accomplish the work committed to their charge. Now the Lord Christ having a right given him to a kingdom and inheritance, which was actually under possession of his adversary, it was necessary that all those arms, wherewith he was to make a conquest of it, should be given to his disposal, 2 Cor. x. 4. These were the weapons of the warfare of his apostles and disciples, which through God were so "mighty to cast down the strongholds of sin and Satan." These are the slings and stones, before which the Goliahs of the earth and hell did fall. This was that power from above, with which he promised to furnish his apostles, when they should address themselves to the conquest of the world, Acts i. 8. With these weapons, this furniture for their warfare, a few persons despised in the eyes of the world, went from Judea unto the ends of the earth, subduing all things before them to the obedience of their Lord and Master. And,

2. By these is his church edified; and to that end doth he continue to bestow them on men, and will do so to the end of the world, 1 Cor. xii. 7-14. Eph. iv. 8-13. Rom. xii. 6-8. 1 Pet. iii. 10, 11. Col. ii. 19. And for any to hinder their growth and exercise, is what in them lies to pull down the church of Christ, and to set themselves against that testimony which he gives in the world, that he is yet alive; and that he takes care of his disciples, being present with them according to his promise.

3. And by these means and ways is God glorified in him and by him, which is the great end of his lordship over all the gifts of the Spirit.

That we may a little by the way look into our especial concern in these things, the order of them, and their subserviency one to another, may be briefly considered. For as natural gifts are the foundation of, and lie in an especial subordination unto spiritual gifts, so are spiritual gifts enlivened, made effectual and durable by grace. The principal end of Christ's bestowing gifts, is the erection of a ministry in his church, for the ends before mentioned. And where all these in their order and mutual subserviency unto one another are received by any, there, and there alone, is a competent furniture for the work of the ministry received. And where any of them, as to their whole kind, are wanting, there is a defect in the person, if not a nullity as to the office. Natural gifts and endowments of mind, are so necessary a foundation for any that looks towards the work of the ministry, that without some competent measure of them, it is madness and folly to entertain thoughts of any progress. Unless unto these, spiritual gifts are in Christ's time superadded, the other will never be of any use for the edification of the church, as having in their own nature and series, no especial tendency unto that end. Nor will these superadded spiritual gifts enable any man to discharge his duty unto all well-pleasing

before God, unless they are quickened and seasoned by grace And where there is an intercision of this series and order in any, the defect will quickly appear. Thus some we see of excellent natural endowments, in their first setting forth in the world, and in their endeavours on that single stock, promising great usefulness and excellency in their way, who, when they should come to engage in the service of the gospel, evidence themselves to be altogether unfurnished for the employment they undertake; yea, and to have lost what before they seemed to have received. Having gone to the utmost length and bounds that gifts merely natural could carry them, and not receiving superadded spiritual gifts, which the Spirit of Christ bestoweth as he pleaseth, 1 Cor. xii. 11. they faint in the way, wither, and become utterly useless. And this for the most part falleth out, when men either have abused their natural gifts to the service of their lusts, and in an opposition to the simplicity of the gospel, or when they set upon spiritual things, and pretend to the service of Christ merely in their own strength, without dependence on him, as the heir and Lord of all, for abilities and furniture for his work; or when they have some fixed corrupt end and design to accomplish and bring about by a pretence of the ministry, without regard to the glory of Christ,, or compassion to the souls of men; for the Lord Christ will not prostitute the gifts of his Spirit to make them subservient to such purposes. And sundry other causes of this failure may be assigned.

It is no otherwise as to the next degree in this order, in reference unto spiritual gifts and saving grace. When these gifts, in the good pleasure of the Lord of them, are superadded unto the natural endowments before mentioned, they carry on them who have received them cheerfully, comfortably, and usefully in their way and progress. The former are increased, heightened, strengthened and perfected by the latter, towards that special end for which they are designed; namely, the glory of Christ in the work of the gospel. But if these also are not in due scason quickened by saving grace, if the heart be not moistened and made fruitful thereby, even they also will wither and decay. Sin and the world, in process of time will devour them, whereof we have daily experience. And this is the order wherein the great Lord of all these gifts hath laid them in a subserviency one kind unto another, and all of them unto his own glory.

