a principle of divinity among the rest that a Christian is not his owne man now but he is under Christ and this is a comfort both in life and death at all times as the Psalmist saith My times are in thy hands Lord hee saith not my time but my times are in thy hand so wee may say our times are in Christs hands our time of being borne our time of living and dying and when wee are dead our time of rising againe our time the whole current of our time is in thy hands not in the devills hands not in our enemies hands beloved for they would make short worke with us then but our times are in our Lords hands Christ is the Lord of our times the Lord of our life and death and when we are dead he is a Lord for ever for he lives for ever and therefore hee is for ever a Lord. Beloved wee doe not live and dye at the devotion and good pleasure of any man whatsoever they cannot stirre so much as a hayre from our head without the will of this Lord all the devills in hell cannot stirre a haire of our head I say nor all men that are acted by the Spirit of the devill they may threaten punishment but alas they can doe no more then this Lord of Lords will give them leave therefore it is a point of wondrous comfort Oh but will a poore soule say Christ indeed is Lord of the living and of the dead but I finde a great deale of corruption in me c. and I am a sinner Why he is Lord over thee hee hath a sweete Lordship over thee as well as a commanding Lordship he is not onely a King but a husband as it is Ephes. 5. He gave him selfe to purge his Church and to make his Church fit by little and little thou hast sinne and corruption but thou hast a mercifull husband that will beare with the weaker vessell doth he command others to doe that and will hee not practise that that hee enjoynes others undoubtedly he will and therefore it is a comfort it is a sweete government and subjection as of the husband over the wife Christ purgeth and clenseth his Church hee doth not cast it away For I beseech you consider he that dyed for his Church and children when they were enemies will he cast them away now they are poore friends and desire to please him as Saint Paul divinely reasoneth Rom. 5. Much more shall wee be saved by his life If he saved us by his death much more now by his life being in heaven consider he rose and lives for ever therefore will he cast us away for some imperfections that dyed for us when we were enemies hee that will not quench the smoaking flaxe nor break the brused reede will hee cast away his poore children that strive against their corruptions hee will not nay he hath promised where he hath begunne a good worke hee will finish it to the day of the Lord though it goe but slowly forward yet that beginning is a pledge of proceeding God will never remove his hand from his owne worke till he have brought it to perfection therefore let any soule comfort it selfe that will come under this Lord in a word what greater comfort can wee have than this that he is such a Lord over us as is Lord over all things in the world besides for hee could not be Lord of his Church except hee were Lord over hell and all power were subject to him now being so hee is such a Lord of the Church as can restraine the power of all other creatures whatsoever because else they might annoy the Church and affront him in his government by opposition if he were not Lord of all things else as well as of the church but this is the comfort of a Christian hee is under a Lord that is Lord of of all the enemies of the Church and he is so Lord over them till by little and little hee make them his footestoole that that is begun in this world shall bee consumate hereafter by that Lordship nay he will make all the enterprizes of the very enemies of his Church whatsoever serviceable to his poore Church for as the Apostle saith All things are yours because yee are Christs he is such a Lord as that besides himselfe being ours hee makes all the world ours yea the devill is ours for in spight of him whatsoever he doth it is ordained to the salvation of the Church the Churches enemies are the servants of the Church the unvoluntary servants for they waken the Church and scoure it God ray seth them up for the exercise of the Church and when he hath done you know what course he takes with them so then he is Lord not only over all but hee over-rules their actions for the good of the Church whatsoever they are and hee makes all the indeavours and plots of the enemy for the Churches good all is yours life and death though it bee death by tyrants all kinde of death whatsoever it is yours what a comfort is this that wee are under such a Lord as this Especially what a comfort is this at the houre of death when Christ that hath ruled us all our life time before will take then the government and possession of that Iewell that he hath bought with such a price our precious soule that when wee must part with friends and part with this sweete body that the soule so much loved and with the world and all things in the world then Christ wil owneus for his when the world wil owne us no longer Therefore mee thinkes Christians should be at a poynt for life or death hee never goes out of the dominion of Christ nay hee is nearer Christ hee is more Christs if there bee any comparison to bee made when hee is dead then when hee is alive Blessed are those that dye in the Lord. To apply this a little to the present occasion here in this Sacrament we are to have Communion with this Lord of his death and resurrection For what is the Sacrament but are presentation of his body broken and of his blood powred out for us that hee might be Lord over us The more communion and fellowship you have with Christ the more assurance you shall have that you are his which is indeed the grand comfort of all that wee are Christs that Christ is ours for then heaven and earth is ours all is ours Now God hath ordained these Sacraments for this end the word is the Scepter of his Kingdome whereby hee rules the Sacrament is the seale of the word therefore all good subjects that submit themselves to the Kingdome of Christ must submit themselves to this sweet ordinance of Christ that he hath ordained for our good the word and Sacraments thereby we shall finde the effectuall working of his Spirit in us subjecting the whole inward man to his graciovs governement but having spoken
