2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 22. 449
therefore, I do not enlarge the point to set colours upon matters, but indeed I rather speak under. There is no excellency that we can think of in this world that riseth high enough to set out the state of a Christian ; he is indeed a king.
For, I beseech you, what makes a king ? Victory and conquest, that makes a king. Is not he a conqueror that hath that in him that conquers the world and aU things else ? Others, that are not Christians, they are slaves to lusts and pleasures. A Christian is chief conqueror in the world, he conquers the world in his heart, and all temptations are inferior to him; he sees them as things that he hath gotten the mastery of; he subdues the principal enemy. A Christian fears not death, he fears not judgment, he fears not the wrath of God. He knows God is reconciled in Christ, and so all things are reconciled with him. God being at peace, all things else are at peace. So he is a conqueror. He hath a kingdom in himself. Others have kingdoms out of themselves, and in themselves they are slaves. He is such a king as hath a kingdom in himself. He hath peace and joy, and rest from base affections and terror of conscience.
Is not he a king that is lord and master of all things ? A Christian is master of prosperity. He conquers it, he can make it serve his turn — to be thankful to God, to be ready to distribute. He is master of adversity. ' I can want and I can be abased, I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me,' saith blessed Paul, Philip, iv. 12, 13. He is an omni- potent king in some sense, ' he can do all through him that strengthens him.' He hath conquered the king of fears — death. That that makes the greatest monarch in the world to shake and tremble, a Christian can think of with comfort. He can think of God's wrath with comfort appeased in Christ, staunched with his blood. He can think of the day of judgment with comfort, that then his Saviour shall be his judge, and that he shall stand at the right hand of God. He can think of afflictions with comfort ; he is sanctified to all things, and all things are sanctified to him, and ' all things shall work for his good,' Rom. viii. 28 ; ' nothing shall be able to separate him from God's love to him in Christ, neither things present nor things to come,' Rom. viii. 38. That which amazeth the Belshazzars of the world, and makes their knees smite one against another, as that handwriting did him ; that which makes others quake to think of, a revenging God, before whom they must appear, and answer for all their miscarriages, and their neglect of precious time, and abuse of their places, they can think of with joy and comfort.
He hath conquered himself and his own heart : he can subdue the carnal part of him, and bring it under the Spirit. All others, though kings, if they be not Christians, are slaves to some reigning lust or other.
He is a king likewise in regard of possession, which is a second thing which makes a Chi'istian an excellent person. As he is a great conqueror, so he is a great possessor ; for ' all is yours,' saith the apostle, ' things pre- sent and things to come, hfe and death, afflictions and crosses, and all is yours,' 1 Cor. iii. 22. How '? To help him to heaven. Things present are his ; comforts are his, if they be present ; afflictions are his, to purge him and fit him for heaven ; things to come are his, heaven is his, and terrors to come, all serve him. Even evil things are his in advantage and success. Though in disposition they be not his, but have an hostile dis- position in them, they are all overpowered by the love of God ; and Christ, the king of heaven and earth, overrules all to the good of his. And so all
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pood tliinf:;R arc Lis, thout^'li not in civil possession, Imt as far as the great governor of all things sees lit. What a king is this ! And, therefore, the word is not too great, to say a Christian is a king. He is indeed the most excellent person in the world.
And he hath likewise a kingly spirit, ihat is, he doth things with love and freedom of spirit that others do upon compulsion, for he hath the royal law of love, as the apostle saith, written in his heart, James ii. 8, What is that '? The royal law of love is this, when a man doth that which he doth from love and from a princely spirit, — when he is not compelled. That which others do not at all, or hy force is wrung from them, he doth out of a princely spirit that is in him, because his spirit is enlarged and anointed by the Spirit of God to every good work.
These things might be enlarged, but a taste of them is sufficient, and they are very useful to raise our hearts to consider that there is another manner of state than the world thinks of. There are spiritual and excel- lent kings and priests ; and this will stand by us when all other excel- lencies foil, ' All flesh is grass, and as the flower of the grass,' 1 Peter i. 24. Eut this dignity, this anointing which we have by the Spirit and by the word of God, it endures for ever, and abides to all eternity.