Page images
PDF
EPUB

loofe the tongues of a wicked world upon them, yea, even the tongues of their fellow-fubjects, as in the cafe of Job and his friends, &c. Sometimes he will correct his fubjects in their inner man, their foul, which is the fharpest of his rods. Sometimes he will turn away the face of his throne, and hide his countenance, and then they are ready to cry with David, Pfal. xxx. 7. “Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled." Sometimes he will go that length in his correction with his fubjects, that he will carry as an enemy, make the arrows of his reproof to "drink up their fpirits," as we fee in the case of Job and Heman, &c. And fometimes he corrects them, fo as to make both external; and internal trouble, like two feas, to meet upon them, fo as " deep calls unto deep" this we fee in the cafe of Joseph's brethren, &c. and of David, Pfal. cxvi. 3. when both " the forrows of death and the pains of hell" took hold on him, and then he found trouble and forrow" to purpose: and the fame we fee in the cafe of Jonah, when he hifted the work and fervice that his Mafter, the King of Zion, called him to, with refpect to Nineveh, &c.

8. As King of Zion he commands peace, quiet, comfort, and deliverance, to his fubjects; he turns the ftorm into a calm; when the wind and tempeft of external troubles are blowing fo hard, that they threaten no lefs than death and utter ruin, he comes treading upon the waves of the fea, and fays to the wind and waves, "Peace, be ftill; and immediately there is a great calm." And as for the internal ftorms of troubles of mind, he quiets thefe alfo, by commanding, or fpeaking" peace to them that are afar off," If. lvii. 19. or by lifting up the light of his reconciled countenance on them, whereby he " puts more gladnefs in their heart, than when corn, wine, and oil, doth abound."-Now, by thefe, or the like acts of his kingly government, he manages his invisible kingdom of believers, until he give the finishing stroke unto the work of fanctification at death, and then he transports them under a convoy of angels from the church militant, to the church triumphant, where they fhall fing that fong, Col. i. Giving thanks unto the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light;" and Rev. i. 5. 6. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

12.

[ocr errors]

PSAL

PSAL. ii. 6.-Yet have Ifet my King upon my holy hill of Zion.

THE THIRD SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

I

ENDEAVOURED, laft Lord's day to give fome account of Chrift's government and administration in his general mediatory kingdom over all things for his church's fake, and alfo fome acts of his royal authority, put forth with refpect to his invifible kingdom of believers; and now I come to speak a little of his kingdom, as it relates unto his visible church. And here I fhall, for the more diftinctnefs, 1. Prove, that Chrift, the King of Zion, hath a vifible kingdom in the world. 2. Take notice of fome acts of his royal authority in this vifible kingdom.

The first thing here is to prove, that Chrift hath a visible church, or kingdom in this world. And this will be evident, if we confider,

[ocr errors]

1. That the King of Zion himself is visible, as to his human nature. It is true, he is behind the vail, fo that now we fee him not as to his corporeal prefence; but you know, a man may be in a far country, out of our fight, yet ftill he is a vi fible perfon; fo here, though Chrift be in the land afår off, yet ftill he is vifible as to his human nature. His divine nature is invifible by bodily eyes, but his human nature still remains vifible. He was vifible to ocular fight when he was upon earth. The apostles declare that he was feen of them, both before and after his refurrection, and that they faw him visibly afcend into glory. The inhabitants of heaven, they are beholding the glory of a GOD-MAN. And after he was afcended, he was feen of Paul and of Stephen, even with their bodily eyes. And when he comes again, " every eye fhall fee him, and they also that pierced him." Now, I fay, Zion's King being himself visible, his mystical body must be of a piece with himself, and be a company of visible men and women, bearing some visible character of their relation to him, which are not to be seen in the reft of the world.

2. The laws, and ordinances, and officers of Chrift, are all vilible; and therefore he hath a visible, as well as an invisible kingdom in the world. Your eyes fee your teachers; you hear us fpeaking to you in his name, publishing his laws, and difpenfing the ordinances of his appointment.

3. There

3. There is a vifible difference between the kingdom of Chrift, and the kingdom of the devil. The devil's kingdom is a kingdom of darknefs, and the works of his fubjects are "the works of darkness;" but Chrift's kingdom is a kingdom of light, and the light of holiness fhines in their way and walk, to the glory of God, and the edification of others, according to that of Chrift, Matth. v. 16. "Let your light so shine before men, as others, feeing your good works, may glorify your Father which is in heaven." The' fubjects of Chrift's kingdom, they walk in the narrow way of holinefs, and have their Father's name written on their foreheads, have a visible and credible profeffion of Chrift, whereby all that run may read that they own Chrift as their King. The fubjects of the devil, they walk in the broad way of fin, and have his name and badge about them, whereby they are known to be the children of the devil, and the feed of the ferpent.

4. The charge that is given to minifters, in the difpenfation of the folemn ordinances of the New Teftament, to make a difference between the clean and the unclean, the holy and the profane, proves that Chrift has a vifible kingdom, and vifible fubjects in this world. We are forbid to caft that which is holy unto dogs, and commanded to make a difference between those whom we admit to the feals of the covenant, and others. Now, how fhould minifters ever fulfil this charge given them, if there were not visible tokens, whereby we may dif tinguish betwixt the one and the other.

