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A40880
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The magistrates concern in Christ's kingdom a sermon preached at the assizes at Winchester, July 14, 1697 / by Roger Farbrother, Vicar of Holy-Rhoods in Southampton.
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Farbrother, Roger.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing F421; ESTC R36415
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15,012
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37
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make no question of it but this was meant of the Messias the Son of God and we find the Apostles arguing from it amongst the Jews of their time without any contradiction which shews it to be the known and approved sense amongst them but the modern Jews since who had occasion to argue against the Minaei or Hereticks as they opprobriously call'd the Christians and the Socinians who like not to hear so much of the Son of God and of his Inheritance are content that David only himself should be here intended Whereas the Son simply as in the Text or the Son of God as in v. 7. The Lord hath said unto me thou art my Son does properly denote the only Begotten and Essential Son of God and is never found in Scripture when intended of one single Person to signifie otherwise and Heb. 1. 4. the Apostle proves that it could agree to none else To which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee The like challenge to which we may make to which of the Kings of Israel did he say Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy possession Can that v. 11. agree to any other than this Eternal Son serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling or especially that in the latter part of this 12th v. If his wrath be kindled yea but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him Now to trust in any thing but God only was an abomination to him Jer. 17. 5. Thus saith the Lord cursed be the Man that trusteth in Man which not only proves that this Son was the Son of God but also that he was truly God the only proper object of our Trust and Reliance Which I think is a sufficient argument against the present Jews as well as this and the frequent and express application of this Psalm and of this title of Son in it to the Messias the Son of God in the New Testament is a sufficient Proof against all that call themselves Christians that it is Christ the Son of God the great Mediatorial King that is here spoken of 3ly What it is to kiss the Son A kiss anciently amongst Christians was a token of their mutual charity commonly used by them before the Communion and in the close of their Prayers amongst Friends of Familiarity and Benevolence from Subjects to their Prince of Reverence and Subjection and to God or Idols which were suppos'd by their Worshippers to be Gods it was a token of Adoration Love and Obedience And this signification it bore not only in the usages of the Persians and Jews and other Oriental Nations but also of the Greeks and Romans In the Old Testament we find not that properly taken it was either enjoyn'd or us'd in the Service of God but only of Idols to which there was a twofold manner of application by it to kiss the Idol if they were permitted and could reach it or else to kiss their hand instead of it and with respect to it The first could not be done to the Invisible Person and the second he had no where required but that it was an usual rite in the Idol Worship we find which gives us sufficient light into the Phrase 1 Kings 19. the number which God had reserved to himself were every Knee that had not bowed unto Baal and every mouth that had not kissed him and Hos 13. Let them that sacrifice kiss the Calves and this was a joyning themselves to the Idol and a Profession of all religious Duty to him This usage we find also in that very ancient Book of Job ch 31. If I beheld the Sun when it shined or the Moon walking in brightness and my heart hath been secretly enticed or my mouth hath kissed my hand then I should have denied the God that is above this would have been a Profession of all religious honour towards those Creatures and a denying of the True God From hence and the civil use of it together the word got into the sacred Poems particularly the Psalms and Canticles changing its signification to denote instead of the Action the Duty and Affection signified and exprest by it And accordingly to kiss the Son is with the highest Affection and most ardent Love to own him for our King being ready to perform to him all Holy Adoration Honour Service and Subjection 4thly What we ought to understand by perishing from the way From the right or just way say the Septuagint and our old Translation i. e. lest you lose or err from the way prescrib'd in the Gospel lest this Son of God in his displeasure leave you destitute of his Grace and Guidance either that his Church should be withdrawn from you or you separated and seduc'd from his Church So that the sense of the whole or the Exhortation here made is to this effect That the Father having given all Power and Dominion to his Son and for most gracious ends made him the Head over all things That the Magistrate should especially in his publick Capacity express all possible Love and Adoration to this great King lest he provoke him to withdraw his Grace and Guidance and so both the Magistrate and the People through his neglect should be drawn or driven from their due subjection to that Spiritual Government and so forfeit the privilege and incur the penalties thereof Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way From which words thus explain'd I shall raise these three enquiries I. How Magistrates as such are concern'd with this exalted King the Son of God Kiss the Son II. What he does expect of them in this their publick Capacity that they may approve themselves to him and avoid his anger Kiss the Son lest he be angry III. How they may best secure themselves from this particular effect of his displeasure of being depriv'd of his Grace and Guidance or having his Church remov'd from them or they seduc'd from the Church Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way I. Then how Magistrates as such are concern'd with this exalted King the Son of God Kiss the Son Where I shall first shew the Nature of his Kingdom and 2ly The Magistrates concern in it 1st As to the Nature of his Kingdom He as the Son of God has an original Right accrues to him as the Maker of all things and so as Lord and Governor of all and so all Honour and Obedience was due to him from all capable Beings so soon as they came from under his Hand and had their Being bestow'd upon them and this is an absolute Despotick Dominion inherent in him together with the Father and the Holy Ghost that one God by whom all things were made which will always remain to him so long as there are Men or Angels or any of his Handy-work to be