CHRISTS EXALTATION PVRCHAST BY HVMILIATION Wherein you may see Mercy and Misery meete together Very Usefull I. For Instructing the Ignorant II. For Comforting the Weake III. For Confirming the Strong By R. Sibbs D. D. and Preacher of Grayes-Inne London Published by T. G. and P. N. 1 Cor. 15. 45. The first man Adam was made a Living Soule the last Adam was made a Quickning Spirit LONDON Printed by Tho. Cotes and are to be sold by Iohn Bartlet at his shop at the Signe of the guilt Cup neere S. Austins gate 1639. The Contents THe Coherence of the Text. p. 1. 2. c. The Text divided p. 6. 7 Christs death was voluntary 10. 11 That Christ should dye is Admirable 14. 15 That Christ rose againe as a publicke person 16 What became of those that rose with him 18 The Spirit in heaven will supply all wants 22 Iustice must be satisfied 25 Why we are the Lords 26 Excellent inferences from Christs Resurrection 27. 28. c. What a Lord Christ is 32. c. ad 40. He is a Lord both of quicke and dead 41 God doth all to some good Ends. 42 Divine truths depend on one another 46 Christs Lordship full of security and comfort 50. 51. c. In the Lords Supper we have to deale with the Christ the Lord. 64 A Christian mans aime good 68 Christ rose to be Lord of the living 72. 73 He dyed to be Lord of his Church 74. c. And to be Lord of his Enemies 76 And to make good what by death he got 78. His Lordship eternall both over the living and the dead 80 How great a happinesse to be under the Lord Christ. 82. 83 Comforts against the feare of death 84 We must looke to Christ in life and death 86. 90 When we live to Christ. 88. 92. c. Directions for our ayming at Christ in all things 96. 97 Helpes to live to Christ. 100. 101. Diverse desire him as Iesus but not as Christ. 103. 104. 105. What it is to dye to Christ. 106. 107. Christs dying implies duty in us 110 Abilities to doe duties part of the covenant 113 A signe to know who is under Christs goverment 116. 117. Christs Lordship assurance of our perseverance 118. c. What will make us willing to dye 122. There is more than an exemplary good in Christs death 132 The scope of Christs humiliation and exaltation 134 The studdy of this scope is good 138 By what title Christ is Lord 141 Diverse comforts from this title of Christs Lordship 142. 143. c. ad 152 An honour to bee under Christs Lordship 153 It is great security to be under it 158 Christs Lordship a Spring of duties and that 1. One to another 2. To those that are not Christians 3. To Christ himselfe 160. 161. We must give up our selves to this Lord. 166. c. Christs Lordship a stoppe against Sinne. 170. 171. It is also a comfort in affliction 172. c. Whether Christ by dying merited for himselfe 178. 179. Christians must be alwayes projecting for his glory 188. c. Christs Lordship comfortable in the houre of death 190. 191. CHRISTS EXALTATION PVRCHAST BY HV MILIATION ROM 14. 9. For for this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living THe dependance of these words upon the former I take to be this the scope of the Apostle in this Chapter is to stay the ridged censures of other concerning weaker Christians especially about matters of indifferency or at the least of a lesse nature In the 6. verse saith he He that regards not a day regards it not to the Lord he that eates eates to the Lord and he that eates not to the Lord he eates not and gives God thankes c. His reason is this they that in eating or in not eating doe it with a religious respect to the Lord if they eate it is to the Lord if they eate not it is to the Lord that is in obedience to the Lord they are to be borne withall because they doe it with religious respects though perhaps there may be a little errour in the matter yet there be some things of such indifferencie that they not give denomination to the action if it be to the Lord howsoever the action bee not altogether to be excused yet the person is to be excused and is not to bee hardly censured therefore considering that they that doe it and they that doe it not doe it to the Lord be not hasty in your censures Quest. How doth hee proove that these holy Christians did eate or not eate to the Lord Answ. From this because they were the Lords they that are the Lords they live to him and dye to him and therefore they doe particular actions to him No man verse 7. lives to himselfe nor no man dyeth to himselfe which includes all particular actions Whether we live we live to the Lord or whether we dye we dye to the Lord whether we live therefore or dye we are the Lords he proves therefore that they doe eate or not eate to the Lord if they bee good Christians because they are the Lords Those that are the Lords live to the Lord and doe all particular actions to the Lord such must not be harshly censured because they are the servants of the Lord. In the third placē how doth he prove that they are the Lords that live and dye to him He prooves it from the maine ground in the text For for this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living So you see the dependance of the reason they eate or eate not to the Lord why because they are the Lords But how is it they are the Lords It is the end of the three actions of Christ here Christ dyed and rose againe and revived for this end that hee might be Lord of the dead and of the living so you see the connexion of these words with the former In the words you have argumentum argumenti ratio the argument and the reasoning from the argument the ground and the inference from the ground the ground is Christ dyed and rose againe and revived what is the inference from that that he might be Lord of the dead and of the living In the words therefore wee will consider the argument it selfe the ground it selfe and then the inference For for this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived There are three branches of the ground Christ Dyed Rose Revived Of the inference wee will speake afterwards and shew how these grounds inforce that inference that he should be Lord both of the dead and of the living Christ dyed First of all you must know that Christ dyed here as a publicke person or else the inference were not good Christ tooke upon him the person of no man but the nature for this end that he
