Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE GOVERNMENT UPON CHRIST'S SHOULDER.

A SERMON

PREACHED ON SABBATH-EVENING AFTER THE SACRAMENT

AT STIRLING, JUNE 4. 1732.

İSA. ix. 6.-For unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government shall be upon his fhoulder: and his name fhall be called Wonderful, Counfeller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace.

T

HE great defign of God, in his whole works of creation. and providence, is to manifeft and make known the glory of his power, wisdom, goodness, and greatness to the children of men: hence is that of David, Pfal. xix. from the begining, "The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament fheweth his handy-work. Day unto day uttereth fpeech, and night unto night fheweth knowledge." And if it be asked, What the great defign of God is in the fcriptures? I anfwer, It is juft to bring a loft world to the knowledge of a Saviour, "who is the brightnefs of the Father's glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon." All the prophecies, promises, histories, and doctrines of the word, do point us to him, as the needle in the mariners compafs points to the pole-ftar: "To him bore all the prophets witness." And when apoftles under the New Teftament were fent unto all nations, with the filver trumpet of the everlasting gospel in their mouths, what was the great theme of their fermons ? It was just to make Christ known among the nations; he was the Alpha and Omega of their whole miniftry; it is Chrift, fays Paul to the Coloffians, "whom we preach" and, writing to the Corinthians, he declares, that he defired to know nothing among them, but Christ, and him crucified." In fhort, Sirs, our preaching, and your hearing, is in vain, unless we bring you in to the know

ledge

ledge of Chrift, and an acquaintance with him; he is "the foundation God hath laid in Zion, and another foundation can no man lay." Our defign in preaching, and yours in hearing, fhould be to make you truly gracious and religious; but how fhall ever a man be acquainted with the power of godliness, if he be a stranger to him who is the great mystery of it, even "God manifefted in the flesh ?" How fhall we ever fulfil the law as a covenant, but by acquaintance with him, who is "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth?" How fhall we ever fulfil it as a rule, but by faith in him, who is "the glory of our strength?" And how thall we ever come to God, from whence we are separate, but by him who is "the way, the new and living way," and without whom there is no coming to the Father? So that all the lines of religion meet in him as their centre. That I may commend him to you, I have read this text of fcripture, which is as full of Christ, as any that we meet with in the fcriptures of truth; and the more of Christ be in any text, the more marrow and fatnefs, the more favour and sweetness, will be in it to the foul that knows him. Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government fhall be upon his boulder, &c.

The prophet, in the clofe of the preceding chapter, having fpoken of dark and dismal days of trouble and diftrefs, comes in the beginning of this, to comfort and encourage the hearts of true believers, with the great and good things which were a-coming in the days of the great Meffiah; and there are three great New Teftament bleffings he condefcends upon.

1. Great light should spring up to a loft world : ver. 2. "The people that walked in darkness, have feen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light fhined." This world, particularly of the Gentile nations, before the coming of Chrift, was a dungeon of darkness, it was a valley of the fhadow of death, for want of the gospellight; for "where no vifion is, the people perish." But by the coming of Chrift whofe "goings forth were prepared as the morning," in the difpenfation of the everlafting gofpel," life and immortality are brought to light;" on which account we in this land may join iffue with Zacharias in his fong, Luke i. 78. 79. "Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-fpring from on high hath vifited us, to give light to them that fit in darkness, and in the fhadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Oh that there were a fuitable prizing of gofpel-light, among those who have it in the external difpenfation of it! but, alas! is not that word of Chrift too applicable to many, "Light is come into the world,

and

and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil ?"

2. A fecond great New Teftament bleffing the prophet fpeaks of, is joy in the Lord: ver. 3." Thou haft multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee, according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the fpoil." The holy nation of the New Teftament church would be multiplied upon the promulgation of the gofpel-light, fo that Chrift should have the "dew of his youth," by the "flowings in of the nations" unto the bofom of the church; but yet the carnal joy of Ifrael fhould not be thereby increased, like that of the Jews, when they fat under their vines, and under their fig trees, eating the milk and honey of the land of Canaan; yet there fhould be abundance of fpiritual joy in the Lord, which would put more gladness in the hearts of true converts, than the joy of the harvest, or of them that divide the fpoil. Obferve, That the joy of faith, which terminates in the perfon, righteoufnefs, fulness of Christ, and the favour of God through him, infinitely exceeds all the carnal mirth and jollity of a tranfient world, which is but " like the crackling of thorns under a pot ;" the joy of faith is a "joy unfpeakable, and full of glory."

