kings of the earth ; he is the prince of the kings of the earth ; he is Lord of lords, and King of kings,' Ps. Ixxxix. 27 ; Kev. i, 5, and xvii. 14, I remember Theodosius the emperor and another emperor did use to call themselves the vassals of Christ ; and it is most certain that all the emperors, kings, and princes of the world are but the vassals of this great king. Christ is not only ' King of saints,' but he is also ' King of nations.' ' There was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom ; that all people, nations, and languages should serve him,' Rev. xv. 3, 4, and xii. 5 ; Dan. vii. 17. God, by promise, hath ' given him the heathen for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession,' Ps. ii. 8. The monarchs of the world have stretched their empires far. Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom in Strabo reached as far as Spain ; the Persians reached far- ther, Alexander farther than they, and the Romans farther than them all ; but none of all these has subdued the whole habitable world, as Christ has and will. ' All power is given unto him both in heaven and in earth. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand, and the Father also hath put all things under his feet,' Eom. x. 18 ; Rev. xi. 15 ; Mat. xxviii. 18 ; John iii. 35 ; 1 Cor. XV. 27. The government of all the world is given to Jesus Christ as God-man. All the nations of the earth are under the government of Christ. He is to govern them, and rule them, and judge them, and make what use he pleases of them, as may make most for his own glory, and the good of his chosen. Now God the Father promiseth to invest Jesus Christ with his kingly office : Ps. ii. 6, ' Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.' i These words are spoken by God the Father, of his Son Jesus Christ. In a promissory way, God the Father anoints Jesus Christ as Zion's king ; and therefore it can- not but be the highest madness, folly, and vanity, for any sort or number of men under heaven to seek or attempt to pull that king of saints down, whom God the Father hath set up. Christ rules for his Father, and from his Father, and will so rule in despite of all the rage and wrath, malice and madness, of men and devils : ' yet have I set my king' — Heb., ' I have anointed' — where the sign of Christ's inaugu- ration, or entrance into his kingdom, is put for the possession and en- joying thereof. Christ was anointed and appointed by his Father to the office and work of a mediator, and is therefore here called his king. There is an emphasis in the word ' I,' ' Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion : ' 'I,' before whom all the nations of the earth are but as a drop of a bucket, and as the small dust of the bal- •ance, Isa. xl. 15, 17; I, before whom all nations are as nothing, yea, less than nothmg ; I, by whom princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth, Prov. viii. 16 ; I, that rule the kingdoms of men, and give them to whomsoever I will, and who set over them the basest of men, Dan. iv. 17 ; I, that change times and seasons, and that remove kings and set up kings, Dan. ii. 21 ; I, that can kill and make alive, save and damn, bring to heaven and throw down to hell, Deut. xxxii. 39 ; I am he that hath set up Christ as king, and there- fore let me see the nation, the council, the princes, the nobles, the judges, the family, the person, that dare oppose or run counter-cross
^ ' My king,' in a peculiar way, Decretum, Scriptnm, Promuhjatum.
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