the soule of a naturall man the infinite glory of Gods presence the full pleasures of his right hand the admirable beauty of his wayes the intimate conformity and resemblance between his divine nature in himselfe the Image of his holinesse in the creature the unsearchable and bottomlesse love of Christ in his Incarnation and sufferings the endlesse incomprehensible vertue pretiousnesse of his bloud and prayers yet so desperately evill is the heart of man that if after all this God should not afford the blessed operation and concurrence of his owne gratious Spirit the revelation of his own arme and power upon the soule to set on those instrumentall causes it would be invincible by any evidence which all the cries and flames of hell which all the armies and hosts of heaven were able to beget There is no might or power able to snatch a man out of the hands of his sin but onely Gods Spirit Notable are the expressions which the holy Ghost every where useth to set forth this wretched condition of the heart by nature wilfulnesse and selfe-willednesse We will not hearken we will not have this man to raigne over us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many wils in one Rebellion and stubbornenesse stoutnesse of heart contestation with God and gain-saying his Word Impudence stiffenesse and hard-heartednesse mischievous profoundnes and deepe reasonings against the Law of God pertinacie resolvednesse and abiding in mischiefe they hold fast deceit obstinacie and selfe-obduration They have hardned their neckes that they might not heare Impotencie immoveablenesse and undocilenesse their heart is uncircumcised they cannot heare there is none that understandeth or seeketh after God scorne and slighting of the messages of the Lord where is his Word Where is the promise of his comming Incredulity and belying the Lord in his Word saying it is not he Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed Wrestling resisting and fighting with the Word rejecting the counsell of God vexing and striving with his holy Spirit ye have alwayes resisted the holy Ghost Rage and fiercenesse of disordred affections despising of goodnesse trayterous heady and high-minded thoughts Brutishnes of immoderate lust the untamed madnesse of an enraged beast without any restraint of reason or moderation In one word a hell and gulfe of unsearchable mischiefe which is never satisfied It is impossible that any reasonable man duly considering all these difficulties should conceive such an heart as this to be overcome with meere morall perswasions or by any thing lesse than the mightie power of Gods owne grace To him therefore we should willingly acknowledge all our conversion and salvation So extremely impotent are we O Lord unto any good so utterly unprofitable and unmeet for our Masters use and yet so strongly hurried by the impulsion of our owne lust towards hell that no precipice nor danger no hope nor reward no man or Angell is able to stop us without thine owne immediate power and therefore Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy name onely be attributed the glory of our conversion Againe by this consideration we should be provoked to stirre up and call together all our strength in the Lords service to recover our mispent time to use the more contention and violence for the kingdome of heaven when wee consider how abundant wee have beene in the workes of sinne in the pursuing of vast desires which had neither end nor hope in them O how happie a thing would it be if men could serve God with the same proportion of vigour and willingnesse of mind as they served Satan and themselves before I was never tired in that way I went on indefatigably towards hell like a swift Dromedary or an untamed heifer I pursued those evill desires which had vanity for their object and misery for their end no fruit but shame and no wages but death But in the service of Christ I have a price before mee an abiding Citie an enduring substance an immarcescible crowne to fix the highest of my thoughts upon I have the promises of Christ to strengthen me his Angels to guard his Spirit to lead his Word to illighten me In one word I have a soule to save and a God to honour And why should not I apply my power to serve him who did reach forth his owne power to convert me A long way I have to goe and I must doe it in a spanne of time so many temptations to overcome so many corruptions to shake off so many promises to beleeve so many precepts to obey so many mysteries to study so many workes to finish and so little time for all my weaknesses on one side my businesses on another mine enemies and my sinnes round about me take away so much that I have scarce any left to give to God And yet alas if I could serve God on earth as he is served in heaven if I had the strength of Angels and glorified Saints to doe his will it would come infinitely short of that good will of God in my redemption or of his power in my conversion If God should have said to all the Angels in heaven there is such a poore wretch posting with full strength towards hell goe stand in his way and drive him back againe all those glorious armies would have beene too few to blocke up the passageâ— betweene sin and heâ— without the concurrence of Gods owne Spirit and power they could have returned none other answer but this we have done all we can to perswade and turne him but he will not be turned If then the Lord did put to his owne power to save me great reason there is that I should set my weake and impotent faculties to honour him especially since hee hath beene pleased both to mingle with his service great joy liberty and tranquillity here and also to set before it a full a sure and a great reward for my further animation and encouragement thereunto The fourth thing observed in this Verse was the attire wherein Christs people should attend
