Teaching Resources International

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death –1 Corinthians 15:25-26

The apostle in this chapter particularly opposes some among the Christian Corinthians who denied the resurrection of the dead and infested the church with their doctrine.  There were two sorts of persons in that age who were especially great opposers of the doctrine of the resurrection: one among the Jews, and the other among the heathen. Among the Jews there the Sadducees of whom we read in Acts 23:8.  Among the heathen, that were the chief opposers of this doctrine were the philosophers.  The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was not consistent with their philosophy which taught that it was impossible that one who was deprived of life should ever receive it again.  And therefore they ridiculed the doctrine when the apostle preached it among them at Athens.  Probably the church at Corinth received this corruption from the philosophers and not the Sadducees.  For Corinth was near to Athens, the place of the chief resort of the philosophers of Greece.

In opposing this error, the apostle first insists on Christ’s resurrection from the dead and next on the resurrection of all the saints at the end of the world.  And in the verses next before the text he shows how both are connected or how one arises or follows from the other.  And then he adds, “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.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” — Observe,

1. That Christ will be exalted over all his enemies. This is one aspect of the glory of his exaltation and dominion that Christ as our redeemer has – that it issues in the subjection of all enemies under his feet.  Their being under his feet denotes their being perfectly subdued and his being gloriously exalted over them.  It shall be thus with respect to God’s and his people’s enemies universally, not one excepted.  This universality is signified here two ways, all enemies — and the very lost enemy: when there shall be but one enemy left (death) that shall also be put under his feet.

2. That all kinds of enemies are defeated in his resurrection. We may learn what is here meant by enemies by the particular instance here given as the last that shall be destroyed, viz. death.  This shows that enemies does not mean persons only, but all that set themselves in opposition to God and his people, including all evils, whatever is against God and his people and opposes Christ or his saints, whether they be persons or things.

SECTION 1

How evil of all kinds has prevailed and highly exalted itself in the world.

Evil of all kinds has risen to an exceeding height in the world and highly exalted itself against God, and Christ, and the church. — This will appear by the following particulars.

1. Satan has highly exalted himself and greatly prevailed. He is vastly superior in his natural capacity and abilities to mankind.  He was originally one of the highest rank of creatures; but he proudly exalted himself in rebellion against God in heaven.  We are told that pride was the condemnation of the devil.  He became proud of his own superior dignity and mighty abilities and the glory which his Creator had put upon him and probably thought it too much to submit to the Son of God and attempted to exalt his throne above him.  And he prevailed to draw away vast multitudes of the heavenly hosts into an open rebellion against God.  And after he was cast down from heaven, he proudly exalted himself in this world and prevailed to do great things.  By his subtle temptations he procured the fall of our first parents and so brought about the ruin of their whole race.  He procured their ruin in body and soul and in the death of both; and that they should be exposed to all manner of calamity in this world and to eternal ruin hereafter.  He so far prevailed, that he drew men off from the service of their Maker and set up himself to be the god of this world.  And in a little time, he drew the world into that almost universal corruption which brought on the flood by which the world was destroyed.  And after that, he drew off all nations, except the posterity of Jacob, from the worship of the true God and darkened all the world with heathenism and held them under this darkness for a great many ages.  Being as worshipful as God almost all over the world, the nations of the earth offered sacrifices to him and multitudes even offered up their children.

And during that time, he often so far prevailed against the people of God that he had almost swallowed them up.  The church was often brought to the very brink of ruin.  And when Christ himself appeared in the world, how did he exalt himself against him and prevailed so far as to influence men to hate and despise him all the days of his life.  And at last, he persuaded one of his own disciples to betray him.  Accordingly, he was delivered into the hands of men to be mocked, buffeted, spit upon, and treated with the greatest ignominy that unrestrained malice could devise; and at last procured that he should be put to the most cruel and ignominious kind of death.  And since then, he has greatly exalted himself against the gospel and kingdom of Christ.  He has procured that the church, for the most part, has been the subject of great persecution; has often brought it to the brink of utter destruction; has accomplished great works in setting up those great kingdoms of antichrist and Mohamed and darkened great part of the world that was once enlightened with the gospel of Christ with worse than heathen darkness.  And he has infected the Christian world with multitudes of heresies and false ways of worship and greatly promoted atheism and infidelity.  Thus highly has the devil exalted himself against God and Christ, and the elect; and so far he prevailed.

2. Guilt is another evil which has come to a great height in the world.  All guilt is an evil of a dreadful nature: the least degree of it is enough utterly to undo any creature.  It is a thing that reaches unto heaven and cries to God and brings down his wrath.  The guilt of any one sin is so terrible an evil that it prevails to bind over the guilty person to suffer everlasting burnings.  So is in some respect infinite, in that it obliges us to that punishment which has no end and so is infinitely terrible.  But this kind of evil has risen to a most amazing height in this world where not only some persons are guilty, but all, in all nations and ages.  And they who live to act any time in the world are not only guilty of one sin, but of thousands and thousands of thousands.  What multiplied and what aggravated sins are some men guilty of!  What guilt lies on some particular persons!  How much more on some particular populous cities!  How much more still on this wicked world!  How much does the guilt of the world transcend all account, all expression, all powers of numbers or measures!  And above all, how vast is the guilt of the world in all ages, from the beginning to the end of it!  To what a pitch has guilt risen!  The world being, as it were, on every side, loaded with it, as with mountains heaped on mountains, above the clouds and stars of heaven.

And guilt, when it was imputed to Christ, greatly prevailed against him — though in himself innocent and the eternal Son of God — even so as to hold him prisoner of justice for a while, and to open the flood-gates of God’s wrath upon him.

3. Corruption and wickedness of heart is another thing that has risen to an exceeding height in the world. Sin has so far prevailed that it has become universal: all men are become sinful and corrupt creatures.  Let us attend to St Paul’s description of the worlds “Jews and Gentiles are all under sin.  “As is written, There is none righteous, no not one, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no not one.”  And not only is every one corrupt, but they are all over corrupt, in every power, faculty, and principle, every part is depraved.  This is here (in Romans 3:10-18) represented by the several parts of the body being corrupt, as the throat, the tongue, the lips, the mouth, the feet: “Their throat is an open sepulcher, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood.”  And not only is every part corrupt, but exceeding corrupt, being possessed with dreadful principles of corruption, horribly evil dispositions and principles of sin, that may be represented by the poison of asps: which makes men like vipers and devils: principles of all uncleanness, pride, deceit, injustice, enmity, malice, blasphemy, murder.  Here their throats are compared to an open sepulcher and their mouth is said to be full of cursing and bitterness and destruction and misery are said to be in their ways.

And there are those principles of sin not only that are very bad, but every kind, here is no sort of wickedness but there is a seed of it in men.  And these seeds and Principles have not only a being in men’s hearts, but they are there in great strength: they have the absolute possession and dominion over men so that they are sold under sin.  Yea, wicked principles, and those only, are in the heart.  The imagination of the thoughts of their heart is evil only.  There are bad principles only, and no good ones.  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Thus the hearts of all men are deceitful and desperately wicked.  And if we look, not only at the natural corruption of the heart, but at the contracted habits of sin, by wicked education and customs, how full shall we find the world of wickedness, in this respect!  How have men, by bad customs in sinning, broken down all restraints upon natural corruption and as it were abandoned themselves to wickedness!  So far has corruption and wickedness prevailed in the world, and so high has it risen, that it is become a great and universal deluge that overtops all things and prevails with that strength, that it is like the raging waves of the tempestuous ocean; which are ready to bear down all before them.

4. Many of the devil’s instruments have greatly prevailed and have been exalted to an exceeding height in the in the world.  It has been so in almost all ages of the world.  Many of the devil’s instruments have prospered and prevailed till they have got to the head of great kingdoms and empires, with vast riches and mighty power.  Those four great heathen monarchies that rose in the world before Christ are spoken of in Scripture as kingdoms set up in opposition to the kingdom of Christ.  So they are represented in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  These monarchies were exceeding powerful.  The two last ruled over the greater part of the then known world.  And the last especially, viz. the Roman Empire, was exceeding mighty: so that it is said to be diverse from all kingdoms, and that it should devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces.  It is represented by the fourth beast which was dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly and had great iron teeth that devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue with his feet.  These four kingdoms all persecuted the church of God in their turns, especially the last.  One of the governors of this monarchy put Christ to death.  And afterwards one emperor after another made dreadful havoc of the church making a business of it with the force of all the empire to torment and destroy the Christians, endeavoring, if possible, to root out the Christian name from under heaven.

And in these latter ages, how those two great instruments of the devil, viz. antichrist and Mahomet have prevailed and to what a pitch of advancement have they arrived; ruling over vast empires, with mighty wealth, pride and power: so that the earth has been, as it were, subdued by them.  Antichrist has set up himself as the vicar of Christ and has for many ages usurped the power of God, “sitting in the temple of God, and showing himself that he is God; and exalting himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped.”  And how dreadfully has he ravaged the church of God, being drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus.  And has often, as it were, deluged the world in Christian blood, shed with the utmost cruelty that human wit and malice could invent. — And at this day, many other instruments of the devil, many heretics, atheists, and other infidels, are exerting themselves against Christ and his church with great pride and contempt.

5. Affliction and misery have also prevailed and risen to an unspeakable height in the world. The spiritual misery which the elect are naturally in is great.  They are miserable captives of sin and Satan and under obligations to suffer eternal burnings.  This misery all mankind are naturally in.  And spiritual troubles and sorrows have often risen to a great height in the elect.  The troubles of a wounded spirit and guilty conscience have been felt with intolerable end insupportable weight.  And the darkness that has risen to God’s people after conversion, through the temptations and buffetings of the devil and the hidings of God’s face and manifestations of his anger, has been very terrible.   And temporal afflictions have often risen exceeding high.  The church of God has, for the most part, all along, been a seat of great affliction and tribulation.

But the height to which the evil of affliction has risen nowhere appears so much as in the afflictions that Christ suffered.  The evil of affliction and sorrow exalted itself so high as to seize the Son of God himself and to cause him to be all in a bloody sweat and to make his soul exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.  It caused him to cry out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!”  Affliction never prevailed to such a degree in this world, as in Christ, whose soul was, as it were, overwhelmed in an ocean of it.

6. Death is an evil which has greatly prevailed and made dreadful havoc in this world. How does it waste and devour mankind, one age after another, sparing none, high or low, rich or poor, good or bad!  Wild beasts have destroyed many; many cruel princes have taken away the lives of thousands and laid waste whole countries: but death devours all.  None are suffered to escape.  And the bodies of the saints, as well as others, fall prey to this great devourer.  Yea, so high did this enemy rise that he took hold on Christ himself and swallowed him among the rest.  He became the prey of this great, insatiable monster.  By this means, his bodily frame was destroyed and laid dead in the dark and silent grave.  And death still goes on destroying thousands every day.  And therefore the grave is one of those things which Agur says, never has enough. — So have evils of every kind prevailed and to such a degree have they exalted themselves in the world.

SECTION 2

How Jesus Christ, in the work of redemption, appears gloriously above all these evil.

It was not the will of the infinitely wise and holy Governor of the world that things should remain in this confusion.  But he had a design for subduing it and delivering an elect part of the world from it and exalting them to the possession of the greatest good to reign in the highest glory, out of a state of subjection to all these evils.  And he chose his Son as the person most fit for an undertaking that was infinitely too great for any mere creature: and he has undertaken the work of our redemption.

And though these evils are so many and so great and have prevailed to such a degree and risen to such a height and have been, as it were, all combined together; yet wherein they have exalted themselves, Christ, in the work of redemption, appears above them.  He hath gloriously prevailed against them all and brings them under his feet and rides forth in the chariots of salvation over their heads or leading them in triumph at his chariot wheels.  He appears in this work infinitely higher and mightier than they and sufficient to carry his people above them and utterly to destroy them all.

1. Christ appears gloriously above all evil in what he did to procure redemption for us in his state of humiliation, by the righteousness he wrought out and the atonement he made for sin.  The evils mentioned never seemed so much to prevail against him as in his sufferings: but in them, the foundation was laid for their overthrow.  In them, he appeared above Satan.  Though Satan never exalted himself so high as he did in procuring these sufferings of Christ; yet, then, Christ laid the foundation for the utter overthrow of his kingdom.  He slew Satan, as it were, with his own weapon, the spiritual David cut off this Goliath’s head with his own sword; and he triumphed over him in his cross.  “Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”  There the wisdom of Christ appeared gloriously above the subtlety of Satan.

Satan, that old serpent, used a great deal of subtlety to procure Christ’s death, and doubtless, when he had accomplished it, thought he had obtained a complete victory, being then ignorant of the contrivance of our redemption.  But the wisdom of Christ did so order things that Satan’s subtlety and malice should be made the very means of undermining the foundations of his kingdom.  And so he wisely led him into the pit that he had digged.

In this also, Christ appeared gloriously above the guilt of men.  For he offered a sacrifice, that was sufficient to do away all the guilt of the whole world.  Though the guilt of man was like the great mountains, whose heads are lifted up to the heavens, yet his dying love and his merits, appeared as a mighty deluge that overflowed the highest mountains, or like a boundless ocean that swallows them up; or like an immense fountain of light, that with the fullness and redundancy of its brightness swallows up men’s greatest sins, as little motes are swallowed up and hidden in the disk of the sun.

In this, Christ appeared above all the corruption of man because he purchased holiness for the chief of sinners.  And in undergoing such extreme afflicting, Christ got the victory over all misery and laid a foundation for its being utterly abolished with respect to his elect.  In dying, he became the plague and destruction of death.  When death slew him, it slew itself: for Christ, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil.  By this, he laid the foundation of the glorious resurrection of all his people to an immortal life.

2. Christ appears gloriously exalted above all evil in his resurrection and ascension into heaven. When Christ rose from the dead, then it appeared that he was above death, which, though it had taken him captive, could not hold him.  Then he appeared above the devil.  Then this Leviathan that had swallowed him was forced to vomit him up again; as the Philistines that had taken captive the ark were forced to return it, Dagon being fallen before it, with his head and hands broken off, and only the stumps left. — Then he appeared above our guilt: for he was justified in his resurrection.  In his resurrection, he appeared above all affliction.  For though he had been subject to much affliction and overwhelmed in it, he then emerged out of it as having gotten the victory, never to conflict with any more sorrow.   When he ascended up into heaven, he rose far above the reach of the devil and all his instruments, who had before had him in their hands.  And now he has sat down at the right hand of God as being made head over all things to the church, in order to a complete and perfect victory over sin, Satan, death, and all his enemies.  It was then said to him, “Sit thou on my right hand, until I make shine enemies thy footstool.”  He entered into a state of glory wherein he is exalted far above all these evils, as the forerunner of his people; and to make intercession for them, till they also are brought to be with him, in like manner exalted above all evil.

3. Christ appears gloriously above all evil in his work in the hearts of the elect in their conversion and sanctification. This is what the application of redemption consists of in this world.  In this work of Christ in the hearts of his elect, he appears glorious above Satan.  For the strong man armed is overcome, and all his armor wherein he trusted is taken from him, and his spoil divided.  In this work, the lamb is, by the spiritual David, taken out of the mouth of the lion and bear: the poor captive is delivered from his mighty and cruel enemies.

In this, Christ appears gloriously above the corruption and wickedness of the heart, above its natural darkness in dispelling it, and letting in light, and above its enmity and opposition, by prevailing over it, drawing it powerfully and irresistibly to himself, and turning a heart of stone into a heart of flesh: above the obstinacy and perverseness of the will, by making them willing in the day of his power.  In this, he appears above all their lusts.  For all sin is put to death in this work and the soul is delivered from the power and dominion of it. — In this work, the grace of Christ gloriously triumphs over men’s guilt.  He comes over the mountains of their sins and visits them with his salvation.

