Jesus the Enthroned King
by J. C. Philpot
The nature, object, extent, and duration of this royal
dignity, as now invested in the Person of the risen, ascended, and glorified
Son of God.
A. And first, the NATURE of his kingdom.
This, like the place where it is exercised, and whence it issues its royal
mandates, is heavenly. Our blessed Lord, when he stood before
Pilate's judgment bar, declared that his "kingdom was not of this world." It
is, therefore, a kingdom, not earthly but heavenly; and as such possesses
peculiar characteristics which entirely distinguish it from all other
kingdoms.
We will take a glance, therefore, at some of the peculiar
features of this heavenly kingdom:
1. It is eminently a spiritual kingdom.
When our blessed Lord went up on high, he received gifts for men, as is
declared in those exulting words of the Psalmist, "You have ascended on
high; you have led captivity captive; you have received gifts for men, yes,
for the rebellious also; that the Lord God might dwell among them." (Psalm
68:18.) These gifts were spiritual gifts, different measures of heavenly
grace, as the Apostle explains—"But unto every one of us is given grace,
according to the measure of the gift of Christ. "When he ascended up on high
he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." (Eph. 4:7, 8.) So also
testified Peter, on the day of Pentecost, when the risen Lord, as he had
promised, baptized his disciples with the Holy Spirit—"This Jesus has God
raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand
of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Spirit, he has shed forth this, which you now see and hear." (Acts 2:32,
33.) This blessed Spirit was not given, in his full measure of heavenly
gifts and graces, until Jesus was glorified. (John 7:39.) Comforting,
therefore, his sorrowing disciples, their gracious Master said to them,
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away—for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you." (John 16:7.)
The disciples seem themselves to have expected a
temporal kingdom. This anticipation of worldly dignity and of a throne
erected on earth's base clay manifested itself in the request of the mother
of the sons of Zebedee—"Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on
your right hand, and the other on the left, in your kingdom." (Matt. 20:21.)
And, what we would have less expected, even after his resurrection, when the
cross and the sepulcher must have, as one would think, forever dispelled
their dreams of a temporal throne, the eleven disciples asked their risen
Master, "Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
(Acts 1:6.) Thus even those faithful few who had walked with him in intimate
union for several years, who had heard his heavenly discourses, and more
particularly listened to those spiritual lessons uttered in their ears after
the last supper, and his closing prayer so filled with holiness and
truth—even these believing, affectionate disciples seemed to turn their eyes
to the restoration of the fallen national and natural kingdom of Israel.
They did not see, until baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire, how
poor, how low, how unbecoming the glory and dignity of the Son of God it
would have been to sway an earthly scepter.
What is its chief glory, but that it is a spiritual
kingdom, administered by spiritual means, for spiritual persons, and unto
spiritual ends? To subdue hearts, not to conquer kingdoms; to bestow the
riches of his grace on poor and needy sinners, not, like Solomon, to heap up
gold, and silver, and precious stones; to save to the uttermost all that
come unto God by him, not to spread ruin and desolation over countless
provinces; to be surrounded with an army of martyrs, not an army of
soldiers; to hold a court where paupers, not nobles, are freely welcome, and
where the court dress is not "scarves, ankle chains, sashes, perfumes, and
charms; their rings, jewels, fine robes, gowns, capes, and purses" (Isaiah
3:20-22), but "the fine linen, clean and white, which is the righteousness
of saints;" to issue not pensions, but pardons; and to grant to favored
objects not trophies and medals, but "bands of love," and "the morning star"
of his dawning smile, (Hos. 11:4; Rev. 2:28,)—such are some of the objects
of the King of saints.
Say that the Lord after his resurrection had appeared in
majesty and glory to put to flight the Roman armies; say that he had made
Jerusalem his metropolis, and subdued all the nations of the earth; would
that have been a conquest worthy of his coming from the bosom of the
Father, or in harmony with his agonies in the garden, and his sufferings and
sacrifice on the cross? To reign spiritually over believing hearts; to
quicken and regenerate, save and sanctify, pardon and bless the objects of
his eternal love; to conform them to his suffering image, and make them fit
for the inheritance of the saints in light--what would the highest,
greatest, and most glorious earthly conquests have been in comparison with
such and similar spiritual triumphs of his grace?
2. As being, therefore, a spiritual kingdom, it is a
kingdom of grace, for in it, as administered by its heavenly
Sovereign, grace "reigns through righteousness, unto eternal life." (Rom.
