SERM. all the honour and power that is or can be conferred upon XXXII. Him. This we learn from the Apostle, where having said, Phil.2.6-11. that "Christ being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God;" and yet having taken "upon Him the form of a servant, and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross;" he presently adds, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Because He humbled Himself so low, as to become obedient unto death, therefore God so highly exalted Him, as to give Him a Name above every name: so Rom. xiv. 9. The same is implied in all such places, where His sufferings are declared to be, as it were, the way whereby He entered into His glory, or His glory to follow upon His sufferings; Luke 24. 26. as where He Himself saith, "Ought not Christ to have ch. 12. 2. suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" And Heb. 1. 3. His Apostle, "When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." ch. 10. 12. And "this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God." And again, "Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." From whence it seems also, that He Himself had an eye to this transcendent glory in all His sufferings. To the same purpose is that also, which we read in the Revelation of St. John, where Christ HimApoc. 3. 21. self saith, "To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am sat down with My Father in His throne." To all which I shall only add, that the very Angels in Heaven, over whom He is so highly exalted, acknowledge Him to be worthy of all the honour that is given Him upon this account, because He was slain for the sins of the world; for we read of an innumerable company of them, crying out with a loud voice, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive Apoc. 5. 12. power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." I have insisted the longer upon the proof of this, because some have conceited, that Christ merited nothing for Himself, but only for us, and that He looked not at His own glory, but only at ours, in what He did and suffered for us: whereas, in truth, He looked at ours, in order to His own; and at His own only, in order to the glory of God the Father, the ultimate end of all His, as it ought to be of all our actions. For this it was that He was so highly exalted, "That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Phil. 2. 11. Lord, to the glory of God the Father." But that we may rightly understand, how Christ merited so much for Himself as well as for us, by what He suffered in our nature, and how justly He is therefore advanced in that nature above all the creatures in the world, we must call to mind, what I observed in the beginning of this discourse, even that God doth all things for Himself, for the manifestation of His own glory. The glory of many of His perfections appeared in the creation of the world, and still do so in the government of it. But there are other of His perfections which are discovered, so as to shine forth in all their glory, only by the Redemption of fallen man; as, His mercy and truth: though He be infinitely merciful and true in Himself, yet He never shewed Himself to be so to the fallen Angels, although they stood in as much need of it as men did. He never shewed them any mercy, nor made them any promises wherein to manifest His truth, as He doth to men, because they had no Redeemer, none to satisfy His justice, by bearing the punishment which was due to their sins, and so to make way for the manifestation of His mercy and truth unto them. But Christ, by His death, hath done this so effectually for men, that God's mercy and truth appear now as clearly in the world, as His wisdom. and power did in the creation of it. And therefore St. John saith, "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth John 1. 17. came by Jesus Christ." It was not given, as the law was, by Moses, but it came by Him, as the only means of bringing it into the world, without whom we had never known XXXII. SERM. what mercy and truth are: for grace here is the same with mercy; that which in the original, the Old Testament, is called, and is all along there joined with ♫s, 'truth,' and is sometimes translated goodness, sometimes lovingkindness; but most frequently mercy, or that Divine perfection, whereby God is graciously pleased to pardon the sins of men, to receive them into His favour again, to be reconciled to them, to bless them, to sanctify them, to accept of them, and at last to save them, upon their repentance and belief in Him, and in His Son. This is that grace or mercy which is promised in the Gospel; where His truth also appears in the faithful performance of all such promises, to all such as believe or trust in them, and are persuaded that God will make them good, notwithstanding their manifold sins, whereby they have provoked His wrath and displeasure against them. But it is in Christ only that these promises of mercy are both made and fulfilled: "For all 2 Cor. 1. 