world and made his enemies his footestoole You see then the ground is good and the inference is good Christ dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord of the quicke and dead I come now to the thing proved That he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living Christ is Lord both of the dead and of the living for the better clearing of the point let us see what is Lordship Lordship properly is Ius in rem personas it is a right and where it is ful it is a right with possession either in things or persons But what manner of Lordship is this Christ is an universall Lord of and over all over all the world both over all the dead and all the living but more especially and in a peculiar manner he is Lord of his Church even as a husband is Lord over his wife which is a Lordship with sweetenes So Christs government is with unspeakeable with unconceiveable sweetenesse He is Lord as the elder brother as the first begotten is over the rest for he is the first begotten among the dead this likewise is a sweete governement It is indeed a Lordship of a King over his subjects as his Lordship is a branch of his Kingly office but it is such a Lordship as is for the good of his Subjects It is not a derived happinesse they injoy the head and the subjects Christ accounts himselfe happy in his Church which is his fullnesse the Church is the fulnesse of him that filleth all things Ephe. 1. And more especially is the Church most happy in this governement it is such a Lordship as is indeed altogether for the good of the Subjects To us a Childe is borne to us a Sonne is given He dyed and rose and revived and all is for us a Christian may say of Christ that he is totus in meos usus expensus as one well said he is all mine hee is all expended for my use and profit It is such a Lordship as makes all his subjects Kings therefore it is said Rev. 1. He loved us and gave himselfe for us to purge his Church as it is Ephe. 5. and likewise to make us Kings and Priests where note Christ hath a notable attendance upon him he is served with none but Kings All Gods children are Kings even the meanest servant that is any where in the world in spirituall respects is a King what a Lord and King is this that makes all his servants Kings You see therefore as Christ is an universall Lord and also he is a peculiar Lord over his Church Againe hee is an independant Lord onely his Father joynes with him in all he is subordinate to his Father as mediator but hee is independant in respect of all humane authority whatsoever all humane authority is derived from him By me Princes raigne c. His government in regard of all those governements is altogether independant therefore hee is called the Lord of Lords and King of Kings hee is Lord Paramount as we say over all and they all are or should be dependant upon him And likewise he is a Lord of the whole man body and soule he is a Spirituall Lord He commands not the body onely but the Soule he sits in the throne of conscience especially and there he subdues the conscience and the soule to him there he prescribes lawes to the conscience and pacifies the conscience and stablisheth conscience and settles it against all feares and terrours whatsoever he is Lord of body and soule especially of the soule he bowes the necke of the inward man and brings it wholly to be subject to him he layes his command upon the very soule it selfe And he is an eternall Lord you see here he is Lord of the quicke and of the dead all other Lords have nothing to doe with men when they are dead they can doe them no more harme they have some power indeed over their dead bodies but alas that is senselesse their government ends in death because they are Lords over the outward man onely but Christs Lordship is when we are gone hence and then more especially for then wee are more immediately with him wee are nearer the fountaine when our soules are gone to him that gave them I desire saith S. Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all especially then hee is Lord when wee are gone hence In a word he is an excellent Lord for he hath all things that a Lord should have a Lord should have three things authority sutable vertues and abilities power and strength answerable to all Now the Lord Christ hath all these and first he hath authority for God the Father gave him power over all hee purchased it and his Father gave it him he gave him the heathen for his possession and All power is given to me in heaven and earth and hee hath full authority as it is Iohn 17. Thou hast given me power over all flesh hee hath then authority Secondly he hath all graces and vertues fit for a Lord and governour hee hath Righteousnesse Wisedome bounty affections c. we neede not make doubt of it for he is the spring of all these in others his scepter is a Scepter of righteousnesse Thirdly hee hath strength answerable to his authority for he is a Lord that is God sometimes among men authority wants power or other qualifications but in Christ is all the utmost and greatest fulnesse of all These things premised let us make some use of all But first let us see why it s sayd He is Lord both of the dead and of the living prefixing the dead before the living To shew I conceive that Christ is Lord of those that were dead before as well as of those that are alive now Christ is the Lord of all from the beginning of the world from Adam to the last man that shall stand upon the face of the earth therefore he is Lord of those that were dead before as well as of those that are alive now and that shall dye after he is Lord of the dead and of the living Now for use first where he saith For this end It is a point wondrous pregnant and full of very comfortable use first shewing that the grounds of a Christians faith and comfort are very strong as you see how the holy Ghost dwells upon the argument For this end saith he Christ dyed and rose againe and revived that he might be Lord of the quicke and of the dead God doth all to ends it being a point of wisedome to prefixe an end and worke to it If God hath an end and providence in the haires that fall from our heads hath he not a farre greater in disposing of things for the good of the Church His Sonne is given to death and raysed againe it is for the greatest end in the world being the greatest worke the greatest worke hath the greatest end such was