5:21.) This is one of the chief blessings of the exaltation of the Lord
Jesus to the right hand of power, that the throne on which he sits is "a
throne of grace." (Heb. 4:16.) Thus, having finished the work on
earth which the Father gave him to do, he has gone up on high to carry into
execution those purposes of grace which brought him down. To begin, carry
on, and complete, from heaven his dwelling place, the work of grace on
thousands of his chosen saints here below; by grace to pardon their sins; by
grace to subdue their iniquities; by grace to purify their hearts by faith;
by grace to sanctify their affections and fix them on things above, where he
himself sits on the right hand of God—such and similar conquests of his
all-victorious grace make Jesus unspeakably precious to those who believe.
But what heart can conceive, or what tongue recount the
daily, hourly triumphs of his all-conquering grace? We see scarcely a
millionth part of what Jesus, as a King on his throne, is daily doing; and
yet we see enough to know that he ever lives at God's right hand, and lives
to save and bless. What a crowd of needy petitioners every moment surrounds
his throne! What urgent wants and woes to relieve; what cutting griefs and
sorrows to assuage; what broken hearts to bind up; what wounded consciences
to heal; what countless prayers to hear; what earnest petitions to grant;
what stubborn foes to subdue; what guilty fears to quell! What clemency,
what kindness, what long-suffering, what compassion, what mercy, what love,
and yet what power and authority does this Almighty Sovereign display! No
circumstance is too trifling; no petitioner too insignificant; no case too
hard; no difficulty too great; no suer too importunate; no beggar too
ragged; no bankrupt too penniless; no debtor too insolvent, for him not to
notice and not to relieve! Sitting on his throne of grace, his all-seeing
eye views all, his almighty hand grasps all, and his loving heart embraces
all whom the Father gave him by covenant, whom he himself redeemed by his
blood, and whom the blessed Spirit has quickened into life by his invincible
power. The hopeless, the helpless; the outcasts whom no man cares for; the
tossed with tempest and not comforted; the ready to perish; the mourners in
Zion; the bereaved widow; the wailing orphan; the sick in body, and still
more sick in heart; the racked with hourly pain; the fevered consumptive;
the wrestler with death's last struggle—O what crowds of pitiable objects
surround his throne; and all needing a look from his eye, a word from his
lips, a smile from his face, a touch from his hand. O could we but see what
his grace is, what his grace has, what his grace does; and could we but feel
more what it is doing in and for ourselves, we should have more exalted
views of the reign of grace now exercised on high by Zion's enthroned King!
3. But it is a kingdom also of life. A
living King needs living subjects. The dead in sin, the dead in profession,
have neither part nor lot in the matter. "Death cannot celebrate you." "The
living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do this day." (Isa. 38:18,
19.) Jesus is "the way, and the truth, and the life;" and as such says to
his people, "Because I live, you shall live also." Thus he appeared to John
in the Revelation, calming his fears when he fell at his feet as dead—"And
he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the
last. I am he who lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore." (Rev. 1:18.) To give life, and that more abundantly; (John
10:10;) to be "the resurrection and the life, so that he who believes in
him, though he were dead, yet should he live," (John 11:25,) was a part of
his divine mission. As, then, the kingdom of the beast is full of darkness
and death, (Rev. 16:10,) so the kingdom of Jesus is full of light and life,
for he has declared that he is "the light of the world;" and that "he who
follows him shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John
8:12.)
The nature of this kingdom is beautifully unfolded in
Psalm 21.* "How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts with
joy because of your victory. For you have given him his heart's desire; you
have held back nothing that he requested. You welcomed him back with success
and prosperity. You placed a crown of finest gold on his head." (Psalm
21:1-3.) It will be observed that among the blessings thus asked and granted
was life. "He asked you for life, and you gave it to him--length of
days, forever and ever." (Psalm 21:4.) This life is his mediatorial life,
and, therefore, a given, not a self-existent life. As he himself
declared—"For as the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the Son
to have life in himself." (John 5:26.) Of this mediatorial life he gives to
his people; and thus they live by him and on him, as he lives by the Father,
according to his own words—"As the living Father has sent me, and I live by
the Father; so he who eats me, even he shall live by me." (John 6:57.) This
life quickens, animates, and sustains the Church of Christ as she comes up
from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved. Thence comes all her union and
all her communion with her risen Head. She lives by it in him, and he lives
by it in her. Thus Head and members are one; for as in the natural body the
life of the head is that of the members, and this oneness of life makes them
one, so is there one life in that mystical and spiritual body of which
Christ is the glorious Head. But the subject of Christ as our Life is too
wide for our present limits, for it embraces all those communications of
divine life which make and manifest his people to be a living people, and
comprehends every breath of spiritual life in their hearts from the first
cry of a convinced sinner to the last hallelujah of an expiring saint.