And this that hath been spoken, will abundantly discover the reason and ground of the apostolical exhortation, "Covet the best gifts," 1 Cor. xii. 31. As first, the gift of wisdom and knowledge in the word and will of God, 1 Cor. xii. 8. 1 Cor. ii. 7, 1 Tim. iii. 15. 1 Cor. i. 5. Secondly, the gift of ability. to manage and improve this wisdom and knowledge to the edi

fication of others, Heb. iii. 13. x. 25. Rom. xv. 14. 1 Thess. v. 11. Thirdly, of prayer. And many more might be added of the like usefulness and importance.

IV. 3. To close our considerations of this part of the lordship of Christ, there remains only that we shew him to be the Lord of all spiritual eternal things, which in one word we call glory. He is himself the Lord of glory, 2 Cor. ii. 4. and the Judge of all, John v. 25. In the discharge of which office, he gives out glory as a reward unto his followers, Matt. xxv. 32. Rom. xiv. 10. Glory is the reward that is with him, which he will give out at the last day, as a crown, 2 Tim. iv. 8. John xvii. 2. And to this end that he might be Lord of it, he hath 1. Purchased it, Heb. ix. 12. Eph. i. 14. Heb. ii. 10. 2. Taken actual possession of it in his own person, Luke xxiv. 25: John xvii. 5. 22. 24. And that 3. as the fore-runner on whom he will bestow it, Heb. ix. 20. And this is a short view of the lordship of Christ as to things spiritual.

V. Ecclesiastical things, or things that concern church institutions, rule and power, belong also unto his rule and dominion. He is the only Head, Lord, Ruler, and Lawgiver of his church. There was a church-state ever since God created man on the earth, and there is the same reason of it in all its alterations, as unto its relation to the Lord Christ. Whatever changes it underwent, still Christ was the Lord of it, and of all its concerns. But by way of instance and eminence, we may consider the Mosaic church-state under the Old Testament, and the evangelical church-state under the New. Christ is Lord of, and in respect unto them both.

1st, He was the Lord of the Old Testament church-state, and he exercised his power and lordship towards it in four ways..

1. In, and by its institution and erection; he made, framed, set up, and appointed that church-state, and all the worship of God therein observed. He it was who appeared unto Moses in the wilderness, Exod. iii. 5. Acts vii. 32, 33. and who gave them the law on mount Sinai, Exod. xx. Psal. lxviii. 17. Eph. iv. 8. and continued with them in the wilderness, Num. xxi. 6. 1 Cor. x. 9. So that from him, his power and authority, was the institution and erection of that church.

2. As its lawgiver, by prescribing to it when erected, a complete rule and form of worship and obedience, to which nothing might be added, Deut. vii. 4. 12. 32.

3. By way of reformation, when it was collapsed and decayed, Zech. ii. 8-13. Mal. iii. 1—3.

4. By way of amotion, or taking down what he himself had set up; because it was so framed and ordered as to continue only for a season, Heb. ix. 10. Deut. xviii. 16-18. Hag. ii. 6, 7. Isa, lxv. 17, 18. 2 Pet. iii. 13. Which part of his power

and lordship, we shall afterwards abundantly prove against the

Jews.

2d, Of the New Testament evangelical church-state also, he is the only Lord and ruler; yea, this is his proper kingdom, on which all other parts of his dominion do depend; for he is given to be" head over all things unto the church," Eph. i. 22. For,

1. He is the foundation of this church-state, 1 Cor. iii. 11. the whole design and platform of it being laid in him, and built upon him. And 2. He erects this church-state upon himself, Matt. xvi. 18. "I will build my church;" the Spirit and Word whereby it is done, being from him alone, and ordered in and by his wisdom, power and care. And 3. He gives laws and rules of worship and obedience unto it, when so built by himself and upon himself, Matt. xxviii. 18. Acts i. 2. Heb. iii. 2-6. And 4. Is the everlasting, constant, abiding lead, ruler, king, and governor of it, Eph. i. 22. Col. ii. 19. Heb. iii. 6. Rev. ii. 3. All which things are ordinarily spoken unto, and the ends of this power of Christ fully declared.