living you see upon what ground he is Lord of all as well as of his Church he is an eternall Lord over the dead and the living he is a transcendent Lord above all other Lords whatsoever and he is independant he is not obnoxious to any all have power from him and in some sort indeed Christ hath redeemed even all other creatures they are Christs and in some sort even proud wicked men that live in the Church that have perhaps some parts which are the occasion of their damnation because of and by them they are proud and insolent they are redeemed by Christ thus farre to be serviceable to his Church to use their parts to his owne ends they goe a great way in salvation that so by their parts they may be fit to doe service to the Church so he is Lord not onely over the Church but of others for the service of the Church Now this point that Christ is Lord of the dead and of the living it yeelds many comfortable uses I spake of some things in generall and then wee came to some particulars as First seeing Christ is Lord of the quicke and of the dead wee may comfort our selves under the Soveraignty of Christ To be Solomons servant was accounted a great happynesse those that did observe the governement of Solomon did thinke so as the Queene of Sheba Alas what shall we thinke of those that are under Christ who is greater then Solomon A most great a most wise a most loving a most gracious and powerfull Lord over all therefore it is a most comfortable condition here in this life to adde a little to that point however it be service it is against the nature of man to serve a man yet not to serve a more noble to serve God is to reigne Besides while we live here such is our disposition such is the weakenesse of base sinners that they must be ruled by another and indeede our happinesse and security consists in being ruled by another higher than our selves we are not fit to bee our owne governours S. Paul saith to the Galatians an heire in his none-age differeth little from a servant so it is with Christians till they be in heaven they differ little from servants and therefore they must bee under tutors and government And as it is a comfortable so it is an honourable condition for Christs Servants are so many Kings Christ is served of none but Kings and such Kings as doe not rule over slaves but such Kings as in Christ rule over the greatest and terriblest enemies of all a Christian can thinke with comfort and incouragement upon those enemies that make the greatest tyrants of the world to quake he can thinke of death of sinne of damnation of judgement of the Law of all these things Christs Kingdome is another manner of Kingdome than the Kingdomes of the world they are poore Kingdomes their Monarchs heads must lye as low as the basest subject they have they know not how soone and perhaps have a more terrible account to give than any other under them it is not so in Christs Kingdome Therefore those Christians that are afraid of death they forget their dignity they forget him on whom they depend for Christ is Lord both of the quick and of the dead if so be Christ be their Lord when they dye what neede they feare to dye and therefore let us comfort our selves when God calls for us he is our Lord as well when wee dye as while we live and more too for then our soules have more immediate communion with him can there bee more comfort than this that we have a Lord ever that dyed for us that rose for us and lives for ever and doth immortalize his subjects too joyne these together an ever-living Lord and ever-living subjects coexistent I meane for the time to come we indeed have a beginning Christ had none as God but we have an eternall state to be for ever and an eternall Lord to rule us for ever and to make us happy forever what comfort is more than this that howsoever there be varietie of conditions in this world wee live wee dye we are in prosperity we are in misery yet there is no varietie in the state of Salvation Christ is not a Lord to day and none to morrow but yesterday to day and the same for ever Againe as it is a point of comfort so it is also of duty if Christ be our Lord in life and death our duty is to looke to him in life and death to live and dye to him for our ayme must answere his ayme if we ever intend to come to heaven for we are understanding creatures and have a communion with him in a poore measure therefore what he will make his end must be our end his end was that whether we live or dye hee might rule over us our end should be in life and death to bee ruled by him How shall we live to Christ We live to Christ this is a ground of all other duties that follow when we know and acknowledge Christ hath a full interest in us by being our head by being our husband by being our King our elder brother he hath all the sweete interest to us that any relation can inright him to for all other relations among men are but shaddowes of that grand relation there onely is the realty of things he is a true head a true King a true elder brother a true husband of his Church all ours are but poore representations of those glorious things then know and acknowledge so much that is the ground of all living to him Vpon knowing and acknowledging issues all other obedience in our life to Christ those that thus acknowledge Christ they must be directed by his will and not their owne as a servant as farre as he is a servant and a wife so farre as she is a wife they have no will of their owne so he that lives to Christ and acknowledgeth him to be a Lord he must have no will of his owne but hee must live according to the will of Christ as you have it excellently set downe 1 Pet. 4. Christ suffered for us in the flesh let us arme our selves therefore with the same mind for he that suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sinne that he should no longer live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God It is a comment upon this place Christ dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord of the quicke and of the dead that is that we might live according to his will and not after our owne doe you thinke our Saviour Christ would so farre deny himselfe to leave heaven to take upon him our base nature and be so farre abased in it to let us live as wee list oh no we must live the rest of our dayes not according to the lusts of men or our owne lusts but