and reall conveying the blessing it selfe desired without all contradiction saith the Apostle the lesse is blessed of the greater Hebr. 7.7 and such was this of Melchisedek Benedictio obsignans a seale assurance and effectuall confirmation of the promise before made Gen. 12.2 3. Sixthly in what manner he received Tithes I answer with Calvin that he had Ius decimarum and received them as testifications of homage duty and obedience from Abraham for the Apostle useth it as argument to prove his greatnes above Abraham which could be no argument in the case of pure gift Since gifts quâ—tenus gifts though they prove not a generall inferioritie in him that receives them yet they prove that in that case there is something which may be imputed and which deserves acknowledgement But in this particular all the acknowledgements are from Abraham to Melchisedek Besides nothing was here by Abraham or Melchisedek done after an arbitrary manner but Extraordinario spiritus afflatu ex officio on both sides as learned Cameron hath observed Lastly in what sense hee was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. without father mother or genealogie I answer with Chrysostome that it is not meant literally and strictly but onely the Scripture takes notice of him as an extraordinary man without signifying his line beginning end or race as Tiberius said of Rufus that he was Homo ex se natus that so he might be the fitter to typifie Christs person and excellencie in whom those things were really true which are onely quoad nos spoken of the type of whose beginning end or parentage wee neither have nor can have any knowledge These things thus premised it will bee easie for you to preoccupate those observations which grow betweene the Type and the Antitype which therefore I will but cursorily propose Note first that Christs Priesthood is such as did induce a kingdome with it for Melchisedek was King of Salem and Priest of the most high God This Saint Hierom and from him Ambrose report to have been meant by the order of Melchisedek namely Regale Sacerdotium that Christ was to be a Royall Priest By way of merit purchasing a kingdome of his Father and by way of conquest recovering it to himselfe out of the hands of his enemies this mystery was obscurely intimated in the marriages allowed between the regall and sacerdotall tribes of Iuda and Levi which confusion was in the other Tribes interdicted as I have before observed Note secondly that Christ by offering up himselfe a Sacrifice unto God is become unto his people a King of Righteousnesse or the Lord our righteousnesse in which sense he is called The Prince of life Act. 3.15 that is he hath all power given him as a Prince to quicken and to justifie whom hee will Ioh. 5.20 21. And this comes from his Sacrifice and perfect obedience to us imputed and by us with faith implyed and apprehended for having fulfilled the righteousnesse of the Law and justified himselfe by rising from the dead he became being thus made perfect the Author of righteousnesse and salvation to us Heb. 5.9 We had in us a whole kingdome of sin and therefore requisite there was in him that should justifie us a kingdome of Grace and righteousnesse That as sinne raigned unto death even so might Grace through righteousnesse raigne unto eternall life by Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 5.21 and therefore wee are said to be justified by the righteousnesse of God Rom. 3.21 22. that is such a righteousnesse as is ours by gift and grace not by nature Rom. 10.3 and such a righteousnesse as God himseâ—fe did performe though in the humane nature in our behalfe Act. 20.28 Phil. 2.6 7 8. And this is the ground of all our comfort the best direction in all our miseries and extremities whither to flie A King is the greatest officer amongst men and his honour and state is for the supply defence and honour of his people He is Custos Tabularum the Father and the Keeper of the Lawes If I want any of that justice and equity of which his sacred Bosome is the publike treasure I may freely beg it of him because he is an Officer to dispence righteousnesse unto his subjects so also is Christ unto his Church I finde my selfe in a miserable condition condemned by the conscience of sinne by the testimony of the Word by the accusations of Satan full of discomforts God is a God of justice and all fire my selfe a creature of sin and all stubble Satan the accuser of the brethren who labours to blow up the wrath of God against me In this case what shall I doe Surely God hath set his King on Sion and he is a King that hath life and righteousnesse to give to mee that hath grace enough to quench all sin and the envenomed darts of Satan in whom there is erected a court of peace and mercy whereunto to appeale from the severity of God from the importunity of the Devill and from the accusations and testimonies of our owne hearts And indeed he had need be a King of righteousnesse that shall justifie men for our justification is in the remission of our sins and to pardon sins and dispence with Lawes is a regall dignitie and God taketh it as his owne high and peculiar prerogative I even I am he who blotteth out thine iniquity for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Esay 43.25 No man or Angell or created power no merit no obedience no rivers of oyle nor mountaines of cattell no prayers teares or torments can wipe out the staines or remove the guilt of any sinne I onely even I and none else can doe it None but a Divine and Royall Power can subdue sinne Mica 7.18 And this is a ground of a second comfort that being a King of righteousnesse he is rich in it and hath treasures to bestow that as we have a kingdome a treasure and abundance of sin so we have a King that hath alwayes a residue of spirit and grace that hath a most redundant righteousnesse from faith to faith Rom. 1.17 A mans faith can never over-grow the righteousnesse of our King If we had all the faith that ever was in the world put into one man all that could not over-claspe the righteousnesse of Christ or be too bigge for it As if a man had a thousand eyes and they should one after another looke on the Sunne yet still the light would be revealed from eye to eye or as if a man should goe up by ten thousand steps to the top of the highest mountaine yet he could never over-looke all the earth or fix his eye beyond all visible objects but should still have more earth and heaven discovered unto him from step to step so there is an immensitie in the righteousnesse and mercy of God which cannot be exhausted by any sins or overlooked and comprehended by any faith of men As God dotâ—
