Our Lord.

SERMON XXII.

EPHESIANS iv. 5.-One Lord.

As the name of God (truly common to all three Persons of the Blessed Trinity) is (not in way of exclusion, but) according to a mysterious peculiarity (za' oixovoutav, in way of dispensation, accommodated to our instruction, as the Greek fathers express it) attributed to God the Father, who is the Fountain of the Deity, and first in order among the divine Persons; so likewise is the name Lord, truly common to the other Persons, peculiarly (though also not exclusively) ascribed and appropriated unto God the Son; who therefore, in the style of the New Testament, which more fully hath revealed him, is called sometimes abso

lutely Lord, sometimes the Lord Jesus, sometimes our Lord; to acknowledge and call him so, being the especial duty, and the distinctive mark or character of a Christian for, to us, as there is one God and Father of all, and one Holy Spirit, so there is, as St. Paul here in my text doth say, one Lord. And otherwhere; There be (saith he, there be, according to popular estimation and worldly use) gods many, and lords many but to us there is one God the Father,

so peculiarly attributed unto Christ, may be, for that, beside the natural right unto dominion over us, necessarily appertaining to him as our God, who hath made us, and doth preserve us, there are divers other respects and grounds supervenient, and accruing to him from what he hath undertaken, performed, and undergone will of God his Father, upon which also for us, in spontaneous obedience to the the title of Lord is due unto him: the which to declare first, then to apply them unto our practice, shall be the subject and scope of our present Discourse.

Lord, either as a prince over subjects, or

In whatsoever notion we take the word

as a master over servants, or as an owndent over disciples, or as a leader and er of goods, or as a preceptor and presicaptain to followers, or as a person singularly eminent above inferiors, he is according to all such notions truly our

Lord.

distinctively or abstractively consider him, According to whatever capacity we either as the Son of God, or as the Son of man, or as euros, (jointly God and man, united in one person), as Jesus our Saviour, as the Christ of God, he is our Lord.

If we examine all imaginable foundations of just dominion, eminence in nature and power, the collation of being or prechase, merit, voluntary compact; upon servation thereof, donation, conquest, purall these he hath a right of lordship over us duly grounded.

1. He is, I say, first, our Lord according to every notion and acceptation of

the word Lord.

He is our Prince and Governor, we are

and one Lord Jesus Christ. Hence to call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (that is, by confession and practice to acknowledge him our Lord) gives a peraphrasis, or description of a Christian (To the church of God that is in Co-his subjects and vassals; for to him it rinth, sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all that call upon and ever; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a was said, Thy throne, O God, is for ever the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in every place; that is, together with all right sceptre. Of him it was prophesied, Christians every where; so doth St. Paul that the government should be upon his inscribe his First Epistle to the Corinthi- shoulder, and that of the increase of his ans;) whence, No man (saith he in the government and peace there should be no same Epistle) can call Jesus Lord, but end; he is the King of Israel, or of the by the Holy Ghost; that is, no man caned Virgin, shall reign over the house of church, who, as the angel told the blessheartily embrace Christianity without the gracious assistance of God's holy Spirit. Jacob for ever and ever. God hath giv The reason of which appellation being church. en him head over all things to the So is he a Prince most absolute, endued with sovereign right and

• Luke ii. 11, ὓς ἐστι Χριστὸς, Κύριος.

1 Cor. viii. 5, 6. 1 Cor. i. 2; Acts ix 14. d 1 Cor. xii. 3.

power, crowned with glorious majesty, enjoying all pre-eminences, and exercising all acts suitable to regal dignity, in respect to all things, and particularly in regard to us.

(didúoxalov, xai xúgior, Doctor and Lord), and ye say well, for so I am :" and, Be ye not called masters (zα0ŋyrai, guides in doctrine), for one is your Master, even Christ and, Every thought of ours (saith St. Paul') is to be captivated to the obedience of Christ. Such, as infallibly wise and perfectly veracious, he necessarily is unto us; such he is, as sent on purpose by God to enlighten our minds with the knowledge of heavenly truth, and to guide our feet into the ways of peace; whence we cannot but be obliged to embrace his doctrine, and to observe the rules which he prescribeth us.

He also is our Master, and we are his servants; the church is a house and family, whereof he is the olxodsoлóns, or householder: If (saith he) they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household? (10vs oixiazovs avrov, famulos ejus, his domestics, or menial servants.) All the family in heaven and earth are named of him, saith St. Paul; that is, the whole church (both triumphant above in heaven, and militant here on earth) is his family, or called the family of him, as of its Lord. Christ (saith the apostle to the Hebrews) is as a son over his house, whose house are we: He that is called free is a servant of Christ: and, We serve the Lord Christ: and We have a Master in heaven, saith St. Paul: Blessed, (saith our Lord himself) is that servant, whom his Lord coming shall find so doing; that is, whom Christ, our Lord, coming to judgment, 'shall find discharging his duty faithfully. pre-eminence; so that according to all He indeed as a good Master governeth, ordereth, and maintaineth his family well; furnisheth and feedeth it with all necessary provisions; protecteth it from all want and all mischief; appointeth to every one therein his due work and service, and payeth to each his due wages and recompense."