Spirit this is alway a signe of a man lead by the Spirit that it directs him to Christ the Spirit as it comes from Christ and the father so it directs to Christ to the pleasing of the Father and of Christ in all things Here I might take just occasion to reproove a company of men that live under the Gospell that will bee saved by Christ forsooth but will not have Christ a Lord to rule over them they will be ruled by rules of state or rules of flesh and blood and their owne lusts by the rules of hell sometimes so that they may have their owne aimes their owne ambition satisfied and raisethemselves to their owne pitch a disposition cursed and opposite to that religion which they professe for our life should be a living to Christ and under Christ a living to the Church and state But say they Let us breake their bonds and cast their coards from us what doe they thinke wee will be awed with a company of poore preachers away with them we will have our wills let us breake their bonds in sunder Christ sits in heaven and laughes them all to scorne Psal. 2. they shall know at length hee will be no Saviour where he is no Lord if he may not rule them by his Spirit and holy directions while they live he will not owne them when they dye for you see the text joynes both here he dyed and he is Lord when hee dyed there came water and blood out of his side to shew that hee came not onely to shed his blood to dye and to satisfie divine justice but by water to clense us and to fit us to be subject to his government therefore those that take him as a Priest to dye and will not have him as a Lord they rent his offices I doe but touch these now We see what it is to live to Christ let us see what is it to dye to the Lord To dye to the Lord is to know and acknowledge that Christ hath power over us when wee dye thereupon to submit our selves to him and not to murmure and fret when he comes to call for our life and soule as if we were unwilling to part with them Then againe to dye to Christ is when upon any good occasion he calls for our lives in standing for a good cause for the Church or state to be ready to lay it downe there is not the least tittle of truth but it is better than a mans life a man may not onely dye in case of martyrdome but in case of justice and truth and so he must be willing to doe if he will dye to Christ. Againe wee dye to the Lord when we carry our selves so when death comes as wee may expresse some graces to glorifie God even in our very death when wee studdy to doe all the good we can that wee may dye fruitefully out of this consideration my time is short I will labour to bee sowing to the Spirit as much as I can not to dye like fooles but wisely knowing that there is no further opportunity here is the time of seede hereafter will bee the time of reaping therefore there is no Christian that is master of himselfe at the houre of death if some disease disable him not but he studdies how to shew himselfe as fruitfull as he can at that time as you see our Saviour when he was to dye what long chapters there are three together of his demeanour how hee strengthned his Disciples what an excellent prayer he made to God see Moses how hee carryed himselfe at his death what excellent admonitions hee gives and good Iacob what an excellent Will he made and S. Peter knowing he must put of his earthly tabernacle he labours to put them in minde to glorifie God as Saint Paul saith A Christian ought to end his dayes in faith and obedience in faith that God will take his soule when he commits it to him and he shall reigne for ever in heaven In obedience thereupon because he beleeves he dyes in faith he will dye in obedience I even offer my selfe to thee because I beleeve thou wilt care for mee when I am gone hence for thou art the Lord of life and death and thou art the Lord of mee when I live and when I am dead Well as it implies duty so it implies a gracious effect that wee shall be inabled to this duty he indeed in himselfe is a Lord wee ought to acknowledge him so nay we shall have the Spirit if wee be his to cause us to acknowledge him you have a notable place 2 Cor. 5. 15. to this purpose The love of Christ constraines us because wee thus judge If one dyed for all then we are all dead if hee dyed to redeeme us from death to what end did he dye he dyed for all that they that live might not live to themselves but to him that dyed and rose againe It is nothing but this in the Text we should live to him Now this that wee should live to him it is not an aime of ours onely but an effect that hee workes in us he dyed that we might live to him for he dyed and rose that he might obtaine the Spirit by this Spirit hee inableth us to live and dye to God as you have it Rom. 8. at large proved those that are Christs have the Spirit of Christ and are led with it Beloved it is a part of the new Covenant that whatsoever ourduty is we shall have ability to performe it by the Spirit of Christ for all the gracious promises of the Gospell are not onely promises upon condition and so a covenant but likewise the covenant of grace is a te stament and a will a will is made without conditions a covenant with conditions that as hee hath made a covenant what he would have us to doe so his testament is that wee shall have grace to doe so he will put his Spirit into us and circumcise our hearts or else beloved there would bee no more strength of the covenant of grace then there was of that of nature in Adam why did Adam fall he had not the Spirit to uphold him nor had he the promise of it to keepe him that hee should not fall therefore the covenant of workes was frustrate but now the covenant of grace is this that whatsoever God requires he will give his Spirit to inable us to doe it that the covenant may not bee frustrate if God shold not make good our part as well as his we shold not be saved Therefore now in the covenant of grace wee may boldly goe to God and Christ and alleadge unto him when any duty is pressed upon us and when wee are about to performe any duty and finde want of strength Lord thou knowest I have no strength of my selfe I am a barren wildernesse but thou hast entred into a covenant of grace with me which covenant now is a testament a free will
