III. The acts of his kingly office.

IV. The properties of this King.

V. Lastly, Deduce fome inferences for application.

I. I am to fhew that our Lord Jefus Chrift is a King. This will appear, if ye confider,

1. That he was prophefied of in the Old Teftament under this character. Thus old Jacob on his deathbed fays of him, Gen. xlix. 10. The fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come. And fays the evangelical prophet, If. xi. 1. 2. 3. There shall come forth a rod out of the ftem of felle, and a branch fall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the fpirit of wisdom and understanding, the fpirit of counsel and might, the fpirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord: and Shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord, and be fhall not judge after the fight of his eyes, neither reprove after the bearing of his ears.

2. That he was of old promifed to his people under this notion: If. ix. 6. 7. Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government fhall be upon his Shoulder: and his name fhall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increafe of his government and peace there Shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice, from henceforth even for ever. Zech. ix. 9. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; hout, O daughter of Jerufalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having falvation, lowly, and riding upon an afs, und upon a colt the fole of an afs. Micah v. 2. Out of thee Jball he come forth unto me, that is to be Ruler in Ifrael. He is called the King by way of eminency, Cant. i. 4. The King bath brought me into the banqueting houfe. Ezek. xxxiv. 24. I the Lord will be their God, and my fervant David a prince among them. That he fhould be a King, was declared to his mother, by the angel, before his conception in her womb, Luke i. 32. 33. He shall be

great, and fhall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God fhall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there fhall be no end. And hence he is called King of kings, and Lord of lords, Rev. xvii. 14.

3. That he has all the enfigns of royalty. He has a fword hence it is faid, Pfal. xlv. 3. Gird thy fword upon thy thigh, O thou Moft Mighty. By this we are to underftand the word of God, which is the great inftrument by which he maintains and propagates the glory and honour of his kingdom in the world.-A fceptre, which is another badge of royal majefty; Heb. i. 8. A fceptre of righteousness is the fceptre of thy kingdom. By this we are to understand his Spirit, which he puts forth in the government of the world, and in his operations of grace in the hearts of his people, guiding and conforming them through his word and ordinances to the holy will of God.-A crown. It is faid, Rev. vi. 2. that a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And we read of a crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals, Cant. iii. 11-An efcutcheon, or coat of arms. He bears the lion in his arms; hence called the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Rev. v. 5. which imports that he fhould be a great conqueror and a victorious King.A throne, Heb. i. 8. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.-Subjects, over whom he rules, even all the creatures in heaven and in earth, Pfal. ii. 9. His kingdom ruleth over all, Pfal. ciii. 19. All the angels of heaven have taken the oath of allegiance to him, Heb. i. 6. Let all the angels of God worship him. More especially he rules in the church. God the Father has fet the crown on his head, and he holds it by immediate tenure from heaven. He enacts laws, which all his fubjects are bound to obey. His laws are contained in his word, and they reach both the outward and the inward man.

4. That he fealed this truth with his precious blood.

When Pilate asked him, Art thou a King then? he anfwered, Thou fayeft that I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this caufe came I into the world. On this account it is faid of him, that before Pontius Pilate he witnessed a good confeffion, 1 Tim. vi. 13.

From all which it is evident, that our Lord Jefus is a King. Yea, he is King of kings, and hath a pre-eminence over them all; and therefore he is called the Prince of the kings of the earth. And indeed he muft needs be fo; for it is by him that kings reign and princes decree juftice. They all hold their crowns by immediate tenure from this great King. And he infinitely outvies them all; having the higheft throne, the largest dominions, and the longeft poffeffion.

II. I proceed to fhew the nature of Chrift's kingdom, or what fort of a kingdom it is. Chrift has a twofold kingdom.

1. An effential kingdom. He is Lord and King over all the creatures by nature, inafmuch as he is the eternal Son of God, equal with his Father in all things. In this refpect he has an univerfal empire, which extends over all things in heaven and earth, yea and to hell itfelf. He is the fole Monarch of the whole world; and all the princes and potentates of the earth are but his vicegerents, that govern under, and should rule for him. He is the bleffed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, as the apoftle ftyles him, 1 Tim. vi. 15.