* Psalm 21 is a kind of pendant, or what is sometimes
called a complement to Psalm 20. In Psalm 20 the Church, fore-viewing the
sufferings and sacrifice of Messiah, thus prays on his behalf to his
heavenly Father—"The Lord hear you in the day of trouble; the name of the
God of Jacob defend you. Send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen
you out of Zion. Remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt
sacrifice." (Psalm 20:1-4.) She has a confidence that the Father will accept
his burnt sacrifice, will "grant him according to his own heart"—the
salvation of his people, and will "fulfill all his counsel"—the counsel of
peace "between them both." (Zech. 6:13.) In this anticipation she says, "We
will rejoice in your salvation," &c., and adds, in the confidence of faith,
"Now know I that the Lord saves his anointed"—that is, his Messiah, his
Christ, the very name which Jesus bore, and by which he is still called. But
as in Psalm 20 the Church viewed the suffering, sacrificing Messiah, so in
Psalm 21 she views the triumphant, reigning Messiah; and sees the Father
setting a "crown of pure gold on his head," thus exalting him as King to his
own right hand. She sees all his petitions granted, "honor and majesty laid
upon him," and himself made "most blessed forever." Thus the two Psalms, as
it were, fit into and mutually explain and illustrate each other. Psalm 20
is prayer, Psalm 21 is praise; Psalm 20 sees the cross, Psalm 21 sees the
crown. In the one we see what Jesus was; in the other what Jesus is. Read in
this point of view, they cast much light upon both the past and present work
of Christ; and especially show the deep interest and sympathy which the
Church takes and feels in both his humiliation and exaltation.
4. For a similar reason we can only just briefly remark
that the reign of Christ is in its very nature a kingdom, also, of
light, (1 John 1:7,) as opposed to the power of darkness; (Col.
1:13; Eph. 5:8;) a kingdom of liberty, (John 8:32, 36; 2 Cor. 3:17,)
as opposed to the reign of bondage; (Acts 15:10; Gal. 4:24, 25, 31;) a
kingdom of love, (1 John 3:1, 16,) as opposed to the reign of enmity
and alienation; (Rom. 8:7; Col, 1:21;) a kingdom of peace, (Isa. 9:6,
7,) as opposed to war and strife; and a kingdom of holiness, (Isa.
35:3; Dan. 7:22; Heb. 12:14,) as opposed to a reign of sin and uncleanness.
(Rom. 5:21.)
5. But its peculiar characteristic and chief glory is
that it is an internal kingdom. "The kingdom of God is within
you." (Luke 17:21.) "The King's daughter is all glorious within." (Psalm
45:13.) This internal kingdom is that "kingdom of God," of which the Apostle
declares that it "is not food and drink--but righteousness, and peace, and
joy in the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 14:17.) It is, therefore, "not in word but in
power;" (1 Cor. 4:20;) requires a new and spiritual birth to see it and
enter into it; (John 3:3-5;) is the special inheritance of "the poor in
spirit;" (Matt. 5:3;) is entered into "through much tribulation;" (Acts
14:22;) "suffers violence, and is taken by force;" (Matt. 11:12;) and, when
received in faith, is "a kingdom that cannot be moved." (Heb. 12:28.)
It is, therefore, not a kingdom of outward grandeur--but
of inward grace; not one of temporal majesty--but of spiritual authority;
not one of visible pomp and show--but of invisible influence; not a display
of rustling robes, clashing bells, pealing organs, painted windows, medieval
architecture, white-robed choristers, intoning priests, surpliced
processions, and all that sensuous appeal to the mere natural feelings and
passions of the human mind, whereby Satan, as an angel of light, deceives
the nations--but a holy, heavenly, spiritual reign of the Lord of life in a
broken heart, a contrite spirit, and a tender conscience. Happy those who,
illuminated from above by a heavenly light, and made alive unto God by a new
and divine life, are not to be imposed upon by the baubles of an empty
religion; who, knowing the truth for themselves by the teaching and
testimony, work and witness of the blessed Spirit, cannot and will not "call
evil good or good evil, nor put darkness for light and light for darkness,
bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." Happy those who see, feel, and know
the difference between form and power, deception and reality, a name to live
and Christ formed in the heart, the hope of glory! Happy those to whom the
King of kings has extended the golden scepter of his grace, whom he has made
willing in the day of his power, and on whose hearts he sits enthroned as
their only Lord and Sovereign.
