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
might be a publicke person If Christ had taken the person of any body there had beene two persons of Christ he had dyed in one person and not in another now having the nature that is common to all men and not the person of Peter or Iames c. when he dyed the person dyed in that nature wherein he might dye so when it is sayd Christ dyed wee must consider Christ as a publicke person not taking the particular person of any man but the generall nature of man into union with the second person Christ dyed as a publicke person Secondly Christ dyed as the second Adam the spring of all misery and death was from the first Adam but the second Adam was a quickning Spirit he dyed as a publicke person and the second Adam We must know moreover that he dyed as the great high Priest of the Church offering to God the Father a sacrifice that made him Lord over all as we shall see after hee dyed as a Priest as indeed he that was fore-signifyed by all the Sacrifices and Priests hee was both Priest and Sacrifice Heb. 9. 14. By the eternall Spirit the Godhead he offered himselfe to his Father Againe he dyed a voluntary death for else he had not dyed in obedience his death was violent in regard of them that forced it but it was voluntary in regard of them that he offered himselfe for as a sweete Sacrifice to his Father that voluntarinesse made his death a sweete sacrifice for whatsoever the Father did to him he joyned with the Father in it the Father gave him he gave himselfe the Father appointed him to bee so and so and he joyned with the Father in all things No man takes away my life from me saith hee himselfe It was a voluntary death in regard of his freedome nay hee thirsted after it as you have it in the Gospell he longed after it upon higher considerations howsoever in a lower consideration as it was a tormenting thing and a bitter cup hee had a desire that it might passe but it was upon lower respects upon hi her respects the will of his Father and the Salvation of mankinde hee thirsted to drinke of that cup. A man may will and nill the same thing upon presenting of different objects and respects and reasons that which a man may decline as wee say in this respect looking to a particular end that a man may desire looking to a higher end because man is framed so to yeeld to the stronger reason alway Thereupon that is no objection he seemed sometime a little unwilling It was looking upon something presented to him that made him in that respect unwilling but looking upon other respects he gave himselfe willingly the Father and he joyned together And therefore by the way when they talke of the active and passive obedience there was action in all his passion chiefly in his passion there was action for if it had beene meere suffering without voluntary obedience what obedience had that beene a beast may so suffer but against his will but his voluntary obedience was the chiefe in all his passion He humbled himselfe to the death of the Crosse as it is Phil. 2. Yet further as he dyed voluntarily so he dyed as our surety therefore hee dyed a cursed death due to us Hee was made a curse for us that hee might remove the curse from us these and such like conclusions must be observed in this that the Apostle saith to this end Christ dyed because wee shall have use of them afterwards Here we might stay and admire that life should dye that glory should become shame for us And that hee that is the Authour of all blessing should become a curse Indeed it is a great mystery that Christ being God should stoupe so low that hee could joyne together the infinite Majesty of God and that low degree of abasement that he did condescend unto Domine quo descendis c. Lord how farre goest thou he could not goe lower and be God God to shew his love to us shewed himselfe God in this that he could be God and goe so low as to dye and not onely to dye but to dye a shameful and cursed death for us but I passe to the particulars For this end Christ both dyed and rose c. He rose againe and indeed it was impossible but hee should rise againe because he is the Lord of life Now the Lord of life and life it selfe could not long dye it was but by dispensation that hee dyed viz. to worke our salvation but he could not be detained any longer by the sorrowes of death he dyed therefore and rose he rose even as he dyed he rose a publicke person and as a second Adam to give and infuse spirituall life into all his branches he rose as our surety in our roome he rose in spight of the Iewes that laboured to keepe him downe all they could By the way this shewes that he will rise in his Church and in his children in his Religion and in his cause let the world and all the devils in hell lay a stone upon Christ upon his cause and Church and children they will rise againe even as his blessed body did in spight of all the watchfullnesse of the Iewes Againe as he rose so he rose with many not alone to shew as I said before that he rose as a publicke person another man riseth as himselfe the rest rise not with him as caused by his rising But Christ rose as a publicke person Therefore many rose with him the graves were opened to shew that he rose as a publicke person as our surety as a spirituall head and as the second Adam who could infuse life into others What became of those bodyes that rose with him after the Scripture saith nothing of it nor what became of Moses body They rose to doe God a service and Christ an honour which when they had done