And God often desires in this work, either in the beginning or progress of it, to give his people those spiritual comforts, in which he gloriously appears to be above all affliction and sorrow: and often gives them to triumph over the devil and his powerful and cruel instruments.  Many saints, by the influences of Christ’s Spirit on their hearts, have rejoiced and triumphed when suffering the greatest torments and cruelties of their persecutors.  And in this work Christ sometimes gloriously appears above death in carrying his people far above the fears of it and making them to say, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory,”

4. Christ gloriously appears above all these aforementioned evils in his glorifying the souls of departed saints in heaven. In this, he gives a glorious victory over death.  Death by it is turned from an enemy into a servant; and their death, by the glorious change that passes in the state of their souls, is become a resurrection, rather than a death.  Now Christ exalts the soul to a state of glory where it is perfectly delivered from Satan and all his temptation’s and all his instruments; and from all remains of sin and corruption and from all affliction: “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat — and

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

5. Christ appears gloriously above these evils in what he does in his providence in the world as head and redeemer of his church.  If he appears gloriously above Satan and all his instruments in upholding his church, even from its first establishment, through all the powerful attempts that have been made against it by earth and hell: hereby fulfilling his promise, “That the gates of hell should never prevail against it.”   Christ gloriously triumphed over these his enemies in a remarkable success of his gospel soon after his ascension when many thousands in Jerusalem and all parts of the world were so soon turned from darkness unto light and from the power of Satan unto God: and in causing his word to go on and prosper and his church to increase and prevail against all the opposition of the heathen world when they united all their power to put a stop to it and root it out.  So that, in spite of all that the philosophers and wise men, and emperors and princes could do, the gospel in a little time overthrew Satan’s old heathenish kingdom in the whole Roman Empire which was then the main part of the world; and so brought about the greatest and most glorious revolution.  Instead of one single nation, now the greater part of the nations of the known world were become God’s people.  And Christ’s exaltation above all evil in his government of the world, in his providence, as the Redeemer of his people, has since gloriously appeared in reviving his church by the reformation from popery, after it had for many ages lain in a great measure hid and dwelt in a wilderness under anti-Christian persecution.

And he will yet far more gloriously triumph over Satan and all his Instruments in all the mighty kingdoms that have been set up in opposition to the kingdom of Christ, at the time of the fall of antichrist and the beginning of those glorious times.  “And then the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15.  Though great and mighty empires have been set up one after another in the world, in opposition to the kingdom of Christ, during the succession of so many ages, yet, Christ’s kingdom shall be the last and the universal kingdom, which he has given him, as the heir of the world.

Whatever great works Satan has wrought, the final issue and event of all in the winding up of things in the last ages of the world shall be the glorious kingdom of Christ through the world; a kingdom of righteousness and holiness, of love and peace, established everywhere.  This is in agreement with the ancient prediction, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.  And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is a everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).  “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:27).

Then shall Christ appear gloriously exalted indeed above all evil: and then shall all the saints in earth and heaven gloriously triumph in him, and sing, “Hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honor, and power unto the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev. 19:2, 6.

6. Christ will appear gloriously above all evil in the consummation of the redemption of his elect church at the end of the world. Then the whole work of redemption will be completed with respect to all that Christ died for, both in its application, and not till then.  And then Christ’s exaltation above all evil will be most perfectly and fully manifest.  Then shall the conquest and triumph be completed with respect to all of them.  Then shall all the devils and all their instruments be brought before Christ to be judged and condemned.  And then their destruction shall be completed in their consummate and everlasting misery; when they shall be all cast into the lake of fire, no more to roam and usurp dominion in the world nor have liberty to make opposition against God and Christ.  They shall forever be shut up, thenceforward only to suffer.  Then shall death be totally destroyed.  All the saints shall be delivered everlastingly from it.  Even their bodies shall be taken from the power of death by a glorious resurrection.

Then shall all guilt and all sin and corruption, and all affliction, all sighs and tears, be utterly and eternally abolished, concerning every one of the elect since they will all be brought to their consummate and immutable glory.  And all this as the fruit of Christ’s blood and as an accomplishment of his redemption.

Then all that evil which has so prevailed and so exalted itself and usurped and raged and reigned, shall be perfectly and forever thrust down and destroyed, with respect to all the elect, and all will be exalted to a state where they will be forever immensely above all these things.  “And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

SECTION 3

The subject improved and applied.

1. In this, we may see how the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ appears in the work of redemption.  It was because the Father had from eternity a design of exceedingly glorifying his Son that he appointed him to be the person that should thus triumph over the evil in the world.  The work of redemption is the most glorious of all God’s works that are made known to us.  The glory of God most remarkably shines forth in it.  And this is one thing whereby its glory eminently appears, that Christ appears so gloriously above Satan and all his instruments, above all guilt, all corruption, all affliction, above death, at above all evil.  And more especially, because evil hath so exalted itself in the world, as we have heard, and exalted itself against Christ in particular.

Satan has ever had a peculiar enmity against the Son of God.  Probably his first rebellion, which was his condemnation, was his proudly taking it in disdain when God declared the decree in heaven that his Son in man’s nature should be the King of heaven; and that all the angels should worship him.  However that was, yet it is certain that his strife has ever been especially against the Son of God.  The enmity has always been between the seed of the woman and the serpent.  And therefore that war which the devil maintains against God is represented by the devil and his angels fighting against Michael and his angels.  God had appointed his Son to be the heir of the world, but the devil has contested this matter with him and has strove to set himself up as God of the world.  And how exceedingly has the devil exalted himself against Christ!  How did he oppose him as he dwelt among the Jews in his tabernacle and temple!  And how did he oppose him when on earth!  And how has he opposed him since his ascension!  What great and mighty works has Satan brought to pass in the world!  How many Babels has he built up to heaven in his opposition to the Son of God!  How exceeding proud and haughty has he appeared in his opposition!  How have he and his instruments, and sin, affliction, and death, of which he is the father, raged against Christ?  But yet Christ, in the work of redemption, appears infinitely above them all.  In this work, he triumphs over them, however they have dealt proudly; and they all appear under his feet.  In this the glory of the Son of God in the work of redemption remarkably appears.

The beauty of good appears with the greatest advantage when compared with its contrary evil.  And the glory of that which is excellent, then especially shows itself, when it triumphs over in contrary and appears vastly above it in its greatest height.  The glory of Christ, in this glorious exaltation over so great evil, which so exalted itself against him, appears more remarkably in that he is exalted out of so low a state.  Though he appeared in the world as a little child; yet how does he triumph over the most gigantic enemies of God and men!  He who was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” is a man of war who triumphed over his enemies in all their power.  He who was meek and lowly of heart has triumphed over those proud foes.  And he is exalted over them all in that which appears most despicable even his cross.

2. Here is matter of exceeding great encouragement for all sinful creatures in the world of mankind to come to Christ.  For let them be as sinful as they will and ever so miserable, Christ, in the work of redemption, is gloriously exalted above all their sin and misery.  How ever high their guilt has risen, though mountains have been heaping on mountains all the days of their lives, till the pile appears towering up to heaven and even above the stars; yet Christ in the work of redemption appears gloriously exalted above all this height. — Though they are overwhelmed in a mighty deluge of woe and misery; a deluge that is not only above their heads, but above the heads of the highest mountains; and they do not see how it is possible that they should escape; yet they have no reason to be discouraged from looking to Christ for help, who in the work of redemption, appears gloriously above the deluge of evil.  Though they see dreadful corruption in their hearts; though their lusts appear like giants or like the raging waves of the sea; yet they need not despair help; but may look to Christ, who appears in the work of redemption, gloriously above all this corruption.

If they apprehend themselves to be miser the captives of Satan and find him too strong an adversary for esteem; and the devil is often tempting and buffeting them and triumphing over them with great cruelty.  If it seems to them that the devil has swallowed them up, and has got full possession of them, as the whale had of Jonah; yet there is encouragement for them to look again, as Jonah did, towards God’s holy temple, and to trust in Christ for deliverance from Satan, who appears so gloriously exalted above him in the work of redemption.

If they are ready to sink with darkness and sorrows, distress of conscience, or those frowns of God upon them; so that God’s waves and billows seem to pass over them; yet they have encouragement enough to look to Christ for deliverance.  These waves and billows have before exalted themselves against Christ; and he appeared to be infinitely above them. — And if they are afraid of death; if it looks exceeding, terrible, as an enemy that would swallow them up, yet let them look to Christ who has appeared so gloriously above death; and their fears will turn into joy and triumph.

3. What a glorious cause have those who have an interest in Christ to glory in their Redeemer! They are often beset with many evils and many mighty enemies surround them on every side with open mouths ready to devour them, but they need not fear any of them.  They may glory in Christ, the rock of their salvation, who appears so gloriously above them all.  They may triumph over Satan, over this evil world, over guilt, and over death.  For as their redeemer is mighty and is so exalted above all evil, so shall they also be exalted in him.  They are now, in a sense, so exalted, for nothing can hurt them.  Christ carries them, as on eaglets’ wings, high out of the reach of all evils, so that they cannot come near them to do them any real harm.  And, in a little time, they shall be so out of their reach that they shall not be able even to molest them any more forever.

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The Peace Which Christ Gives His True Followers by Jonathan Edwards

Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. (John 14:27)

These words are a part of a most affectionate and affecting discourse that Christ had with his disciples the same evening in which he was betrayed, knowing that he was to be crucified the next day. This discourse begins with the 31st verse of the 13th and is continued to the end of the 16^th chapter.  Christ began his discourse after he partook of the Passover with them after he had instituted and administered the sacrament of the supper, and after Judas was gone out.  None were left but his true and faithful disciples whom he now addresses as his dear children.  This was the last discourse that Christ had with them before his death.  As it was his parting discourse, and, as it were, his dying discourse, so it is on many accounts the most remarkable we have recorded in our Bibles.

It is evident this discourse made a deep impression on the minds of the disciples; and we may suppose that it did so, in a special manner, on the mind of love the beloved disciple whose heart was especially full of love to him and who had just then been leaning on his bosom.  In this discourse Christ had told his dear disciples that he was going away which filled them with sorrow and heaviness.  The words of the text are given to comfort them and to relieve their sorrow.  He supports them with the promise of that peace which he would leave with them and which they would have in him and with him when he was gone.

This promise he delivers in three emphatic expressions which illustrate one another.  “Peace I leave with you.”  As much as to say, though I am going away, yet I will not take all comfort away with me.  While I have been with you, I have been your support and comfort and you have had peace in me in the midst of the losses you have sustained and troubles you have met with from this evil generation.  This peace I will not take from you but leave it with you in a more full possession.

“My peace I give unto you.”  Christ by calling it his peace signifies two things,

1. That it was his own that which he had to give. It was the peculiar benefit that he had to bestow on his children now as he was about to leave the world as to his human presence.  Silver and gold he had none; for, while in his estate of humiliation, he was poor.  The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests; but the Son of man had not where to lay his head (Luke 9:58).  He had no earthly estate to leave to his disciples who were as it were his family: but he had peace to give them.

2. It was his peace that he gave them; as it was the same kind of peace which he himself enjoyed.  The same excellent and divine peace which he ever had in God and which he was about to receive in his exalted state in a vastly greater perfection and fullness.  For the happiness Christ gives to his people is a participation of his own happiness: agreeable to chapter 15:11: “These things have I said unto you, that my joy might remain in you.”  And in his prayer with his disciples at the conclusion of this discourse, chapter 17:13: “And now come I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”  And verse 22: “And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them.”  Christ here alludes to men making their wills before death.  When parents are about to leave their children by death, they are wont in their last will and testament to give them their estate, that estate which they themselves were wont to possess and enjoy.  So it was with Christ when he was about to leave the world with respect to the peace which he gave his disciples; only with this difference, that earthly parents, when they die, though they leave the same estate to their children which they themselves heretofore enjoyed; yet when the children come to the full possession of it, they enjoy it no more; the parents do not enjoy it with their children.  The time of the full possession of parents and children is not together.  Whereas with respect to Christ’s peace, he did not only possess it himself before his death, when he bequeathed it to his disciples; but also afterwards more fully: so that they were received to possess it with him.

The third and last expression is “not as the world giveth, give I unto you.”  Which is as much as to say, my gifts and legacies, now I am going to leave the world are not like those which the rich and great men of the world are wont to leave to their heirs when they die.  They bequeath to their children their worldly possessions; and it may be vast treasures of silver and gold and sometimes an earthly kingdom.  But the thing that I give you is my peace, a vastly different thing from what they are wont to give and which cannot be obtained by all that they can bestow or their children inherit from them.

DOCTRINE

That peace which Christ, when he died, left as a legacy to all his true saints is very different from all those things which the men of this world bequeath to their children, when they die.

I. Christ at his death made over the blessings of the new covenant to believers, as it were in a will or testament.

II. A great blessing that Christ made over to believers in this his testament was his peace.

III. This legacy of Christ is exceedingly diverse from all that any of the men of this world ever leave to their children when they die.

I. Christ at his death made over the blessings of the new covenant to believers, as it were in a will or testament.

The new covenant is represented by the apostle as Christ’s last will and testament.  Hebrews 9:15, 16: “And for this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”  What men convey by their will or testament is their own estate.  So Christ in the new covenant conveys to believers his own inheritance, so far as they are capable of possessing and enjoying it.  They have that eternal life given to them in their measure which Christ himself possesses.  They live in him and with him and by a participation of his life.  Because he lives they live also.  They inherit his kingdom: the same kingdom which the Father appointed unto him, Luke 25:29, “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me.”  They shall reign on his throne, Revelation 3:21.  They have his glory given to them, John 17.  And because all things are Christ’s, so in Christ all things are the saints, 1 Corinthians 3:21-22.

Men in their wills or testaments most commonly give their estates to their children: so believers are in Scripture represented as Christ’s children. Hebrews 2:13, “Behold, l, and the children which God hath given me.”  Men most commonly make their wills a little before their death: so Christ did, in a very special and solemn manner, make over and confirm to his disciples the blessings of the new covenant on the evening before the day of his crucifixion in that discourse of which my text is a part.  The promises of the new covenant were never so particularly expressed and so solemnly given forth by Christ in all the time that he was upon earth as in this discourse.  Christ promises them mansions in his Father’s house (Chapter 14:1-3).  Here he promises them whatever blessings they should need and ask in his name (Chapter 15:7; 14:23, 24).  Here he more solemnly and fully than any where else gives forth and confirms the promise of the Holy Spirit, which is the sum of the blessings of the covenant of grace (Chapter 14:18; 17:26; 15:25; 16:7).  Here he promises them his own and his Father’s gracious presence and favor (Chapter 14:18-21).  Here he promises them peace, as in the text.  Here he promises them his joy (Chapter 15:11).  Here he promises grace to being forth holy fruits (Chapter 15:16). And victory over the world (Chapter 16:33).  And indeed there seems to be nowhere else so full and complete an edition of the covenant of grace in the whole Bible as in this dying discourse of Christ with his eleven true disciples.

This covenant between Christ and his children is like a will or testament also in this respect that it becomes effectual, and a way is made for putting it in execution, no other way than by his death; as the apostle observes it is with a will or testament among men, “For a testament is of force after men are dead” (Hebrews 9:17).  For though the covenant of grace indeed was of force before the death of Christ, yet it was of force no otherwise than by his death, so that his death then did virtually intervene, being already undertaken and engaged.  As a man’s heirs come by the legacies bequeathed to them no otherwise than by the death of the testator, so men come by the spiritual and eternal inheritance no otherwise than by the death of Christ.  If it had not been for the death of Christ they never could have obtained it.

II. A great blessing that Christ in his testament hath bequeathed to his true followers, is his peace.

Here are two things that I would observe particularly, viz. That Christ hath bequeathed to believers true peace and then, that the peace he has given them is his peace.