THE MAGISTRATES Concern in Christ's Kingdom A SERMON Preached at the Assizes at Winchester July 14. 1697. By ROGER FARBROTHER Vicar of Holy-Rhoods in Southampton LONDON Printed for William Keblewhite at the Swan in St. Paul's Church-yard M DC XC VIII To the Worshipful Alexander Alchorne Esquire High Sheriff of Hampshire SIR IT was at Your Desire that this Discourse was prepared it appeared at the Assizes with Your Approbation and now at length in publick by Your Command It 's aim is to make the Magistrates Duty Christian by laying before him the Relation he bears to the great Mediatorial King the Honourable Trust he is advanced to in his Houshold what Service he owes his Church and is capable of doing for her in which consists the great Dignity of his Office and without which it would remain Heathen still And how weak soever the performance may be or how unfit for the Press for which you are answerable who have promoted the Publication and carried it beyond its Design yet the Foundation I doubt not will prove good and this weak Essay if it can attain no further may at least provoke some abler hand to set this seasonable Truth in a better Light whereby some good may accrue to the Publick herein which by whomsoever conveyed will be highly acceptable I know to You and to all the True Sons of the Church of England particularly to SIR Your Most Faithful and Humble Servant R. Farbrother PSAL. II. XII Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way THE Psalmist here whether by extatick rapture or by the softer Whispers and Inspirations of the Holy Spirit more common to him was favour'd with a prospect of the Messiah's Kingdom of its Rise and Power A Kingdom which should be the delight of all Mankind as well as the Glory of their Maker who would erect it Over which the Infinite Father would set his equally Infinite Son who was qualify'd for a perfect Government and to enrich all Mankind from his own Bounty and Fulness and in the emanations of which God would erect to himself brighter Trophies of Glory and address more powerfully to the love and admiration of all rational and intelligent Beings than he had done in that great Work of Creation One thing there was in this great Work which shews it to be more than Humane a thing so unlikely in reason to come to pass that it could never have entred into the Prophets thoughts had not some Being of higher rank and greater foresight discovered it which might have tempted the Prophet to and almost have excus'd him in the disbelief of the whole Scene And which may seem so strange to us that did not our times produce instances of it more than enough we should hardly believe those Histories that did relate it viz. That when God would erect a Kingdom so glorious and so great redounding every way to the Honour and Advantage of Mankind would repair our corrupted Nature and miserable State make us a gracious tender of all the Happiness both of this and of a future Life and this by the Wise and Gracious Government of his own Infinite Son who first should signifie his love by such a surprising instance as to lay down his worthier Life a ransom for ours by whom also the Father would give us a most perfect Law and make us proposals of the greatest good That yet this Kingdom of his Son erected for these gracious purposes should find violent opposition from Men and that not only the ruder People but their Governours also should conspire against it and with attempts as furious as they were unreasonable and vain oppose the Omnipotent Hand and ward off the offered Mercy That God should be so careful to do Man the greatest Good and Man should be as diligent to frustrate and prevent it This tho' by our constant experience it is become familiar to us yet as it betrays the overgrown corruption of our State so to any Man that has a competent sense of those Mercies which the Father tenders to all Mankind in the erection of this Kingdom of his Son it may justly seem a wonder With admiration at this folly and ingratitude David begins this Psalm Why do the Heathen rage and the People imagine a vain thing The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us Whilst yet these cords were only the cords of love of a love stronger than death free and generous and the Glory of its Infinite Author And these Bands were the wholsome Laws of the Gospel just and reasonable such as the Magistrate needed not to be jealous of nor the People uneasie under admirably adapted to our Nature and Condition to make us happy here and to dispose and fit us for that complete felicity hereafter to bring us to which was the great end for which this holy Oeconomy and Spiritual Kingdom was erected Wherefore the Psalmist to let them know how vain and dangerous this their opposition would be tells them that this promised King was the only Son of the High and Great Creator whose Scepter as it was right so it was Divine too would extend its Dominion over all Nations and break in pieces all that should oppose it And because he foresaw that this opposition would chiefly be formed by Princes and Magistrates therefore he addresses to them to perswade them as a consequence of all this to pay a voluntary Homage and loving submission to this great Prince to promote his Government and to seek his favour Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way Before I come to form my Exhortation it may be necessary and I shall do it briefly first to explain the terms and to shew who are the Persons spoken to who this Son or the Person spoken of what it is to kiss the Son and what is meant by perishing from the way 1. Who the Persons here exhorted are appears from v. 10. Be wise now O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the Earth serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Kiss the Son c. Answerable to that v. 2. The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together which we find apply'd Act. 4. to Herod and Pontius Pilate the Rulers of the Jews the Elders and Scribes whilst they were forming their several Oppositions and Persecutions against Christ and his Apostles So that by Kings and Rulers in the second v. that oppos'd this Messias and his Kingdom by Kings and Judges in the 10th v. that are exhorted to a better carriage to submit to this Government and to kiss the Son are meant Magistrates of all ranks not only Kings the Supreme but all subordinate Magistrates also to which is committed in any degree the execution of the Laws 2ly Who this Son is The ancient Jews