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
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
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
and to heale and prevent back-slidings for the time to come Fourthly that he might be fit for so meane and humble a service there was a lessening and emptying of himselfe he was contented to be subject to his owne Law to be the childe of his owne creature to take upon himselfe not the similitude onely but the infirmities of sinfull flesh to descend from his throne and to put on rags in one word to become poore for us that we through his povertie might be made rich Amongst men many will be willing to shew so much mercy as will consist with their state and greatnesse and may tend to beget a further distance and to magnifie their heighth and honour in the mindes of men but when it comes to this exigent that a man must debase himselfe to doe good unto another that his compassion will be to a miserable man no benefit except he suffer ignominie and undergoe a servile condition for him and doe as it were change habits with the man whom he pities what region of the earth will afford a man who will freely make his owne honour to be the price of his brothers redemption yet this is the manner of Christs Care for us who though hee were the Lord of Glory the brightnesse of his Fathers Majestie and the expresse Image of his Person did yet humble himselfe to endure shame and the contradiction of sinners that he might be the Author and finisher of our faith Fifthly There was not onely an humbling or metaphoricall emptying of himselfe in that he made himselfe of no reputation but there was likewise a reall and proper emptying of himselfe he therein testified his wonderfull Care of the businesses of man that for them he put himselfe to the greatest expence and to the exhausting of a richer treasure than any either heaven or earth could afford besides yee were not redeemed saith the Apostle with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vaine conversation but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe without blemish and without spot That which no man will bestow upon himselfe and that which was in nature and might justly in love have beene neerest to Christ himselfe even the soule in his body and the bloud in his veines he was contented to make a sacrifice for them who powred it out as the bloud of a malefactour Sixthly besides this great price which he paid to his Father for us hee hath opened another treasure of his Grace and Spirit out of which he affordeth us daily supplies and putteth into our hands as it were an heavenly stocke for the better negotiating and improvement of our salvation Hee setteth up his Spirit in our hearts thereby conversing and communing with us teaching us the trade of the citizens of heaven and of laying up treasures there where our finall abode must be of having our conversation and commerce with innumerable companies of Angels and with the spirits of just men made perfect and withall that generall assembly or Church of the first-borne which is inrolled in heaven Lastly to all this he addeth Preparations and provisions for the future for us he doth not onely give but he prepareth things for those that love him and what ever is wanting now he will make it up unto us in the riches of his glory It was for our expediencie that hee left the Church on earth in regard of his carnall presence and went unto his Father againe Hee was not beholden to change oâ— place for his owne glory for his heaven was within him as a fountaine and indeed it is his presence which maketh heaven to be the place of glory therefore Saint Paul desired to depart and to be with Christ noting that it is not heaven but Christs presence which is the glory of the Saints Therefore I say it was for us that he went to heaven againe for their sakes saith he I sanctifie my selfe it is expedient for you that I goe away Expâ—dient to seale and secure our full and finall redemption unto us for as the Leviticall Priest entred not into the holiest of all without bloud so neither did Christ into heaven without making satisfaction hee first obtained eternall redemption for us and then he entred into the holy place and expedient to prepare a place for us that the glory which is given to him hee may give unto us that being raised up together we may likewise sit together with him in heavenly places for when the head is crowned the whole body is invested with royall honour Hee by the vertue of his Ascension opened the kingdome of heaven for all beleevers even the Fathers before Christ entred not in without respect unto that consummate redemption which hee was in the fulnesse of time to accomplish for his Church As a man may be admitted into an actuall possession of land onely in the vertue of covenants and under the intuition of a payment to be afterwards performed Thus we see in how many things the abundant Care of Christ doth shew it selfe towards the Church And as there are therein all the particulars of a tender care so by the Gospell likewise doe all the fruits and benefits thereof redound unto the faithfull First in the Gospell he feedeth and strengthneth them even in the presence of their enemies he prepareth them a table and feedeth them with his rod and according to their comming out of Aegypt he sheweth unto them marvellous things And therefore our Saviour calleth his Gospell The childrens bread It is that which quickneth which strengthneth them which maketh them fruitfull in spirituall workes Secondly He upholdeth them from fainting if their strength at any time faile hee leadeth them gently and teacheth them to goe As Iacob led on his cattell and his children softly according as they were able to endure so Christ doth lead out his flocke and hold his children by the hand and teach them to goe and draweth them with the cords of a man that is with meeke and gentle institution such as men use towards their children and not to their beasts and with bands of love As an Eagle sluttereth over her young and spreadeth abroad her wings and taketh them and beareth them on her wings so doth the Lord in his Gospel sweetly lead on and institute the faithfull unto strength and salvation he dealeth with them as a compassionate nurse with a tender infant condescendeth to their strength and capacitie when we stumble he keepeth us when we fall he raiseth us when we faint hee beareth us in his armes when wee grow weary of well-doing the Gospell is full of encouragements to hearten us full of spirit to revive us full of promises to establish us full of beautie to entice us when we seeme to be in a wildernesse a maze where there is no issue nor view of deliverance even there he openeth a doore of hope and allureth and speaketh