they were content to be disposed of by God againe and it is likely to returne from whence they came for if the head of the Church himselfe was content to come from heaven into the Virgins wombe and from thence to the crosse and from thence to the grave and to be abased for us those that have the Spirit of Christ those blessed soules in heaven might well be content for a time to be abased to take bodies to doe a service for their Lord and master who was content to foregoe heaven thirty foure yeares and the glory due to him Therefore by the way if God will use us though we be never so great for a particular service to the Church shall wee stand upon it when the blessed Saints in heaven those blissefull soules were content to come and take bodies for a time to doe God service and then to sleepe againe Againe he rose on that day which was ever after and well may still be called the Lords day for a new world beganne with his rising therefore a new Sabbath Saint
Iohn saith I was in the Spirit upon the Lords day If a man be ever in the Spirit it is upon the Lords day when the Lord of the day doth honour his people giving them to enjoy his Ordinances and joyning effectually with them maketh them full of the Spirit and raiseth up our dead hearts after him And revived Why is this added to rising againe Hee revived To shew that hee rose never to dye againe and that indeede hee never meant to lay aside that body againe as once he had to dye for us Consonant hereunto is that Revel 1. 18. Behold I was dead and am alive and I live for evermore I have the keyes of death and of hell Hee lives for evermore as Heb. 7. Hee sits for evermore at the right hand of God there making intercession for us He dies no more Againe this revived is added to shew the kind of his life differing from that life hee lived before that life he lived before he dyed was supported with meate and drinke and refreshings even as our poore lives are It was a life subject to death that he dyed in but after his Resurrection except it were for a particular dispensation to confirme the faith of his Disciples he needed no more to eate or drinke or sleepe or any naturall supports and helpes for he was enlivened immediately by the Spirit of God which flowed into him he was full of the Spirit and that did supply all other things whatsoever Even as in heaven God shall be all in all that is hee shall be so immediately to us to supply all as we shall neither eate nor drinke nor sleepe nor have magistrates nor ministers but the Spirit of God will be all in all so it was with this life of our blessed Saviour when he revived the Spirit supplyed the absence of all other supports whatsoever that he used before he dyed And indeed our Saviour Christ came to bestow that life upon us that he lived after his Resurrection not this naturall life of ours that needes meate and drinke and refreshing this is not that life that Christ specially aimed at when he came to dye but that spirituall and eternall life that he lived after the Resurrection a life not subject to death a spirituall life not needing any created support whatsoever You see the grounds the inference from these grounds follow in these words That he might bee Lord both of the dead and of the living The ground hath three branches death resurrection and reviving how all these doe flow and give strength to this inference I will touch in the particulars First then Christ dyed that hee might be Lord of the dead and of the living Christ dyed 1 Pet. 3. to offer himselfe a sacrifice to redeeme us by his precious blood wee are not redeemed with Gold or Silver but with the blood of Christ hee could not be our Lord till hee had bought us now his death was the price of our redemption I say redemption not emption a thing may be bought that was never sold away before now we were sold to Sathan and under a contrary government now Christ satisfying divine justice redeemes us he buyes us againe wee had subjected our selves to the devill and put our selves under his regiment till we were ransomed by Christ now Christ shall have no right to us till the price be paid to divine justice for mercy must have justice satisfied the attributes of God must not fight one against another Christ therefore is Lord of us because by death he gave full content to divine justice so that now notwithstanding justice yet we are Christs and are saved nay now the justice of God helpes us the most terrible attribute justice is a ground of comfort for it stands not with justice to have the same debt paid twice For God is just and faithfull saith the Apostle so then you see there is a ground from death why wee are the Lords we are Christs because we cost him deare hee hath paid a price for us that is worth more then the whole world Now God shewed his love in nothing more then in this that he parted with that that is next himselfe the greatest his Sonne who being God yet dyed in that nature that could dye to redeeme us and hereupon becommeth Lord. Secondly Hee rose againe therefore he is Lord of the quicke and dead First because his rising againe was a manifestation that his death was a ful satisfaction to divine justice or else our sinnes should have kept him in the grave still hee being our surety but our surety being out of prison it is a signe hee hath fully discharged all our debt and the price is paid If the surety and the creditor be agreed we know the debt is paid Secondly in that hee rose againe he is Lord because in rising againe he entred into the possession