2. He has an economical or mediatory kingdom. Originally, the kingdom belongs to him as God, and derivatively it belongs to him as God-man and Mediator. He is conftituted King by divine appointment and inftitution, I have fet my King upon my holy hill of Zion. He is invefted with authority over all the creatures; hence it is faid, Eph. i. 22. God hath put all things under his feet. He rules from fea,to fea, and to the ends of all the earth, yea to the utmoft bounds of God's creation. He hath given him power over all flesh, VOL. II,

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as this king himself says, John xvii. 2. All things are fubject to his government, and ready to fulfil his pleafure, when he iffues his word of command.

The church is his peculiar and fpecial kingdom. God hath given him to be head over all things to the church, Eph. i. 22. This kingdom is a fpiritual kingdom hence he fays, My kingdom is not of this world, John xviii. 36. The King thereof appeared not in worldly pomp and grandeur, attended with a fplendid equipage, furrounded with armed guards, or having a brilliant and magnificent court, but in fpiritual fplendor, fuited to the nature of his kingdom, Zech. ix. 9. forecited. His throne is in the heavens, not on earth, Pfal. cx. 1. His fceptre is a fpiritual one, the word of God, which he wields for the good of his people; it is the rod of his ftrength, which he fends out of Zion, and by the inftrumentality of it he makes them willing in the day of his power, Pfal. cx. 2. 3. Compare If. ii. 3. Out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerufalem. The subjects of this kingdom are fpiritual men, born of God, begotten of the word of truth, the incorruptible feed of the word, John i. 12. The way of its administration is fpiritual, reaching neither mens bodies nor purfes, but their confciences; the weapons of it not being carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, 2 Cor. x. 4. Its laws are fpiritual, reaching the innermoft parts of the heart; and the benefits of it are fpiritual, righteoufnefs, peace, joy in the Holy Ghoft, &c.

The adminiftration of his government with refpect to this kingdom is either external or internal.

1. It is external; and that again is either more general or more particular. (1.) More general, in the courfe of his providence. He as Mediator has a providential influence on all the affairs of this world, ordering and determining them to the fpecial benefit and intereft of his people. Hence it is, that all things work together for the good of thofe who love God.

We have an admirable scheme of divine providence in Ezek. i. There you may fee how all the wheels, i. e. motions and revolutions here in this inferior world, are guided and directed by the Spirit that is in them; and in verfe 26. it is all run up into the fupreme caufe: there you find one like the Son of man, which is Jefus Chrift, fitting upon the throne, and giving forth orders for the government of all. (2.) It is more particular, in his appointing laws, ordinances, and officers in his church, to manage and govern it, and to inflict cenfures upon fcandalous offenders.

2. It is internal, in the hearts of his people. He fubdues them to himfelf in a day of power, writes his laws upon their hearts, and rules and governs them. In this refpect it is faid, Luke xvii. 21. The kingdom of God is within you. There he fits enthroned King, and sways his royal fceptre. But more of this anon.

III. The acts of Chrift's kingly office may be redu. ced to these heads, viz. fubduing finners to himself, ruling and governing them, defending and protecting them, reftraining his own and their enemies, and conquering them. Of each of thefe I fhall treat in or der.

First, Chrift exercifes his kingly office in fubduing a people to himself, making them willing in the day of his power to fubmit to his authority and fceptre, Pfal, cx. 3. and fo fubjecting them to him as willing fubjects. For this end confider,

1. That the great defign of Chrift's kingly office as Mediator is to raise up to himfelf a kingdom in the bowels of the kingdoms of the earth, Acts xv. 14. and to make the fubjects of men the subjects of the divine Mediator. So that thofe who will not allow a fpiritual kingdom within a temporal one, refufe Chrift to be King,

2. Our Lord has a right to this kingdom, having purchased it with his bloo, Acts xx. 28. He comes