THE THIRD SERMON.
For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might he the Lord both of the dead and of the living. — Rom. XIV. 9.
In these words, as you heard heretofore at large, the apostle labours to stay the thoughts and aflections of men concerning the things of indifierency, that they should not be hasty to censure another's servant, who stands or falls to his own master, as you have it in verse 4.
The reason is, because whatsoever they do they do it to the Lord. ' He that regards a day, regards it to the Lord ; he that regards not a day, regards it not to the Lord.' Some things are of that nature that the right aim puts a qualification upon the actions. A good end cannot qualify many actions, but some actions are of that nature that a good end doth not altogether * Qu. ' in ' ?— Ed. t Qu. ' us ' ?— Ed.
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justify it, but it frees the person from some censure ; he doth it to God. Some upon some conceit may abstain from a thing for religious ends, and are not to be censured ; some again perform it, and are not to be censured, because they do it to the Lord ; that is, out of religious respects.
How doth he prove that they do it to the Lord ? He proves it more generally, ver. 7, ' None of us live to ourselves, nor none of us die to our- selves,' which I spake of before.
Then he proves that we are the Lord's, because it was the end of Christ's dying and rising and reviving, ' that he might be the Lord both of the dead and of the living ; and if he be the Lord, then we ought to live to this ' Lord of the quick and dead.'
We see Saint Paul here makes use of a general truth, of a grand principle, that we are the Lord's, and therefore live to him and die to him, and do particular actions to him, or not do them to him, to shew that we should have in mind information on sound general truths, that are the ground of all particular practice, as we shall see after.
' For to this end Christ both died, rose, and revived,' &c.
The words they are Christ's universal government of the dead and of the living, inferred from the end of his death, reviving and rising again, a com- fortable inference from a strong ground.
We considered the particulars, Christ's death, rising and reviving.
Christ died as a ' second Adam,' as a public person, in whom dying all died. When other men die particular men die ; when Paul was dead, Paul died and there was an end, only there was an exemplary good in his death. But there is more than an exemplary good in the death of Christ. Christ died alone and singular in this respect ; because in him dying all died that were his, that the Father gave him to die for. For they go parallel, God's gift and Christ's death. He did all by commission, and he would not transgress his commission, and he died a violent and cursed death, because otherwise he could not have saved us that were under a curse. So as a ' second Adam ' he rose, and as a public person. There- fore we see in the resurrection of Christ many rose. It is like enough they died again. It was for a particular dispensation, to shew that Christ rose as a public person ; and it is not strange to think so that to honour God they should be content to live a while, when Christ himself that was God was content to be man, and to be abased to death. That grand mystery makes all other things credible. He rose, therefore, as a public person, to give life to all that he died for.
So he revived. That is more than to rise again, never again to lay down his life, as you have it excellently set down among other places. Rev. i. 18, ' I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I live for evermore. Amen ;' and he seals it too, ' I have the keys of hell and of death;' that is, the dominion of hell and death ; for indeed Christ is life itself, and life cannot die. As God he could not die, and therefore he took upon him that nature, wherein he might die for us ; and now having done that dispensation, that office, there is a perpetual influence of life from the fountain of life, his Godhead, to his humanity. So he never dies any more. Then here follows the scope and end of all,
' That he might be Lord of the dead and of the living.'
The three offices of Christ, they have this order in regard of manifesta- tion. First, he was a prophet to instruct and teach his in himself, and likewise by his ministry. And then a priest to die for those that are his, to make intercession now for ever in heaven. And then a king. First, a
31G chuist's exaltation
prophet, then a priest, and then a kinf;. lie was all at once. The very union invested him in all these, hut in regard of manifestation he was lirst a prophet to instruct us of the end of his cominj,' into the world ; and then a priest to do that grand ollice that we have most comfort by ; and then a king to rule us. He could not be otherwise, for if he had manifested him- self a King and a Lord in his glory, where had been his abasement ? If they had known him to be the Lord of glory, they would never have cruci- fied him. Only some sparkles of his Godhead and lordship and kingdom and royalty over all flesh break out in his miracles ; yea, in his greatest abasement there were some sparkles, I say. Even when he lay in the manger, kings came to adore him. When he paid tribute, he had it out of a fish by a command, by majesty. When he was on the cross he converted the good thief. So somewhat brake out of him that he was a person more than ordinary, but that was for special ends. Ordinarily he went on in a course of abasement, and all that he might perform the great work of redemption. Therefore he made a stop of his glory and kingly office, that he might not manifest himself in that relation and office ; that he might do the office of a priest to die for us. Therefore you have it here in the due order. Christ died and rose again, as the high priest of his church, ' that he might be Lord of the dead and of the living.' He was so before, but ho was not manifest before. Therefore he is said to be manifest to God by the resurrection, Kom. i. 4. He was God from eternity, but he was born then : ' This day have I begotten thee,' Ps. ii. 7. It is spoken of the resurrection. So you see here Christ's offices, the state and condition of his humiliation and of his exaltation, and the use and end of all, ' that he might be Lord of the dead and of the living.'