that thou wilt give what thou requirest Lord in the use of meanes that thou hast ordained in attending upon thee and looking up to thee I desire that thou wouldst give me strength to submit to thee to live and dye to thee to direct my course as I should this should be the course of a Christian and not to set upon things in his owne strength but when duty is discovered looke to the promise of grace and of the Spirit and put them into suite and alleadge them to Christ in the use of sanctified meanes as reading hearing holy conference and the like and hee will enable us to doe that that is our duty Therefore a man may know who is indeed under Christs governement by this for he that is actually under Christs government and acknowledgeth him to bee his Lord hee hath ability to live and dye to him in some comfortable measure to deny himselfe to goe out of himselfe to live and to dye to the glory of God The Spirit of God hath given him this victory and tryumph over his owne heart Last of all if this be so here see the wondrous secure state of a Christian Beloved that as Christ is his Lord both in life and death and it is his duty to subject himselfe so Christ wil give him grace so to direct his life Therefore let us doe our duty attend upon the meanes and lift up our hearts to God let God and Christ alone with all the rest let Christ alone with ruling us and with inabling us to be ruled by him hee is Lord not onely over us but in us by his Spirit But theSpirit breatheth where it listeth there must bee waiting upon God in his Ordinances till we finde ability to holy duties and those that have so much patience to honour God and Christ so farre as to attend in the use of good meanes till the good houre come till the Spirit come to subject their spirits to duty no doubt but God intends well to them but those that are so short spirited that if they finde not ability to deny themselves and to live to God and to breake off their course of sinne but give over in a kinde of base dispaire it is just with God to leave them to themselves that they shall even live and die to themselves that is they shall live without respect to Christ and dye without respect to Christ at all as if there were no Christ to take care for them Now out of this branch of holy security upon the care power and Lordship that Christ hath over us for the time to come it riseth that a Christian may be assured of his salvation of his perseverance because Christ is Lord of all he is Lord of his heart hee is Lord not onely of the things without us but of our spirits within us and hee will inable us to subject our selves to him that neither things present nor things to come or any thing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ not onely from Gods love to us but from our love to God Beloved let this incourage us to come under the governement of Christ There is no security or safety but in his governement wee are sure of nothing in this world but we are sure of this that Christ if he be our Lord is our Lord for ever and that nothing in the world shall ever be able to separate us from him I will close with this you see Christ is ours whether wee live or dye hee is Lord of quicke and dead let us labour to live to him that hee may rule over us while we live else when wee come to dye though we never so much perhaps out of principles of selfe love desire him to be ours it is to no purpose while we live therefore let us submit to his government and if we live to him we shall easily dye to him if we doe not inure our selves by daily selfe deny all and practising of the duties of obedience to live to him how shall wee come to dye to him our life may bee snatched from us against our wills wee may dye with a kinde of fretting and indignation that we can live no longer that wee can enjoy our pleasures no longer but to dye meekely and quietly as to a Lord submitting our selves to him that is the Lord of life and death a man can never doe it that hath not lived to the Lord Therefore I beseech you every day be acquainted with the actions of living to the Lord whatsoever you doe to men doe it as to the Lord in the Lords strength to please him and as it may stand with his favour and no further And especially take the advantage of your younger yeares to roote out lusts that will grow to that head else that God in his judgement giving you up to your selves after long rebellion you shal never bee able to deny your selves to live to Christ and when death comes to dye to Christ therefore let us inure our selves to deny our selves in the practice of every holy duty as to the Lord betimes that so we may get the upper hand of our flesh in these holy performances that they may be easie and sweete to us as indeed the yoke of Christ is after it is worne a while the subjection of Christ is the sweetest subjection in the world it breedes the greatest peace and joy and love and contentment to the soule and which is more then all a blessed hope for the time to come he that is life is inured to holy duties and hath overcome the rebellions of his base flesh when he comes to dye he can say with Simeon Lord now let thy servant depart in peace that is thou Lord of life now thou wilt have me dye I am even content to dye to resigne my selfe to thee who can say so but he that makes Christ his Lord all his life time then when death comes he is content to yeeld unto him as a Lord else it will be just in the houre of death for Christ to say as it is Iudg. 10. doe you come to mee and commend your soules to me goe to the lords you have served you have served the humours of such a one you have alliena'ed your soules to such a one you have given your soules to sinne and to such men as are instruments of the devill you have denyed your honesty your faith your religion goe to him goe to the gods you have served they are your lords I am not your Lord I was not al your life time though these speeches be not uttered the effect of them will the soule will conclude I have served mine owne lusts and the humours of others all my life time how can I looke that the Lord should take my Soule therefore let it be our daily practise to live to the Lord to have the chiefe aime of our life in our eye to direct our actions so as