1. Our Lord Jesus Christ has bequeathed true peace and comfort to his followers.  Christ is called the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6).  And when he was born into the world, the angels on that joyful and wonderful occasion sang, “Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace:” because of that peace which he should procure for and bestow on the children of men; peace with God and peace one with another and tranquility and peace within themselves: which last is especially the benefit spoken of in the text.  He has procured for them peace and reconciliation with God and his favor and friendship; in that he satisfied for their sins and laid a foundation for the perfect removal of the guilt of sin, and the forgiveness of all their trespasses and wrought out for them a perfect and glorious righteousness, most acceptable to God and sufficient to recommend them to God s full acceptance to the adoption of children and to the eternal fruits of his fatherly kindness.

By these means, true saints are brought into a state of freedom from condemnation and all the curses of the law of God.  Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemneth?”  And by these means, they are safe from that dreadful and eternal misery to which naturally they are exposed and are set on high out of the reach of all their enemies, so that the gates of hell and powers of darkness can never destroy them; nor can wicked men, though they may persecute, ever hurt them.  Romans 8:31, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”  Numbers 23:8, “How shall l curse whom God hath not cursed?”  And verse 23,. “There is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel.”  By these means, they are out of the reach of death, John 6:4-9, 50, 51, “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die.”  By these means, death with respect to them has lost its sting and is no more worthy of the name of death.  1 Corinthians 15:55, “O death, where is thy sting?”  By these means, they have no need to be afraid of the day of judgment when the heavens and earth shall be dissolved.  Psalm 46:1, 2, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed: and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”  Yea, a true saint has reason to be at rest in an assurance, that nothing can separate him from the love of God (Romans 8:38, 39).  Thus he that is in Christ is in a safe refuge from every thing that might disturb him; Isaiah 32:2, “And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest: as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”  And hence they that dwell in Christ have that promise fulfilled to them which we have in the 18th verse of the same chapter: “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.”

And the true followers of Christ have not only ground of rest and peace of soul by reason of their safety from evil, but on account of their sure title and certain enjoyment of all that good which they stand in need of, living, dying, and through all eternity.  They are on a sure foundation for happiness, are built on a rock that can never he moved, and have a fountain that is sufficient and can never be exhausted.  The covenant is ordered in all things and sure, and God has passed his word and oath, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us.”  The infinite Jehovah is become their God, who can do everything for them.  He is their portion who has an infinite fullness of good in himself: “He is their shield and exceeding great reward.”  As great a good is made over to them as they can desire or conceive of and is made as sure as they can desire: therefore they have reason to put their hearts at rest and be at peace in their minds.

Besides, he has bequeathed peace to the souls of his people, as he has procured for them and made over to them the spirit of grace and true holiness; which has a natural tendency to the peace and quietness of the soul.  It implies a discovery and relish of a suitable and sufficient good.  It brings a person into a view of divine beauty and to a relish of that good which is a man’s proper happiness; and so it brings the soul to its true center.  The soul by his means is brought to rest  and ceases from restlessly inquiring, as others do, who will show us any good; and wandering to and fro, like lost sheep seeking rest, and finding none.  The soul hath found him who is as the appletree among the trees of the wood and sits down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit is sweet unto his taste (Cant. 2:2).  And thus that saving of Christ is fulfilled, John 4:14, “Whoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst.”  And besides, true grace naturally tends to peace and quietness, as it settles things in the soul in their due order, sets reason on the throne, and subjects the settees and affections to its government, which before were uppermost.  Grace tends to tranquility as it mortifies tumultuous desires and passions, subdues the eager and insatiable appetites of the sensual nature and greediness after the vanities of the world.  It mortifies such principles as hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, envyings, and the like, which are a continual source of inward uneasiness and perturbation; and supplies those sweet, calming, and quieting principles of humility, meekness, resignation, patience, gentleness, forgiveness, and sweet reliance on God.  It also tends to peace, as it fixes the aim of the soul to a certain end; so that the soul is no longer distracted and drawn by opposite ends to be sought and opposite portions to be obtained and many masters of contrary wills and commands to be served; but the heart is fixed in the choice of one certain, sufficient, and unfailing good: and the soul’s aim at this and hope of it is like an anchor that keeps it steadfast that it should no more he driven to and fro by every wind.

2. This peace which Christ has left as a legacy to his true followers is his peace. It is the peace which himself enjoys.  This is what I take to be principally intended in the expression.  It is the peace that he enjoyed while on earth in his state of humiliation.  Though he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and was every where hated and persecuted by men and devils and had no place of rest in this world, yet in God, his Father, he had peace.  We read of his rejoicing in spirit, Luke 10:21.  So Christ’s true disciples, though in the world they have tribulation, yet in God have peace.

When Christ had finished his labors and sufferings had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, he entered into his rest a state of most blessed, perfect, and everlasting peace: delivered by his own sufferings from our imputed guilt, acquitted and justified of the Father on his resurrection.  Having obtained a perfect victory over all his enemies, he was received of his Father into heaven the rest which he had prepared for him, there to enjoy his heart’s desire fully and perfectly to all eternity.  And then were those words in the six first verses of the 21st Psalm which have respect to Christ fulfilled.  This peace and rest of the Messiah is exceeding glorious.  Isaiah 11:10, “And his rest shall be glorious.”  This rest is what Christ has procured, not only for himself, but also his people by his death; and he has bequeathed it to them, that they may enjoy it with him, imperfectly in this, and perfectly and eternally in another world.  That peace, which has been described and which believers enjoy is a participation of the peace which their glorious Lord and Master himself enjoys, by virtue of the same blood by which Christ himself has entered into rest.  It is in a participation of this same justification; for believers are justified with Christ.  As he was justified when he rose from the dead and as he was made free from our guilt, which he had as our surety, so believers are justified in him and through him, as being accepted of God in the same righteousness.  It is in the favor of the same God and heavenly Father that they enjoy peace, “I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

It is in a participation of the same Spirit for believers have the Spirit of Christ.  He had the Spirit given to him not by measure, and of his fullness do they all receive and grace for grace.  As the oil poured on the head of Aaron went down to the skirts of his garments, so the Spirit poured on Christ, the head, descends to all his members.  It is as partaking of the same grace of the Spirit that believers enjoy this peace (John 1:16).  It is as being united to Christ and living by a participation of his life, as a branch lives by the life of the vine.  It is as part thing of the same love of God; John 17:26, “That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them.” — It is as having a part with him in his victory over the same enemies: and also as having an interest in the same kind of eternal rest and peace.  Ephesians 2:5, 6, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and hath made us sit together in heavenly places.”

III. This legacy of Christ to his true disciples is very different from all that the men of this world ever leave to their children when they die.

The men of this world, many of them, when they come to die, have great estates to bequeath to their children, an abundance of the good things of this world, large tracts of ground, perhaps in a fruitful soil, covered with flocks and herds.  They sometimes leave to their children stately mansions, and vast treasures of silver, gold, jewels, and precious things, fetched from both the Indies, and from every side of the globe.  They leave them wherewith to live in much state and magnificence and make a great show among men, to fare very sumptuously, and swim in worldly pleasures.  Some have crowns, scepters, and palaces, and great monarchies to leave to their heirs.  But none of these things are to be compared to that blessed peace of Christ which he has bequeathed to his true followers.  These things are such as God commonly in his providence gives his worst enemies, those whom he hates and despises most.  But Christ’s peace is a precious benefit, which he reserves for his peculiar favorites.  These worldly things, even the best of them that the men and princes of the world leave for their children are things which God in his providence throws out to those whom he looks on as dogs; but Christ’s peace is the bread of his children.  All these earthly things are but empty shadows, which, however men set their hearts upon them are not bread and never can satisfy their souls; but this peace of Christ is a truly substantial satisfying food (Isaiah 55:2).  None of those things, if men have them to the best advantage, and in ever so great abundance, can give true peace and rest to the soul, as is abundantly manifest not only in reason, but experience; it being found in all ages, that those who have the most of them, have commonly the least quietness of mind.

It is true, there may be a kind of quietness, a false peace, in the enjoyment of worldly things; men may bless their souls and think themselves the only happy persons, and despise others: may say to their souls, as the rich man did, “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19).  But Christ’s peace, which he gives to his true disciples, differs from this peace that men may have in the enjoyments of the world in the following respects:

1. Christ’s peace is a reasonable peace and rest of soul. It is what has its foundation in light and knowledge, in the proper exercises of reason, and a right view of things; whereas the peace of the world is founded in blindness and delusion.  The peace that the people of Christ have arises from their having their eyes open and seeing things as they are.  The more they consider and the more they know of the truth and reality of things — the more they know what is true concerning themselves, the state and condition they are in; the more they know of God and what manner of being he is; the more certain they are of another world and future judgment and of the truth of God’s threatenings and promises; the more their consciences are awakened and enlightened, and the brighter and the more searching the light — the more is their peace established.  Whereas, on the contrary, the peace that the men of the world have in their worldly enjoyments can subsist no otherwise than by their being kept in ignorance.  They must be blindfolded and deceived,  otherwise they can have no peace: do but let light in upon their consciences, so that they may look about them and see what they are and what circumstances they are in and it will at once destroy all their quietness and comfort.  Their peace can live no where but in the dark.  Light turns their ease into torment.  The more they know what is true concerning God and concerning themselves.  The more they are sensible of the truth concerning those enjoyments which they possess; and the more they are sensible what things now are and what things are like to be hereafter, the more will their calm be turned into a storm.  The worldly man’s peace cannot he maintained but by avoiding consideration and reflection.  If he allows himself to think and properly to exercise his reason, it destroys his quietness and comfort.

But with respect to the peace which Christ gives, reason is its great friend.  The more this faculty is exercised, the more it is established.  The more they consider and view things with truth and exactness, the firmer is their comfort and the higher their joy.  How vast a difference then is there between the peace of a Christian and the worldling!  How miserable are they who cannot enjoy peace any otherwise than by hiding their eyes from the light and confining themselves to darkness.  Their peace is stupidity, it is as the ease that a man has who has taken a dose of stupefying poison, the ease and pleasure that a drunkard may have in a house on fire over his head, or the joy of a distracted man in thinking that he is a king, though a miserable wretch confined in bedlam!  Whereas the peace that Christ gives his true disciples is the light of life, something of the tranquility of heaven, the peace of the celestial paradise that has the glory of God to lighten it.

2. Christ’s peace is a virtuous and holy peace. The peace that the men of the world enjoy is vicious: it is vile depraves and debases the mind and makes men brutish.  But the peace that the saints enjoy in Christ is not only their comfort, but it is a part of their beauty and dignity.  The Christian tranquility, rest, and joy of real saints are not only unspeakable privileges, but they are virtues and graces of God’s Spirit, wherein his image partly consists.  This peace has its source in those principles which are in the highest degree virtuous and amiable, such as poverty of spirit, holy resignation, trust in God, divine love, meekness, and charity; the exercise of the blessed fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).

3. This peace greatly differs from that which is enjoyed by the men of the world, with regard to its exquisite sweetness. It is a peace so much above all that natural men enjoy in worldly things, that it surpasses their understanding and conception (Philippians 4:7).  It is exquisitely sweet and secure, because it has so firm a foundation, the everlasting rock that never can be moved because perfectly agreeable to reason; because it rises from holy and divine principles, that, as they are the virtue, so are they the proper happiness of men; and because the greatness of the objective good that the saints enjoy is no other than the infinite bounty and fullness of that God who is the fountain of all good.  The fullness and perfection of that provision that is made in Christ and the new covenant is a foundation laid for the saints’ perfect peace; and this hereafter they shall actually enjoy.  And though their peace is not now perfect, it is not owing to any defect in the provision made, but to their own imperfection, sin, and darkness.  As yet, they partly cleave to the world and seek peace from thence and do not perfectly cleave to Christ.  But the more they do so, and the more they see of the provision made and accept of it and cleave to that alone, the nearer are they brought to perfect tranquility (Isaiah 27:5).

4. The peace of the Christian infinitely differs from that of the worldling, in that it is unfailing and eternal. That peace which carnal men have in the things of the world is, according to the foundation upon which it is built, of short continuance; like the comfort of a dream, 1 John 2; 1 Corinthians 7:31.  These things, the best and most durable of them, are like bubbles on the face of the water; they vanish in a moment (Hosea 10:7) — But the foundation of the Christian’s peace is everlasting; it is what no time nor change can destroy.  It will remain when the body dies: it will remain when the mountains depart and the hills shall be removed and when the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll.  The fountain of his comfort shall never be diminished and the stream shall never be dried.  His comfort and joy is a living spring in the soul, a well of water springing up to everlasting life.

APPLICATION

The use that I would make of this doctrine is to improve it as an inducement unto all to forsake the world, no longer seeking peace and rest in its vanities, and to cleave to Christ and follow him.  Happiness and rest are what all men pursue.  But the things of the world, wherein most men seek it, can never afford it, they are laboring and spending themselves in vain.  But Christ invites you to come to him and offers you this peace, which he gives his true followers, and that so much excels all that the world can afford, Isaiah 55:2, 3.

You that have hitherto spent your time in the pursuit of satisfaction in the profit or glory of the world, or in the pleasures and vanities of youth have this day an offer of that excellent and everlasting peace and blessedness which Christ has purchased with the price of his own blood.  As long as you continue to reject those offers and invitations of Christ and continue in a Christless condition, you never will enjoy any true peace or comfort; but will be like the prodigal, that in vain endeavored to be satisfied with the husks that the swine did eat.  The wrath of God will abide upon and misery will attend you, wherever you go, which you never will be able to escape.  Christ gives peace to the most sinful and miserable that come to him.  He heals the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds.  But it is impossible that they should have peace while they continue in their sins (Isaiah 57:19-21).  There is no peace between God and them, for, as they have the guilt of sin remaining in their souls and are under its dominion so God’s indignation continually burns against them, and therefore they travail in pain all their days.  While you continue in such a state, you live in dreadful uncertainty what will become of you and in continual danger.  When you are in the enjoyment of things most pleasing to you where your heart is best suited, and most cheerful, yet you are in a state of condemnation.  You hang over the infernal pit with the sword of divine vengeance hanging over your head, having no security one moment from utter and remediless destruction.  What reasonable peace can anyone enjoy in such a state as this?  Though you clothe him in gorgeous apparel, or set him on a throne, or at a prince’s table, and feed him with the rarest dainties the earth affords – How miserable is the ease and cheerfulness that such have!  What a poor kind of comfort and joy is it that such take in their wealth and pleasures for a moment while they are the prisoners of divine justice and wretched captives of the devil!  They have none to befriend them, being without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world!

I invite you now to a better portion.  There are better things provided for the sinful, miserable children of men.  There is a surer comfort and more durable peace: comfort that you may enjoy in a state of safety and on a sure foundation: a peace and rest that you may enjoy with reason and with your eyes open.  You may have all your sins forgiven, your greatest and most aggravated transgressions blotted out as a cloud and buried as in the depths of the sea that they may never be found more.  And being not only forgiven but accepted to favor, you become the objects of Gods complacency and delight being taken into God’s family and made his children, you may have good evidence that your names were written on the heart of Christ before the world was made, and that you have an interest in that covenant of grace that is well ordered in all things and sure; wherein is promised no less than life and immortality, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, a crown of glory that fades not away.  Being in such circumstances, nothing shall be able to prevent your being happy to all eternity; having for the foundation of your hope that love of God which is from eternity to eternity and his promise and oath and his omnipotent power, things infinitely firmer than mountains of brass.  The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, yea, the heavens shall vanish away like smoke and the earth shall wax old like a garment, yet these things will never be abolished.

In such a state as this, you will have a foundation of peace and rest through all changes, and in times of the greatest uproar and outward calamity be defended from all storms, and dwell above the floods (Psalm 32:6, 7).  And you shall be at peace with everything, and God will make all his creatures throughout all parts of his dominion to befriend you (Job 5:19-24).  You need not be afraid of anything that your enemies can do unto you (Psalm 3:5, 6).  Those things that now are most terrible to you, viz. death, judgment, and eternity, will then be most comfortable, the most sweet and pleasant objects of your contemplation, at least there will be reason that they should be so.

