[4.] This power which belongeth to Christ as mediator is given to him partly as a recompense of his humiliation ; of which I shall speak in the second point. But chiefly —
(1.) Because it belongeth to the fulness of his mediatory office; and therefore, being appointed king by the Father, his last function as a king was to judge the world. The Mediator was not only to pay a price to divine justice, and to separate the redeemed from the world, by his Spirit converting them to God, but also to judge the devil, and all those enemies out of whose hands he had freed the Church. He was to fight against the blind world, and triumph over them ; and when the world is ended, to judge them, and cast them into eternal tor- ments.
(2.) His office is not full till this be done. It is a part of his ad- ministration as mediator. The last act of conquest is overcoming his enemies, and glorifying and redressing injuries and wrongs of his saints. Secondly, In what nature he doth act and exercise the judgment, as God, or man, or both.
I answer — In both. Christ is the person, as God-man ; yet the judg- ment is acted visibly by him in the human nature, sitting upon a visible throne, that he may be seen of all, and heard. Therefore Christ is so often designed by this expresion, ' Son of man ;' as in the text, and Mat. xvi. 27, and Acts xvii. 31, and Mat. xxvi. 64, 'Ye shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with power and great glory;' John v. 27. The Son of man is the visible actor and judge. Because the judgment must be visible, therefore the judge must be such as may be seen with bodily eyes. The Godhead puts forth itself by the human nature, in which all these great works are acted.
Use. You see what need there is to get in with Christ: Eom. viii. 1, 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ;' 1 John ii. 28, ' And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.' Oh ! what a comfort will it be to have our Kedeemer in our nature to be our judge! Then we shall see our goel, our kins- man, whom we have heard so much of, whom we have loved, and longed for. But the contemners of his mercy will find the Lamb's face terrible : Eev. vi. 16, ' And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.' But believers will find their advo- cate their judge, to reward those that trust in him, Ps. ii. 12. He that
VeR. 31.] SERMONS UPON- MATTHEW XXV. 23
hath so often pleaded with God for us, he is to pass sentence upon us. Woukl a man be afraid to be judged by his dearest friend, or think his sentence would be terrible? If the devil were our judge, or wicked men, we might be sad ; but it is your dear Lord Jesus ; therefore let us comfort ourselves with the thoughts of it. David's followers were afraid ; but when he came to be crowned at Hebron, then he dignified and re- warded them. Christ's followers are now despised; but when he shall come in liis glory, they shall be invited into his kingdom : ' Come, ye blessed of my Father.'
SERMON XIX.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the hohj angels ivith liim, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. —Mat. XXV. 31.
I COME now to the second point : —
Doct. 2. That Christ's appearance for the judgment of the world shall be glorious and full of majesty.
I shall prove it by opening the circumstances of the text. Three things are offered here : —
1. His personal glory.
2. His royal attendance.
3. His glorious seat and throne.
First, His jjersonal glory. Let us see what it is, and why he will come in such an appearance.
First, What it will be. We cannot fully know till we see it ; but certain we are this glory must be exceeding great, if we consider —
1. The dignity of his person. He is Grod-man ; and now that mystery is to be discovered to the utmost ; therefore he must needs have such a glory as never creature was capable of, nor can be ; but at that day the creatures are capable of great glory ; for it is said, Mat. xiii. 43, ' The righteous shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.' And if it be thus with the saints, how shall it be with Christ ? The saints are but creatures ; they are not deified when they are glorified ; but he is God-man in one person. The saints are but .members of the mystical body, but Christ is the head ; and therefore he must needs far excel the glory of all the creatures. Ours is but a derived rtiy ; the body of light is in himself. We read, 2 Thes. i. 10, that 'he will be admired in the saints;' that is, in the glory he puts upon them. All the spectators shall stand admiring at the honour he puts upon them, that are but newly crept out of dust and rottenness. But how much more may he be admired for his own personal glory !