and exercise of that Lordship that he had purchased The right is one thing and the use and possession of the right is another Christ was Lord of us before he dyed he was Lord of us when he dyed but hee did not enter into possession of this Lordship till he rose againe Therefore he saith All power is given to me both in heaven and earth when hee was ready to goe up to heaven to shew that by his resurrection the right hee had by death was manifest Lastly because his rising againe shewed that the father was fully pacified he obtained the gift of the Spirit which next Christ himselfe is the greatest gift God gave his Sonne first and then the Spirit that comes from the Father and the Sonne The Spirit was not given till his resurrection and ascension as it is Iohn 7. Why because till all enemies were fully subdued by his death and witnessed to be subdued by his resurrection the Spirit could not be so fully given the Spirit being a declaration of the good will of God that sent it Now when the enemies of Christ were tryumphed over and God had shewed by the raising of his Sonne againe that he was fully satisfied Then the Spirit comes as the Son of Gods favour which Spirit doth enable us to be subject to Christ and makes us come under Christs Kingdome which is a spirituall government Wherefore because he obtained the Spirit for his members upon his resurrection thereupon is the inference good he rose againe therefore he is Lord of the quicke and of the dead Thirdly Hee revived therefore he is Lord of the quicke and of the dead reviving and taking such a life as is not subject to death any more hee is now in heaven to make good that he purchased on earth He revived I say to be a King Priest and Prophet at the right hand of God for ever there to rule his Church and to overrule all the enemies of it till he hath subdued all till hee hath gathered all the Elect and brought his Church out of the
they may be serviceable to the maine else not to performe them Herein consists the maine happines of a Christian that whether hee lives or dies hee is not his owne but hee is his that can dispose of him better then ever he could of himselfe for if wee had the disposing of our selves as Adam had what would become of us what became of Adam when he was master of himselfe he lost himselfe and all The second Adam hath bought us with his blood and life to rule us for ever will hee then suffer us to bee disposed off by our selves No whether wee live or dye wee are his if we yeeld our selves sweetely to his governement in life and death THE THIRD SERMON ON ROM 14. 9. For to this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be the Lord both of the dead and of the living IN these words as you heard heretofore at large the Apostle labours to stay the thoughts and affections of men concerning the things of indifferency that they should not be hasty to censure anothers Servant who stands or falls to his owne Master as you have it in Verse 4. The reason is because whatsoever they do they doe it to the Lord He that regards a day regards it to the Lord hee that regards not a day regards it not to the Lord. Some things are of that nature that the right aime puts a qualification upon the actions a good end cannot qualifie many actions but some actions are of that nature that a good aime doth not altogether justifie it but it frees the person from some censure he doth it to God some upon some conceite may abstaine from a thing for religious ends and are not to bee censured some againe performe it and are not to be censured because they doe it to the Lord that is out of religious respects How doth he prove that they doe it to the Lord he proves it more generally ver 7. None of us live to our selves nor none of us dye to our selves which I spake of before Then he proves that we are the Lords because it was the end of Christs dying and rising and reviving that hee might be Lord both of the dead and of the living and if he be the Lord then we ought to live to this Lord of the quicke and dead We see Saint Paul here makes use of a generall truth of a grand principle that we are the Lords and therefore live to him and dye to him and doe particular actions to him or not doe them to him to shew that wee should have in minde information of sound general truths that are the ground of all particular practise as we shall see after For to this end Christ both dyed rose and revived c. The words they are Christs universall government of the dead and of the living inferred from the end of his death reviving and rising againe a comfortable inference from a strong ground We considered the particulars Christs death rising and reviving Christ dyed as a second Adam as a publicke person in whom dying all dyed when other men dyed particular men dyed when Paul was dead Paul dyed and there was an end onely there was an exemplary good in his death but there is more then an exemplary good in the death of Christ Christ dyed alone and singular in this respect because in him dying all dyed that were his that the Father gave him to dye for for they goe parallell Gods gift and Christs death hee did all by commission and hee would not transgresse his commission and he dyed a violent and cursed death because otherwise hee could not have saved us that were under a curse so as a second Adam hee rose and as a publike person therefore wee see in the resurrection of Christ many rose it is like enough they dyed againe it was for a particular dispensation to shew that Christ rose as a publicke person and it is not strange to thinke so that to honour God they should be content to live a wâ—â—â—e when Christ himselfe that was God was content to bee man and to be abased to death that grand mystery makes all other things credible he rose therefore as a publicke person to give life to all that he dyed for So hee revived that is more than to rise againe never againe to lay downe his life as you have it excellently set downe among other places Revel 1. 