to our Saviour as God, there hath been conferred on him, as man, an universal dominion over all things in regard to what, as man, he did and suffered; and that in him, as the Apostle to the Hebrews observeth and discourseth, that hath been signally fulfilled, which the psalmist acknowlegeth, and praiseth God for, in respect to man; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hand, and didst put all things in subjection under his feet.' In him also was accomplished the prophetical vision of Daniel; 'I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man-And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.' It is also particularly expressed of him, that to him, as man, is committed a power legislative; I say unto you, I command you, is the style he commonly used: and, The Son of man,' said he, is Lord of the sabbath;' (that is, hath a power to dispense with the observation thereof, or to abrogate the positive law concerning it; which by parity of reason infers a general power of constituting and rescinding laws of the like nature.) The prerogative also of remitting sins was given him; That ye may,' saith he, 'know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and walk:' and, The God of our fathers,' saith St. Peter, hath raised Jesus, whom ye slew, and hanged on a tree; him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and remission of sins.' The administration of justice and judgment he thus also hath; for he is, ώρισμένος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κριτὴς, “ordained by God the judge of quick and dead;' God hath appointed to judge the world, év årdpì gỗ “pioe, by the man whom he hath ordained:'The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son-and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, ὅτι υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστί· 'because,' or whereas, he is the Son of man:' so also for the prerogative of distributing rewards and inflicting punishments; 'The Son of man,' saith he, shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and reward every man according to his

work.' Thus by emphatical expression it is signified that Christ, as man, is our Lord, by God's appointment and donation. We may also consider that our Saviour, as the Son of David, and consequently by a right of succession, according to divine ordination, as King of Israel, (to the which all Christians are become proselytes ; for, προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, “ Ye are proselytes to Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,' saith the Apostle to the Hebrews,) is our Lord; according to that of the angel to the blessed Virgin; 'He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his Father; and he shall reign over the house of Israel for ever and ever:'' Of the increase of his government there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever 'so Isaiah foretold of him; and many

like passages occur in other prophets.

and

3. Considered also as ОcávОρwños, (God and man, united in one Person,) he is plainly our Lord. For whatever naturally did appertain to God, whatever freely was (in way of gift or reward) communicated to man, doth accrue to the Person, is attributed thereto, in consequence of the union hypostatical, or personal. It was indeed by virtue thereof, that the man Christ Jesus became capable of so high preferments; wherefore most properly on this consideration is Christ the Lord of all,' as St. Peter styles him; having all things (him only excepted, who did subject all things to him) put under his feet,'

4. If we also consider him as Jesus, our Saviour, that notion doth involve acts of dominion, and thence resulteth a title thereto nothing more becomes a Lord than to protect and save; none better deserves the right and the name of a Lord, than a Saviour; wherefore those titles are well conjoined ; 'I am the Lord, and beside me there is no Saviour,' saith God in Isaiah of himself;' and, Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to his right hand,' saith St. Peter concerning Jesus.

5. Likewise if he be considered as the Christ, that especially implieth him anointed, and consecrated to sovereign dominion, as king of the church: well therefore did the angel express

his

joyful message when he told the shepherds; 'I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord' and St. Peter well joined them, saying, Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.' Thus in all respects is Christ our Lord.

III. Let us also farther briefly survey the several grounds on which dominion may be built, and we shall see that on all accounts he is our Lord.

1. An uncontrollable power and ability to govern is one certain ground of dominion; he that is endued therewith, it is necessary that we should submit to him, it is reasonable willingly to admit him for our Lord: persons so qualified, Aristotle telleth us, have a natural title to dominion; as, on the contrary, persons weak, (in power or in wisdom,) unable to protect themselves, and unfit to manage things, are naturally subjects and servants. This ground eminently agrees to him, as being by nature the Almighty God, who can do all things, whom nothing can resist; and also for that all things are given into his hand,' all things are put under his feet. Hence he is most able to protect us; 'the gates of hell cannot prevail against his church; none can snatch us out of his hand; he is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God through him.'

