27.

ii. 9.

ἐχαρίσατο.

ἵνα κυριεύσῃ.

the angel said, The Lord God shall give unto him SERM. the throne of David his Father, and he shall reign XX. over the house of David for ever; and of his king- Luke i. 32. dom there shall be no end. He is also a King by divine designation and appointment. For, Let all Acts ii. 36. the house of Israel, saith St. Peter, know assuredly, that God hath made him Lord and Christ; and, The Father hath given him authority to execute John v.22, judgment, because he is the Son of man (or as such). Heb. i. 2. He is also King by merit and purchase; for, he for Phil. ii. 8. the suffering of death was crowned with glory and gas honour; he was obedient to death, even the death of the cross; therefore God super-exalted him, and bestowed on him a name above every name. To this end he both died and rose again, that he Rom. xiv.9. might lord it over both the dead and living. He is King also by conquest; having delivered us out of Col. i. 13. the power of darkness, and freed us from the vassalage of sin; having spoiled principalities and powers, made a show of them openly, and triumphed over them; having delivered us from our ene-Lake i. 71, mies, and from the hand of all that hate us; that it. i. 14. we being delivered from our enemies, might serve John viii. him without fear, in holiness and righteousness 36. before him all the days of our life. He is also a King by our election and free choice, we having Matt. xi. voluntarily put ourselves under his protection, and submitted to his command, and taken upon ourselves his yoke, and vowed everlasting fealty to him in our baptism. Such a right he hath of governing.

ii. 15.

74.

Rom. vi.22.

29.

As for the extent of his kingdom, it is in all respects boundless, both for place and time; it is uni versal and perpetual. He is the eternal King of all the world: God hath so exalted him and given him Phil. ii. 8.

XX.

xvii. 12.

Col. ii. 10.

15.

Mat. xxviii.

John iii. 35.

2.

Acts xx. 28.

SERM. a name above all names, that to the name of Jesus every knee should bend, whether of things in heaven, or things upon earth, or things under the Rev. v. 13. earth. To him that sitteth on the throne, and to xix. 16.1.5. the Lamb, by every creature in heaven, and in the earth, and under the earth, are jointly to be ascribed the blessing, and the honour, and the glory, and Eph. i. 21. the power, for ever and for ever. He is constituted 1 Tim. vi. Vπeрáva άons άpxñs, above all rule, and authority, and domination, and every name that is named, 18. xi. 27. not only in this world, but in that which is to come: xiii. 3. xvii. it is his just title and proper badge, The King of Eph. i. 22. kings, and Lord of lords; to whom all nations are vassals, yea all creatures are subject and tributary. But he in especial manner is King over his church ; that peculiar people, whom he hath especially purchased to himself by his merits and blood; whom he hath subdued to his obedience by the sword of his word, and by the prevailing virtue of his Spirit; Ps. cxxxii. that mystical Zion, in which it is said that God will Rev. iii. 12. place his reign and residence for ever; that heaHeb. xii. venly city, whereof all the saints are fellow-citizens, and he the sovereign Head and Governor; God hath, Eph. ii. 19. saith St. Paul, put all things under his feet, and hath given him head above all things to the church. In respect to which both the evangelical dispensation here, and the future state of bliss hereafter, are called the kingdom of heaven. Over this he reigns, enjoying all royal prerogatives, exercising all royal administrations, and dispensing most royal munificences. He hath in this his kingdom established most righteous and wholesome laws; the which his subjects are by him obliged and enabled to obey. He constantly defendeth and protecteth

13.

xxi. 2.

22.

Gal. iv. 26.

i. 22.

XX.

his subjects from all invasions and assaults of their SERM. enemies, (intestine enemies, their own lusts; external enemies, the Devil and the world.) He provides for all their needs and wants; he supports them in all their distresses and troubles. He exercises judgment over them; distributing fit rewards and punishments with exquisite justice and equity; (most liberal rewards to the loyal and obedient; most severe punishments upon obstinate offenders and rebels.) He Col. ii. 15. lastly restrains and suppresses, defeats and destroys, all the adversaries to his royal dignity, and to the welfare of his good subjects, both visible and invisible, temporal and spiritual. Out of his mouth (as it is in Rev. xix. the Apocalypse) there goeth a sharp sword, that Psal. ii. 9. with it he should smite the nations; and he shall 31. rule them with a rod of iron. These mine enemies, Luke xix. (he shall one day say,) which would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and slay them before me. He must reign, saith St. Paul, till he1 Cor. xv. hath put all enemies under his feet. Thus is he a King, endued with sovereign right and power, crowned with glorious majesty, enjoying all preeminences, and exercising all acts suitable to regal dignity.