He is also our Owner, or the Possess or and Proprietary of us; The Lord that bought us," as St. Peter calls him; and consequently, who possesseth and enjoy eth us. We are not our own (saith St. Paul ;) for we were bought with a price :" whence we are become entirely subject to his disposal.

He is therefere also our Captain and Leader; whose orders we must observe, whose conduct we should follow, whose pattern we are to regard and imitate in all things: he is styled anyos nisios, the Captain of our faith; dozeyòs coms, the Captain of our life; gos σonyglas, the Captain of our salvation; agzinoíuny,. our chief Shepherd, the Apostle and High-Priest of our profession; the Bishop of our souls. In fine, he, according to what St. Paul says, ¿v nãoɩ 790188, hath in all things the primacy and

notions and senses of lordship he is our Lord; but chiefly he is meant such in the principal sense, as having an absolute right and power to command and govern us.

II. Christ is also our Lord according to every capacity or respect of nature or office, that we can consider appertaining to him.

1. He is our Lord as by nature the Son of God, partaking of the divine essence and perfections: he as such being endued with eminence superlative and with power irresistible; as such having created all things, and upholding all things; whence all things necessarily and He likewise is our Preceptor, or Teach- justly are subject to his order and disposer; that is, the Lord of our understand-al; all things according to all right and ing, which is subject to the belief of his dictates; and the Lord of our practice, which is to be directed by his precepts. Ye (saith he) call me Master, and Lord

reason are to be governed, possessed, and used according to his pleasure. Hence is that most august and most peculiar name, JEHOVAH (denoting either independency and indefectibility of subsis

P John xiii. 13. 9 Matt. xxiii. 10. r 2 Cor. x. 5. • John i.; Luke i. 79. t 1 Pet. ii. 21; Heb. xii. 2; ii. 10; Acts iii. 15; v. 31; 1 Pet. ii. 25; v. 4; Heb. iii. 1;

• 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20; vii. 23. | Col. i. 18.

Lord Jehovah, independent and immutable in essence and in power.

The word Adon also, which more immediately and properly doth signify dominion (and which put absolutely doth belong to God), is plainly attributed to our Saviour: The Lord (Jehovah) said to my Lord (le adonai;) that is, God the Father said to Christ the Son, yet Lord of David, as our Saviour himself expounds it. And, The Lord (ha Adon) shall come to his temple; so in Malachi it is prophesied concerning the coming of Christ. According to this notion was it, that St. Thomas, being by our Saviour's resurrection convinced of his divinity, cried out, My God, and my Lord: in this sense it was, that St. Peter called our Saviour Lord, when he ascribed omniscience to him, saying, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. Upon this account, St. John the Baptist said, He that cometh from above is above all things, which St. Paul expresseth thus: The second man is the Lord from heaven. So is Christ, as he is God, our Lord."

tence, or uncontrollable and infallible efficacy in operation, or both of them together; which, therefore, is by the Greek interpreters fitly rendered Kúgios, and after them Lord by our translators; for the word ge doth signify to subsist, and zúgos is used to denote efficacy, ratification, steadfast power or authority) assigned to him: This is his name where by he shall be called, JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, saith Jeremiah of him: and I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God," saith God in Hosea concerning the salvation accomplished by him and in the prophet Zechariah he thus speaks of himself: Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee: where it is said that Jehovah, being sent by Jehovah, should come and dwell in the church, enlarged by accession of the Gentiles: who can that be, but our Lord Christ, who dwelt among us, and was by God his Father sent unto us? And what in the Old Testament is spoken of Jehovah, is 2. He is also our Lord as man, by the by infallible expositors in the New attrib- voluntary appointment and free donation. uted to our Lord: Sanctify Jehovah Sab- of God his Father; in regard to the exaoth, and he shall be for a stone of stum-cellency of his Person, and to the merit bling, and for a rock of offence; so did Isaiah speak; and his words are by St. Peter and by St. Paul applied to Christ. Whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; so did the prophet Joel foretell concerning the latter days; and St. Paul accommodates it to the salvation obtained by confessing the name of Christ. In Malachi, Jehovah saith, that he would send his messenger to prepare his way before him; this, according to the Evangelist's interpretation, was verified in St. John the Baptist's preparing the way before our Saviour. Likewise, what Isaiah said, The voice of him that cried in the wilderness, Prepare the way of Jehovah, is by all the Evangelists applied to the Baptist, as the voice crying, and to our Saviour, as the Lord coming: Christ therefore is the

