[1.] The thing refused is his reign. Where Christ cometh he will be lord and sovereign. His kingdom is that administration which requireth spiritual obedience from us ; this the licentious world cannot endure.
[2.] The manner of refusing ; it is wilful, ov de\o/jiev, ' We will not.' They allege no lawful reason, but wilfully and contumaciously reject his government ; and so it taxeth the obstinacy of the Jews, standing out unreasonably against the faith.
JDoct. That it is the spiritual kingdom of Christ which is most opposed by the carnal world.
The Jews disclaimed him from being their king ; their whole car- riage towards him and his messengers speak this language, ' We will not have this man to reign, over us.' When he was present, they contemned and slighted his person, calling him ' This man ' by way of contempt ; yet in the parable he is represented as a nobleman, and heir of a kingdom. When absent, and gone to receive a kingdom, they abused his messengers. The rebellious world maketh defection from Christ, because he is out of sight ; they will not be controlled by an invisible king. But it was not the sin of the Jews only, but of the gentiles also ; for why did the gentiles rage against the Lord and his anointed ? Ps. ii. 3, ' Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.' All the business of the rebellious world is to cast away Christ's yoke, to dissolve the bonds of loyalty and obedience to him.
I will prove— (1.) That Christ hath a kingdom ; (2.) That in all reason this kingdom should be submitted unto; (3.) W^hat moveth and induceth men so much to dislike his kingly office.
I. That Christ hath a spiritual kingdom , for all things concur here which belong to a kingdom : here is a monarch, which is Christ ; a law, which is the gospel ; subjects, which are penitent believers ; rewards and punishments, eternal life and eternal torment.
1. Here is a monarch, the mediator, whose kingdom it is. Origin- ally it belongeth to God as God, but derivatively to Christ as mediator : Ps. ii. 6, ' I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion;' Phil. ii. 10, 11, ' That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' This kingdom, which is exercised by a Kedeemer, doth not vacate or make void our duty to God. No ; this new dominion is not destructive of the former, but accumulative ; that is, it doth not abolish the power and right which God hath to govern ; that continu- eth still, and will continue as long as man receiveth his being from God, and the continuance of his being by daily providence and preservation ;
106 SERMON UPON LUKE XIX. 14.
but this is superadded to the former. Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father : the right of governing is still in God, but the actual administration is by Christ.
2. There are subjects. Before I tell you who they are, I must pre- mise that there is a double consideration of subjects. Some are subjects by the grant of God, others are subjects not only by the grant of God, but their own consent. By divine donation all things are put into the hands of Christ, and under the power of the Son of God and our Eedeemer ; so no creature is exempted from his dominion ; no, not the devils themselves, though revolters and rebels against God : Eph. i. 22, ' And hath put all things under his feet, and given him to be head over all things to the church.' Whether they will or no, they are bound to his absolute dominion and sovereign authority ; and so all men are subjects of Christ's kingdom, partly by divine obligation bound to be so, and partly by his overruling providence they are forced to submit to his disposing will. There is a passive submission to his power, though not a voluntary subjection to his laws ; but of this we speak not now. The other sort is of those who are subjects by consent, who willingly give up themselves to the Eedeemer, to be saved upon his terms : 2 Cor. viii. 5, ' But first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.' And so the subjects of this kingdom are penitent believers. Devils and wicked men are his subjects whether they will or no ; but all Christ's people are his by a voluntary subjec- tion and consent, or yield up themselves to him by covenant. Now these I call penitent believers, because both faith and repentance is necessary to our entrance into this subjection.
[1.] Kepentance, that we may lay down our former hostility, and so enter into confederation and covenant with him. Therefore often preaching repentance is called preaching the Mngdom of God : Mat. iv. 17, ' From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ; ' Mark i. 14, 15, ' Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand ; repent ye and. believe the gospel.'