18. I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I live for ever more amen and he seales it too I have the keyes of hell and of death that is the dominion of hell and death for indeâ—â—â—hrist is life it selfe and life cannot dye as God he could not dye and therefore he tooke upon him that nature wherein he might dye for us and now having done that dispensation that office there is a perpetuall influence of life from the fountaine of life his Godhead to his humanity so he never dyes any more then here followes the scope and end of all That he might be Lord of the dead and of the living The three offices of Christ they have this order in regard of manifestation First he was a Prophet to instruct and teach his in himselfe and likewise by his ministery And then a Priest to dye for those that are his to make intercession now for ever in heaven and then a King first a Prophet then a Priest and then a King He was all at once the very union invested him in all these but in regard of manifestation he was first a Prophet to in struct us of the end of his comming into the world and then a Priest to doe that grand office that we have most comfort by and then a King to rule us he could not be otherwise for if he had manifested himselfe a King and a Lord in his glory where had beene his abasement if they had knowne him to be the Lord of glory they would never have curcified him onely some sparkles of his God head and Lordship and Kingdome and royalty over all flesh brake out in his miracles yea in his greatest abasement there were some sparkles I say even when he lay in the manger Kings came to adore him when he payd tribute he had it out of a fish by a command by majesty when he was on the crosse hee converted the good theese so somewhat brake out of him that he was a person more than ordinary but that was for speciall ends ordinarily hee went on in a course of abasement and all that he might performe the great worke of redemption therefore hee made a stoppe of his glory and Kingly office that hee might not manifest himselfe in that relation and office that he might doe the office of a Priest to dye for us therefore you have it here in the due order Christ dyed and rose againe as the high Priest of his Church that hee might he Lord of the dead and of the living he was
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
of this subject at large heretofore I only desire you to raise up your thoughts to consider whom you have to deale with with him that is Lord of the quicke and of the dead we have to deale with the mighty Monarch of heaven and earth Christ therefore come as with faith because he hath ordained these things to strengthen faith so come with reverence knowing with whom wee are to feast and to deale consider of these things and then I hope that God will vouchsafe a blessing answerable to the intendment of his ordinance THE SECOND SERMON ON ROM 14. 9. For to this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived that he might be the Lord both of the dead and of the living I Shewed the dependance in the forenoone a Christian by the Spirit of God in him hee hath a blessed aime at all times howsoever hee may faile in particulars yet his ayme is right This doubt rose from difference of aymes whether he should please God or man his doubt rose in pleasing of God what might please him most and because hee sees not alwaies what might please him therefore he carries this honesty that whatsoever he doth he will doe it to the Lord and whatsoever he doth not he will not doe it to the Lord his ayme is for good at all times Now this is proved from the generall disposition of Christians they live and dye to the Lord therefore their particular actions must be to the Lord if their whole life and death bee to the Lord their actions must bee to him Now hee proves their whole life and death are to the Lord because they are the Lords how doth he prove that they are the Lords that is Iesus Christs because the Text saith here For this end Christ both dyed and revived that he might bee Lord both of the dead and of the living And surely he is Lord he will not misse of his end God never misseth of his end because hee can remove all impediments betweene him and his end Now it being Christs end to be Lord of the quicke and of the dead hee is Lord if he be Lord then those that are under him and led by his Spirit aime both in life and death to glorifie him in all things This in a word be spoken for the inference of the words To this end Christ both dyed and rose and revived Here you have a ground and an inference An argument and a reasoning from it The argument or ground is Christ dyed and rose and revived That that riseth thence is that he might be Lord both of the dead of of the living In thē ground it selfe I told you how Christ dyed as a publicke person as the second Adam c. and now here you are to take notice likewise that hee rose againe as a publicke person as the second Adam c. And likewise hee rēvived not to dye againe as in his first life when hee beganne to live hee