of wit joyned with ambition and impatiencie of repulse in vaste desires which hath anciently beene the ground of many heresies and schismes Nothing hath ever beene more dangerous to the Church of God than greatnesse of parts unsanctified and unallaid with the love of truth and the Grace of Christ. Secondly envie against the paines and estimation of those that are faithfull This was one of the originals of Arrius his cursed heresie his envie against Alexander the good bishop of Alexandria as Theodoret reports Thirdly impatiencie of the spiritualnesse and simplicitie of the holy Scriptures which is ever joyned with the predominancie of some carnall lust whereby the conscience is notoriously wasted or defiled Hee that hath once put away a good conscience and doth not desire truth in order and respect to that that thereby his conscience may be illightened purified and kept even towards God will without much adoe make shipwracke of his faith and change the truth for any thriving errour And this impatiencie of the Spirit of truth in the Scriptures is that which caused heretikes of old to reject some parts and to adde more to the Canon of sacred Scriptures and in these dayes to super-adde traditions and apocryphall accessions thereunto and in those which are pure and on all sides confessed to use such licentious and carnall glosses as may hale the Scripture to the countenancing and conformitie of their lusts and prejudices rather than to the rectifying of their owne hearts by the Rule of Christ. Secondly men preach themselves when they make themselves the Object of their preaching when they preach selfe-dependencie and selfe-concurrencie making themselves as it were joynt-saviours with Christ such was the preaching of Simon Magus who gave out that himselfe was some great one even the great Power of God Of Montanus and his scholars who preached him for the Comforter that was promised Of Pelagius and his associates who though they did acknowledge the Name of Grace to decline envie and avoide the curse of the great Councell of Carthage yet still they did but shelter their proud heresies under equivocations and ambiguities Of the Massilienses in the times of Prosper and Hilarie and of some ancient Schoolemen touching pre-existent congruities for the preparations of Grace and co-existent concurrencies with the Spirit for the production of Grace Of the papists in their doctrines of indulgences authoritative absolution merits of good workes justification and other like which doe all in effect out-face and give the lye unto the Apostle when hee calleth Christ an able or sufficient Saviour Thirdly men preach themselves when they make themselves the end of their preaching when they preach their owne parts passions and designes and seeke not the Lord when out of envie or covetousnesse or ambition or any other servile or indirect affection men shall prevaricate in the Lords Message and make the Truth of God serve their owne turnes When men shall stand upon Gods holy mount as on a theater to act their owne parts and as on a step to their owne advancement when the truth of God and the death of Christ and the kingdome of heaven and the fire of hell and the soules of men and the salvation of the world shall be made basâ—ly serviceable and contributary to the boundlesse pride of an Atheisticall Diotrephes Such as these were they who in the times of Constantius the emperor poisoned the world with Arrianisme in the times of S. Cyprian provoked persecutions against the Church and in the times of Israel ensnared the tenne Tribes till they were utterly destroied and blinded the two Tribes till they were led away captive by the Babylonians so horrid are the consequences of taking away the Gospell of Christ from him and making it the Rod not of his strength but of our owne pride or passion Wee must therefore alwayes remember that the Gospell is Christs owne and that will encourage us to speake it as we ought to speake First with authoritie and boldnesse without silence or connivence at the sinnes of men Though in our private and personall relations we are to shew all modestie humilitie and lowlinesse of carriage towards all men yet in our masters businesses wee must not respect the persons nor bee daunted at the faces of men Paul a prisoner was not affraid to preach of righteousnesse and temperance and judgement to come before a corrupt and lascivious Prince though it made him tremble Secondly with wisedome as a Scribe instructed to the kingdome of heaven This was Saint Pauls care to worke as a wise master-builder When Christs enemies watched him to picke something out of his mouth wherby they might accuse him wee finde so much depth of wisedome in the answeres and behaviours of Christ as utterly disappointed them of their expectations and strooke them with such amazement that they never durst aske him questions more So should wee endeavour to behave our selves in such manner as that our ministerie may not be blamed nor the truth of God exposed to censure or disadvantages