Hearken therefore to the friendly counsel that is given you this day, turn your feet into the way of peace, forsake the foolish and live; forsake those things which are no other than the devil’s baits and seek after this excellent peace and rest of Jesus Christ, that peace of God which passeth all understanding.  Taste and see; never was any disappointed that made a trial (Proverbs 24:13, 14).  You will not only find those spiritual comforts that Christ offers you to be of a surpassing sweetness for the present, but they will be to your soul as the dawning light that shines more and more to the perfect day; and the issue of all will be your arrival in heaven, that land of rest, those regions of everlasting joy, where your peace and happiness will be perfect, without the least mixture of trouble or affliction, and never be interrupted nor have an end.

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In My Father’s house are many mansions. John 14:2

In these words may be observed two things,

1. The thing described, viz. Christ’s Father’s house. Christ spoke to his disciples in the foregoing chapter as one that was about to leave them.  He told them, John 13:31, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him,” and then goes to giving of them counsel to live in unity and love one another, as one that was going from them.  By which they seemed somewhat surprised and hardly knew what to make of it.  And one of them, Peter, asked him where he was going, John 13:36, “Simon Peter said unto him, Lord whither goest thou?”  Christ did not directly answer and tell him where he was going, but he signifies where in these words afterwards; in John 14:12, he tells them plainly that he was going to his Father.

2. We may observe the description given of it that in it there are many mansions. The disciples seemed very sorrowful at the news of Christ’s going away, but Christ comforts them that in his Father’s house there was not only room for him, but room for them too; there were many mansions.  There was not only a mansion there for him, but there were mansions enough for them all.  There was room enough in heaven for them.  When the disciples perceived that Christ was going away, they manifested a great desire to go with him, particularly Peter.  Peter in the latter part of the foregoing chapter (John 13:36-38) asked him [if] he might follow him.  Christ told him that whither he went he could not follow him now, but that he should follow him afterwards.  But Peter, not content with Christ, seemed to have a great mind to follow him now.  “Lord,” says he, “why cannot I follow thee now?”  So that the disciples had a great mind still to be with Christ, and Christ in the words, of the text, intimates that they shall be with him.  Christ signifies to them that he was going home to his Father’s house, and he encourages them that they shall be with him there in due time for there were many mansions there.  There was a mansion provided not only for him, but for them all; and not only for them, but for all that should ever believe in him to the end of the world.  And though he went before, he only went to prepare a place for them that should follow.

The text is a plain sentence; ’tis therefore needless to press any doctrine in other words from it: so that I shall build my discourse on the words of the text.  There are two propositions contained in the words:

I. That heaven is God’s house, and

II. That in this house of God there are many mansions.

Proposition I.  Heaven is God’s house. A house of public worship is a house where God’s people meet from time to time to attend on God’s ordinances and that is set apart for that and is called God’s house.  The temple of Solomon was called God’s house.  God was represented as dwelling there.  There he has his throne in the holy of holies, even the mercy seat over the ark and between the cherubims.

Sometimes the whole universe is represented in Scripture as God’s house, built with various stories one above another: Amos 9:6, “It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven;” and Psa. 104:3, “Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters.”  But the highest heaven is especially represented in Scripture as the house of God.  As to other parts of the creation, God hath appointed them to inferior uses; but this part he has reserved for himself for his own abode.

We are told that the heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth he hath given to the sons of men.  God, though he is everywhere present, is represented both in Old Testament and New as being in heaven in a special and peculiar manner.  Heaven is the temple of God.  Thus, we read of God’s temple in heaven, Rev. 15:5.  Solomon’s temple was [only] a type of heaven.  The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews does from time to time call heaven the holy of holies, as being the antitype not only of the temple of Solomon, but of the most holy place in that temple, which was the place of God’s most immediate residence: Heb. 9:12, “He entered in once into the holy place;” verse 24, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself.”

Houses where assemblies [of] Christians worship God are, in some respects, figures of this house of God above.  When God is worshipped in them in spirit and truth, they become the outworks of heaven and as it were its gates.  As in houses of public worship here there are assemblies of Christians meeting to worship God; so in heaven there is a glorious assembly, or Church, continually worshipping God: Heb. 12:22, 23, “But ye are come unto mount Zion, [and unto] the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, that are written in heaven.”

Heaven is represented in Scripture as God’s dwelling-house; Psa. 113:5, “Who is like [unto] the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,” and Psa. 123:1, “Unto thee I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.”  Heaven is God’s palace.  ’Tis the house of the great King of the universe; there he has his throne, which is therefore represented as his house or temple; Psa. 11:4, “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.”

Heaven is the house where God dwells with his family.  God is represented in Scripture as having a family; and though some of this family are now on earth, yet in so being they are abroad and not at home, but all going home: Eph. 3:15, “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”  Heaven is the place that God has built for himself and his children.  God has many children and the place designed for them is heaven.  Therefore the saints, being the children of God, are said to be of the household of God, Eph. 2:19: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”  God is represented as a householder or head of a family and heaven is his house.  Heaven is the house not only where God hath his throne, but also where he doth, as it were, keep his table, where his children sit down with him at his table and where they are feasted in a royal manner becoming the children of so great a King: Luke 22:30, “That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom;” Mat. 26:29, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

God is the King of kings and heaven is the place where he keeps his court. There are his angels and archangels, as the nobles of his court, do attend upon him.

Proposition II. There are many mansions in the house of God.  By many mansions is meant many seats or places of abode.  As it is a king’s palace, there are many mansions.  Kings’s houses are wont to be built very large, with many stately rooms and apartments.  So there are many mansions in God’s house.

When this is spoken of heaven, it is chiefly to be understood in a figurative sense, and the following things seem to be taught us in it.

First, there is room in this house of God for great numbers. There is room in heaven for a vast multitude, yea, room enough for all mankind that are or ever shall be; Luke 14:22, “Lord it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.”

It is not with the heavenly temple as it often is with houses of public worship in this world, that they fill up and become too small and scanty for those that would meet in them, so that there is not convenient room for all.  There is room enough in our heavenly Father’s house.  This is partly what Christ intended in the words of the text, as is evident from the occasion of his speaking them.  The disciples manifested a great desire to be where Christ was, and Christ therefore, to encourage them that it should be as they desired, tells them that in his Father’s house where he was going were many mansions, i.e., room enough for them.

There is mercy enough in God to admit an innumerable multitude into heaven.  There is mercy enough for all; and there is merit enough in Christ to purchase heavenly happiness for millions of millions, for all men that ever were, are, or shall be.  And there is a sufficiency in the fountain of heaven’s happiness to supply and fill and satisfy all.  And there is in all respects enough for the happiness of all.

Second, there are sufficient and suitable accommodations for all the different sorts of persons that are in the world: for great and small, for high and low, rich and poor, wise and unwise, bond and free, persons of all nations and all conditions and circumstances, for those that have been great sinners as well as for the moral, for weak saints and those that are babes in Christ, as well as for those that are stronger and more grown in grace.  There is in heaven a sufficiency for the happiness of every sort; there is a convenient accommodation for every creature that will hearken to the calls of the Gospel.  None that will come to Christ (let his condition be what it will) need to fear that Christ will provide a place suitable for him in heaven.

This seems to be another thing implied in Christ’s words.  The disciples were persons of very different condition from Christ: he was their Master, and they were his disciples; he was their Lord, and they were the servants; he was their Guide, and they were the followers; he was their Captain, and they the soldiers; he was the Shepherd, and they the sheep; [he was, as it were, the] Father, [and they the] children; he was the glorious, holy Son of God, and they were the poor, sinful, corrupt men.  But yet, though they were in such different circumstances from him, yet Christ encourages them that there shall not only be room in heaven for him, but for them too; for there were many mansions there.  There was not only a mansion to accommodate the Lord, but the disciples also; not only the head, but the members; not only the Son of God, but those that are naturally poor, sinful, corrupt men: as in a king’s palace there is not only a mansion or room of state built for the king himself and for his eldest son and heir, but there are many rooms, mansions for all his numerous household, children, attendants and servants.

Third, it is further implied that heaven is a house that was actually built and prepared for a great multitude. When God made heaven in the beginning of the world, he intended it for an everlasting dwelling-place for a vast and innumerable multitude.  When heaven was made, it was intended and prepared for all those particular persons that God had from eternity designed to save: Mat. 25:34, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  And that is a very great and innumerable multitude: Rev. 7:9, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes.”  Heaven being built designedly for these was built accordingly; it was built so as most conveniently to accommodate all this multitude: as a house that is built for a great family is built large and with many rooms in it; as a palace that is built for a great king that keeps a great court with many attendants is built exceeding great with a great many apartments; and as an house of public worship that is built for a great congregation is built very large with many seats in it.

Fourth, when it is said, “In my father’s house are many mansions,” it is meant that there are seats of various dignity and different degrees and circumstances of honor and happiness.  There are many mansions in God’s house because heaven is intended for various degrees of honor and blessedness.  Some are designed to sit in higher places there than others; some are designed to be advanced to higher degrees of honor and glory than others are; and, therefore, there are various mansions, and some more honorable mansions and seats, in heaven than others.  Though they are all seats of exceeding honor and blessedness, yet some are more so than others.

Thus a palace is built.  Though every part of the palace is magnificent as becomes the palace of a king, yet there are many apartments of various honor, and some are more stately and costly than others, according to the degree of dignity.  There is one apartment that is the king’s presence-chamber; there are other apartments for the next heir to the crown; there are others for other children; and others for their attendants and the great officers of the household: one for the high steward, and another for the chamberlain, and others for meaner officers and servants.

Another image of this was in Solomon’s temple.  There were many mansions of different degrees of honor and dignity.  There was the holy of holies where the ark was that was the place of God’s immediate residence, where the high priest alone might come; and there was another apartment called the holy place, where the other priests might come; and next to that was the inner court of the temple, where the Levites were admitted: and there they had many chambers or mansions built for lodging-rooms for the priests; and next to that was the court of Israel where the people of Israel might come; and next to that was the court of the Gentiles where the Gentiles, those that were called the “Proselytes of the Gate,” might come.  And we have an image of this in houses built for the worship of Christian assemblies.  In such houses of God, there are many seats of different honor and dignity, from the most honorable to the most inferior of the congregation.

Not that we are to understand the words of Christ so much in a literal sense, as that every saint in heaven was to have a certain seat or room or place of abode where he was to be locally fixed.  ’Tis not the design of the Scriptures to inform us much about the external circumstances of heaven or the state of heaven locally considered; but we are to understand what Christ says chiefly in a spiritual sense.  Persons shall be set in different degrees of honor and glory in heaven, as is abundantly manifested in Scripture: which may fitly be represented to our imaginations by there being different seats of honor, as it was in the temple, as it is in kings’ courts.  Some seats shall be nearer the throne than others.  Some shall sit next to Christ in glory: Mat. 20:23, “To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.”

Christ has doubtless respect to these different degrees of glory in the text.  When he was going to heaven and the disciples were sorrowful at the thoughts of parting with their Lord, he lets them know that there are seats or mansions of various degrees of honor in his Father’s house, that there was not only one for him, who was the Head of the Church and the elder brother, but also for them that were his disciples and younger brethren.

Christ also may probably have respect not only to different degrees of glory in heaven but different circumstances. Though the employment and happiness of all the heavenly assembly shall in the general be the same, yet ’tis not improbable that there may be circumstantial difference.  We know what their employment [is] in general, but not in particular.  We know not how one may be employed to subserve and promote the happiness of another, and all to help one another.  Some may there be set in one place for one office or employment, and others [in] another, as ’tis in the Church on earth.  God hath set every one in the body as it hath pleased him; one is the eye, another the ear, another the head, etc.  But because God has not been pleased expressly to reveal how it shall be in this respect, therefore I shall not insist upon it, but pass to make some IMPROVEMENT of what has been offered.

I. Here is encouragement for sinners that are concerned and exercised for the salvation of their souls, such as are afraid that they shall never go to heaven or be admitted to any place of abode there, and are sensible that they are hitherto in a doleful state and condition in that they are out of Christ, and so have no right to any inheritance in heaven, but are in danger of going to hell and having their place of eternal abode fixed there.  You may be encouraged by what has been said, earnestly to seek heaven; for there are many mansions there.  There is room enough there.  Let your case be what it will, there is suitable provision there for you.  And if you come to Christ, you need not fear that he will prepare a place for you.  He’ll see to it that you shall be well accommodated in heaven.

But II. I would improve this doctrine in a twofold exhortation.

First, let all be hence exhorted earnestly to seek that they may be admitted to a mansion in heaven. You have heard that this is God’s house; it is his temple.  If David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah and in the land of Geshur and of the Philistines, so longed that he might again return into the land of Israel that he might have a place in the house of God here on earth, and prized a place there so much, though it was but that of a door-keeper, how great a happiness will it be to have a place in this heavenly temple of God!  If they are looked upon as enjoying a high privilege that have a seat appointed them in kings’ courts or in apartments in kings’ palaces, especially those that have an abode there in the quality of the king’s children, then how great a privilege will it be to have an apartment or mansion assigned to us in God’s heavenly palace, and to have a place there as his children!  How great is their glory and honor that are admitted to be of the household of God!

And seeing there are many mansions there, mansions enough for us all, our folly will be the greater if we neglect to seek a place in heaven, having our minds foolishly taken up about the worthless, fading things of this world.  Here consider three things:

1. How little a while you can have any mansion or place of abode in this world. Now you have a dwelling amongst the living.  You have a house or mansion of your own, or at least one that is at present for your use, and now you have a seat in the house of God; but how little a while will this continue!  In a very little while and the place that now knows you in this world will know you no more.  The habitation you have here will be empty of you; you will be carried dead out of it, or shall die at a distance from it, and never enter into it any more, or into any other abode in this world.  Your mansion or place of abode in this world, however convenient or commodious it may be, is but as a tent that shall soon be taken down, but a lodge in a garden of cucumbers.  Your stay is as it were but for a night.  Your body itself is but a house of clay which will quickly molder and tumble down, and you shall have no other habitation here in this world but the grave.

Thus God in his providence is putting you in mind by the repeated instances of death that have been in the town within the two weeks past, both in one house: in which death he has shown his dominion over old and young.  The son was taken away first before the father, being in his full strength and flower of his days; and the father, who was then well and having no appearance of approaching death, followed in a few days: and their habitation and their seat in the house of God in this world will know them no more.

Take warning by these warnings of Providence to improve your time that you may have a mansion in heaven. We have a house of worship newly created amongst us which now you have a seat in, and probably are pleased with the ornaments of it; and though you have a place in so comely a house, yet you know not how little a while you shall have a place in this house of God.  Here are a couple snatched away by death that had met in it but a few times, that have been snatched out of it before it was fully finished and never will have any more a seat in it.  You know not how soon you may follow, and then of great importance will it be to you to have a seat in God’s house above.  Both of the persons lately deceased were much on their death-beds warning others to improve their precious time.  The first of them was much in expressing his sense of the vast importance of an interest in Christ, as I was a witness, and was earnest in calling on others to improve their time, to be thorough, to get an interest in Christ, and seemed very desirous that young people might receive council and warning from him, as the words of a dying man, to do their utmost to make sure of conversion; and a little before he died left a request to me that I would warn the young people in his room.  God had been warning of you in his death and the death of his father that so soon followed.  The words of dying persons should be of special weight with us, for then they are in circumstances wherein they are most capable to look on things as they are and judge aright of them, — between both worlds as it were.  Still that we must all be in.

Let our young people, therefore, take warning from hence, and don’t be such fools as to neglect seeking a place and mansion in heaven.  Young persons are especially apt to be taken with the pleasing things of this world.  You are now, it may be, much pleased with hopes of your future circumstances in this world; [and you are now, it may be, much] pleased with the ornaments of that house of worship that you with others have a place in.  But, alas, do you not too little consider how soon you may be taken away from all these things, and no more forever have any part in any mansion or house or enjoyment or happiness under the sun?  Therefore let it be your main care to secure an everlasting habitation for hereafter.