beganne to dye but when hee revived he did not dye againe he lives for ever to make intercession for us in heaven Christ never dyes againe Rom. 6. he rose to a life that shall never end for the divine nature doth flow into his humane nature and doth immediately inspire such a spirituall life into it as it lives for ever by vertue of the Spirit of Christ actuating and stirring and moving him as his naturall life did here when hee was upon the earth Christ dyed and rose and revived To what end is all this what is grounded hence that Christ therefore is Lord of quicke and dead this is inferred from all three Christ dyed that hee might reconcile us to God by his death satisfying justice and so justice being fully satisfyed hee might have his end in being Lord of his Church hee had a minde to marry us but he could not till hee had rescued us therefore to rescue us out of divine justice and from the tyranny of Sathan Gods gaoler he made satisfaction to divine justice As for Sathan hee brought us out of his kingdome by strong hand and so doth continually by the power of his Spirit Now hereupon it must needes bee that hee must be Lord of that hee paid so deare a price for And then he rose againe for this end that he might be Lord because howsoever hee had a title to be Lord of the Church by the union of the humane nature with the divine he was Lord alway yet in regard of the exercise of his Lordship it was deferred till his glorious resurrection and ascention then that that lay hid before Christs divine power majesty and Lordship that appeared and manifested it selfe as it is Rom. 1. He was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by the resurrection from the dead he was the Sonne of God before but then it was a kinde of begetting because it was then manifest things are sayd in Scripture and Divinity to be when they are apparent to be so this day of the resurrection Christ was begotten because it was apparent then by raising himselfe from the dead that he was the onely begotten Sonne of God now that made way for his Lordship for after his resurrection God gave him power over all things in heaven and earth and then upon the resurrection he had the Spirit in more aboundance having conquered all enemies betweene God and us therefore he was fit to be Lord by that because he could give the Spirit to them over whom hee meant to rule But then in his owne person he rising triumphed over all opposite enemies whatsoever over death the last enemie and over Sathan sinne and the Law having cancelled all surely he hath over-ruled all for himselfe he will over-rule all for his Church and people and therefore hee rose againe to bee Lord of quicke and dead and he may well be because he is Lord of quicke and dead in his owne person hee is Lord over all in his owne person and therefore he is Lord over the Church and all the enemies of the Church so farre as the enemies seized upon his person so farre hee overcame them all he hath as much care of his misticall person the Church as he had on his owne body and more too for he gave that for the other And then he revived to be Lord over all that is he lives for ever to make good what hee hath gotten by his death hee will not lose the price of his owne blood he is in heaven to appeare before God and sits at the right hand of God and rules there till he have made all his enemies his footestoole till he draw his Church home to heaven to himselfe he lives for ever as the Apostle saith to make intercession hereupon it must needes bee that by living for ever he is fitly qualified to bee Lord over all the quicke now I proceede That he might be Lord both of quicke and dead Christ is Lord both of the dead and of the
according to the wil of God and therefore as the Apostle admonisheth Rom. 12. we must search what is the acceptable will of God in all things what is the end of our hearing Sermons of our reading and all the paines wee take in the meanes of Salvation not onely to know what God will doe to us but what he will have of us he will have the directing of our lives and therefore if wee will live to Christ we must labour to know his good pleasure to us what he meanes to doe for us and so his good pleasure with us what he will have us doe againe by way of thankefulnesse Christ squared his life immediately according to his fathers will It is written in the volumne of thy booke that I should doe thy will oh God so all that are Christs must have the same Spirit to direct all their lives according to his will now the most grand things of his will for his will is in the Scriptures are that we repent he commands all to repent his will is that we beleeve in him his will is our sanctification as it is 1 Thes. 4. his will is that we suffer and in suffering submit our selves to him and the Scripture is expresse in many other particulars but these especially are named to shew something wherein wee must direct our selves according to his will but not to insist upon particulars in all things wee must labour to direct our lives according to his will Secondly that we may live to God we must aime at the glory of Christ in all things and at the credite of religion not at our owne credit if Christ be Lord of the quicke and dead while we live wee must not seeke our owne glory but his the contrary to this the Apostle complaines of All seeke their owne saith he and not the things that are of the Lord Iesus Christ we must consider what is for the credite of religion and the honour of Christ and not what is for our owne