for sacred truthes may bee sometimes either so unseasonably or so indigestedly and uncoherently delivered as may rather open than stop the mouthes of gain-sayers and sooner discredit the truth than convert the adversary The Apostle saith that we are to make a difference to save some with compassion others with feare This is to speake a word in due season and as our Saviour did to speake as men are able to heare to presse the Word upon the conscience with such seasonable and sutable enforcements as may bee most likely to convince those judgements and to allure those affections which we have to doe withall It is not knowledge in the generall but the right use thereof and wise application unto particulars which winneth soules The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright This is that heavenly Craft wherewith the Apostle caught the Corinthians as it were by guile such Art he useth towards the Philosophers of Athens not exasperating men who were heady and confident of their owne rules but seeming rather to make up the defects which themselves in the inscription of their Altar confessed and to reveale that very God unto them whom they worshipped but did not know Therefore wee finde him there honouring their owne learning and out of that disputing for a resurrection and against idolatry to shew that Christian Religion was no way against that learning or rectified reason which they seemed to professe The like art hee used towards king Agrippa first presuming of his knowledge and credit which he gave to the Prophets and then meeting and setting on his inclinable disposition to embrace the Gospell like the wisedome of the servants of Benhadad unto Ahab They did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him and did hastily catch it and they said Thy Brother Benhadad And the like wisedome he used every where hee denied himselfe his owne
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
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
of our progresse in brotherly love is punctually answerable to the growth of our love to Christ. Secondly a true grounded love unto Christ will shew it selfe in the right manner or conditions of it Which are principally these three First it must bee an incorrupt and sincere love Grace bee upon all those that love the Lord Iesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in incorruption or sincerity saith the Apostle Eph. 6.24 that is on those who love not in word or outward profession and stipulation onely but in deed and truth or in the permanent constitution of the inner man which moveth them to love him alwayes and in all things to hate every false way to set the whole heart the studie purpose prayer and all the activity of our Spirits against every corruption in us which standeth at enmity with him and his Kingdome Secondly it must be a principall and superlative love grounded upon the experience of the soule in it selfe that there is ten thousand times more beautie and amiablenesse in him than in all the honours pleasures profits satisfactions which the world can afford that in comparison or competition with him the dearest things of this world the parents of our body the children of our flesh the wife of our bosome the bloud in our veines the heart in our brest must not onely be laid downe and lost as sacrifices but hated as snares when they draw us away from him Thirdly it must bee an unshared and uncommunicable love without any corrivals for Christ as he is unto us all in all so he requireth to have all our affections fixed upon him As the rising of the Sunne drowneth all those innumerable Starres which did shine in the firmament before so must the beauty of this Sunne of righteousnesse blot out or else gather together unto it selfe all those scattered affections of the soule which were before cast away upon meaner objects Lastly true love unto Christ will shew it selfe in the naturall and genuine effects of so strong and spirituall a grace some of the principall I before named unto which we may adde First An universall cheerefull and constant obedience to his holy Commandements If a man saith Christ love me he will keepe my Commandements and my Father will love him and wee will come unto him and make our abode with him Iob. 14.24 There is a twofold love a love which descends and a love which ascends a love of Bounty and beneficence and a love of Dutie and service so then as a father doth then only in truth love his childe when with all care he provideth for his present education and future subsistence so a childe doth then truly love his father when with all reverence and submission of heart he studieth to please and to doe him service And this love if it be free and ingenuous by how much the more not only pure and equall in it selfe but also profitable unto him the commandement is by so much the more carefully will it endevour the observation thereof And therefore since the soule of a Christian knowes that as God himselfe is good and doth good so his Law which is nothing but a ray and glimpse of his owne holinesse is likewise good in it selfe and doth good unto those which walke uprightly it is hereby enflamed to a more sweet and serious obedience thereunto in the keeping whereof there is for the present so much sweetnesse and in the future so great a reward Thy Word saith the Psalmist is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it Secondly A free willing and cheerefull suffering for him and his Gospell Vnto you saith the Apostle it is given in the behalfe of Christ not onely to beleeve on him but also to suffer for his sake Phil. 1.29 We see how far a humane love either of their countrey or of vain-glory hath transported some heathen men to the devoting and casting away their owne lives How much more should a spirituall love of Christ put courage into us to beare all things and to endure all things as the Apostle