so before but he was not manifest before therefore he is sayd to be manifest to be God by the resurrection Rom. 1. 4. he was God from ēternity but he was borne then This day have I begotten thee it is spoken of the resurrection so you see here Christs offices the state and condition of his humiliation and of his exaltation and the use and end of all That he might be Lord of the dead and of the living And if we be any thing offended with that abasement that God should dye looke to his rising and reviving and Lordship over all both quicke and dead and if we bee dazelled with his glory looke backe againe to God in our flesh and God in our flesh abased even to the death of the crosse oh it is a sweete meditation beloved to thinke that our flesh is now in heaven at the right hand of God and that flesh that was borne of the Virgin that was layd in the manger that went up and downe doing good that was made a curse for us and humbled to death and lay under the bondage of death three dayes that this flesh is now glorious in heaven that this person is Lord over the living and the dead it is an excellent booke to studdy this beloved studdy Christ in the state of humiliation and exaltation That he might be Lord of the dead c. How is Christ Lord He is Lord of the dead those that dyed before he was borne and of the living those that are since he is yesterday that is to those that were before he was and to day that is when he was and to morrow and for ever the same therefore he saith of the dead and of the living of the dead that is in reference to former times Christ is the Lambe of God slaine from the beginning of the world By what title is hee Lord By a title beloved not as God but by a title of conquest as a redeemer for he dyed that he might be Lord we are a bloody spouse to Christ we are the price of his blood he dyed that he might bee Lord he must winne us before he could have us thereupon dying and purchasing us now hee is Lord of his Church and Children by marriage before he could marry us he must bee borne in our nature for the husband and wife must be of one nature and being in bondage to a contrary King to Sathan hee must redeeme and purchase us out of Sathans hands so he is a Lord by conquest and then he is a Lord in a nearer relation hee is a Lord as a husband He is Lord both of the dead and of the living But the point is sweetest in the use of it onely know for a ground that Christ is Lord of the dead and of the living as mediator God-man not as God but as God man God in our nature and hereupon wee have diverse sweete comforts as for example First of all it shewes what we may expect from Christ what Christ will doe to us and what wee ought to returne to him againe for relations are bonds especially when they are so founded as this of Christs is to bee Lord over us both in life and death it is founded upon redemption and upon our Spirituall marriage relations are bonds and therefore they tye on his part to shew what wee may expect from him he is Lord of the living and of the dead wee may expect on his part all that a gracious Lord should doe to provide for his Church and children we may expect that from him that wee can from none else that hee should not onely be Lord over us but that he should make us subject that hee should flow in to us by his holy Spirit for here is the prerogative of Christ that he is such a head as quickeneth dead members he is such a husband as makes his spouse beautifull he puts glory upon her no other husband can doe it Moses married a blacke woman but hee could not alter her hue much lesse her disposition it is not in the power of any man a King cannot alter his subjects but he is such a King as alters the nature of his subjects he makes them subject he takes them out of a contrary kingdome as being not borne his subjects but borne anew by the Spirit he doth all provision protection the changing of our natures the beginning of a good worke and where this Lord begins a good work hee finisheth it to his owne day for beloved know this for a ground that now in the second covenant we are not left as Adam was in the hands of our owne free will to stand or fall but now in the second covenant that is founded upon Christs death and satisfaction for us Christ gives grace he gives his holy Spirit to bring us within the compasse and performes both our part and his too he makes good his owne to be a gracious Saviour to us and he performes our part too or else the second covenant the covenant of grace should be frustrate as the first was if it were left to our freedome therefore that is that that we may expect from this Lordship of Christ the performance of the covenant of grace in writing his law in our hearts other Kings give lawes and write them in tables but they cannot write them in the hearts of their subjects but hee is such a Law giver as writes his owne will in the heart he teacheth the very heart obedience we are taught of God to love one another I will write my law in their bowels and in their inward parts that is they shall not onely know what they should doe but they shall know the doing the affecting and performing of the things they shall be able to doe the things so Christ is a Lord over us not onely teaching us what we should do and injoyning us in a kinde of superiority this is your duty and not this but inabling us to doe that that he commands he gives us the very doing the affections and loving he teacheth our hearts to love I say this we may expect from him in the use of meanes and subjecting to his ordinances which is a wondrous prerogative to those that will submit to his law We may expect againe from this Lord advancement he is such a Lord as makes all his subjects kings the meanest man that is a subject to Christ that hath the Spirit of Christ is a King Now he is a King over that that all others are slaves to that are not Christians they rule over others but they are in thraldome to their owne lusts but he is a spirituall King a King over hell and death and those things that the very greatest of men are afrayd off as who feares death most and hell most those that deserve it most by reason of their great place sinke most in sin and rebellion against God and contract more guilt than other men that that they are afraid
