I shall handle these titles conjunctly and severally.
I. Look upon them conjunctly and together, and there you may observe the mingliug of words of power and words of goodness and mercy in Christ's style and title. I observe it the rather because it is often found in scripture. But for what reasons are these titles of mercy and power thus mingled and coupled together ?
1. For the comfort of the saints, to show that Christ in all his glory will not forget himself to be a Saviour. At the day of judgment, when he comes forth like the great God with all his heavenly train, then he will own us, and will be as tender of us as he was upon the cross. The butler in his advancement, when he was at court and well at ease, for- got Joseph in prison ; but Christ in his advancement doth not grow shy and stately. We may have boldness in the great day, for he wiil not only come as ' the great God,' but also as ' our Saviour.' We have the like expression, Heb. viii. 1, 2, ' We have such an high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of majesty in the heavens.' And what follows ? 'A minister of the sanctuary.' Jesus Christ certainly had a gracious welcome into heaven, and was exalted by the Father ; but even now he is our faithful agent in heaven. This is made to be the excellency and height of his condescension, that he came in the form of a servant, in the fashion of an ordinary man, poor and despic-
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able. Then he came to do the church service, and now he is gene to heaven in all his glory ; still he is there as a servant, as one that is to negotiate with God for holy things, to tender our prayers to the Lord, and to pass our blessings to us ; this is Christ's employment in heaven.
2. To show the mystery of Christ's person, in whom the two natures meet ; there is not only the majesty of the Godhead, but also the human nature by which he claims kin of us. I observe it because the scripture takes notice of it : Isa. ix. 6, 'To us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder ; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.' What a mixture of titles is here ! He is called ' a child,' yet ' the everlasting Father ; ' ' Wonder- ful,' yet the ' Counsellor ; ' one that is intimate with his people, he gives sweet counsel to them. He is called 'the mighty God,' and then presently ' the Prince of Peace.' Christ's person is the greatest mystery and riddle in the world ; he is God and yet man. He is, as the apostle saith, Heb. vii. 3, ' Without father and without mother/ as Melchizedec ; yet he had both father and mother, a father in heaven, and a mother upon earth. He was without mother as to his divinity, and without father as to his manhood. Another place where the same method is observed : Zech. xiii. 7, ' Awake, 0 sword, against my Shepherd, and against the Man that is my fellow.' He is called ' the Man,' but yet God calls him ' his fellow ; ' our brother, and God's son. There are so many mysteries that meet in Christ's person, that under the law he could not be i3gured and represented by one sacrifice, Lev. xvi. 15, 21. There were two sacrifices chosen to represent Christ; there was the goat to be slain for the sin-offering, and then the scape- goat ; one was not enough, because there are in Christ two natures — a God that could not die, and a man that could not overcome death. The goat that was slain showed he was crucified in the flesh, and the goat that was let go showed that he did yet live by the power of God : 2 Cor. xiii. 4, ' For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God.' Or as another apostle hath it : 1 Peter iii. 18, ' Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.' There was his human nature as he was man, that he might die to answer the goat that was slain ; then his divine nature that he might live and overcome death.
3. To compare his two comings, and to show that Christ doth not forget his old work. His first coming was in humility, to save, not to judge: John xii. 47, ' I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.' So 1 John iv. 14, ' We have seen and do testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world.' But then his second coming is in more majesty ; then he comes as a God to judge. To consider him as a severe judge, that would make our heart tremble ; but to consider him as a Saviour, that is comfortable ; then he remem- bers his old relation for the elect's sake. In short, he is ' the great God, and our Saviour,' to show his double Avork and office at the last day ; he is ' a Saviour ' to his own people when he comes to show himself to be ' the great God,' to punish the wicked that would not accept of grace and salvation.