speakes 1 Cor. 13.7 for him who bare our sinnes and our stripes and our burdens for us which were heavier than all the world could lay on And this was the inducement of that holy martyr Polycarp to die for Christ notwithstanding all the perswasions of the persecutors who by his apostacie would faine have cast the more dishonour upon Christian Religion and as it were by sparing him have the more cunningly persecuted that This eightie six yeares saith he I have served him and he never in all that time hath done me any hurt why should I be so ungratefull as not to trust him in death who in so long a life hath never forsaken me I am perswaded saith the Apostle that neither death nor life nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord Rom. 8.38 39. Nothing able to turne away his love from us and therefore nothing should be able to quench our loue to him Many waters that is by the usuall expression of the holy Scriptures many afflictions persecutions temptations cannot quench love neither can the flouds drowne it Cant. 8.7 Thirdly A zeale and jealous contention for the glory truth worship and wayes of Christ wicked men pretend much love to Christ but they indeed serve onely their owne turnes as Ivie which claspes an Oake very close but only to sucke out sap for its owne leaves and berries but a true love is full of care to advance the glory of Christs kingdome and to promote his truth and worship feares lest Satan and his instruments should by any meanes corrupt his truth or violate his Church as the Apostle to the Galatians professeth the feare which his love wrought in him towards them I am afraid of you lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vaine Gal. 4 11-16 So we finde what contention and disputation and strife of spirit the Apostles and others in their ministery used when Christ and his holy Gospell was any way either injured by false brethren or kept out by the idolatry of the places to which they came Act. 15.2 Act. 17.16 Act. 18.25 19.8 Gal. 2.4 5. Iude v. 2. Lastly A longing after his presence a love of his appearing a desire to be with him which is best of all a seeking after him and grieving for him when for any while he departs from the soule a waiting for his salvation a delight in his Communion and in his spirituall refreshments a communing with him in his secret chamber in his houses of wine and in his galleries of love By which lovely expressions the Wise-man hath described the fellowship which the Church desireth to have with Christ and that abiding and supping of Christ with his Church feasting the soule with the manifestations of himselfe and
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
effectually that is it doth not consummate nor accomplish any perfect worke but onely in those that beleeve in the rest it proves but an abortion and withers in the blade Secondly with love and readinesse of minde without despising or rejecting it No man can bee saved who doth not receive the truth in love who doth not receive it as the primitive Saints did with gladnesse and readinesse of minde as Eli though from the hand of Samuel a Child as David though from the hand of Abigail a woman as the Galatians though from the hand of Paul an infirme and persecuted Apostle For herein is our homage to Christ the more apparent when we suffer a little childe to lead us Thirdly with meeknesse and submission of heart reverencing and yeelding unto it in all things Wresting shifting evading perverting the word is as great an indignity unto Christ as altering interlining or rasing a patent which the King hath drawen with his owne royall hand is an offence against him Patience and effectuall obedience even in affliction is an argument that a man esteemes the word to bee indeed Gods owne word and so receives it Hee onely who putteth off the old man the corrupt deceitfull lusts of his former conversation and is renewed in the Spirit of his minde is the man that hath heard and been taught by Christ that hath received the Truth in him Againe in as much as the Gospell is the Rod of Christs owne strength or the instrument of his arme who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed and the instrument is no further operative or effectuall than according to the measure of that impressed vertue which it receiveth from the superior cause therefore wee should learne alwayes to repaire unto Christ for the successe of his word For he onely is the teacher of mens hearts and the author of their faith To him onely it belongeth to call men out of their graves and to quicken whom hee will Wee have nothing but the ministerie he keepeth the power in his own hands that men might learne to waite upon him and to have to doe with him who onely can send a blessing with his word and teach his people to profit thereby Another ground of the power of the word is that it is sent from God The Lord shall send forth the Rod of thy strength From which particular likewise wee may note some usefull observations as First that Gods appointment and ordination is that which gives being life majesty and successe to his owne word authority boldnesse and protection to his servants When hee sendeth his word hee will make it prosper When Moses disputed against his going down into Egypt to deliver his brethren sometimes alleaging his owne unfitnesse and infirmity sometimes the unbeliefe of the people this was still the warrant with which God encouraged him I will bee with thee I have sent thee doe not I make mans mouth I will bee with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say I was no Prophet neither was I a Prophets Sonne saith Amos but I was an heardsman a gatherer of sycamore fruit And the Lord tooke me as I followed the flock and said unto mee Goe prophecie unto my people Israel And this made him peremptory in his office to prophecie against the idolatry of the Kings Court and against the flattery