2. Consider when you die, if you have no mansion in the house of God in heaven, you must have your place of abode in the habitation of devils. There is no middle place between them, and when you go hence, you must go to one or the other of these.  Some have a mansion prepared for them in heaven from the foundation [of the world]; others are sent away as cursed into everlasting burnings prepared for the [devil and his angels].  Consider how miserable those must be that shall have their habitation with devils to all eternity.  Devils are foul spirits; God’s great enemies.  Their habitation is the blackness of darkness; a place of the utmost filthiness, abomination, darkness, disgrace and torment.  O, how would you rather ten thousand times have no place of abode at all, have no being, than to have a place [with devils]?

3. If you die unconverted, you will have the worse place in hell for having had a seat or place in God’s house in this world. As there are many mansions, places of different degrees of honor in heaven, so there are various abodes and places or degrees of torment and misery in hell; and those will have the worst place there that [dying unconverted, have had the best place in God’s house here].  Solomon speaks of a peculiarly awful sight that he had seen, that of a wicked man buried that had gone [from the place of the holy], Eccl. 8:10.  Such as have had a seat in God’s house, have been in a sense exalted up to heaven, set on the gate of heaven, if they die unconverted, shall be cast down to hell.

Second, the second exhortation that I would offer from what has been said is to seek a high place in heaven. Seeing there are many mansions of different degrees of honor and dignity in heaven, let us seek to obtain a mansion of distinguished glory.  ’Tis revealed to us that there are different degrees of glory to that end that we might seek after the higher degrees.  God offered high degrees of glory to that end, that we might seek them by eminent holiness and good works: 2 Cor. 9:6, “He that sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”  It is not becoming persons to be over anxious about an high seat in God’s house in this world, for that is the honor that is of men.  But we can’t too earnestly seek after an high seat in God’s house above, by seeking eminent holiness, for that is the honor that is of God.

’Tis very little worth the while for us to pursue after honor in this world, where the greatest honor is but a bubble and will soon vanish away, and death will level all.  Some have more stately houses than others, and some are in higher office than others, and some are richer than others and have higher seats in the meeting-house than others; but all graves are upon a level.  One rotting, putrefying corpse is as ignoble as another; the worms are as bold with one carcass as another.

But the mansions in God’s house above are everlasting mansions.  Those that have seats allotted them there, whether of greater or lesser dignity, whether nearer or further from the throne, will hold them to all eternity.  This is promised; Rev. 3:12, “Him that overcometh I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out.”  If it be worth the while to desire and seek high seats in the meeting-house, where you are one day in a week, and where you shall never come but few days in all; if it be worth the while much to prize one seat above another in the house of worship only because it is the pew or seat that is ranked first in number, and to be seen here for a few days, how will it be worth the while to seek an high mansion in God’s temple and in that glorious place that is the everlasting habitation of God and all his children!  You that are pleased with your seats in this house because you are seated high or in a place that is looked upon honorable by those that sit round about, and because many can behold you, consider how short a time you will enjoy this pleasure.  And if there be any that are not suited in their seats because they are too low for them, let them consider that it is but a very little while before it will [be] all one to you whether you have sat high or low here.  But it will be of infinite and everlasting concern to you where your seat is in another world.  Let your great concern be while in this world so to improve your opportunities in God’s house in this world, whether you sit high or low, as that you may have a distinguished and glorious mansion in God’s house in heaven, where you may be fixed in your place in that glorious assembly in an everlasting rest.

Let the main thing that we prize in God’s house be, not the outward ornaments of it, or a high seat in it, but the Word of God and his ordinances in it.  And spend your time here in seeking Christ that he may prepare a place for you in his Father’s house, that when he comes again to this world, he may take you to himself, that where he is, there you may be also.

Dated December 25, 1737. The Sabbath after the seating of the New Meeting House.

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For then for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  Hebrews 5:12

These words are a complaint, which the apostle makes against the Christian Hebrews, for their lack of proficiency in the knowledge of the doctrines and mysteries of religion, as might have been expected of them.  The apostle complains that they had not made that progress in their acquaintance with the things taught in the oracles of God, which they ought to have made.  And he means to reprove them, not merely for their deficiency in spiritual and experimental knowledge of divine things, but for their deficiency in a doctrinal acquaintance with the principles of religion, and the truths of Christian divinity; as is evident by the manner in which the apostle introduces this reproof.

The occasion of his introducing it is this: In the next text but one preceding, he mentions Christ as being “Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.”  In the Old Testament, the oracles of God, Melchizedek was held forth as an eminent type of Christ; and the account we there have of him contains many gospel mysteries.  These mysteries the apostle was willing to point out to the Christian Hebrews; but he apprehended, that through their weakness in knowledge, they would not understand him; and therefore breaks off for the present from saying any thing about Melchizedek, thus (ver. 11): “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered; seeing ye are all dull of hearing;” i.e. there are many things concerning Melchizedek which contain wonderful gospel-mysteries, and which I would take notice of to you, were it not that I am afraid, that through your dullness, and backwardness in understanding these things, you would only be puzzled and confounded by my discourse, and so receive no benefit; and that it would be too hard for you, as meat that is too strong.

Then come in the words of the text: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”  As much as to say, indeed it might have been expected of you that you should have known enough of the Holy Scriptures to be able to understand and digest such mysteries, but it is not so with you.  The apostle speaks of their proficiency in such knowledge as is conveyed by human teaching: as appears by that expression, “When for the time ye ought to be teachers;” which includes not only a practical and experimental, but also a doctrinal, knowledge of the truths and mysteries of religion.

Again, the apostle speaks of such knowledge, whereby Christians are enabled to understand those things in divinity which are more abstruse and difficult to be understood and which require great skill in things of this nature.  This is more fully expressed in the two next verses: “For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”  It is such knowledge, that proficiency in it shall carry persons beyond the first principles of religion.  As here: “Ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God.”  Therefore the apostle, in the beginning of the next chapter, advises them “to leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, and to go on unto perfection.”

We may observe that the fault of this defect appears in that they had not made proficiency according to their time.  For the time, they ought to have been teachers.  As they were Christians, their business was to learn and gain Christian knowledge.  They were scholars in the school of Christ; and, if they had improved their time in learning as they ought to have done, they might, by the time when the apostle wrote, have been fit to be teachers in this school.  To whatever business any one is devoted, it may be expected that his perfection in it shall be answerable to the time he has had to learn and perfect himself.  Christians should not always remain babes, but should grow in Christian knowledge; and leaving the food of babes, they should learn to digest strong meat.

DOCTRINE

Every Christian should make a business of endeavoring to grow in knowledge in divinity.  This is indeed esteemed the business of divines and ministers: it is commonly thought to be their work, by the study of the Scriptures, and other instructive books, to gain knowledge; and most seem to think that it may be left to them, as what belongeth not to others.  But if the apostle had entertained this notion, he would never have blamed the Christian Hebrews for not having acquired knowledge enough to be teachers.  Or if he had thought, that this concerned Christians in general only as a thing by the by, and that their time should not in a considerable measure be taken up with this business; he never would have so much blamed them, that their proficiency in knowledge had not been answerable to the time which they had had to learn.

In handling this subject, I shall show what is intended by divinity; what kind of knowledge in divinity is intended; and why knowledge in divinity is necessary. And why all Christians should make a business of endeavoring to grow in this knowledge.

SECTION I: What is intended by divinity, as the object of Christian knowledge

Various definitions have been given of this subject by those who have treated on it.  I shall not now stand to inquire which, according to the rules of art, is the most accurate definition; but shall so define or describe it as I think has the greatest tendency to convey a proper notion of it.  It is that science or doctrine which comprehends all those truths and rules which concern the great business of religion.

There are various kinds of arts and sciences taught and learned in the schools which are conversant about various objects; about the works of nature in general, as philosophy; or the visible heavens, as astronomy; or the sea, as navigation; or the earth, as geography; or the body of man, as physic and anatomy; or the soul of man with regard to its natural powers and qualities, as logic and pneumatology; or about human government, as politics and jurisprudence.  But one science, or kind of knowledge and doctrine, is above all the rest; as it treats concerning God and the great business of religion.  Divinity is not learned, as other sciences, merely by the improvement of man’s natural reason, but is taught by God himself in a book full of instruction, which he hath given us for that end.  This is the rule which God hath given to the world to be their guide in searching after this kind of knowledge and is a summary of all things of this nature needful for us to know.  Upon this account, divinity is called a doctrine, rather than an art or science.

Indeed there is what is called natural religion. There are many truths concerning God, and our duty to him, which are evident by the light of nature.  But Christian divinity, properly so called, is not evident by the light of nature; it depends on revelation.  Such are our circumstances now in our fallen state that nothing which it is needful for us to know concerning God is manifest by the light of nature, in the manner in which it is necessary for us to know it.  For the knowledge of no truth in divinity is of significance to us, any otherwise than as it some way or other belongs to the gospel-scheme, or as it relates to a Mediator.  But the light of nature teaches us no truth in this matter.  Therefore it cannot be said, that we come to the knowledge of any part of Christian truth by the light of nature.  It is only the word of God, contained in the Old and New Testament, which teaches us Christian divinity.

This comprehends all that is taught in the Scriptures, and so all that we need know, or is to be known, concerning God and Jesus Christ, concerning our duty to God, and our happiness in God.  Divinity is commonly defined, the doctrine of living to God; and by some who seem to be more accurate, the doctrine of living to God by Christ. It comprehends all Christian doctrines as they are in Jesus, and all Christian rules directing us in living to God by Christ.  There is no one doctrine, no promise, no rule, but what some way or other relates to the Christian and divine life, or our living to God by Christ.  They all relate to this, in two respects, viz. as they tend to promote our living to God here in this world, in a life of faith and holiness, and also as they tend to bring us to a life of perfect holiness and happiness, in the full enjoyment of God hereafter.

SECTION II: What kind of knowledge in divinity, is intended in the doctrine

There are two kinds of knowledge of divine truth, viz. speculative and practical, or in other terms, natural and spiritual. The former remains only in the head.  No other faculty but the understanding is concerned in it.  It consists in having a natural or rational knowledge of the things of religion, or such a knowledge as is to be obtained by the natural exercise of our own faculties, without any special illumination of the Spirit of God.  The latter rests not entirely in the head, or in the speculative ideas of things; but the heart is concerned in it: it principally consists in the sense of the heart.  The mere intellect, without the will or the inclination, is not the seat of it.  And it may not only be called seeing, but feeling or tasting.  Thus there is a difference between having a right speculative notion of the doctrines contained in the word of God, and having a due sense of them in the heart.  In the former, consists the speculative or natural knowledge; in the latter consists the spiritual or practical knowledge of them.

Neither of these is intended in the doctrine exclusively of the other; but it is intended that we should seek the former in order to [know] the latter.  The latter, or the spiritual and practical, is of the greatest importance for a speculative without a spiritual knowledge [serves] no purpose but to make our condemnation the greater.  Yet a speculative knowledge is also of infinite importance in this respect, that without it we can have no spiritual or practical knowledge.

I have already shown that the apostle speaks not only of a spiritual knowledge, but of such as can be acquired and communicated from one to another.  Yet it is not to be thought that he means this exclusively of the other.  But he would have the Christian Hebrews seek the one, in order to [have] the other. Therefore the former is first and most directly intended; it is intended that Christians should, by reading and other proper means, seek a good rational knowledge of the things of divinity: while the latter is more indirectly intended, since it is to be sought by the other.  But I proceed to

SECTION III: The usefulness and necessity of the knowledge of divine truths

There is no other way by which any means of grace whatsoever can be of any benefit but by knowledge.  All teaching is in vain without learning.  Therefore the preaching of the gospel would be wholly to no purpose if it conveyed no knowledge to the mind.  There is an order of men which Christ has appointed on purpose to be teachers in his church.  But they teach in vain if no knowledge in these things is gained by their teaching.  It is impossible that their teaching and preaching should be a mean of grace, or of any good in the hearts of their hearers, any otherwise than by knowledge imparted to the understanding.  Otherwise it would be of as much benefit to the auditory, if the minister should preach in some unknown tongue.  All the difference is that preaching in a known tongue conveys something to the understanding, which preaching in an unknown tongue doth not.  On this account, such preaching [would] be unprofitable.  In such things, men receive nothing when they understand nothing and are not at all edified unless some knowledge be conveyed; agreeable to the apostle’s arguing (1 Cor. 14:2­6).

No speech can be a means of grace but by conveying knowledge.  Otherwise the speech is as much lost as if there had been no man there, and if he that spoke had spoken only into the air; as it follows in the passage just quoted (vv. 6­10).  God deals with man as with a rational creature; and when faith is in exercise, it is not about something he knows not.  Therefore hearing is absolutely necessary to faith; because hearing is necessary to understanding (Rom. 10:14): “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?”  In like manner, there can be no love without knowledge.  It is not according to the nature of the human soul to love an object which is entirely unknown.  The heart cannot be set upon an object of which there is no idea in the understanding.  The reasons which induce the soul to love must first be understood before they can have a reasonable influence on the heart.

God hath given us the Bible which is a book of instructions.  But this book can be of no profit to us [unless] it conveys some knowledge to the mind: it can profit us no more than if it were written in the Chinese or Tartarian language, of which we know not one word.  So the sacraments of the gospel can have a proper effect no other way than by conveying some knowledge.  They represent certain things by visible signs.  And what is the end of signs, but to convey some knowledge of the things signified?  Such is the nature of man that no object can come at the heart but through the door of the understanding: and there can be no spiritual knowledge of that of which there is not first a rational knowledge.  It is impossible that anyone [can] see the truth or excellency of any doctrine of the gospel who knows not what that doctrine is.  A man cannot see the wonderful excellency and love of Christ in doing such and such things for sinners, unless his understanding be first informed how those things were done.  He cannot have a taste of the sweetness and excellency of divine truth unless he first has a notion that there is such a thing. Without knowledge in divinity, none would differ from the most ignorant and barbarous heathens.  The heathens remain in gross darkness because they are not instructed and have not obtained the knowledge of divine truths.

If men have no knowledge of these things, the faculty of reason in them will be wholly in vain.  The faculty of reason and understanding was given for actual understanding and knowledge.  If a man has no actual knowledge, the faculty or capacity of knowing is of no use to him.  And if he have actual knowledge, yet if he be destitute of the knowledge of those things which are the last end of his being and for the sake of the knowledge of which he had more understanding given him than the beasts, then still his faculty of reason is in vain; he might as well have been a beast as a man.  But divine subjects are the things to know for which we have the faculty of reason given us.  They are the things which appertain to the end of our being and to the great business for which we are made.  Therefore a man cannot have his faculty of understanding to any good purpose further than he hath knowledge of divine truth.

So that this kind of knowledge is absolutely necessary.  Other kinds of knowledge may be very useful.  Some other sciences, such as astronomy, natural philosophy, and geography, may be very excellent in their kind.  But the knowledge of this divine science is infinitely more useful and important than that of all other sciences whatever.

SECTION IV: Why all Christians should make a business of endeavoring to grow in the knowledge of divinity

Christians ought not to content themselves with such degrees of knowledge of divinity as they have already obtained.  It should not satisfy them as they know as much as is absolutely necessary to salvation, but should seek to make progress.

This endeavor to make progress in such knowledge ought not to be attended to as a thing by the bye, but all Christians should make a business of it.  They should look upon it as a part of their daily business, and no small part of it neither.  It should be attended to as a considerable part of the work of their high calling.  For …

1. Our business should doubtless much consist in employing those faculties. The reason why we have faculties superior to those of the beasts given us is that we are indeed designed for a superior employment.  That which the Creator intended should be our main employment is something above what he intended the beast for, and therefore hath given us superior powers.  Therefore, without doubt, it should be a considerable part of our business to improve those superior faculties.  But the faculty by which we are chiefly distinguished from the brutes is the faculty of understanding.  It follows then that we should make it our chief business to improve this faculty and should by no means prosecute it as a business by the bye.  For us to make the improvement of this faculty a business by the bye is in effect for us to make the faculty of understanding itself a by­faculty, if I may so speak, a faculty of less importance than others: whereas indeed it is the highest faculty we have.