VI. He is Lord also of political things. All the governments of the world that are set up and exercised therein for the good of mankind, and the preservation of society according to rules of equity and righteousness; over all these, and those who in and by them exercise rule and authority amongst men, is He Lord and King.

He alone is the absolute potentate; the highest on the earth are in a subordination unto him. That, 1. he was designed unto, Psal. Ixxxix. 27. And accordingly he is, 2. made Lord of lords and King of kings, Rev. xvii. 14. xix. 16. 1 Tim. vi. 15. And 3. He exerciseth dominion answerable unto his title, Rev. vi. 16. xvii. 14. xviii. 16—20. Psal. ii. 8, 9. Isa. lx. Mich. v. 7-9. And 4. hath hence right to send his gospel into all nations in the world, attended with the worship by him prescribed, Matt. xxviii. 18. Psal. ii. 9-12, which none of the rulers or governors of the world have any right to refuse or oppose, nor can so do, but upon their utmost peril. And 5. All kingdoms shall at length be brought into a professed subjection to him and his gospel, and have all their rule disposed of unto the interest of his church and saints, Dan. vii. 27. Isa. lx. 12. Rev. xix. 16-19.

VII. The last branch of this dominion of Christ consists in the residue of the creation of God; heaven and earth, sea and land, wind, trees, and fruits of the earth, and the creatures of sense, as they are all put under his feet, Psal. viii. 7, 8. Eph. i. 22. 1 Cor. xv. 27. so the exercise of his power severally over them, is known from the story of the gospel-And thus we have glanced at this lordship of Christ in some of the ges

neral parts of it: and how small a portion of his glorious power, are we able to comprehend or declare.

Δι' δ και τες αιώνας εποίησεν. 66 worlds."

By whom also he made the

The apostle in these words gives further strength to his present argument, from another consideration of the person of the Messiah; wherein he also discovers the foundation of the preeminence ascribed unto him in the words last insisted on. By him the worlds were made; so that they were his own, John i. 11. and it was meet that in the new condition which he underwent, that he should be the Lord of them all. Moreover, if all things be made by him, all disobedience unto him is certainly most unreasonable, and will be attended with inevitable ruin; of the truth whereof, the apostle aims to convince the Hebrews.

Now, whereas the assertion which presents itself at first view in these words is such, as if we rightly apprehend the meaning of the Holy Ghost in it, must needs determine the controversy that the apostle had with the Jews, and is of great use and importance unto the faith of the saints in all ages, I shall first free the words from false glosses and interpretations, and then explain the truth asserted in them, both absolutely, and with relation to the present purpose of the apostle.

That which some men design in their wresting of this place, is to deface the illustrious testimony given in it unto the eternal deity of the Son of God; and to this purpose they proceed variously.

for whom, is intended.

for Christ, for his sake, and Grotius embraceth

1. By d by whom, they say di' And so the sense of the place is, that God made the world:' so Eniedinus; his notion; adding in its confirmation that this was the opinion of the Jews, namely, that all things were made for the Messiah' and therefore on, he renders by condiderat, as signifying the time long since past, before the bringing forth of Christ in the world; as also that is put for d, in Rom. vi. 4. Rev. iv. 11. ch. i. 14. and therefore may be here so used. According to this exposition of the words, we have in them an expression of the love of God towards the Messiah, in that for his sake he made the worlds;" but not any thing of the excellency, power and glory of the Messiah himself.

It is manifest that the whole strength of this interpretation lies in this, that d', may be taken for di' iv, by whom instead of for whom: but neither is it proved that in any other place those expressions are equipollent; nor if that could be supposed, is there any reason offered why the one of them should in this place be put for the other: for,

1. The places referred unto, do no way prove that dia with