men on the earth The Gospell is the Patent and Charter of a Christian all that hee hath to shew for his Salvation the treasure of his wealth and priviledges all that he hath to boast in either for this life or another the armory of a Christian all that he hath to hold up against the temptations and conflicts of his sorest enemies the only toole and instrument of a Christian all that he hath to doe any action of piety charity loyalty or sobriety withall the onely glasse of a Christian wherein he may see his owne face and so learne to deny himselfe and wherein he may see the face of God in Christ and so learne to desire and to follow him So that upon the matter for any man to be ignorant of the Gospell is to unchristian himselfe againe and to degenerate into a heathen Powre out thine indignation upon the heathen that know thee not Ignorance makes a man a very heathen This I say and testifie saith the Apostle that you henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke in the vanity of their mind for you have not so learned Christ. It is not the title nor the profession which maketh a man a reall Christian and distinguisheth him from other heathen men but the learning of Christ in his Spirit and Gospell For as he who was onely outwardly and in the flesh a Jew might be uncircumcized in his heart so he who is onely in title and name a Christian may be a heathen in his heart and that more fearefully than Sodome and Gomorrah or Tyre and Sydon because he hath put from himselfe the Salvation of the Lord and judged himselfe unworthy of eternall life Lastly if there bee indeed such power in the Gospell wee should labour to beare witnesse unto the testimony which God giveth of his Word in a holy conversation It is a reproach cast upon the ordinances of God when men doe in their lives denie that vertue which God testifieth to be in them Wicked men are said to crucifie Christ againe to put him to shame to make God a liar not that these things can so really bee but because men in their evill lives carry themselves as if indeed they were so And in this sense the Gospell may bee said to bee weake too because the pride of men holds out against the saving power thereof But these men must know that the word returneth not empty unto God but accomplisheth some worke or other either it ripeneth weeds or corne There is thunder and lightning both in the word if the one breake not a heart the other will blast it if it bee not humbled by the word it will certainly bee withered and made fruitlesse Shall the clay boast it selfe against the fire because though it have power to melt wax yet it hath not power to melt clay Is it not one and the same power which hardneth the one and which softneth the other Is not the word a sweete Savor unto God as well in those that perish as in those that are saved Certainly there is as wonderfull a power in adding another death to him who was dead before which upon the matter is to kill a dead man as in multiplying and enlarging life And the Gospell is to those that perish a Savor of death unto death such a word as doth cumulate the damnation of wicked men and treasure up wrath upon wrath If it doe not convert it will certainly harden if it doe not save it will undoubtedly judge and condemne The Lord doth never cast away his Gospell hee that gave charge to gather up the broken meate of loaves and fishes that nothing might bee lost will not suffer any crumme of his spirituall manna to come to nothing Yet wee finde the Lord giveth a charge to his Prophets to preach even there where hee foretold them that their words would not bee heard Thou shalt speake all these wordes unto them but they will not hearken to thee thou shalt also call unto them but they will not answere thee Sonne of Man I send thee to the Children of Israel to a rebellions nation they are impudent Children and stiffe hearted Yet thou shalt speake my words unto them whether they will heare or whether they will forbeare for they are rebellion it selfe They will not hearken unto thee for they will not hearken unto mee For all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted Certainly when the Lord taketh paines by his Prophets to call those who will not heare hee doth it not in vaine they shall know at length that a Prophet hath been amongst them Therefore as the Apostle saith that the Gospell is a sweet Savour even in those that perish So wee finde those messages which have contained nothing but curses against an obstinate people have yet been as honie for sweetnesse in the mouth of those that preached them I did eate the roule saith the Prophet and it was in my mouth as honie for sweetnesse and yet there was nothing in it written but lamentations and mourning and woe Ieremie did not desire the woefull day but did heartily say Amen to the false Prophets in their predictions of safety yet in regard of his ready service unto God and of that glory which God would worke out unto himselfe in the punishment of that sinfull people the word of Prophesie which was committed unto him was the joy and rejoicing of his heart so that in all respects the Gospell of Christ is a word of power and therein wee doe and must rejoice Wee observed before that this Rod of strength is both Sceptrum Majestatis and Pedum Pastorale Both the Scepter of Christ as hee is a King and his Pastorall staffe as hee is a Bishop It denoteth the Administration of Christs Kingdome which consisteth in the dispensing of his Gospell as it is a word of Majesty and of care So then here are as I before observed two observations yet remaining to bee noted out of these words Virga Virtutis the Rod of thy strength The first that the Gospell of Christ accompanied with his Spirit is a word of great glory and Majesty For wee must ever make these concomitants wee preach the Gospell saith S. Peter with the Holy Ghost sent downe from heaven 1 Pet. 1.12 And indeed the Spirit is peculiar to the Gospell and not belonging to the Law at all if wee consider it alone by it selfe under the relation of a distinct covenant For though as it proceedeth out of Sion that is as it is an appendix and additament unto the Gospell it tend unto liberty and so cōmeth not without the Spirit yet by it selfe alone it gendreth nothing but bondage And therefore when the Apostle sheweth the excellency of the Gospell above the Law hee calleth one a ministration of death and of the letter the other a ministration of the Spirit and life To shew that properly the Spirit belongeth unto the Gospell of grace