But we cannot make a business of the improvement of our intellectual faculty, any otherwise than by making a business of improving ourselves in actual knowledge.  So that those who make not this very much their business; but instead of improving their understanding to acquire knowledge are chiefly devoted to their inferior power—to please their senses, and gratify their animal appetites—not only behave themselves in a manner not becoming Christians, but also act as if they had forgotten that they are men and that God hath set them above the brutes by giving them understanding.

God hath given to man some things in common with the brutes, as his outward senses, his bodily appetites, a capacity of bodily pleasure and pain, and other animal faculties: and some things he hath given him superior to the brutes, the chief of which is a faculty of understanding and reason.  Now God never gave man these faculties to be subject to those which he hath in common with the brutes.  This would be great confusion and equivalent to making man to be a servant of the beasts.  On the contrary, he has given those inferior powers to be employed in subserviency to man’s understanding; and therefore it must be a great part of man’s principal business to improve his understanding by acquiring knowledge.  If so, then it will follow, that it should be a main part of his business to improve his understanding in acquiring divine knowledge, or the knowledge of the things of divinity: for the knowledge of these things is the principal end of this faculty.  God gave man the faculty of understanding, chiefly, that he might understand divine things.

The wiser heathens were sensible that the main business of man was the improvement and exercise of his understanding.  But they knew not the object about which the understanding should chiefly be employed.  That science which many of them thought should chiefly employ the understanding was philosophy; and accordingly they made it their chief business to study it.  But we who enjoy the light of the gospel are more happy; we are not left, as to this particular, in the dark.  God hath told us about what things we should chiefly employ our understandings, having given us a book full of divine instructions, holding forth many glorious objects about which all rational creatures should chiefly employ their understandings.  These instructions are accommodated to persons of all capacities and conditions and proper to be studied, not only by men of reaming, but by persons of every character, learned and unlearned, young and old, men and women.  Therefore the acquisition of knowledge in these things should be a main business of all those who have the advantage of enjoying the Holy Scriptures.

2. The truths of divinity are of superlative excellency and are worthy that all should make a business of endeavoring to grow in the knowledge of them. They are as much above those things which are treated of in other sciences, as heaven is above the earth.  God himself, the eternal Three in one, is the chief object of this science; and next Jesus Christ, as God­man and Mediator, and the glorious work of redemption, the most glorious work that ever was wrought: then the great things of the heavenly world, the glorious and eternal inheritance purchased by Christ, and promised in the gospel; the work of the Holy Spirit of God on the hearts of men; our duty to God, and the way in which we ourselves may become like angels, and like God himself in our measure.  All these are objects of this science.

Such things as these have been the main subject of the study of the holy patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, and the most excellent men that ever existed; and they are also the subject of study to the angels in heaven (1 Pet. 1:10­12).  They are so excellent and worthy to be known, that the knowledge of them will richly pay for all the pains and labor of an earnest seeking of it.  If there were a great treasure of gold and pearls accidentally found and opened with such circumstances that all might have as much as they could gather; would not every one think it worth his while to make a business of gathering while it should last?  But that treasure of divine knowledge, which is contained in the Scriptures, and is provided for every one to gather to himself as much of it as he can is far more rich than any one of gold and pearls.  How busy are all sorts of men all over the world in getting riches!  But this knowledge is a far better kind of riches than that after which they so diligently and laboriously pursue.

3. Divine truths not only concern ministers, but are of infinite importance to all Christians.  It is not with the doctrine of divinity as it is with the doctrines of philosophy and other sciences.  These last are generally speculative points which are of little concern in human life; and it very little alters the case as to our temporal or spiritual interests whether we know them or not.  Philosophers differ about them, some being of one opinion, and others of another.  And while they are engaged in warm disputes about them, others may well leave them to dispute among themselves without troubling their heads much about them; it being of little concern to them, whether the one or the other be in the right.  But it is not thus in matters of divinity.  The doctrines of this nearly concern everyone.  They are about those things which relate to every man’s eternal salvation and happiness.  The common people cannot say, Let us leave these matters to ministers and divines; let them dispute them out among themselves as they can; they concern not us: for they are of infinite importance to every man.  Those doctrines which relate to the essence, attributes, and subsistencies of God, concern all; as it is of infinite importance to common people, as well as to ministers, to know what kind of being God is.  For he is a Being who hath made us all, “in whom we live, and move, and have our being;” who is the Lord of all; the Being to whom we are all accountable; who is the last end of our being and the only fountain of our happiness.

The doctrines also which relate to Jesus Christ and his mediation, his incarnation, his life and death, his resurrection and ascension, his sitting at the right hand of the Father, his satisfaction and intercession, infinitely concern common people as well as divines.  They stand in as much need of this Savior and of an interest in his person and offices and the things which he hath done and suffered as ministers and divines.  The same may be said of the doctrines which relate to the manner of a sinner’s justification, or the way in which he becomes interested in the mediation of Christ.  They equally concern all; for all stand in equal necessity of justification before God.  That eternal condemnation, to which we are all naturally exposed, is equally dreadful.  So with respect to those doctrines which relate to the work of the Spirit of God on the heart in the application of redemption in our effectual calling and sanctification, all are equally concerned in them.  There is no doctrine of divinity whatever which doth not, in some way or other, concern the eternal interest of every Christian.

4. We may argue in favor of the same position from the great things which God hath done in order to give us instruction in these things. As to other sciences, he hath left us to ourselves, to the light of our own reason.  But divine things being of infinitely greater importance to us, he hath not left us to an uncertain guide; but hath himself given us a revelation of the truth in these matters and hath done very great things to convey and confirm it to us; raising up many prophets in different ages, immediately inspiring them with his Holy Spirit, and confirming their doctrine with innumerable miracles or wonderful works out of the established course of nature.  Yea, he raised up a succession of prophets which was upheld for several ages.

It was very much for this end that God separated the people of Israel in so wonderful a manner from all other people and kept them separate; that to them he might commit the oracles of God and that from them they might be communicated to the world.  He hath also often sent angels to bring divine instructions to men; and hath often himself appeared in miraculous symbols or representations of his presence: and now in these last days hath sent his own Son into the world, to be his great prophet, to teach us divine truth (Heb. 1:1, etc.).  God hath given us a book of divine instructions which contains the sum of divinity.  Now, these things hath God done, not only for the instruction of ministers and men of learning; but for the instruction of all men, of all sorts, learned and unlearned, men, women, and children.  And certainly if God cloth such great things to teach us, we ought to do something to learn.

God giving instructions to men in these things is not a business by the by; but what he hath undertaken and prosecuted in a course of great and wonderful dispensations, as an affair in which his heart hath been greatly engaged; which is sometimes in Scripture signified by the expression of God’s rising early to teach us, and to send us prophets and teachers, Jer. 7:25, “ Since that day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt, unto this day, I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early, and sending them.”  And in verse 13, “ I spake unto you; rising up early, and speaking.”  This is a figurative speech signifying that God hath done this as a business of great importance, in which he took great care, and had his heart much engaged; because persons are wont to rise early to prosecute such business as they are earnestly engaged in.  If God hath been so engaged in teaching, certainly we should not be negligent in learning; but should make growing in knowledge a great part of the business of our lives.

5. It may be argued from the abundance of the instructions which God hath given us, from the largeness of that book which God hath given to teach us divinity, and from the great variety that is therein contained.  Much was taught by Moses of old which we have transmitted down to us; after that, other books were from time to time added; much is taught us by David and Solomon; and many and excellent are the instructions communicated by the prophets: yet God did not think all this enough, but after this sent Christ and his apostles, by whom there is added a great and excellent treasure to that holy book, which is to be our rule in the study of this important subject.

This book was written for the use of all; all are directed to search the Scriptures, John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they that testify of me;” and Isa. 34:16, “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read.”  They that read and understand are pronounced blessed, Rev. 1:3, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that understand the words of this prophecy.”  If this be true of that particular book of the Revelation, much more is it true of the Bible in general.  Nor is it to be believed that God would have given instructions in such abundance, if he had intended that receiving instruction should be only a bye concern with us.

It is to be considered that all those abundant instructions which are contained in the Scriptures were written that they might be understood: otherwise they are not instructions.  That which is not given that the learner may understand it, is not given for the learner’s instruction; unless we endeavor to grow in the knowledge of divinity, a very great part of those instructions will to us be in vain; for we can receive benefit by no more of the Scriptures than we understand.  We have reason to bless God that he hath given us such various and plentiful instruction in his word; but we shall be hypocritical in so doing, if we after all content ourselves with but little of this instruction.

When God hath opened a very large treasure before us for the supply of our wants, and we thank him that he hath given us so much; if at the same time we be willing to remain destitute of the greatest pare of it, because we are too lazy to gather it, this will not show the sincerity of our thankfulness.  We are now under much greater advantages to acquire knowledge in divinity than the people of God were of old because since that time the canon of Scripture is much increased.  But if we be negligent of our advantages, we may be never the better for them and may remain with as little knowledge as they.

6. However diligent we apply ourselves, there is room enough to increase our knowledge in divine truth. None have this excuse to make for not diligently applying themselves to gain knowledge in divinity that they already know all; nor can they make this excuse that they have no need diligently to apply themselves in order to know all that is to be known.  None can excuse themselves for want of business in which to employ themselves.  There is room enough to employ ourselves forever in this divine science with the utmost application.  Those who have applied themselves most closely, have studied the longest, and have made the greatest attainments in this knowledge, know but little of what is to be known.  The subject is inexhaustible.  That divine Being, who is the main subject of this science, is infinite, and there is no end to the glory of his perfections.  His works at the same time are wonderful and cannot be found out to perfection; especially the work of redemption, about which the science of divinity is chiefly conversant, is full of unsearchable wonders.

The word of God, which is given for our instruction in divinity, contains enough in it to employ us to the end of our lives, and then we shall leave enough uninvestigated to employ the heads of the ablest divines to the end of the world.  The psalmist found an end to the things that are human; but he could never find an end to what is contained in the word of God: Psalm 119:96, “I have seen an end to all perfection; but thy command is exceeding broad.”  There is enough in this divine science to employ the understandings of saints and angels to all eternity.

7. It doubtless concerns every one to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of things which pertain to his profession, or principal calling. If it concerns men to excel in anything or in any wisdom or knowledge at all, it certainly concerns them to excel in the affairs of their main profession and work.  But the calling and work of every Christian is to live to God.  This is said to be his high calling, Phil. 3:14.  This is the business, and, if I may so speak, the trade of a Christian, his main work, and indeed should be his only work.  No business should be done by a Christian, but as it is some way or other a part of this.  Therefore certainly the Christian should endeavor to be well acquainted with those things which belong to this work, that he may fulfill it, and be thoroughly furnished to it.

It becomes one who is called to be a soldier to excel in the art of war.  It becomes a mariner to excel in the art of navigation.  It becomes a physician to excel in the knowledge of those things which pertain to the art of physic.  So it becomes all such as profess to be Christians, and to devote themselves to the practice of Christianity to endeavor to excel in the knowledge of divinity.

8. It may be argued hence, that God hath appointed an order of men for this end, to assist persons in gaining knowledge in these things.  He hath appointed them to be teachers, 1 Cor. 12:28, and God hath set some in the church; first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers: Eph. 4:11-12, “He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”  If God hath set them to be teachers, making that their business, then he hath made it their business to impart knowledge.  But what kind of knowledge?  Not the knowledge of philosophy, or of human laws, or of mechanical arts, but of divinity.

If God have made it the business of some to be teachers, it will follow, that he hath made it the business of others to be learners; for teachers and learners are correlates, one of which was never intended to be without the other.  God hath never made it the duty of some to take pains to teach those who are not obliged to take pains to learn.  He hath not commanded ministers to spend themselves, in order to impart knowledge to those who are not obliged to apply themselves to receive it.

The name by which Christians are commonly called in the New Testament is disciples, the signification of which word is scholars or learners. All Christians are put into the school of Christ, where their business is to learn, or receive knowledge from Christ, their common master and teacher, and from those inferior teachers appointed by him to instruct in his name.

9. God hath in the Scriptures plainly revealed it to be his will that all Christians should diligently endeavor to excel in the knowledge of divine things.  It is the revealed will of God that Christians should not only have some knowledge of things of this nature, but that they should be enriched with all knowledge: 1 Cor. 1:1-5, “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God that is given you by Jesus Christ, that in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.” So the apostle earnestly prayed, that the Christian Philippians might abound more and more, not only in love, but in Christian knowledge; Phil. 1:9, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment.” So the apostle Peter advises to “give all diligence to add to faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge,” 2 Pet. 1:5, and the apostle Paul, in the next chapter to that wherein is the text, counsels the Christian Hebrews, leaving the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, to go on to perfection.  He would by no means have them always to rest only in those fundamental doctrines of repentance, and faith, and the resurrection from the dead, and the eternal judgment, in which they were instructed when baptized, at their first initiation in Christianity (See Heb. 6 etc.).

SECTION V: An exhortation that all may diligently endeavor to gain Christian knowledge

Consider yourselves as scholars or disciples put into the school of Christ and therefore be diligent to make proficiency in Christian knowledge.  Content not yourselves with this, that you have been taught your catechism in your childhood, and that you know as much of the principles of religion as is necessary to salvation or else you will be guilty of what the apostle warns against, viz. going no further than laying the foundation of repentance from dead works, etc.

You are all called to be Christians, and this is your profession.  Endeavor, therefore, to acquire knowledge in things which pertain to your profession.  Let not your teachers have cause to complain that while they spend and are spent to impart knowledge to you, you take little pains to learn.  It is a great encouragement to an instructor to have such to teach as make a business of learning, bending their minds to it.  This makes teaching a pleasure, when otherwise it will be a very heavy and burdensome task.

You all have by you a large treasure of divine knowledge in that you have the Bible in your hands; therefore be not contented in possessing but little of this treasure.  God hath spoken much to you in the Scriptures; labor to understand as much of what he saith as you can.  God hath made you all reasonable creatures; therefore let not the noble faculty of reason or understanding lie neglected.  Content not yourselves with having so much knowledge as is thrown in your way, and receive in some sense unavoidably by the frequent inculcation of divine truth in the preaching of the word, of which you are obliged to be hearers, or accidentally gain in conversation; but let it be very much your business to search for it, and that with the same diligence and labor with which men are wont to dig in mines of silver and gold.

Especially I would advise those who are young to employ themselves in this way.  Men are never too old to learn; but the time of youth is especially the time for learning; it is peculiarly proper for gaining and storing up knowledge.  Further, to stir up all, both old and young, to this duty, let me entreat you to consider,

1. If you apply yourselves diligently to this work, you will not lack [uselfulness], when you are at leisure from your common secular business. In this way, you may find something in which you may profitably employ yourselves.  You will find something else to do, besides going about from house to house, spending one hour after another in unprofitable conversation, or, at best, to no other purpose but to amuse yourselves, to fill up and wear away your time.  And it is to be feared that very much of the time spent in evening visits is spent to a much worse purpose than that which I have now mentioned.  Solomon tells us, Prov. 10:19, “That in the multitude of words, there lacketh not sin.”  And is not this verified in those who find little else to do but to go to one another’s houses and spend the time in such talk as comes next, or such as anyone’s present disposition happens to suggest?

Some diversion is doubtless lawful; but for Christians to spend so much of their time, so many long evenings, in no other conversation than that which tends to divert and amuse, if nothing worse, is a sinful way of spending time, and tends to poverty of soul at least, if not to outward poverty: Prov. 14:23, “In all labor there is profit; but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”  Besides, when persons for so much of their time have nothing else to do, but to sit, and talk, and chat, there is great danger of falling into foolish and sinful conversation, venting their corrupt dispositions, in talking against others, expressing their jealousies and evil surmises concerning their neighbors; not considering what Christ hath said, Matt. 12:36, “Of every idle word that men shall speak, shall they give account in the day of judgment.”

