Vers. 31-33.] sermons upon matthew xxv. 19
appearetli most ; especially in this solemn action, wherein Christ is to discover himself to the world with the greatest majesty and glory.
[3.] For power. A divine power is plainly necessary, that none may withdraw themselves from this judgment, or resist or hinder the execu- tion of this sentence ; for otherwise it would be passed in vain : Titus ii. 13, ' Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ.' Christ is then to show himself the great and powerful God. His power is seen in raising the dead, in bringing them together in one place, in opening their consciences, in casting them into hell : Mat. xxiv. 30, ' The Son of man shall come from heaven with power and great glory.'
[4.] For authority. I shall the longer insist on this, because the main hinge of all lieth here, and this doth bring the matter home. That Jesus Christ, and none but Jesus Christ, shall be the world's judge. By the law of nature, the wronged party and the supreme power hath right to require satisfaction for the wrong done. Where no power is publicly constituted, possibly the wronged party hath power to require it ; but where things are better constituted, lest the wronged party should indulge his revenge and passion too far, it rests in the supreme power, and those appointed by it, to judge the matter, and to make amends to those that are wronged in their body, goods, or good name. Now, to God both these things concur.
(1.) He is the wronged party, and offended with the sins of men. Not that we can lessen his happiness by anything that we can do ; for our good and evil reacheth not unto him ; his essential glory is still the same, whether we obey or disobey, please or displease, honour or dishonour him. That which is eternal and immutable neither is lessened nor increased by anything that we can do. He is out of the reach of all the darts that we can cast at him. Hurt us they may, but reach him they cannot. But sin, it is a wrong to his declarative glory as sovereign lord and lawgiver, as it is a breach of his law. There was hurt done to Bathsheba and Uriah, Ps. li. 4, but the sin and obliquity of the action was against God and his sovereign authority. If the injury done to the creature could be severed from the offence done to God, it were not so great, God is the author of the light of nature, and that order which begetteth a sense of good and evil in our hearts. God is the author of the law given by Moses, and the gospel revealed by his Son. Therefore, whatever things are committed against the law of nature, or the law of Moses, or the gospel, certainly it is a wrong to the justice of God, as being a breach of that order which he hath established : 1 John iii. 4, ' He that committeth sin, transgresseth also the law ; for sin is a transgression of the law.^ Laws cannot be despised, but the majesty of the lawgiver is contemned, disparaged, and slighted. Therefore upon this right God might come in as a very proper judge. But, indeed, God doth not punish merely as offended, or as a private man revengeth himself, where there is no power pub- licly constituted to do him right ; but he j^roperly judge th.
(2.) A supreme and sovereign lord, and governor of the world, to whom it belongeth, for the common good, to see that it be well with them that do well, and ill with them that do evil, and that no com- passion be showed but where the case is compassionable, according tf>
20 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV, [SeR. XVIII,
that declaration lie bath made ot liimself to the creatures. To declan; this more i)luinly, we shall see how this right accrueth to God. It may be supposed to accrue to him two ways — either because of the excel- lency of his being, or because of his benefits which he hath bestowed upon mankind.
(1st.) The excellency of his being. This is according to the light of nature, that those that excel should be above others ; as it is clear in man, who is above the brute creatures; he is made to have dominion over them, because he hath a more excellent nature than they. And when God said, ' Let us make man after our own image,' he presently upon that account gave him dominion over the beasts of the field, and fowls of the air, and fishes of the sea. So God, being infinite, and far above all finite things, hath a power over the creatures, angels or men, who are as nothing to him, and therefore to be governed by him. But chiefly —
(2d.) By virtue of the benefits bestowed by him ; for great benefits received from another do necessarily beget a power over him that receiveth them ; as parents have a power and authority over their children, who are a means under God to give them life and education; the most barbarous people would acknowledge this. How much greater, then, is the right of God, who hath given us life, and breath, and being, and well-being, and all things ! He created us out of nothing ; and being created, he preserveth us, and giveth us all the good things which we enjoy. And therefore we are obliged to be subject to him, and to obey his holy laws, and to be accountable to him for the breach of them. Therefore, let us state it thus : As the excellency of his nature giveth him a fitness and a sufficiency for the government of mankind, his creation, preservation, and other benefits give him a full right to make what laws he pleaseth, and to call man to an account whether he hath kept them, yea or no. His right is greater than parents can have over their children ; for in natural generation they are but instruments of his providence, acting only the power which God giveth them ; and the parents propagate nothing to the children but the body, and those things that belong to the body ; called, there- fore, ' The fathers of our flesh,' Heb. xii. 9. Yea, in framing the body God hatli a greater hand than they ; for they cannot tell whether the child will be maU) or female, beautiful or deformed. They know not the number and posture of the bones, and veins, and arteries, and sinews ; but God doth not only concur to all these things, but ' form the spirit of man in him,' Zech, xii. 1. And all the care and provi- dence of our parents cometli to nothing, unless the Lord directetli it, and secondeth it with his blessing. Therefore God naturally is the governor and judge of all creatures, visible and invisible; so that, from his empire and jurisdiction they neither can nor onght to exempt themselves. So that to be God and judge of the world is one and the same thing expressed in divers terms.