of the Priest of Bethel And this made the Apostles bold though otherwise unlearned and ignorant men to stand against the learned councill of Priests and Doctors of the Law Wee ought to obey God rather than men Vpon which Grave was the advice of Gamaliel If this counsell or worke bee of men it will come to nought But if it bee of God yee cannot overthrow it lest haply yee bee found even to fight against God For to withstand the power or progresse of the Gospell is to set a mans face against God himselfe Secondly in as much as the Gospell is sent forth by God that is revealed and published out of Sion wee may observe That Evangelicall learning came not into the world by humane discovery or observation but it is utterly above the compasse of all reason or naturall disquisition neither men nor Angels ever knew it but by divine revelation And therfore the Apostle every where calleth it a Mystery a great and a hidden Mystery which was kept secret since the world began There is a Naturall Theologie without the world gathered out of the workes of God out of the resolution of causes and effects into their first originals and out of the Law of nature written in the heart But there is no naturall Christianity Nature is so farre from finding it out by her owne inquiries that shee cannot yeeld unto it when it is revealed without a Spirit of faith to assist it The Iewes stumbled at it as dishonorable to their Law and the Gentiles derided it as absurd in their Philosophy It was a Hidden and secret wisedome the execution and publication whereof was committed onely to Christ. In God it was an Eternall Gospell for Christ was a lambe slaine from before the foundations of the world namely in the predeterminate counsell decree of his father but revealed it was not till the dispensation of the fulnesse of time wherein he gathered together in one all things in Christ. The purpose and ordination of it was eternall but the preaching and manifestation of it reserved untill the time of Christs solemne inauguration into his Kingdome and of the obstinacy of the Iewes upon whose defection the Gentiles were called in Which might teach us to adore the unsearchablenesse of Gods judgements unto former ages of the world whom hee suffered to walke in their owne wayes and to live in times of utter ignorance destitute of any knowledge of the Gospell or of any naturall parts or abilities to finde it out For if these things bee true First that without the knowledge of Christ there is no salvation This is eternall life to know thee and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifye many Secondly that Christ cannot bee knowen by naturall but Evangelicall and revealed light The naturall man cannot know the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerend The light shined in darknesse and the darknesse was so thick and fixed that it did not let in the light nor apprehend it Thirdly that this light was at the first sent onely unto the Iewes as to the first borne-people excepting onely some particular extraordinary dispensations and priviledges to some few first fruits and preludes of the Gentiles He sheweth his word unto Iacob his statutes and his judgements unto Israel Hee hath not dealt so with any nation Hee hath not afforded the meanes of salvation ordinarily unto any other people the world by wisedome knew him not Fourthly that this severall
for when he ascended up on high he then led captivitie captive that ignorance and thraldome under which the world was held he triumphed over and gave gifts of his Spirit unto men of all sorts in abundance Visions to the young Dreames to the aged and his gracious Spirit unto all Wee never reade of so many converted by Christs personall preaching which was indeed but the beginning of his preaching for it is the Lord which speaketh from heaven still as by the ministery of his Apostles he thereby providing to magnifie the excellencie of his spirituall presence against all the carnall superstitions of those men who seeke for an invisible corporall presence of Christ on the earth charmed downe out of heaven under the lying shapes of separated accidents And who cannot be content with that All-sufficient Remembrancer which himselfe hath promised to his Church Ioh. 14.26 except they may have others and those such as the holy Scriptures every where disgraceth as teachers of lyes and vanity the Crucifixes and images of their owne erecting therein infinitly derogating from that all-sufficient provision which the Lord in his word and Sacraments the onely living and full images of Christ crucified Gal. 3.1 hath proposed unto men as alone able to make them wise unto salvation being opened and represented unto the consciences of men not by humane inventions but by those holy ordinances and offices which himselfe hath appointed in his Church the preaching of his word and administration of his Sacraments And surely they who by Moses and the Prophets by that Ministerie which Christ after his ascension did establish in his Church doth not repent would bee no whit the neerer no more than Iudas or the Pharises were if they should see or heare Christ in the flesh Therefore it is observed after Christs ascension that the word of God grew mightily and prevailed and that there were men dayly added unto the Church That the Savor of the Gospell was made manifest in every place That the Children of the desolate were more than of the married wife Therefore the beleevers after Christs ascension are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The multitude of them that beleeved and multitudes of men and women were added to the Lord. Ten to one of that there was before Ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations of the skirt of him that is a Iew saying We will goe with you that is shall take the Kingdome of heaven by violence as Saul laid hold on the skirt of Samuels Maâ—tle that hee might