If you would comply with what you have heard from this doctrine, you would find something else to employ your time besides contention, or talking about those public affairs which tend to contention.  Young people might find something else to do besides spending their time in vain company; something that would be much more profitable to themselves, as it would really turn to some good account; something, in doing which they would both be more out of the way of temptation and be more in the way of duty and of a divine blessing.  And even aged people would have something to employ themselves in after they are become incapable of bodily labor.  Their time, as is now often the case, would not lie heavy upon their hands, as they would with both profit and pleasure be engaged in searching the Scriptures and in comparing and meditating upon the various truths which they should find there.

2. This would be a noble way of spending your time. The Holy Spirit gives the Bereans this epithet, because they diligently employed themselves in this business: Acts 17:11, “These were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”  Similar to this is very much the employment of heaven.  The inhabitants of that world spend much of their time in searching into the great things of divinity and endeavoring to acquire knowledge in them, as we are told of the angels, 1 Pet. 1:12, “ Which things the angels desire to look into.”  This will be very agreeable to what you hope will be your business to all eternity, as you doubtless hope to join in the same employment with the angels of light.  Solomon says, Prov. 25:2, “It is the honor of kings to search out a matter;” and certainly, above all others, to search out divine matters.  Now, if this be the honor even of kings, is it not much more your honor?

3. This is a pleasant way of improving time. Knowledge is pleasant and delightful to intelligent creatures, and above all, the knowledge of divine things; for in them are the most excellent truths and the most beautiful and amiable objects held forth to view.  However tedious the labor necessarily attending this business may be, yet the knowledge once obtained will richly requite the pains taken to obtain it.  “When wisdom entereth the heart, knowledge is pleasant to the soul,” Prov. 2:10.

4. This knowledge is exceedingly useful in Christian practice.  Such as have much knowledge in divinity have great means and advantages for spiritual and saving knowledge; for no means of grace have a saving effect, otherwise than by the knowledge they impart.  The more you have of a rational knowledge of divine things, the more opportunity will there be, when the Spirit shall be breathed into your heart, to see the excellency of these things, and to taste the sweetness of them.  The heathens, who have no rational knowledge of the things of the gospel, have no opportunity to see the excellency of them; and therefore the more rational knowledge of these things you have, the more opportunity and advantage you have to see the divine excellency and glory of them.

Again, the more knowledge you have of divine things, the better will you know your duty; your knowledge will be of great use to direct you as to your duty in particular cases.  You will also be the better furnished against the temptations of the devil.  For the devil often takes advantage of persons’ ignorance to ply them with temptations which otherwise would have no hold of them.  By having much knowledge, you will be under greater advantages to conduct yourselves with prudence and discretion in your Christian course and so to live much more to the honor of God and religion.  Many who mean well, and are full of a good spirit, yet for want of prudence, conduct themselves so as to wound religion.  Many have a zeal of God which doth more hurt than good because it is not according to knowledge, Rom. 10:2.  The reason why many good men behave no better in many instances is not so much that they lack grace as that they lack knowledge.  Besides, an increase of knowledge would be a great help to profitable conversation.  It would supply you with matter for conversation when you come together or when you visit your neighbors: and so you would have less temptation to spend the time in such conversation as tends to your own and others’ hurt.

5. Consider the advantages you are under to grow in the knowledge of divinity. We are under far greater advantages to gain much of this knowledge now than God’s people under the Old Testament, both because the canon of Scripture is so much enlarged since that time and also because evangelical truths are now so much more plainly revealed.  So that common men are now in some respects under advantages to know more than the greatest prophets were then.  Thus that saying of Christ is in a sense applicable to us, Luke 10:23-24, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see.  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”  We are in some respects under far greater advantages for gaining knowledge now in these latter ages of the church than Christians were formerly; especially by reason of the art of printing of which God hath given us the benefit, whereby Bibles and other books of divinity are exceedingly multiplied and persons may now be furnished with helps for the obtaining of Christian knowledge at a much easier and cheaper rate than they formerly could.

6. We know not what opposition we may meet with in the religious principles which we hold. We know that there are many adversaries to the gospel and its truths.  If therefore we embrace those truths, we must expect to be attacked by the said adversaries; and unless we be well informed concerning divine things, how shall we be able to defend ourselves?  Beside, the apostle Paul enjoins it upon us, always to be ready to give an answer to every man who asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us.  But this we cannot expect to do without considerable knowledge in divine things.

SECTION VI: Directions for the acquisition of Christian knowledge

1. Be assiduous in reading the Holy Scriptures.  This is the fountain whence all knowledge in divinity must be derived.  Therefore let not this treasure lie by you neglected.  Every man of common understanding who can read, may, if he please, become well acquainted with the Scriptures.  And what an excellent attainment would this be!

2. Content not yourselves with only a cursory reading without regarding the sense. This is an ill way of reading, to which, however, many accustom themselves all their days.  When you read, observe what you read.  Observe how things come in.  Take notice of the drift of the discourse and compare one scripture with another.  For the Scripture, by the harmony of its different; parts, casts great light upon itself.  We are expressly directed by Christ, to search the Scriptures, which evidently intends something more than a mere cursory reading.  And use means to find out the meaning of the Scripture.  When you have it explained in the preaching of the word, take notice of it; and if at any time a scripture that you did not understand be cleared up to your satisfaction, mark it, lay it up, and if possible remember it.

3. Procure, and diligently use, other books which may help you to grow in this knowledge.  There are many excellent books which might greatly forward you in this knowledge and afford you a very profitable and pleasant entertainment in your leisure hours.

4. Improve conversation with others to this end.  How much might persons promote each other’s knowledge in divine things if they would improve conversation as they might; if men that are ignorant were not ashamed to show their ignorance and were willing to learn of others; if those that have knowledge would communicate it without pride and ostentation; and if all were more disposed to enter on such conversation as would be for their mutual edification and instruction.

5. Seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls, and in order to practice. If applause be your end, you will not be so likely to be led to the knowledge of the truth, but may justly, as often is the case of those who are proud of their knowledge, be led into error to your own perdition.  This being your end, if you should obtain much rational knowledge, it would not be likely to be of any benefit to you, but would puff you up with pride: 1 Cor. 8:1, “Knowledge puffeth up.”

6. Seek God that he would direct you and bless you in this pursuit after knowledge. This is the apostle’s direction, James 1:5, “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not.”  God is the fountain of all divine knowledge: Prov. 2:6, “The Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”  Labor to be sensible of your own blindness and ignorance and your need of the help of God, lest you be led into error, instead of true knowledge: 1 Cor. 3:18, “If any man would be wise, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.”

7. Practice according to what knowledge you have. This will be the way to know more.  The psalmist warmly recommends this way of seeking knowledge in divine truth, from his own experience: Psalm. 119:100, “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.”  Christ also recommends the same: John 7:17, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

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For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death –1 Corinthians 15:25-26

The apostle in this chapter particularly opposes some among the Christian Corinthians who denied the resurrection of the dead and infested the church with their doctrine.  There were two sorts of persons in that age who were especially great opposers of the doctrine of the resurrection: one among the Jews, and the other among the heathen. Among the Jews there the Sadducees of whom we read in Acts 23:8.  Among the heathen, that were the chief opposers of this doctrine were the philosophers.  The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was not consistent with their philosophy which taught that it was impossible that one who was deprived of life should ever receive it again.  And therefore they ridiculed the doctrine when the apostle preached it among them at Athens.  Probably the church at Corinth received this corruption from the philosophers and not the Sadducees.  For Corinth was near to Athens, the place of the chief resort of the philosophers of Greece.

In opposing this error, the apostle first insists on Christ’s resurrection from the dead and next on the resurrection of all the saints at the end of the world.  And in the verses next before the text he shows how both are connected or how one arises or follows from the other.  And then he adds, “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.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” — Observe,

1. That Christ will be exalted over all his enemies. This is one aspect of the glory of his exaltation and dominion that Christ as our redeemer has – that it issues in the subjection of all enemies under his feet.  Their being under his feet denotes their being perfectly subdued and his being gloriously exalted over them.  It shall be thus with respect to God’s and his people’s enemies universally, not one excepted.  This universality is signified here two ways, all enemies — and the very lost enemy: when there shall be but one enemy left (death) that shall also be put under his feet.

2. That all kinds of enemies are defeated in his resurrection. We may learn what is here meant by enemies by the particular instance here given as the last that shall be destroyed, viz. death.  This shows that enemies does not mean persons only, but all that set themselves in opposition to God and his people, including all evils, whatever is against God and his people and opposes Christ or his saints, whether they be persons or things.

SECTION 1

How evil of all kinds has prevailed and highly exalted itself in the world.

Evil of all kinds has risen to an exceeding height in the world and highly exalted itself against God, and Christ, and the church. — This will appear by the following particulars.

1. Satan has highly exalted himself and greatly prevailed. He is vastly superior in his natural capacity and abilities to mankind.  He was originally one of the highest rank of creatures; but he proudly exalted himself in rebellion against God in heaven.  We are told that pride was the condemnation of the devil.  He became proud of his own superior dignity and mighty abilities and the glory which his Creator had put upon him and probably thought it too much to submit to the Son of God and attempted to exalt his throne above him.  And he prevailed to draw away vast multitudes of the heavenly hosts into an open rebellion against God.  And after he was cast down from heaven, he proudly exalted himself in this world and prevailed to do great things.  By his subtle temptations he procured the fall of our first parents and so brought about the ruin of their whole race.  He procured their ruin in body and soul and in the death of both; and that they should be exposed to all manner of calamity in this world and to eternal ruin hereafter.  He so far prevailed, that he drew men off from the service of their Maker and set up himself to be the god of this world.  And in a little time, he drew the world into that almost universal corruption which brought on the flood by which the world was destroyed.  And after that, he drew off all nations, except the posterity of Jacob, from the worship of the true God and darkened all the world with heathenism and held them under this darkness for a great many ages.  Being as worshipful as God almost all over the world, the nations of the earth offered sacrifices to him and multitudes even offered up their children.

And during that time, he often so far prevailed against the people of God that he had almost swallowed them up.  The church was often brought to the very brink of ruin.  And when Christ himself appeared in the world, how did he exalt himself against him and prevailed so far as to influence men to hate and despise him all the days of his life.  And at last, he persuaded one of his own disciples to betray him.  Accordingly, he was delivered into the hands of men to be mocked, buffeted, spit upon, and treated with the greatest ignominy that unrestrained malice could devise; and at last procured that he should be put to the most cruel and ignominious kind of death.  And since then, he has greatly exalted himself against the gospel and kingdom of Christ.  He has procured that the church, for the most part, has been the subject of great persecution; has often brought it to the brink of utter destruction; has accomplished great works in setting up those great kingdoms of antichrist and Mohamed and darkened great part of the world that was once enlightened with the gospel of Christ with worse than heathen darkness.  And he has infected the Christian world with multitudes of heresies and false ways of worship and greatly promoted atheism and infidelity.  Thus highly has the devil exalted himself against God and Christ, and the elect; and so far he prevailed.

2. Guilt is another evil which has come to a great height in the world.  All guilt is an evil of a dreadful nature: the least degree of it is enough utterly to undo any creature.  It is a thing that reaches unto heaven and cries to God and brings down his wrath.  The guilt of any one sin is so terrible an evil that it prevails to bind over the guilty person to suffer everlasting burnings.  So is in some respect infinite, in that it obliges us to that punishment which has no end and so is infinitely terrible.  But this kind of evil has risen to a most amazing height in this world where not only some persons are guilty, but all, in all nations and ages.  And they who live to act any time in the world are not only guilty of one sin, but of thousands and thousands of thousands.  What multiplied and what aggravated sins are some men guilty of!  What guilt lies on some particular persons!  How much more on some particular populous cities!  How much more still on this wicked world!  How much does the guilt of the world transcend all account, all expression, all powers of numbers or measures!  And above all, how vast is the guilt of the world in all ages, from the beginning to the end of it!  To what a pitch has guilt risen!  The world being, as it were, on every side, loaded with it, as with mountains heaped on mountains, above the clouds and stars of heaven.

And guilt, when it was imputed to Christ, greatly prevailed against him — though in himself innocent and the eternal Son of God — even so as to hold him prisoner of justice for a while, and to open the flood-gates of God’s wrath upon him.

3. Corruption and wickedness of heart is another thing that has risen to an exceeding height in the world. Sin has so far prevailed that it has become universal: all men are become sinful and corrupt creatures.  Let us attend to St Paul’s description of the worlds “Jews and Gentiles are all under sin.  “As is written, There is none righteous, no not one, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no not one.”  And not only is every one corrupt, but they are all over corrupt, in every power, faculty, and principle, every part is depraved.  This is here (in Romans 3:10-18) represented by the several parts of the body being corrupt, as the throat, the tongue, the lips, the mouth, the feet: “Their throat is an open sepulcher, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood.”  And not only is every part corrupt, but exceeding corrupt, being possessed with dreadful principles of corruption, horribly evil dispositions and principles of sin, that may be represented by the poison of asps: which makes men like vipers and devils: principles of all uncleanness, pride, deceit, injustice, enmity, malice, blasphemy, murder.  Here their throats are compared to an open sepulcher and their mouth is said to be full of cursing and bitterness and destruction and misery are said to be in their ways.

And there are those principles of sin not only that are very bad, but every kind, here is no sort of wickedness but there is a seed of it in men.  And these seeds and Principles have not only a being in men’s hearts, but they are there in great strength: they have the absolute possession and dominion over men so that they are sold under sin.  Yea, wicked principles, and those only, are in the heart.  The imagination of the thoughts of their heart is evil only.  There are bad principles only, and no good ones.  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  Thus the hearts of all men are deceitful and desperately wicked.  And if we look, not only at the natural corruption of the heart, but at the contracted habits of sin, by wicked education and customs, how full shall we find the world of wickedness, in this respect!  How have men, by bad customs in sinning, broken down all restraints upon natural corruption and as it were abandoned themselves to wickedness!  So far has corruption and wickedness prevailed in the world, and so high has it risen, that it is become a great and universal deluge that overtops all things and prevails with that strength, that it is like the raging waves of the tempestuous ocean; which are ready to bear down all before them.

4. Many of the devil’s instruments have greatly prevailed and have been exalted to an exceeding height in the in the world.  It has been so in almost all ages of the world.  Many of the devil’s instruments have prospered and prevailed till they have got to the head of great kingdoms and empires, with vast riches and mighty power.  Those four great heathen monarchies that rose in the world before Christ are spoken of in Scripture as kingdoms set up in opposition to the kingdom of Christ.  So they are represented in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  These monarchies were exceeding powerful.  The two last ruled over the greater part of the then known world.  And the last especially, viz. the Roman Empire, was exceeding mighty: so that it is said to be diverse from all kingdoms, and that it should devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces.  It is represented by the fourth beast which was dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly and had great iron teeth that devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue with his feet.  These four kingdoms all persecuted the church of God in their turns, especially the last.  One of the governors of this monarchy put Christ to death.  And afterwards one emperor after another made dreadful havoc of the church making a business of it with the force of all the empire to torment and destroy the Christians, endeavoring, if possible, to root out the Christian name from under heaven.

And in these latter ages, how those two great instruments of the devil, viz. antichrist and Mahomet have prevailed and to what a pitch of advancement have they arrived; ruling over vast empires, with mighty wealth, pride and power: so that the earth has been, as it were, subdued by them.  Antichrist has set up himself as the vicar of Christ and has for many ages usurped the power of God, “sitting in the temple of God, and showing himself that he is God; and exalting himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped.”  And how dreadfully has he ravaged the church of God, being drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus.  And has often, as it were, deluged the world in Christian blood, shed with the utmost cruelty that human wit and malice could invent. — And at this day, many other instruments of the devil, many heretics, atheists, and other infidels, are exerting themselves against Christ and his church with great pride and contempt.

