' For this end,' &c.
Use 4. Again, in general, when he saith Christ is ' Lord of the quick and of the dead,' we see hence the truth of the catholic church, from the first man living to the end of the church, under one head Christ. Christ is the Saviour of those that were before the law, under the law, under the gospel. Christ was the Saviour of all. He is the Saviour of the dead as well as of the living. All come under one head, which hath no further use than to inform us in that one point of doctrine, to shew that Christ is ' yesterday ' as well as ' to-day,' to-morrow, ' and for ever,' Heb. xiii. 8. All that were * That is, ' offence.'— G.
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saved before, that are saved now, and shall be for ever, are saved by Christ. * There is no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved,' Acts iv. 12. ' He is Lord of the dead and of the living.' Now, therefore, to come more particularly, ' Christ is Lord both of the dead and of the living.' What a Lord [is] we heard before.
This is a point of wondrous comfort, and likewise a point informing us of our duty ; and withal shewing us that Christ will work that duty in us, because he is a Lord not only that should rule over us, that we should be subject to him, but to make us subject to him. It is a point of wondrous comfort and of duty, and of this issue, that we under the covenant of grace shall be enabled to perform that duty to our Lord.
And then it is a point of wondrous security in life, in death, as, alas ! sometime one thing amazeth us, sometime another ; sometime we are willing to die — Elias was afraid to live ; sometimes we are afraid of death, as we are all naturally. Why, come life or death, come what will come, we are under a Lord that is Lord of ' the dead and of the living.' So it is a point of wondrous security and quiet to a Christian in all passages. He sometimes lives and sometimes dies, but his salvation is not at that hazard to be off and on, but ' whether he live or die,' he is sure to be saved, for he is under the Lord of the living and the dead.
But to speak a little of the first. It is intended for comfort, as well as direction to duty, and to be subject, to submit to the Lord. It is a comfort that we have a Lord that rules us for our good while we are living, and when we are dead, and for ever ; and indeed we cannot have a greater com- fort, beloved, than this, that * we are not our own, but that we are bought with a price,' 1 Cor. vi. 20, that we are under Christ. Why, what a comfort is this, will you say. Homo non est natus, &c. (c), as the natural man said, a man is not born to subjection but to honour and government. What comfort is this to be under Christ, to be under a governor !
Am. Oh beloved, know that it is the greatest comfort ; as the rule is, everything is perfect if it be weak, by that whereby it is subject to a higher. The vine is perfect by leaning to the elm. It would lie on the ground else, and be spoiled. The perfection of the weak creature the sheep is to have a shepherd. The perfection of a weak nature is to have a rule for their good. The perfection of the ship is the pilot. It would dash on every rock, and be tossed with every wave else. And so it is our perfection, that we are vuider a Lord, such a Lord as this is, cui serrire regnare est, &c. (f), to whom to serve is to reign ; for all his servants are so many kings. It is our perfection to be subject to him, therefore it is a wondrous comfort that Christ is become ' Lord of the living and of the dead.' I beseech you, therefore, think of it in your meditations. All the Scripture aims at this end to comfort. Whatsoever is written, is written for our comfort ; and this is a principle of divinity among the rest, that a Christian is not his own man now, but he is under Christ. And this is a comfort both in life and death at all times. As the psalmist saith, ' My times are in thy hands, Lord,' Ps. xxxi. 15. He saith not, ' my time,' but ' my times are in thy hand ; ' so we may say our times are in Christ's hands ; our time of being born, our time of living and dying; and when we are dead, our time of rising again. Our time, the whole current of our time, is in thy hands, not in the devil's hands, not in our enemies' hands, beloved, for they would make short work with us then ; but our times are in our Lord's hands. Christ is the Lord of our times, the Lord of our life and death ; and when we are dead, he is a Lord for ever ; for he lives for ever, and therefore he is