advantage is it not good reason that wee should seeke the glory of him that is Lord over us naturally proud man is lead with a Spirit of selfe-love and he seekes himselfe in all things even in his religion so farre as it stands with his owne lusts he will be religious and no further so long as Gods will is not contrary to his he will doe God Service but if it crosse his will once then hee will give God leave to seeke him a servant Thus man makes himselfe an Idoll he sets up himselfe in the roome of God he doth all things as from himselfe so for himselfe nor indeede can he doe otherwise till hee put off himselfe wholly and deny himselfe a man cannot goe beyond himselfe but by grace that ray seth a man above himselfe it makes him have an eye to some excellency out of himselfe conformity whereto and interest whereinto will make him happy Now that we may aime at Christ in all things it is good to call our selves to account for our aymes wherfore we live wherfore wee have are or doe any thing either in grace or nature it is or should be not onely that we may be saved our selves but that Christ in all may bee glorified wee neede not sever these for Christ joynes them both together and he that seekes his owne Salvation seekes the glory of God because God will be glorified in saving us the end hath a maine influence into all actions and as it differenceth man from other creatures that though he doth the same action as a beast he eates and drinkes and sleepes all for another end for an end beyond himselfe because he is a reasonable creature whereas other creatures rest in themselves so it differenceth betweene naturall men and Christians they differ in their aymes not in their actions both doe the same thing one doth it for base ends of his owne keepes within the circle of those ends the other having a light discovering excellencies better than the world can afford and having another Spirituall life above hee is thereby directed to further aymes in all yea even in his civill actions Saint Paul gives a rule that Whether we eate or drinke or whatsoever wee doe we should doe all to the glory of God though the action bee common and civill not tending directly to the glory of God as eating c. yet our ayme should be in it at Christ and at God that the body thereby being refreshed may bee fit to serve God And indeed there is not the commonest action of this life but we may shew that we have a good end in it and therein glorifie God therefore in Scripture it is put as a kinde of limitation Obey in the Lord marry in the Lord doe all things in the Lord that is in Christ he shewes that wee should doe all such things intimating that as we must goe about such enterprizes with invocation of the name of the Lord c. so chiefely we should doe them so farre and no farther as they may stand with the favour and glory of Christ In subordinate things the rule of subordinate things is to doe them so farre as they may helpe to the maine end Now the Service of all other is subordinate to the Service of Christ and all other bonds are serviceable to the maine bond in marriage or whatsoever we may not prejudice the bond of marriage in the Lord marry not rich nor honourable but in the Lord all things must have their limitation to bee done in the Lord that is so farre as they may stand with pleasing the Lord thus we see what it is to live to the Lord with his good pleasure and likening Now an assistant helpe of living to the Lord is a perpetuall selfe-deniall of our owne wisedome will and affections in all things else wee shall live to our selves and to the Lord we shall never attaine But you will say this is a hard saying True but consider this one thing that we are the greatest enemies to our selves of all and wee carry in our selves a cursed enmity to all that is divine and supernaturall naturally we are trained up to our owne will therefore we cannot indure the yoake of Christ without supernaturall strength Againe divine things perpetually crosse the liking of the soule whereupon there is an antypathy betweene us and Christ and divine things therefore there must bee selfe-deniall of necessity Now the knowledge of this will bee a good meanes to inable us to the duty Another helpe to this of living to Christ is to complaine of our selves to Christ as Saint Paul Rom. 7. Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me c. To informe against our rebellions that we live too much to the flesh and too little to the Spirit too much to our selves and too little to Christ by reason of that principle of flesh and blood and to desire him to captivate all and bring all in subjection by his
our Lord he is Lord of all Therefore it teacheth us our duty every way Our duty One to another To those that are not Christians To Christ himselfe It teacheth us in all standings how to carry our selves To give a taste of this the Apostle presseth it oft that Christ is our Lord and will bee our judge Therefore for others we ought not to be hasty in judging or censuring wee ought to love them because wee have all one Lord this must force love We have all one Lord one baptisme c. We are many in our severals but we are all one under this bond being all under one Lord. Then againe it teacheth us how to carry our selves to men otherwise affected not to be servants to the humours of men Christ rules over us both living and dying therefore bee not the servants of men but according to the scriptures limitation Marry in the Lord obey in the Lord walke in the Lord doe all in the Lord