15.

Matt. xxv.

27.

25.

viii. 3.

3. He is likewise a Priest, and that much above Heb. viii. 6. an ordinary one; διαφορωτέρας τέτευχε λειτουργίας, He της ομολογία hath obtained a more excellent function (as the ας ἡμῶν. apostle to the Hebrews speaketh) than ever any other priest had. Every high priest, saith the apo- Heb. iii. 1. stle to the Hebrews, is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. He did, as such, once offer up an oblation, in worth and excellency far surpassing all the sacrifices and oblations that ever were made; (all 1 Pet. i. 18. Heb. ix. 9. the fattest hecatombs that ever were sacrificed, all BARROW, VOL. V.

I

XX.

27. X. 10,5.

ix. 12.

SERM. the gold and precious stones that ever were dedicated, all the spices and perfumes that ever were kindled into incense, upon altar, were but vile and sordid, were ineffectual and unacceptable, in comparison thereto;) a willing oblation he made upon the Heb.vii.26, altar of his cross of himself, (his most innocent, most pure, most spotless and unblemished self,) of his John x.16. most glorious body, (the temple of the Divinity,) of his most precious blood, of his dear life, for the life of the world and redemption of mankind; for the propitiation of our sins and the sins of the whole world; an oblation which alone could appease God's wrath, and satisfy his justice, and merit his favour toward us.

Eph. v. 2.

vi. 51.

1 John ii. 2.

1 John ii.1.

Tim. ii. 5.

xvi. 23, 24.

Heb. v. 7.

He doth also (which is another sacerdotal perJohn xiv. formance) intercede for us; he intercedes as an ad13. xv. 16. vocate for the pardon of our sins; (If any man sin, Eph. v. 20. we have an advocate with (or to) the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He intercedes for the acceptance of our services, (whence we are enjoined to do all things, to pray, to give thanks in his name;) for the granting our requests; for grace and asEph. i. 3, 6.sistance; for comfort and reward; for all spiritual blessings and advantages to be conferred upon us;

he thus pursuing the work of salvation by his propitiatory sacrifice begun for us; whence, as the apoHeb. vii.25 stle to the Hebrews saith, he is able to save to the uttermost those that by him come to God, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for us.

1 Chron. xxiii. 13.

23.

He doth also perform the priestly function of Lev. ix. 22, blessing. Blessing the people in God's name, and Numb. vi. blessing God in the people's behalf; as did that illustrious type of his, Melchizedek; (Blessed, said he, be Abraham of the most high God, possessor

23.

Gen. xiv. 19, 20:

&c.

50.

XX.

of heaven and earth; and blessed be the most high SERM. God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.) So hath Jesus effectually pronounced all joy and happiness to his faithful people; he pronounced blessedness to them in his sermons; he Matt. v. 1. blessed his disciples at his parting; Lifting up his Luke xxiv. hands, he blessed them, saith St. Luke; God in him, Eph. i. 3. saith St. Paul, hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, (or in heavenly things;) and, God, saith St. Peter, having raised up his son Acts iii. 26. Jesus, sent him to bless us in turning every one of us from his iniquity: and at the last day he will utter that comfortable benediction; Come, ye blessed Matt. xxv. of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So is Jesus a true and perfect Priest. And,

So, finally, in all respects, is Jesus God's anointed, and the Christ of God; as the great Prophet and Doctor; as the Sovereign King and Prince ; as the High Priest and Advocate of his church. And indeed that he is so is the fundamental point of our religion; which the apostles did peculiarly testify, preach, and persuade; the sincere belief of which doth constitute and denominate us Christians.

IV. The consideration whereof ought to beget in us a practice answerable to the relations between him and us; grounded thereupon.

34.

&c.

Διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ

If Jesus be such a Prophet, we must, with care- Heb. ii. 1, ful attention, and a docile mind, hearken to his ad- Ardui monitions and instructions; we must yield a steadybelief to all his doctrine, and we must adhere con-rios, μήποτε παρ stantly thereto, and we must readily obey and prac- v, tise what he teaches.

&c.