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SERMON I.

CHRIST'S PRESENCE WITH HIS MINISTERS.

MATTHEW xxviii. 20.

And lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the

world.

WE are here assembled in the Name and in the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord; and not only ours, but the Lord of the whole world, having absolute and supreme dominion over the whole creation; not only as He is God, and the Creator of all things, but likewise as man too,-His human nature, by reason of its union to the Divine person, and its perfect obedience to the Divine will, being exalted above, and invested with power over all other creatures whatsoever. For even as He is the Son of Man, "there is given Him Dan. 7. 14. dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him." And "He having hum- Phil.2.8-11. bled Himself, and become obedient to death, even the death of the cross, therefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name, which is above every name; that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Hence we find the holy Angels themselves waiting upon Him at His birth, in the wilderness, in His agony, and at His resurrection, when they also acknowledged Him to be the Lord, saying, “Come and Matt. 28. 6. see the place where the Lord lay;" yea, "all the Angels Heb. 1. 6. of God worship Him," and are commanded so to do. And

as for this lower world, He hath "the heathen for His in- Ps. 2. 8. heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession." He hath "dominion from sea to sea, and from Ps. 72.8,11.

B

23.

SERM. the river to the ends of the earth. All kings are bound to fall down before Him, and all nations to serve Him."

I.

All creatures, therefore, both in Heaven and earth, are now subject to our Lord Christ; and He orders, governs, and disposeth of them all, according to His own will and pleasure, and so as shall most conduce to His own glory and Eph. 1. 20- His Church's good. For God, having "raised Him from the dead, hath set Him at His own right hand, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put all things under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all." He is the head, therefore, not only of the Church, but over all things, to or for the Church; so that nothing is exempted from His dominion,-nothing in Heaven, in earth, or hell, but what is subject to His power; and, therefore, nothing but what He can do for His own Catholic Church, which He hath purchased with His own blood. He can assist it with His grace, sanctify it by His Spirit, protect it by His power: He can make all things in Heaven and earth work together for its present peace and future glory-maugre all the opposition that men or devils can make against it.

Thus much I thought good to premise concerning our Lord's power, in order to the explication of the words which I have now read, because He himself taught so when He spake them. For being now about to send His Apostles into the world, to preach and propagate the Gospel which He had planted, He first shews them, as it were, His own commission; acquainting them with the power He had to send them, and that in such words as comprehend all that I have said concerning it, yea, as much as words are able to exVer. 18, 19. press. "All power," saith He, "is given unto Me in Heaven

and in earth; go ye, therefore, and teach all nations," &c. As if He should have said, I have now all power over all things in the world conferred upon Me; by virtue whereof I command, empower, and commissionate you to enlarge, settle, and govern the Church that I have founded; to administer the Sacraments that I have instituted; and to persuade mankind to embrace My Doctrine, to submit to My

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