of his performances. God did by gift
and delegation confer upon him a super-
eminent degree of dignity and authority,
with power to execute the most lordly acts
of enacting, of dispensing with, and of
abrogating laws; of judging, of remitting
offences; of dispensing rewards, and of
punishing transgressors. The scripture
is copious and emphatical in declaring
this point both in general terms and with
respect to particulars: Let all the house
of Israel (saith St. Peter) know assuredly,
that God hath made him Lord and Christ,
even this Jesus, whom ye did crucify;
and, Thou hast given him power over all
flesh: All things are delivered unto me
by my Father; All power is given me in
heaven, and upon earth: The Father hath
loved the Son, and hath giren all things
into his hand; saith he concerning him-
self; and, Being found in fashion as a

Mal. iii. 1; Matt. i. 3; Mark i. 2, 3;
John i. 23; Luke vii. 27; iii. 4; Isa. xl. 3.
Psal. cx. 1; Matt. xxii. 43.
b Mal. iii. 1.

• John xx. 28; xxi. 17. d John. iii. 31; 1 Cor. xv. 47.

man, he humbled himself, and became obe- It is also particularly expressed of him, dient unto death, even the death of the that to him, as man, is committed a cross: wherefore God also hath highly power legislative; I say unto you, I exalted him, and given him a name which command you, is the style he commonly is above every name, that at the name of used: and, The son of man, said he, Jesus every knee should bow-and that is Lord of the sabbath; (that is, hath every tongue should confess that Jesus is a power to dispense with the observation the Lord and, God raised him from thereof, or to abrogate the positive law the dead, and set him at his right hand in concerning it; which by parity of reason the heavenly places, far above all princi- infers a general power of constituting pality, and power, and might, and domin- and rescinding laws of the like nature.) ion, and every name that is named, not The prerogative also of remitting sins only in this world, but also in that which was given him: That ye may (saith he) is to come; and hath put all things under know that the Son of man hath power on his feet, and gave him to be head over all earth to forgive sins (then saith he to the things to the church and, We see Jesus, sick of the palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, who was made a little lower than the an- and walk: and, The God of our fathers gels, for the suffering of death crowned (saith St. Peter), hath raised Jesus, whom with glory and honour and, The lamb ye slew, and hanged on a tree; him hath which was slain is worthy to receive pow- God exalted with his right hand to be a er, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and honour, and blessing: and, When unto Israel, and remission of sins. The the Son of man sits upon the throne of his administration of justice and judgment he glory, he shall sit upon twelve thrones, thus also hath; for he is, quμéves vлd judging the twelve tribes of Israel. In OÙ E quis, ordained by God the which places, as in others of the same Judge of quick and dead;" God hath apimportance, it is signified generally, that pointed to judge the world, v ardoi beside the dominion, naturally belonging ge, by the man whom he hath ordainto our Saviour as God, there hath been ed: The Father judgeth no man, but hath conferred on him, as man, an universal committed all judgment to the Son-and dominion over all things in regard to what, hath given him authority to execute judg as man, he did and suffered and that in ment also, on vids arОgóлov ¿σil because, him, as the Apostle to the Hebrews ob- or whereas, he is the Son of man:" so serveth and discourseth, that hath been also for the prerogative of distributing signally fulfilled which the Psalmist ac- rewards and inflicting punishments: The knowledgeth, and praiseth God for, in re- Son of man (saith he) shall come in the spect to man: Thou crownest him with glory of his Father with his angels, and glory and honour, and didst set him over shall reward every man according to his the works of thy hand, and didst put all work. Thus by emphatical expression things in subjection under his feet. In him it is signified, that Christ, as man, is our also was accomplished the prophetical vis- Lord, by God's appointment and donaion of Daniel: I saw in the night visions, tion. We may also consider, that our and, behold, one like the Son of man- Saviour, as the Son of David, and conseAnd there was given him dominion, and quently by a right of succession, accordglory, and a kingdom, that all people, na-ing to divine ordination, as King of Isrations, 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.

el (to the which all Christians are become proselytes; for goosλyhítate Ziòr ögɛt, Ye are proselytes to mount Zion, 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 whom ye have crucified, both Lord and give him the thorne of David his Father; Christ. Thus in all respects is Christ and he shall reign over the house of Israel our Lord.' for ever and ever: Of the increase of his government there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon 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.

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 σώζεσθαι δεομένης, τὸν σώζειν δυνάμενον, ἄρχοντα 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,