2. Concerning this it is said, " Gird thy sword upon thy thigh." The girding of the sword upon the thigh, is the putting of it into readi- ness for use. When David was going up against Nabal, he said unto his men, 1 Sam. xxv. 18, " Gird ye on every man his sword." Where- fore Christ's girding his sword upon his thigh, is the disposing of the word into the ordinances of the gospel, where it may be ready for use. It hath respect unto the time when he ascended on high, and sent forth his word for the setting up of his kingdom. Then he put his word in readiness to effect the great designs of his love and grace, when " he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evan- gelists, and some pastors and teachers," Eph. iv. 11. He furnished men with gifts and abilities to dispense this word unto the ends of his kingdom.
II. The manner of going through his work is, " With thy glory and thy majesty." The glory and majesty of Christ are his power and authority. And so it is prophesied of, as an encouragement unto the Lord Christ, that he should clothe his word with power and authority for the ends of setting up his kingdom, — the edification of his church and the preservation of it in the world.
These things I speak in a general way; I shall now more particu- larly address myself, —
III. To the appellation that is here given unto Christ, — " 0 most Mighty, *N2l?3 from "1?4, one that prevails in every thing he takes in hand.
Observe from hence, that the Lord Jesus Christ, as king of the church, is endowed with a mighty power for the accomplishing of all the designs and ends of this rule and kingdom. It is said of him,
486 THE EXCELLENCY OF CHRIST.
Ps. lxxxix. 19, God hath " laid help upon one that is mighty." It is spoken there primarily of David, " I have found David my servant." But what could poor David do? one taken from the sheepfold. It was not a laying help, therefore, upon David that was mighty, abso- lutely speaking; but a putting strength into him. But David was a type of Christ ; and to him must the passage be referred ; — he is the mighty One. Also Isaiah, chap, lxiii. 1, describing of Christ in his kingdom, saith, "It is ' I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save/ " And again, in Ps. xxiv. 7, etc., there is a description of his ascension into heaverj ; the gates and everlasting doors being lifted up, that he, the King of glory, may enter in. The question being asked, " Who is this King of glory?" saith he, "The LORD, strong and mighty." It is a property everywhere ascribed unto Jesus Christ, that he is mighty.
Here we may inquire, — 1. Whence Christ is thus mighty for the execution of his kingly office ? and, 2. To luhat ends he doth put forth this might and power?
1. Whence is Christ thus mighty? Christ is mighty upon two accounts : —
(1.) From the omnipotent power' of his divine nature; which is the principle of his mighty operations in the union of his person. So the prophet declares, Isa. ix. 6, " Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." And how shall he be called? " Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God ; "• — " This child that is born unto us, this son that is given unto us, his name shall be (that is, he really is), — The mighty God." Why so? Because of the union of the divine nature with the human in the same person; whereby the same person becomes a child born, and also the mighty God.
(2.) He is mighty, from the authority and power that was com- municated and given unto him by the Father, as mediator, for the accomplishing of his whole work. Two things concur to make one legally mighty to proper ends; — first, strength and power; secondly, authority. Where there is strength and power and no authority, it is force; and where there is authority, but no strength or power, that authority will be void. Christ had strength and power as the mighty God; and he hath authority too, as all power is commu- nicated to him by God the Father; as may be seen in Matt, xxviii. 18; Eph. i. 20-22, and many other places.
But it will be objected, " If Christ be the mighty God by nature, how comes it to pass that he should have power and authority given unto him? God hath given unto him might and dominion, far above all principalities," etc.
I answer, — Christ, as his power is given to him, is considered not absolutely as God, nor absolutely as man; but as God-man,
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Mediator, — one that mediates between God and man: and so his power to erect his kingdom is given him of his Father.
2. The second inquiry is, — Unto what ends doth the Lord Jesus put forth this mighty power wherewith he is endowed? I answer, — To these five ends: — (1.) Unto the erecting of his kingdom or church in the world ; (2.) To the preservation of it ; (3.) To the subduing of his enemies; (4.) To the raising of the dead; (5.) In the judging of all flesh, and distributing of eternal rewards and punishments: all which are acts of mighty power.