not goe from him The Reason hereof is to magnifie the exaltation spirituall presence and power of Christ in the Church while he was upon the earth he confin'd his ordinary residence and personall preaching unto one people because his bodily presence was narrow and could not bee communicated to the whole world For he tooke our nature with those conditions and limitations which belong thereunto But his Spirit and power is over the whole Church by them hee walketh in the middest of the Candlesticks Christs bodily presence and preaching the Iewes withstood and crucified the Lord of glory But now to shew the greatnesse of his power by the Gospell hee goes himselfe away and leaves but a few poore and persecuted men behinde him assisted with the vertue of his Spirit and by them wrought workes which all the world could not withstand Hee could have published the Gospell as hee did the Law by the ministery of Angels hee could have anointed his Apostles with regall oyle and made them not Preachers only but Princes and Defenders of his faith in the world But hee rather chose to have them to the end of the world poore and despised men whom the world without any shew of just reason which can bee by them alleaged should overlooke and account of as low and meane conditioned men that his Spirit might in their ministerie bee the more glorified God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and weake things of the world to confound things that are mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen ye and things that are not to bring to nought things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence But that his own Spirit might have all the honor therefore I was with you in weaknesse saith the Apostle and in feare in much trembling c. That your faith should not stand in the wisedome of men but in the power of God And againe Wee have this treasure in earthen vessells that the excellency of the power may bee of God and not of us not by might nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord. Thus we finde that when the Church was most persecuted it did then most grow and in the worst times it brought forth the greatest fruit to note the power of Christs Kingdome above all the attempts of men A great doore and effectuall is opened unto mee saith the Apostle and there are many adversaries intimating that the Gospell of Christ had great successe when it was most resisted All persecutors as S. Cyprian observes are like Herod they take their times and seeke to slay Christ and overthrow his Kingdome in its infancie and therefore at that time doth hee most of all magnifie the power and protection of his Spirit over the same Never were there so many men converted as in those infant-times of the Church when the dragon stood before the woman ready to devoure her Childe as soone as it should bee borne The great Potentates of the world which did persecute the name of Christ were themselves at last thereunto subjected Non a repugnantibus sed a morientibus Christianis not by fighting but by dying Christians As a tree shaken sheds the more fruit and a perfume burnt diffuseth the sweetest Savor so persecuted Christianity doth the more flourish by the power of that Holy Spirit whose foolishnesse is wiser and whose weaknesse is stronger than all the oppositions and contradictions of men But if there bee such multitudes belonging unto Christs Kingdome is not universality and a visible pompe a true note to discerne the Church of Christ by To this I answer that a true characteristicall note or difference ought to bee convertible with that of which it is made a note and onely suteable thereunto for that which is common unto many can bee no evident note of this or that particular Now universality is common to Antichristian idolatrous malignant Churches The Arrian heresie invaded the world and by the Imperiall countenance spread it selfe into all Churches The whore was to sit upon many waters which were peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues the Kings of the earth were to bee made drunk with the wine of her fornications and all nations to drinke thereof Therefore touching these multitudes in the Church we are thus to state the point
of brasse iron or tinne may bee drawne out of a pit so the Lord by the concurrence of severall unsubordinate things which have no manner of dependance or naturall coincidencie amongst themselves hath oftentimes wrought the deliverance of his Church that it might appeare to bee the worke of his owne hand Sometimes by ordering and arming naturall causes to defend his Church and to amaze the enemie Thus the starres in their courses are said to fight against Sisera Iudg. 5.20 A mighty winde from heaven beating on their faces discomfited them as Iosephus reports So the Christian armies under Theodosius against Eugenius the Tyrant were defended by winds from heaven which snatcht a way their weapons out of their hands To make good that Promise No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper So the Lord slew the enemies of Ioshua with haile Ios. 11.11 And thus the Moabites were overthrowne by occasion of the Sunne shining upon the water 2 King 3.22 23. Sometimes by implanting phantasies and frightfull apprehensions into the mindes of the enemie as into the Midianites Iudg. 7.13 14. The Assyrians 2 King 7.6 thus the Lord caused a voyce to be heard in the Temple before the destruction of Ierusalem warning the faithfull to goe out of the Citie Sometimes by stirring up and prospering weake and contemptible meanes to shew his Glorie thereby The Medes and Persians were an effeminate and luxurious people Cyrus a meane prince for hee was not at this time the emperour of the Medes or Persians but onely sonne in law to Darius or Cyaxares and yet these are made instruments to overthrow that most valiant people the Babylonians Esai 45.1.13.3.17 As Ieremie was drawen out of