2. To make, to preserve, to provide and dispense maintenance, are also clear grounds of dominion; for what can we more justly claim dominion over, than over our own inventions and works; over that which we continually keep and nourish; over that which wholly depends on us, and subsists merely by our pleasure? Since then in him we live, and move, and have our being;' since we have derived all our being from him, (our being natural as men, and spiritual as Christians,) and are by him who upholdeth all things,' sustained therein; since, as to all our powers and in all our actions we depend on him; for 'without him we can do nothing,' and,' all our sufficiency is of him; he surely is our Lord, having an absolute right to dispose of us, to order us, and to use us, according to his discretion and pleasure. We thence have reason to render that ac

knowlegement of the elders in the Revelation of him; Worthy art thou, O Lord, to receive the glory, and the honor, and the power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy will they are, and they were created;' to confess and celebrate him as our Lord, for that, as it is in the Psalm, 'It is he that made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.' Thus by birth and privilege of nature, as the Son of God, heir apparent, and consort of eternal Majesty; thus also, as concurring with his Father in the divinest actions of creation and providence, is Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, our Lord.

But beside these natural grounds of dominion over us, there are several others considerable, each of them, according to the standing rules of justice and equity, sufficient to found a good title thereto. We (considering ourselves as the sons of Adam, in that state wherein Christ found us, or wherein we should now be, if he had not vouchsafed to come and redeem us) had attempted to withdraw ourselves from our due subjection to God, by wilful rebellion and disobedience; we thence had forfeited the benefit of God's favorable protection and providence for our good: we had become outlaws, dead in law, ('dead in trespasses and sins;') we, instead of being subjects and servants of God, were become (or should have been)' aliens, and ene mies to God by wicked works,' according to the natural blindness of our minds not knowing (or acknowleging) God;' in our affections estranged and averse from him, in our practice opposite to his holy will and righteous laws, we in a manner were got out of God's possession; were in respect to him become imbecile and lost; we were ' like sheep gone astray' out of the fold of his gracious care and governance; we had got other masters, and were come into other hands; like those who in the Prophet confess, O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us.' The devil had got us into his power; we were captivated (or taken alive, as St. Paul phraseth it, ¿Zwypnμévoi) at his will; we were detained under wretched subjection, overpowered and oppressed by him; who therefore is called the Prince and the God of this world; to whose suggestions it hearkened, whose will it observed, whom it was prone even to worship and adore. The world also (whose friendship is

enmity to God,' which all lieth in wickedness') had prevailed over us, so as to walk according to it; to be governed by its corrupt principles and vicious practices; to be driven by its force, and drawn by its allurement, into evil. We were captives and slaves also to the law of sin ruling in our members; serving divers lusts and pleasures;' being in our actions guided by a carnal mind, opposite to God and goodness; swayed by sensual appetites, and hurried by violent passions to what is bad: this was the condition of mankind generally when Christ came, and would have so continued; but out of it he came to deliver us; by the merit of his blood, and power of his grace; to free us from the oppressions of all those usurping powers; to recover and restore us into the propriety, possession, and protection of God. 'He came to seek and to save that which was lost;"' to save us from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;' to deliver us out of the power of darkness, and to translate us into his own kingdom,' the kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. So that he hath acquired us to himself; we being now repitoinσis, an acquist made by him, as St. Paul calleth us, and λaòs eis wepiwoiŋow, as St. Peter speaks, a people by acquisition peculiarly appertaining to him: and divers ways we have been acquired to him, as to our Lord.

3. He hath acquired us by free donation from God his Father; for God hath given him power over all flesh;' ' God hath delivered all things into his hand;' God hath subjected all things under his feet.' Peculiarly God hath given unto him those who comply with his gracious invitations and suggestions; his sheep, that hear his voice, and follow him;' them hath God given him, to govern them with especial favor, and keep them with a particular care; Whom,' saith he, 'thou hast given me, I have kept ;' and, 'This is the will of the Father that sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing.'

4. Again, he hath acquired us by just right of conquest, having subdued those enemies unto whom (partly by their fraud and violence, partly from our own will and consent) we did live enslaved and addicted: them he vanquished, having spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them.

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