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SERMON II.

PREACH'D at a

VISITATION

HELD AT

Afhford in Kent.

Luke xxii. 29, 3.0.

And I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as the Father hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdom, and fit on twelve Thrones, judging the twelve Tribes of Ifrael.

IT

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T was the common Doctrine of theS ER M. antient Fathers*, and may clearly be proved from Scripture, that it was God the Son, who did before his Incarnation, frequently affume an human Shape, and appeared

3

See Bishop Bull's Def. Fid. Nicen,

II.

SER M. appeared to the Patriarchs, Noah and Abraham, to Mofes in the Bush, that gave the Law at Mount Sinai, whom therefore the Children of Ifrael tempted, Cor.x.9. whofe Glory Ifaias faw in the Temple, Jo.xii. 41. whom the Prophet called King, and Lord of Hofts, and who was promised to the People of Jews, by the Prophet Zechaix. 9. riah, in those Words, Behold the King cometh: So that it is evident, that he had a Kingdom upon Earth many Ages before his Nativity, even the Jewish People, to whom he gave Laws, and whom he governed always in religious Matters, by High Prieft, Priefts, and Levites, fometimes with, fometimes without a King, or other civil, or temporal Governor.

And as our Saviour was always King of the Jews, fo from his Resurrection forward, his Kingdom was enlarged, and the Apoftles had a Power of Difcipling, and Baptizing all Nations, and as many as would believe in him, whether they were Jews or Gentiles, were to be admitted into his Church: And this Church is called his Kingdom, as where it is faid, that at the Day of Judgment, Matt. xiii, the Angels fhall gather out of his King47,48,49 dom all things that offend; and at other

Places the Kingdom of Heaven, as where it is faid, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Net, which gather'd of every kind:

So

II.

So that nothing is more apparent, than S ER M. that Chrift had before his Incarnation, a Kingdom here on Earth, and continues to have one to this Day, tho' it is not a worldly Kingdom, for he claimed no Jo. xviii, civil Rights, no Power that was prejudicial to Cafar's, nor did he fet up, or fecure his Government by Force, or Guards, or outward Violence, as temporal Monarchs use to do.

He was indeed the civil, or political Prince of the Jewish People, that is, he took them into his Protection, gave them temporal judicial Laws, and decided even common Pleas amongst them. Some late Writers would have it, that he was preferred to this Monarchy, by the Votes of the People of Ifrael, and held it by Virtue of the Original Contract at Mount Horeb *. For to be true to their Hypothefis, they will not allow that even God himself could acquire a civil Power over the People, but by their Votes and Election; and what can be meant by all this, but that they would have it at the Difcretion of the People, whether Chrift, or God himself, fhould have Dominion over them. For all Power, fay they, is ተ but a Truft, and as fuch may be taken away: So that they treat the Son of

#Defence R. C. C. p. 25. † R. C. G. P. 352.

God,

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SER M. God, or God himself, in the fame Manner that they do Princes, and Priefts. It may prefumed that the next Step they will take, (if they han't done it already) is to put it in the Power of the People to diveft Chrift of his fpiritual Monarchy, and make Way for fuch a Meffage as Luk. xix. they in the Parable fent after him. We will not have this Man to reign over us.

14.

But our Comfort is, that the Lord Pfal. xcix. is King, be the People never fo impatient. And how incredible is it, that our Saviour fhould be fo exact as he was in the Levitical Law, in feparating an Order of Men for his Service, and the governing of the People in Things relating to Religion; but fhould leave his new People, the Chriftian Church, to fhift for themfelves, without any certain Officers to direct, and regulate their Worship and Difcipline: And its the more improbable ftill, if it be confidered, that it was prophefy'd of Chrift Jefus, that upon his coming in the Flefh, ff. lxvi.21. he fhould take of the Gentiles, and make Priefts, and Levites: Nor does it appear how this great Prophecy could be fulfilled, if, as fome would have it, our Saviour's Intention was wholly to take away the Priesthood: 'Tis true he came Matt. iii.3. into the World to purify the Sons of Levi, and inftead of facrificing Beafts to teach them

II.

them to offer unto the Lord a Sacrifice in S ER M. Righteousness But there is a great Difference between purifying, or reforming, and wholly deftroying; though fome Men act and write, as if they thought them the fame Thing.

And to put the Matter beyond all Doubt, he appointed two feveral Orders of Officers in his Kingdom, the Twelve, and the Seventy, to which the Apoftle, by the Direction of his Spirit, added a third, that of Deacons. And that it might appear to which of thefe he intended the chief Share of ruling his Church, he declares to the Apoftles, in the Words of my Text, that to them he appointed the Management of his Kingdom, that they fhould eat at his Table, as Peers and Grandees did in many antient Governments, with their Sovereign, and fit on Thrones judging the 12 Tribes of Ifrael, that is, the Chriftian Church, the true Ifrael of God.

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The Apostles themselves were under a Mistake concerning the Nature of his Kingdom, they thought it was to be a glorious earthly Monarchy, and therefore, when they heard him fpeaking of his being to be betray'd, and put to Death, there was a Strife amongst them which should be the greateft, ver. 24. Our Saviour lets them know, that none

that

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