the dungeon by old rotten rags which were throwne aside as good for nothing So the Lord can deliver his Church by such instruments as the enemies thereof before would have looked upon with scome as upon cast and despicable creatures for God as he useth to infatuate those whom he will destroy so he doth guide with a spirit of wonderfull wisdome those whom hee raised to defend his kingdome The Babylonians were feasting and counted their Citie impregnable being fortified with wals and the great river and God gave wisedome beyond the very conjectures of men to attempt a businesse which might seeme unâ—easable in nature to drie up Euphrates and divide it into severall small branches and so he made a way to bring his armie into the Citie while they were feasting the gates thereof being in great confidence and security left open Esay 44.27 28.45.1 Ier. 51.36 Sometimes by turning the hearts of others to compassionate the Church to hate the enemies and not to helpe them but to rejoyce when he is sinking Esay 14.6.10.16 Nahum 3.7 Sometimes by the immediate stroke of God upon their bodies or consciences Thus God gave the Church rest by smiting Herod Act. 12.23 24. Thus Maximinus being smitten with an horrible and stinking disease in his bowels confessed that it was Christ which overcame him and Iulian being smitten with an unknowne blow from heaven as is supposed confessed that Christ was too hard for him and another Iulian uncle to the Apostate for pissing on the Lords Table had his bowels rotted and his excrements issued out non per secessum sed per vulnera as the same Historian reports Sometimes by tiring them quite out and making them for very vexation and succeslesnesse give over their vaine attempts or else disheartning them that they may not begin them So Dioclesian retired to a private life because he could not root out the Christians And Iulian was afraid to persecute the Christians as his predecessours had done lest they should thereby increase he forbore it out of envie and not out of mercy as Nazian observes Sometimes by turning their owne devices upon their heads ruining them with their owne counsels and it may be dispatching them with their own hands Thus the Lord set every mans sword against his fellow in the huge host of the Midianites Iudg. 7.22 So Pilate and Nero the one the murtherer of Christ the other the dedicatour of all the consequent great persecutions both died by their owne hands as being most wicked and most cruell and therefore fittest to revenge the cause of Christ and his people upon themselves Thus God did not onely curse the counsell but revenge the treason of Achitophel by an act of the most desperate folly and inhumanity which could be committed Sometimes by hardning them unto a most desperate prosecution of their owne ruine as in the case of Pharaoh suffering them to lift at the stone so long till it loosen and fall upon them Zech. 12.3 Matth. 21.44 Sometimes by ingratiating the Church with them to their owne destruction as he did Israel with the Aegyptians Exod. 12.35 36. By these and a world the like meanes doth the Lord overthrow the enemies of his kingdome Now all this is In the day of his wrath or in his owne due time where we may note by the way that Christ hath wrath in him aswell as mercie Though hee be by wicked and secure men misconceived as if he were only compassionate yet laesa patientia fit furor he will more sorely judge them hereafter whom hee doth not perswade nor allure here So mercifull he is that he is called a Lambe for meeknesse and yet so terrible that he is called a Lion for fury It is true fury is not in him namely to those that apprehend his strength and make their peace with him Esay 27.4.6 But yet to those that will not kisse that is not love worship nor obey him hee can with a little wrath shew himselfe very terrible Psal. 2.12 He commeth first with peace Luke 10.5 but it is Pax concessa not pax emendicata a peace mercifully offered not a peace growing out of any necessity or exigencies on his part and so wrought by way of composition for his owne advantages The peace of a Conquerour Zech. 9.10 A peace which putteth conditions to those to whom it is granted that they shall be tributaries and servants unto him Deut. 20.10 11 12. Therefore the Apostle saith that he came to preach or to proclaime peace Ephes. 2.17 but if we reject it he then followes the directions of Ioshua These mine enemies which would not have me to raigne over them bring them hither and slay them before me Luke 19.27 But the maine thing here to be noted is that Christ hath a Day a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prefixed and constituted time wherein hee will be avenged on the greatest of his enemies When he forbeares and suffers them to prevaile yet still he holdeth the line in his owne hand the hooke of his decree is in their nostrils and he can take them short when hee will It is never want of power wisdome or love to his Church that their quarrell is not presently revenged but all these are fitted to his