5. Affliction and misery have also prevailed and risen to an unspeakable height in the world. The spiritual misery which the elect are naturally in is great.  They are miserable captives of sin and Satan and under obligations to suffer eternal burnings.  This misery all mankind are naturally in.  And spiritual troubles and sorrows have often risen to a great height in the elect.  The troubles of a wounded spirit and guilty conscience have been felt with intolerable end insupportable weight.  And the darkness that has risen to God’s people after conversion, through the temptations and buffetings of the devil and the hidings of God’s face and manifestations of his anger, has been very terrible.   And temporal afflictions have often risen exceeding high.  The church of God has, for the most part, all along, been a seat of great affliction and tribulation.

But the height to which the evil of affliction has risen nowhere appears so much as in the afflictions that Christ suffered.  The evil of affliction and sorrow exalted itself so high as to seize the Son of God himself and to cause him to be all in a bloody sweat and to make his soul exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.  It caused him to cry out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!”  Affliction never prevailed to such a degree in this world, as in Christ, whose soul was, as it were, overwhelmed in an ocean of it.

6. Death is an evil which has greatly prevailed and made dreadful havoc in this world. How does it waste and devour mankind, one age after another, sparing none, high or low, rich or poor, good or bad!  Wild beasts have destroyed many; many cruel princes have taken away the lives of thousands and laid waste whole countries: but death devours all.  None are suffered to escape.  And the bodies of the saints, as well as others, fall prey to this great devourer.  Yea, so high did this enemy rise that he took hold on Christ himself and swallowed him among the rest.  He became the prey of this great, insatiable monster.  By this means, his bodily frame was destroyed and laid dead in the dark and silent grave.  And death still goes on destroying thousands every day.  And therefore the grave is one of those things which Agur says, never has enough. — So have evils of every kind prevailed and to such a degree have they exalted themselves in the world.

SECTION 2

How Jesus Christ, in the work of redemption, appears gloriously above all these evil.

It was not the will of the infinitely wise and holy Governor of the world that things should remain in this confusion.  But he had a design for subduing it and delivering an elect part of the world from it and exalting them to the possession of the greatest good to reign in the highest glory, out of a state of subjection to all these evils.  And he chose his Son as the person most fit for an undertaking that was infinitely too great for any mere creature: and he has undertaken the work of our redemption.

And though these evils are so many and so great and have prevailed to such a degree and risen to such a height and have been, as it were, all combined together; yet wherein they have exalted themselves, Christ, in the work of redemption, appears above them.  He hath gloriously prevailed against them all and brings them under his feet and rides forth in the chariots of salvation over their heads or leading them in triumph at his chariot wheels.  He appears in this work infinitely higher and mightier than they and sufficient to carry his people above them and utterly to destroy them all.

1. Christ appears gloriously above all evil in what he did to procure redemption for us in his state of humiliation, by the righteousness he wrought out and the atonement he made for sin.  The evils mentioned never seemed so much to prevail against him as in his sufferings: but in them, the foundation was laid for their overthrow.  In them, he appeared above Satan.  Though Satan never exalted himself so high as he did in procuring these sufferings of Christ; yet, then, Christ laid the foundation for the utter overthrow of his kingdom.  He slew Satan, as it were, with his own weapon, the spiritual David cut off this Goliath’s head with his own sword; and he triumphed over him in his cross.  “Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”  There the wisdom of Christ appeared gloriously above the subtlety of Satan.

Satan, that old serpent, used a great deal of subtlety to procure Christ’s death, and doubtless, when he had accomplished it, thought he had obtained a complete victory, being then ignorant of the contrivance of our redemption.  But the wisdom of Christ did so order things that Satan’s subtlety and malice should be made the very means of undermining the foundations of his kingdom.  And so he wisely led him into the pit that he had digged.

In this also, Christ appeared gloriously above the guilt of men.  For he offered a sacrifice, that was sufficient to do away all the guilt of the whole world.  Though the guilt of man was like the great mountains, whose heads are lifted up to the heavens, yet his dying love and his merits, appeared as a mighty deluge that overflowed the highest mountains, or like a boundless ocean that swallows them up; or like an immense fountain of light, that with the fullness and redundancy of its brightness swallows up men’s greatest sins, as little motes are swallowed up and hidden in the disk of the sun.

In this, Christ appeared above all the corruption of man because he purchased holiness for the chief of sinners.  And in undergoing such extreme afflicting, Christ got the victory over all misery and laid a foundation for its being utterly abolished with respect to his elect.  In dying, he became the plague and destruction of death.  When death slew him, it slew itself: for Christ, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil.  By this, he laid the foundation of the glorious resurrection of all his people to an immortal life.

2. Christ appears gloriously exalted above all evil in his resurrection and ascension into heaven. When Christ rose from the dead, then it appeared that he was above death, which, though it had taken him captive, could not hold him.  Then he appeared above the devil.  Then this Leviathan that had swallowed him was forced to vomit him up again; as the Philistines that had taken captive the ark were forced to return it, Dagon being fallen before it, with his head and hands broken off, and only the stumps left. — Then he appeared above our guilt: for he was justified in his resurrection.  In his resurrection, he appeared above all affliction.  For though he had been subject to much affliction and overwhelmed in it, he then emerged out of it as having gotten the victory, never to conflict with any more sorrow.   When he ascended up into heaven, he rose far above the reach of the devil and all his instruments, who had before had him in their hands.  And now he has sat down at the right hand of God as being made head over all things to the church, in order to a complete and perfect victory over sin, Satan, death, and all his enemies.  It was then said to him, “Sit thou on my right hand, until I make shine enemies thy footstool.”  He entered into a state of glory wherein he is exalted far above all these evils, as the forerunner of his people; and to make intercession for them, till they also are brought to be with him, in like manner exalted above all evil.

3. Christ appears gloriously above all evil in his work in the hearts of the elect in their conversion and sanctification. This is what the application of redemption consists of in this world.  In this work of Christ in the hearts of his elect, he appears glorious above Satan.  For the strong man armed is overcome, and all his armor wherein he trusted is taken from him, and his spoil divided.  In this work, the lamb is, by the spiritual David, taken out of the mouth of the lion and bear: the poor captive is delivered from his mighty and cruel enemies.

In this, Christ appears gloriously above the corruption and wickedness of the heart, above its natural darkness in dispelling it, and letting in light, and above its enmity and opposition, by prevailing over it, drawing it powerfully and irresistibly to himself, and turning a heart of stone into a heart of flesh: above the obstinacy and perverseness of the will, by making them willing in the day of his power.  In this, he appears above all their lusts.  For all sin is put to death in this work and the soul is delivered from the power and dominion of it. — In this work, the grace of Christ gloriously triumphs over men’s guilt.  He comes over the mountains of their sins and visits them with his salvation.

And God often desires in this work, either in the beginning or progress of it, to give his people those spiritual comforts, in which he gloriously appears to be above all affliction and sorrow: and often gives them to triumph over the devil and his powerful and cruel instruments.  Many saints, by the influences of Christ’s Spirit on their hearts, have rejoiced and triumphed when suffering the greatest torments and cruelties of their persecutors.  And in this work Christ sometimes gloriously appears above death in carrying his people far above the fears of it and making them to say, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory,”

4. Christ gloriously appears above all these aforementioned evils in his glorifying the souls of departed saints in heaven. In this, he gives a glorious victory over death.  Death by it is turned from an enemy into a servant; and their death, by the glorious change that passes in the state of their souls, is become a resurrection, rather than a death.  Now Christ exalts the soul to a state of glory where it is perfectly delivered from Satan and all his temptation’s and all his instruments; and from all remains of sin and corruption and from all affliction: “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat — and

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

5. Christ appears gloriously above these evils in what he does in his providence in the world as head and redeemer of his church.  If he appears gloriously above Satan and all his instruments in upholding his church, even from its first establishment, through all the powerful attempts that have been made against it by earth and hell: hereby fulfilling his promise, “That the gates of hell should never prevail against it.”   Christ gloriously triumphed over these his enemies in a remarkable success of his gospel soon after his ascension when many thousands in Jerusalem and all parts of the world were so soon turned from darkness unto light and from the power of Satan unto God: and in causing his word to go on and prosper and his church to increase and prevail against all the opposition of the heathen world when they united all their power to put a stop to it and root it out.  So that, in spite of all that the philosophers and wise men, and emperors and princes could do, the gospel in a little time overthrew Satan’s old heathenish kingdom in the whole Roman Empire which was then the main part of the world; and so brought about the greatest and most glorious revolution.  Instead of one single nation, now the greater part of the nations of the known world were become God’s people.  And Christ’s exaltation above all evil in his government of the world, in his providence, as the Redeemer of his people, has since gloriously appeared in reviving his church by the reformation from popery, after it had for many ages lain in a great measure hid and dwelt in a wilderness under anti-Christian persecution.

And he will yet far more gloriously triumph over Satan and all his Instruments in all the mighty kingdoms that have been set up in opposition to the kingdom of Christ, at the time of the fall of antichrist and the beginning of those glorious times.  “And then the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15.  Though great and mighty empires have been set up one after another in the world, in opposition to the kingdom of Christ, during the succession of so many ages, yet, Christ’s kingdom shall be the last and the universal kingdom, which he has given him, as the heir of the world.

Whatever great works Satan has wrought, the final issue and event of all in the winding up of things in the last ages of the world shall be the glorious kingdom of Christ through the world; a kingdom of righteousness and holiness, of love and peace, established everywhere.  This is in agreement with the ancient prediction, “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.  And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is a everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).  “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Daniel 7:27).

Then shall Christ appear gloriously exalted indeed above all evil: and then shall all the saints in earth and heaven gloriously triumph in him, and sing, “Hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honor, and power unto the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Rev. 19:2, 6.

6. Christ will appear gloriously above all evil in the consummation of the redemption of his elect church at the end of the world. Then the whole work of redemption will be completed with respect to all that Christ died for, both in its application, and not till then.  And then Christ’s exaltation above all evil will be most perfectly and fully manifest.  Then shall the conquest and triumph be completed with respect to all of them.  Then shall all the devils and all their instruments be brought before Christ to be judged and condemned.  And then their destruction shall be completed in their consummate and everlasting misery; when they shall be all cast into the lake of fire, no more to roam and usurp dominion in the world nor have liberty to make opposition against God and Christ.  They shall forever be shut up, thenceforward only to suffer.  Then shall death be totally destroyed.  All the saints shall be delivered everlastingly from it.  Even their bodies shall be taken from the power of death by a glorious resurrection.

Then shall all guilt and all sin and corruption, and all affliction, all sighs and tears, be utterly and eternally abolished, concerning every one of the elect since they will all be brought to their consummate and immutable glory.  And all this as the fruit of Christ’s blood and as an accomplishment of his redemption.

Then all that evil which has so prevailed and so exalted itself and usurped and raged and reigned, shall be perfectly and forever thrust down and destroyed, with respect to all the elect, and all will be exalted to a state where they will be forever immensely above all these things.  “And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

SECTION 3

The subject improved and applied.

1. In this, we may see how the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ appears in the work of redemption.  It was because the Father had from eternity a design of exceedingly glorifying his Son that he appointed him to be the person that should thus triumph over the evil in the world.  The work of redemption is the most glorious of all God’s works that are made known to us.  The glory of God most remarkably shines forth in it.  And this is one thing whereby its glory eminently appears, that Christ appears so gloriously above Satan and all his instruments, above all guilt, all corruption, all affliction, above death, at above all evil.  And more especially, because evil hath so exalted itself in the world, as we have heard, and exalted itself against Christ in particular.

Satan has ever had a peculiar enmity against the Son of God.  Probably his first rebellion, which was his condemnation, was his proudly taking it in disdain when God declared the decree in heaven that his Son in man’s nature should be the King of heaven; and that all the angels should worship him.  However that was, yet it is certain that his strife has ever been especially against the Son of God.  The enmity has always been between the seed of the woman and the serpent.  And therefore that war which the devil maintains against God is represented by the devil and his angels fighting against Michael and his angels.  God had appointed his Son to be the heir of the world, but the devil has contested this matter with him and has strove to set himself up as God of the world.  And how exceedingly has the devil exalted himself against Christ!  How did he oppose him as he dwelt among the Jews in his tabernacle and temple!  And how did he oppose him when on earth!  And how has he opposed him since his ascension!  What great and mighty works has Satan brought to pass in the world!  How many Babels has he built up to heaven in his opposition to the Son of God!  How exceeding proud and haughty has he appeared in his opposition!  How have he and his instruments, and sin, affliction, and death, of which he is the father, raged against Christ?  But yet Christ, in the work of redemption, appears infinitely above them all.  In this work, he triumphs over them, however they have dealt proudly; and they all appear under his feet.  In this the glory of the Son of God in the work of redemption remarkably appears.

The beauty of good appears with the greatest advantage when compared with its contrary evil.  And the glory of that which is excellent, then especially shows itself, when it triumphs over in contrary and appears vastly above it in its greatest height.  The glory of Christ, in this glorious exaltation over so great evil, which so exalted itself against him, appears more remarkably in that he is exalted out of so low a state.  Though he appeared in the world as a little child; yet how does he triumph over the most gigantic enemies of God and men!  He who was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” is a man of war who triumphed over his enemies in all their power.  He who was meek and lowly of heart has triumphed over those proud foes.  And he is exalted over them all in that which appears most despicable even his cross.

2. Here is matter of exceeding great encouragement for all sinful creatures in the world of mankind to come to Christ.  For let them be as sinful as they will and ever so miserable, Christ, in the work of redemption, is gloriously exalted above all their sin and misery.  How ever high their guilt has risen, though mountains have been heaping on mountains all the days of their lives, till the pile appears towering up to heaven and even above the stars; yet Christ in the work of redemption appears gloriously exalted above all this height. — Though they are overwhelmed in a mighty deluge of woe and misery; a deluge that is not only above their heads, but above the heads of the highest mountains; and they do not see how it is possible that they should escape; yet they have no reason to be discouraged from looking to Christ for help, who in the work of redemption, appears gloriously above the deluge of evil.  Though they see dreadful corruption in their hearts; though their lusts appear like giants or like the raging waves of the sea; yet they need not despair help; but may look to Christ, who appears in the work of redemption, gloriously above all this corruption.

If they apprehend themselves to be miser the captives of Satan and find him too strong an adversary for esteem; and the devil is often tempting and buffeting them and triumphing over them with great cruelty.  If it seems to them that the devil has swallowed them up, and has got full possession of them, as the whale had of Jonah; yet there is encouragement for them to look again, as Jonah did, towards God’s holy temple, and to trust in Christ for deliverance from Satan, who appears so gloriously exalted above him in the work of redemption.

If they are ready to sink with darkness and sorrows, distress of conscience, or those frowns of God upon them; so that God’s waves and billows seem to pass over them; yet they have encouragement enough to look to Christ for deliverance.  These waves and billows have before exalted themselves against Christ; and he appeared to be infinitely above them. — And if they are afraid of death; if it looks exceeding, terrible, as an enemy that would swallow them up, yet let them look to Christ who has appeared so gloriously above death; and their fears will turn into joy and triumph.

3. What a glorious cause have those who have an interest in Christ to glory in their Redeemer! They are often beset with many evils and many mighty enemies surround them on every side with open mouths ready to devour them, but they need not fear any of them.  They may glory in Christ, the rock of their salvation, who appears so gloriously above them all.  They may triumph over Satan, over this evil world, over guilt, and over death.  For as their redeemer is mighty and is so exalted above all evil, so shall they also be exalted in him.  They are now, in a sense, so exalted, for nothing can hurt them.  Christ carries them, as on eaglets’ wings, high out of the reach of all evils, so that they cannot come near them to do them any real harm.  And, in a little time, they shall be so out of their reach that they shall not be able even to molest them any more forever.

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