3. Spiritual liberty and freedom is the third New Teftament bleffing that would follow the great Meffiah: ver. 4. 5. "For thou haft broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his fhoulder, the rod of his oppreffor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confufed noise, and garments rolled in blood, but this fhall be with burning and fuel of fire." As Gideon was an inftrument, in the hand of God, for breaking the heavy yoke of oppreffion that Midian had wreathed about the neck of Ifrael of old; fo Chrift, upoa his coming like a mighty champion, should travel in the greatness of his ftrength, to deliver poor finners from the hands of all their enemies, fin, Satan, the world, and the curfe of a broken law, unto which they were in bondage. But yet let it be observed, that there is a great difparity betwixt Gideon's way of refcuing Ifrael, and Chrift's way of delivering his people from their spiritual bondage; for Gideon at that time delivered Ifrael by the force of carnal arms, "with the confused noise of the warrior, and garments rolled in blood;" but the weapons of Chrift's kingdom are not fuch; no, they 66 are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of ftrong-holds." Christ's kingdom is to be reared, and fpiritual liberty bought about, by burning and fuel of fire, or "by the Spirit of judgement, and the Spirit of burning," chap. iv. 4. that is, by the power of the Spirit of Chrift coming along with the difpenfa

tion of gofpel-light, which would burn up and consume the lufts and corruptions of men, and all the works of the devil, even as fire confumes any combuftible matter that is caft into it.

Now, If any should ask who is he, and where is he, that fhall do all these great things? Why, here you have an anfwer in the words of my text, For unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government fhall be upon his shoulder, &c. The prophet, chap. vii. 14. had told them that "a virgin fhould conceive, and bring forth a fon, and they fhall call his. name Immanuel;" now, fays he, this is he that fhall do all these great wonderful things on his appearance upon the stage of time, for to us he is born, and to us he is given.

In the words we may notice these things following. (1.) The incarnation of the great Meffias; for here the prophet fpeaks of his birth. (2.) His donation; he is the gift of God to a loft world, Unto us a fon is given. (3.) His advancement. to the fupreme rule and authority, The government fhall be upon his fhoulder. (4.) His character and defignation, in five names here given him, which fhows that he has a name above every name, Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace. (5.) We have the relation he ftands in to loft finners of Adam's family; he is born to us, he is given to us, and not to the angels which fell. (6.) We have the application and triumph of faith upon all this; for the church here lays claim to him, and triumphs in her claim; for the words are uttered in a way of holy boafting, Unto us this child is born, unto us this fon is given; much like the triumph of the fpoufe, Cant. v. 16. "This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerufalem;" as if the had challenged the whole world to fhew his match. I have difcourfed already of the first two of thefe particulars, and now I go on to the third, viz. the authority wherewith Chrift is vefted in the church, by his Father's ordination, The govern ment fhall be upon his fhoulder.

Sirs, ye have been this day travelling with him to Golgotha and Calvary, where you might fee him bearing his crofs, yea, nailed to it, and pouring out his foul unto death, in a way of fatisfaction to juflice for our fins. But now I would lead you unto mount Sion, that ye may view him fwaying the fceptre of heaven; for the government is laid upon his fhoulder, the Father hath put all things into his hand for the good of his church. What is needful for the explication of thefe words, will occur in fpeaking to this doctrine.

DocT."That as the church is Chrift's peculiar kingdom in this world; fo the government thereof is, by the Father's ordination, committed to him, or laid upon his fhoulder."

For

For confirmation of the doctrine, I need only repeat the words of the text, though many other fcriptures might be adduced, which, to gain time, I wave at prefent, Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and the government fhall be upon his fhoulder.

In difcourfing of which doctrine, through divine affiftance, I fhall endeavour to do these things.

I. I would offer a few thoughts anent the church or kingdom of Chrift in the world.

II. Speak a little of the government of his kingdom.
III. How it is committed to him by his Father.

IV. Why it is committed to him, or laid upon his fhoulder.

V. Apply.

I. The first thing is, to offer a few thoughts anent the church or kingdom of Chrift in this world.

1. then, By the church I understand that remnant of Adam's family, who being determined to break their covenant with hell, and their agreement with death, join themselves to Chrift, as their prophet, priest, and king, either in reality, or by a visible and credible profeffion of their faith in him. This remnant of Adam's family, as they are scattered through the world, make the church univerfal: and any particular member of this, whether in a nation, congregation, or family, are called particular churches, national, parochial, or domeftic; but still these are but branches of the church univerfal, which makes the mystical body of Christ in the world.

2. The church or kingdom of Christ, during the Old Teftament difpenfation, was peculiarly confined to the posterity of Abraham, to the nation of the Jews, excepting a few Gentile profelytes; but now fince the coming of Chrift in the flesh, and his refurrection from the dead, is extended alfo to the Gentile nations, according to Pfal. ii. 8 The partition-wall being removed, and a door of faith opened to the Gentiles, Chrift is now fet for an enlign to the Gentile world: If. xi. 10. "And in that day there fhall be a root of Jeffe, which shall stand for an enfign of the people; to it fhall the Gentiles feek, and his reft fhall be glorious."

3. All the fubjects of Chrift's kingdom and government, are originally brought out of the territories of hell, being "children of wrath, even as others." Every man by nature comes into this world wearing the devil's livery of original fin, and of a depraved nature, till Chrift, in a day of power, come and fet the captive of the mighty at liberty; the strong VOL. II.

B

man

« PreviousContinue »