glory of Christ thinke of us in him when we see him borne thinke he was borne for me when wee see him dye thinke wee dye with him when wee see him buried thinke our selves buried with him so in the state of exaltation when wee see him rise and sit at the right hand of God thinke he is there to prepare a place for me whatsoever hee hath or whatsoever he did he regards us in all therefore it somewhat obscures the glory and the love of Christ to us to conceive that he had a selfe-respect in these things when he saith in the text For this end Christ dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord of quicke and dead I beseech you consider whose good he respects in this Lordship is it not a profitable Lordship for us is it not for our good that he is our Lord in life and in death not only our Lord but the Lord of Sathan of death and of all our enemies he is Lord over all saith the Apostle God over all blessed for ever therfore he is Lord over sinne over death over hell over all that we neede to feare it is for us therefore our good is intended though there be a redundance of glory in Christ in all these things yet thinke hee respects our good the best meditation of Christ is to thinke all is for us Beloved is it not a great mercy that hee should stop the issue and the beames of glory that should otherwise have come upon his humane nature that he should be content to be in the shape of a servant and bee eclipsed in regard of manifestation and abase himselfe to the death of the crosse and all for our redemption when he might have gone to glory another way but as one of the ancients saith well if he had gone to heaven another way hee might have come thither himselfe but hee could not have helped us that way therefore he would goe to heaven by way of abasement and concealement and stopping that of his glory that he might helpe us and pay the price to God for us and reconcile us I beseech you let us see his love to us in all this enough for that question which I would not have mentioned but that it hath a speciall use and comfort and may be an incentive to kindle love to Christ regarding us in his birth and life and death in his resurrection in his ascention in his glory in all To draw to a conclusion therefore Christ is our Lord both in life and death it is for ever oh beloved therefore I beseech you let us project for his glory for ever as much as we can he is our Lord when we are dead he is the Lord of our soules of our happines we are nearer him then than we are now hee that is my Lord both living and dying and for ever shall not I labour that when I am dead there may be a Church here that when I am dead posterity may serve him and be subject to him shall he for ever be Lord for my good and shall not I as much as lyeth in me lay a foundation for ever in his service that when I can serve him no longer my selfe then posterity may serve him It was a cursed wish of a Pagan Emperour when I am dead let heaven and earth be mingled if they will but a Christian thinkes Christ is mine and for my good both living and dying nay I have more good by him when I am dead than alive therefore I will labour that he may have glory in his Church by me and mine and all my counsels and projects shall be that it may be for ever and ever world without end therefore they desire that God may be served and glorified in the Church for ever as he is their Lord living and dying And let it be our comfort in the houre of death that may bee nearer us then we are aware off that he is not onely Lord of the living but of those that are dead he hath the keyes both of hell and death that is he hath the government of death and therefore shall I be afraid to commit my soule to Christ what a ground is this comfortably to yeeld our soules to Christ Lord take the soule thatthou dyedst to purchase that thou didst rise againe-to justifie that thou dost live now in heaven to make intercession for that thou hast given thy holy Spirit in some measure to sanctifie take this soule to thee it is thy soule as much and more than mine I am not mine owne nor my soule is not my owne Into thy hands I commend even thy Spirit for thou hast redeemed me oh Lord of truth thou hast redeemed this soule of mine therefore now take this soule that thou by thy Spirit hast wrought in some poore measure to desire to please thee that soule that thou hast sprinkled with thy owne blood take that soule for thou art Lord both living and dying and what a comfort is it when death shall close up our eyes that we can looke forward and see then our selves nearer Christ for then we goe to Christ our husband as Paul saith I desire to be dissolved and to bee with Christ which is best of all when a Christian thinkes at death now I am changing for the better Christ will not leave me at the houre of death neither dying nor living butwill watch over my dust my dead body is a member of Christ death may separate body and soule but it cannot separate soule or body from him therefore take no thought for body or soule for my soule I know hee will receive it and my body as a good depositum is layd up in the dust hee watches over all the dust and ashes and every thing and will make the earth faithfull in giving up that depositum he is Lord of me dying as well as living shall I be afrayd to dye when in death I commend my soule to such a sweete Lord and goe to my husband and to my King And that is the end of the Sacrament for the Word and Sacrament are parts of the regiment of Christ whereby he rules his Church hee rules his Church outwardly by the Word and Sacraments and inwardly by his Spirit his holy Spirit makes good his owne good meanes and therefore as the subjects of Christ I beseech you let us come to the ordinance of Christ he is such a Lord as doth great things by despised meanes bread and wine poore meanes but consider what a mighty Lord useth them for our soules good and it is his glory to magnifie himselfe by base and weake meanes hee goes contrary to the course of the world that stands all upon outward excellency therefore let no man stumble at the meannesse of the meanes but consider what great things he workes by the foolishnesse of Preaching and the meannesse of his Ordinances the Sacraments he beates downe strong holds he builds us up in Christ to Salvation hee communicates himselfe and all his benefits to us therefore I beseech you come with faith come with this perswasion Christ will blesse his own Ordinance and come with comfort Christ communicates himselfe to us the nearer we come to the fountaine the more wee draw And come with preparation know with whom wee have to deale with him that is Lord of quicke and dead come with reverence but these things I have oft upon this occasion stood upon so much for this Text. FJNJS Quest. Ans. 2. Independantly 3. Lord in the whole man 4. An Eternall Lord. 5. An Excellent Lord. Why the dead are put before the living Vse 2. Answ. Simil. Object Answ. Object Answ.