that is so farre as it may stand in the will and pleasure of him that is the Lord of Lords For when the authority of any superiour doth countermand against the will of this Lord it ceaseth to bind when they command any thing in subordination that may stand with the pleasure of the Lord then the authority is divine wee obey Christ in obeying them As Christ said to his owne mother when shee commanded things that shee had no authority to doe hee cals her mother no longer but Woman shee stretching then beyond her compasse Againe to goe on this should teach us in that Christ is the Lord of the living and of the dead to account our selves not our owne it should teach us perfect selfe denyall in matters of religion especially not to be overwhelmed of our owne conceites in the great mysteries that Saint Paul cryes out of Oh the depth you have many that quarrell with those things and would bring them to reason they will goe no further in religion then they can see reason whereas one saith I beleeve because it is impossible and too farre above reason therefore I the rather beleeve it it is oft times good to stand at a stay in God as if wee were at a nonplus to admire at him in the mysteries of Christs governing the Church why hee suffers some part of the Church that perhaps is better then other parts that are quiet and exempt from the crosse to be exercised with afflictions and others not not to scandall at this and to be overbusie in searching out the reason of this Christ is our Lord and he is infinite in wisedome and it is his prerogative to doe such things as hee is not lyable to give a reason of to us so God will have mercy upon whom hee will have mercy In great mysteries remember the soveraignty of this our Lord he is Lord of quicke and dead let this stoppe our judgements and teach us to deny our selves when wee cannot give a reason of them in a holy admiration say with Saint Paul Oh the depth And so for our will he is Lord of quick and dead we say of a wife she hath no will and a servant is not a distinct person as it were in law he is anothers wee are Christs servants his subjects his spouse and when wee beginne to be Christs wee have lost our owne wills we resigne them up to Christ thy will shall bee mine in all things if thou wilt have me doe this I will doe it if thou wilt have me suffer I will suffer if thou wilt honour thy selfe with my goods and with my life thou shalt have them Of thee I had this body this soule this state this reputation I have whatsoever I have from thee it is maintained by thee thou art mine and I am thine therefore I give up all to thee backe againe it is a ground of perfect resignation that Christ is Lord of the quicke and of the dead therefore stand not upon tearmes with Christ when hee calls for any thing in case of suffering and sealing the truth let him have it it is not lost wee have a better foundation in him then we have in our selves when wee give any thing to him life or state or credit or whatsoever wee have a better life a better state and condition in him because all is more eminently in him the primitive fountaine then in the derivation and beames from him when we lose any thing it is but a beame from the Sunne and whatsoever wee lose in particulars we have in the whole in the fountaine againe in Christ therefore faith would helpe all this in case of suffering and tryall what is the cause good or no then I will resigne my selfe and all that I have and am to Christ hee is Lord both of the quicke and of the dead Wee must know beloved that we are redeemed from our selves and therefore make this use of it when wee are tempted to any sinne Christ is my Lord I am redeemed from my base lusts what have I to doe with this anger what have I to doe with this ambition I am no debter to the flesh I am under Christ I am under grace he hath redeemed mee from my vaine conversation I owe it nothing but mortification and deny all therefore in all solicitations of corruption learne this lesson fetch arguments hence Christ hath done great matters for me he lived and dyed and lives for ever that is Lord of me living and dying there is no greater slave then he that is a slave to his owne flesh and to his owne lusts therefore when we are stirred to any thing by our base nature which must dye or else wee shall never live eternally we must kill it more and more daily and death is the summe and accomplishment of mortification when wee are stirred to any thing go to Christ and complaine to him blessed Saviour thou didst dye and rise and revive that thou mightst be Lord of the living and of the dead I beseech thee claim thine owne interest in me bring all into captivity to thine owne Spirit what hath this base affection to doe with me what have I to doe with it I am freed from it I am redeemed from my selfe what have I to doe with my selfe but deny all I am thine altogether therefore take thine owne interest in me possesse me fill me with thy Spirit be all in all in mee let pride and ambition and such things have no footing in me It is good powring out the soule to God to that purpose to complaine to Christ when it is thus with us because it is his office to rule us Now Lord Iesus do thine office thy office is to be King to rule in me other lords would faine rule in mee pride and lust and base covetousnesse would faine rule as the Prophet saith but what hath other lords to doe with me thou art my Lord and hast right to me living and dying It is a point
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.