the Lord is said to be at the Right Hand of his Church 485 Christs enemies kings 487 All praise and honour to bee given unto God for the Power and Office of Christ. 489 Christ is present and prepared to defend his people from their enemies 491 Christ in his appointed time will utterly overthrow his greatest enemies 493 Satans enmitie is in Tempting 494 Satans enmitie is in Accusing 495 How the Spirit of judgement overcommeth corruptions 495 How Christ overcommeth his potent adversaries in the world 498 There is a constituted time wherein Christ will be avenged of his enemies 502 1. VVhen sinne is growne to its fulnesse 503 which is knowne by its Vniversality 504 which is knowne by its Impudence 504 which is knowne by its Obstinacie 504 2. VVhen the Church is throughly humbled and purged 506 3. VVhen all humane hopes and expectations are gone 506 Christs victories are by way of pleading and disceptation 509 A torrent of curses betweene man and Salvation 515 The Necessity of Christs Sufferings 522 The Greatnesse and Nature of Christs Sufferings 521 522 The Power and vertue of Christs Resurrection 524 AN EXPOSITION OF THE HVNDRETH AND TENTH PSALME PSALME 110. vers 1. The Lord said unto my Lord Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole CHRIST IESVS the Lord is the Summe and Center of all divine revealed truth neither is any thing to be preached unto men as an object of their faith or necessary element of their salvation which doth not some way or other either meete in him or refer unto him All Truths especially divine are of a noble and pretious nature and therefore whatsoever mysteries of his Counsell God hath been pleased in his Word to reveale the Church is bound in her ministerie to declare unto men And Saint Paul professeth his faithfulnesse therein I have not shunned to declare unto you all the Counsell of God But yet all this Counsell which elsewhere he caâ—s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the testimonie of God he gathers together into this one conclusion I determined not to know any thing amongst you that is in my pâ—eaching unto you to make discovery of any other knowledge as matter of consequence or faith but onely of Iesus Christ and him crucified And therefore Preaching of the Word is called preaching of Christ and Ministers of the Word Ministers of Christ and learning of the Word Learning of Christ because our Faith our Workes and our Worship which are the three essentiall elements of a Christian the whole dutie of man and the whole will of God have all their foundation growth end and vertue only in and from Christ crucified There is no fruit weight nor value in a Christian title but only in and from the death of Christ. The Word in generall is divided into the Old and New Testament both which are the same in substance though different in the manner of their dispensations as Moses veild differ'd from himselfe unveild Now that Christ is the substance of the whole New Testament containing the Historie Doctrine and Prophesies of him in the administration of the latter ages of the Church is very manifest to all The old Scriptures are againe divided into the Law and Prophets for the historicall parts of them doe containe either typicall prefigurations of the Evangelicall Church or inductions and exemplary demonstrations of the generall truth of Gods justice and promises which are set forth by way of Doctrine and Precept in the Law and Prophets Now Christ is the summe of both these they waited upon him in his transfiguration to note that in him they had their accomplishment First for the Law hee is the substance of it hee brought Grace to fulfill the exactions and Truth to make good the prefigurations of the whole Law The ceremoniall Law he fulfilled and abolished the morall Law hee fulfilled and established that his obedience thereunto might be the ground of our righteousnesse and his Spirit and grace therewith might bee the ground of our Obedience And therefore it is called the Law of Christ. 2 For the Prophets he is the Summe of them too for to him they give all witnesse He is the Author of their Prophesies they spake by his Spirit and he is the object of their Prophesies they spake of the grace and salvation which was to come by him So that the whole Scriptures are nothing else but a Testimonie of Christ and faith in him of that absolute and universall necessitie which is laid upon all the world to beleeve in his name It is not onely necessitas praecepti because wee are thereunto commanded but necessitas medii too because he is the onely Ladder betweene earth and heaven the alone mediator betweene God and man in him there is a finall and unabolishable covenant established and there is no name but his under heaven by which a man can be saved In consideration of all which for that I haue formerly discovered the Insufficiency of any either inward or outward principle of mans happinesse save only the Life of Christ I have chosen to speake vpon this Psalme and out of it to discover those wayes whereby the Life of Christ is dispenced administred towards his Church For this Psalme is one of the cleerest and most compendious prophesies of the Person and Offices of Christ in the whole Old Testament and so full of fundamentall truth that I shall not shunne to call it Symbolum Davidicum the Prophet Davids Creed And indeed there are very few if any of the Articles of that Creed which we all generally professe which are not either plainely expressed or by most evident implication couched in this little modell First the Doctrine of the Trinitie is in the first words The Lord said unto my Lord. There is Iehovah the Father and My Lord the Sonne and the sanctification or consecration of him which was by the Holy Ghost by whose fulnesse he was anointed unto the Offices of King and Priest for so our Saviour himselfe expounds this word Said by the sealing sanctification of him to his office Ioh. 10.34 35 36. Then wee have the Incarnation of Christ in the word My Lord together with his dignitie and honor above David as our Savior himselfe expounds it Matth. 22.42.45 Mine that is my Sonne by descent and genealogie after the flesh and yet my Lord too in regard of a higher sonship We have also the Sâ—fferings of Christ in that he was consecrated a Priest v. 4. to offer up himselfe once for all and so to drinke of the brooke in the way Wee have his Eluctation and conquest over all his enemies and sufferings his resurrection he shall lift up his head his Ascension and Intercession sit thou on my right hand And in that is comprised his Descent into Hell by S. Pauls way of arguing That he ascended what is it but that hee descended first into the lower parts of the earth Eph. 4.9
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