July 9

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.—1 Corinthians 15:24, 25.

CHRIST now governs his church by the ministry of his word and sacraments, and by the effusion of his Spirit in measure and degrees upon his members. By his mighty, though secret power, he contends with his enemies; and so shall do till the resurrection of the dead,—when Death, the last enemy, shall be overcome, and then, in these respects, his kingdom shall cease: for he shall no more exercise the offices of a mediator in compassionating, defending, interceding for his church; but he shall sit and reign for ever as God, co-equal with his Father, and shall ever be the head of his church his body. Thus we see, though Christ's kingdom, in regard of the manner of its dispensation, and present execution thereof, it be limited by the consummation of all things; yet in itself it is a kingdom, which hath neither within, the seeds of mortality, nor without the danger of a concussion; but in the substance is immortal, though in regard of the commission and power, which Christ had as mediator, to administer it alone by himself, and by the fullness of his Spirit,—it be at last voluntarily resigned into the hands of the Father,—and Christ as a part of that great church, become subject to the Father, that God may be all in all.

Now the grounds of the constancy of Christ's government over his church, and by consequence of the church itself, which is his kingdom, are, amongst others, these:—

First, The decree and promise of God, sealed by an oath, which made it an adamantine and unbended purpose, which the Lord would never repent of nor reverse. All God's counsels are immutable; though he may alter his works, yet doth never change his will: but when he sealeth his decree with an oath, that makes their immutability past question or suspicion. In that case, it is impossible for God to change, because it is impossible for God to lie, or deny himself. Now upon such a decree is the kingdom of heaven established. "Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David," saith the Lord. Once, that notes the constancy and fixedness of God's promise: By my holiness, that notes the inviolableness of his promise, as if he should have said, Let me no longer be esteemed a holy God, than I keep immutably that covenant which I have sworn unto David in my truth.

Secondly, The free gift of God to his Son Christ, whereby he committed all power and judgment unto him. And power is a strong argument to prove the stability of a kingdom, especially if it be on either side supported with wisdom and righteousness, as the power of Christ is. And, therefore, from his power he argues for the perpetuity of his church to the end of the world; "All power is given to me in heaven and earth; Go ye, therefore, and preach the gospel to all nations; and lo, I am with you, always, to the end of the world." And the argument is very strong and emphatic: for though kingdoms of great power have been and may be subdued, yet the reason is, because much power has still remained in the adverse side; or if they have been too vast for any smaller people to root out, yet having not either wisdom enough to actuate so huge a frame, or righteousness to prevent or purge out those vicious humors of emulation, sedition, luxury, injustice, violence, and impiety, which, like strong diseases in a body, are, in states, the preparations and seminaries of mortality, they have sunk under their own weight, and been inwardly corrupted by their own vices. But now, first the power of Christ in his church is universal: there is in him all power and no weakness; no power without him or against him. And, therefore, no wonder, if from a fullness of power in him, and an emptiness in his enemies, the argument of continuance in his kingdom doth infallibly follow: for what man, if he were furnished with all sufficiency, would suffer himself to be mutilated and dismembered, as Christ should, if any thing should prevail against the church, which is his fullness. Again, this power of Christ is supported with wisdom; it can never miscarry from any inward defect; for the wisdom is proportional to the power; this, all power, and that, all the treasures of wisdom; power, able by weakness to confound the things which are mighty, and wisdom, able by foolishness to bring to naught the understanding of the prudent: and both these are upheld by righteousness, which is indeed the very soul and sinews of a kingdom, upon which the thrones of princes are established, and which the apostle makes the ground of the perpetuity of Christ's kingdom; "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."

Thirdly, The quality of Christ's kingdom is to be a growing kingdom; though the original thereof be but like a grain of mustard seed, or like Elijah's cloud, to a human view despicable, and almost below the probabilities of subsistence,—the object rather of derision than of terror to the world; yet, at last, it grows into a wideness, which makes it as universal as the world. And, therefore, that which the prophet David speaks of the sun, the apostle applies to the gospel, to note, that the circle of the gospel, is like that of the sun, universal to the whole world. It is such a kingdom as grows into other kingdoms, and eats them out. The little stone in Nebuchadnezzar's vision brake in pieces the great monarchies of the earth, and grew up into a great mountain which filled the world; "For the kingdoms of the earth must become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Christ." Therefore the prophets express Christ and his kingdom, by the name of "a branch," which grows up for a standard and ensign of the people. A branch which grows, but never withers. It has no principles of death in itself; and though it be, for a while, subject to the assaults of adversaries and foreign violence, yet that serves only to try it, and to settle it, but not to weaken or overturn it. The gates of hell, all the powers, policies, and laws of darkness, shall never prevail against the church of Christ. He hath bruised, and judged, and "trodden down Satan under our feet." He "hath overcome the world;" he hath subdued iniquity; he hath turned persecutions into seminaries and resurrections of the church; he hath turned afflictions into matter of glory and of rejoicing; so that in all the violence, which the church can suffer, it doth more than conquer; because it conquers not by repelling, but by suffering.

"O Jesus, ride on,—thy kingdom is glorious; O'er sin, death, and hell, thou wilt make us victorious: Thy name shall be praised in the great congregation, And saints shall ascribe unto thee their salvation."