20. the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God by us," to the glory both of His mercy and truth, which nowhere shines forth so gloriously as in the making and performing such gracious and wonderful promises to mankind. Exod. 33. This God Himself is graciously pleased to account His glory, in an especial manner; for when Moses desired to see His glory, He, in answer to his prayer, promised to make His goodness pass before him; "and" accordingly "the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness (or mercy) and truth," &c. This is His glory, which we thank Him for after the Communion; but this His glory appears only in Jesus Christ. All the creatures in the world could never have opened a way for the discovery of it: it was only Jesus Christ, God and man in one person, that could expiate the sins of mankind so, that God, without the violation of His justice, could shew forth His mercy and truth unto them; and therefore, it is no wonder that God hath set Him at His own right hand, above all creatures whatsoever, "and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church." "To the Church:" that is the next thing to be here observed. As He is not here said to be the Head of all things, but the Head over all things; so He is said to be so to the Church, or that congregation of faithful people " which He [Acts 20. 28.] hath purchased with His own blood." It is for that, that He is vested with such absolute and supreme authority over all things, that He may be able to defend that, and bring all the sound members of it, even all that truly believe in Him, to Eternal Life. This He Himself also asserts to be the end of all the power that is given Him of the Father; for in His prayer to the Father He saith, Father, the hour John 17.1,2. is come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee: as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give Eternal Life to as many as Thou hast given Him." To the same purpose is that of St. Peter, where speaking of Christ, he saith," Him hath God exalted with Acts 5. 31. His right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Repentance and forgiveness are both necessary to Eternal Life. And Christ is therefore exalted, that He might give them to Israel His true Church, which otherwise He might not be able to do: for, unless He was such an Almighty Prince, as to order and dispose of all things in the world, for the good of His Church, things might so fall out, that His Church might be destroyed, and many, if not all the members of it, might be so overpowered by their spiritual adversaries, that they might never repent, and so be never qualified for pardon and Salvation. But there is no fear of that; for as He hath all power given Him, so He is always exercising of it: "My Father," John 5. 17. saith He, "worketh hitherto, and I work." The Father governeth and manageth all and every thing that is for the good of the whole creation in general; and the Son doth the same continually, for the good of His Church in particular; "That all things may work together for good to Rom. 8. 28. them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." And that is the reason they do so, because He orders them. He, as Head over all things to the Church, orders all things, so as to make them turn to the benefit and advantage of all who love God, and of them SERM. only all others are left to the general Providence of God, XXXII. as He is the righteous Judge and Governor of the world; and being under His displeasure, have no ground to expect that any thing should do them good, but rather that all things should conspire, as they do, to punish them for rebelling against their Almighty Creator. And the same would be the fate of all mankind; all things would work together for evil to all men, but that they are subject unto Christ; and He alters their natural tendencies, and disposeth of them so as not to hurt, but do good to those who repent and turn to God. They are His own people, members of His own body; and therefore He takes special care that all things may serve them, and conduce one way or other to their happiness and Salvation. The most glorious creatures that are, the holy Angels themselves, are not exempted from it: for He being exalted far above them, employs them also to minister help and comfort, and all Heb. 1. 14. things that they are capable of doing for them: for, " Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation?" And though they have many enemies in the world, He suffers none of them to do His people any harm: they may spit their venom against them, but He changes the nature of it, and turns it into wholesome food, or physic for them; insomuch that the [Matt. 16. very gates of Hell can never prevail against His Church, 18.] 1 Cor.15. 26. nor against any one sound member of it: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death." But that shall be deMatt.25.46. stroyed at last, so as never to be any more: "For as the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment, the righteous 1 Cor.15.28. shall go into life eternal." "And when all things shall be thus subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." Not that He will then cease to Luke г. 3. be a King; for "of His kingdom there shall be no end." But He shall no longer exercise His regal power, in subduing of His enemies, because He will have none to sub1 Cor.15.24. due, and then the Man "Christ Jesus shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father," and be subject to Him; but so, that as God He will reign for ever with Him and so the whole work of man's Redemption will at |