5. There is a visible and open war betwixt the feed of the woman, and of the ferpent. The feed of Chrift, they are fo far visible, that the devil and his inftruments commonly know who are on the fide of the Lamb, and bend their malice against them. Whenever a finner takes on with Chrift, the world begins to hate him; which fays there is fome vifible marks about Chrift's fubjects, whereby the wicked themselves know them to belong to Chrift. These things prove, that Christ hath a vifible kingdom, and visible subjects, in the world. It is true, there may be many hypocrites among thefe vifible fubjects; but in fo far as they bear the badges of Christ's fubjects, they are by men to be fuftained as belonging to Christ's vifible kingdom, until, like Judas, they caft off the mask, and difcover themselves to be real enemies to Christ and his kingdom.

Secondly, I come to take notice of fome acts of the royal authority of the King of Zion in his visible kingdom.

1. It is an act of his royal authority to give the lively oracles his word unto his vifible church" He (viz. Zion's King) his ftatutes unto Jacob, and his teftimonies unto Ifrael;

he

he dealt not fo with any nation." Whence is it that the gofpel comes to one nation, and not to another? Why was it given to the Jews under the Old Teftament, when it was de nied to the Gentiles? And whence is it, that now, under the New Teftament, the gofpel is preached to the Gentiles, when it is denied to the Jews? And whence is it, that the gospel is fent to us in this land, when many nations are worthipping the devil, for want of the knowledge of God and of his mind? Why, this is juft an act of the fovereign power and pleasure of Zion's King,

2. By his royal authority he has appointed what form of government is to be observed in his vifible kingdom. He has not left his church in a state of anarchy, or confufion, or to be moulded according to the fancies of men, as may best serve their politic views and defigns. Now, every piece of the Old Teftament tabernacle was to be placed according to the pattern fhewed in the holy mount, much more the New Testament church, which is called " the true tabernacle of David,” Acts xv. 16. compared with Amos ix. 11. What that form of government is, has been ftated from the word of God, and folemnly fworn to by all ranks of the land, fince our reformation from Popery. It is true, there are a set of men in the land, that fet up for other schemes of government: but they that remove these land-marks, they will do it to their cost.

3. His appointing officers, both ordinary and extraordinary, is another act of the royal authority of the King of Zion. We have an account of thefe officers of both kinds, Eph. iv. II. 12. "When he afcended up on high, (whenever he had fitten down upon his throne of glory above), he gave fome, apostles; and fome, prophets; and fome, evangelifts; and fome, paftors and teachers; for the edifying of his body." Ye know it is the prerogative of the king to nominate and call, and appoint, whom he pleafes as officers civil or military, under him in the government of the kingdom; and no man dare, upon his highest peril, affume any of thefe offices, from the highest to the loweft, without the king's commission; if he fhould, he would be found guilty of treafon, and of ufurping the king's prerogative: fo is it in the kingdom of Chrift; it is his prerogative to call, and fend our officers to ferve him, "and no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." Chrift himself did not go without his Father's commiffion, to act as his viceroy, "I the Lord have called thee, I will hold thine hand, and will help thee;" and if Chrift would not run without his Father's commiffion and call, it must be dangerous for any to intrude themselves into

the

the facred offices of his kingdom, without his call and commis fion.

4. His appointing and ordaining the way how his officers are to be chofen, and installed vifibly in their office, is another act of Chrift's royal power and authority, as King of Zion. As it is he that gives gifts unto men, for the edifying of his fubjects; fo he has given it as his pleasure, that his visible subjects, or thefe that are fo in the judgement of charity, should be the electors of the office-bearers in his vifible church or kingdom. It has been made evident from Acts i. that when an apostle was to be chosen in the room of Judas, the hundred and twenty perfons did nominate and present two to the apostles, and one of these was pitched upon by an immediate determination from heaven, because he was to be an extraordinary officer. It is clear from Acts vi. like a fun-beam, that the multitude of the difciples did elect the feven deacons, and prefent them for ordination to the apostles. It is contended against this, that the manner of electing deacons, who were to have the charge of the poor, and of the public money appointed for their relief, is no argument for the election of minifters and elders, who are fuperior officers. But to this it is eafily answered, that if it be the privilege of the vifible church, and of Chrift's visible and credible fubjects, to have the choice of these that are to have the care of their money, much more of those that are to have the care and charge of their precious fouls, which are far more valuable. The argument, from the lefs to the greater, is strong in this matter. It has been allo cleared from Acts xiv. 23. that the apoftles, when going through and visiting the churches, which they had formerly, planted, ordained elders, or prefbyters, in every city, by chier otonie, or stretching out of the hand, which was the common way of taking the voices of the people at that time, both in civil and facred affairs. So that the manner of electing minifters and other officers in the church, is not left to a patron, a prefbytery, or to men that are heritors in this world; no, but it is a privilege that belongs unto the fubjects of Chrift's kingdom, or to the community of these who are visibly of, and in, the communion of the church of Chrift, and who are walk ing according to his laws; by which means all ignorant, erroneous, or fcandalous perfons, or thefe that are not of the communion of the church, are evidently excluded. And this privilege of electing minifters and officers to the church, continued in the church till about seven hundred years after Christ, when it was violently wrefted from them by the ufurpations of Popery.

5.

Another act of Chrift's royal power and authority in his

vifible

« PreviousContinue »