In viewing with believing eyes the Person and work, grace
and glory, qualifications and offices of the blessed Lord, we are apt to fix
our faith upon them more in reference to ourselves—to our own
personal salvation and consolation, than as eternally designed to manifest
the glory of God. It is, indeed, as seeing him fully and wondrously suited
to all our wants and woes that we are first led and enabled to believe on
the Son of God unto eternal life. A High Priest who has put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself, and who, as now at the right hand of Power, is
"able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him," well suits a
self-condemned, guilty sinner; a kind and condescending Teacher, at
whose feet we may humbly sit to hear his words dropping with unction into
the heart, is well adapted to those who feel their ignorance, and long for
heavenly instruction; and a King who cannot only manage for them all
their temporal and spiritual affairs, but—harder work still!—can rule over
their stubborn wills and subdue their iniquities by his Spirit and grace,
well meets the case of those who sigh after deliverance from the power and
prevalence of a body of sin and death.
But though these benefits and blessings, which come down
to the people of God out of the mediatorial life and fullness of the Lord
Jesus, are in themselves exceedingly great, and, as realized by heart
experience, unspeakably precious, yet are they really but second and, as it
were--subsidiary to higher and more glorious purposes. No final object can
be so dear to God as his own glory. To fill heaven and earth with his
manifested glory must be a purpose of greater significance with the Lord,
than to save and bless a ruined race. To forgive iniquity, transgression,
and sin is a part of God's glory; (Exod. 33:18-23; 34:5-7; Numb. 14:17, 18;)
but the glory itself must be greater than that of forgiveness, of which it
is but a part. Thus after the Lord had said to Moses, "I have pardoned,
according to your word," he added, "But, as truly as I live, all the earth
shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." (Numb. 14:20, 21.) The glory of
his holiness, of his justice, of his power, of his faithfulness, of his
love, and all the other perfections of the divine nature, must be equal to
that of his forgiveness of sin, not to mention the essential glory of his
eternal existence as a Trinity of Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in
the Unity of the undivided Essence. To reveal this glory, that thus it might
be seen and admired both in heaven and earth, was the eternal purpose of the
Most High, even of him who has said, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all my pleasure." (Isa. 46:10.)
But as God is essentially invisible, dwelling in the
light which no man can approach unto, whom no man has seen or can see, this
glory could only be revealed in the face of his dear Son, who is "the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his Person." This is
John's express testimony—"No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten
Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him." (John 1:18.)
In almost similar language speaks the Apostle Paul—"For God, who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2
Cor. 4:6.) We see, therefore, that to glorify his dear Son was the eternal
purpose of God; for in glorifying him he glorified himself, as our Lord
declares—"I have glorified you on the earth;" (John 17:4;) and again,
"Father, glorify your name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I
have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." (12:28.)
But the glory of the Father and of the Son are one,
according to the words of our Lord's intercessory prayer—"I brought glory to
you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do. And now, Father,
bring me into the glory we shared before the world began." (John 17:4, 5.)
Thus we see that the Son of God glorified his Father on earth, and that the
Father now glorifies his Son in heaven. And as he set him at his own right
hand in the heavenly places that he might be thus glorified in him, so the
main purpose of the present royal dignity of Jesus is to manifest that
glory.
These few remarks may perhaps prepare us to enter more
clearly into the consideration of that part of our subject which now lies
before us, that is, the object, extent, and duration of the royal dignity of
Jesus at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
B. The OBJECT of this regal sway demands
first our consideration.
In that sublime and most affecting prayer which the Lord
Jesus offered up to his heavenly Father on the eve of his sufferings in the
garden and on the cross, he himself unfolded one special object of his
present possession of supreme authority and power—"As you have given him
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you
have given him." (John 17:2.) From these words of the gracious Lord we
gather two things—1, that the Father has given him power over all flesh; 2,
that it was necessary he should possess this supreme authority in order to
bestow the gift of eternal life on as many as the Father had given him. The
execution, however, of this latter purpose, implies and involves several
others, which we shall now, therefore, attempt to unfold.
1. The execution of God's will upon earth is
entrusted to the hands of the risen and exalted Son of God. God's open will
is made known to us in the Scriptures, and this must ever be our guiding
rule, for secret things belong unto the Lord God, but those things which are
revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the
words of this law." (Deut. 29:29.) But besides this open or express will,
God has a secret will, not revealed, at least not plainly and clearly
revealed, as is his positive will in the word of truth, though there
doubtless are dim intimations of it, could we see them.
But as all our readers may not see the distinction we
make between the open and the secret will of God, let us explain our meaning
a little more distinctly. One instance may suffice as an illustration of the
distinction between them. It was God's open or expressed will that
when he sent his dear Son, Israel after the flesh should believe in him as
the promised Messiah; but his secret will was, that his people by
outward covenant should reject him, and nail him to the accursed tree, that
redemption by atoning blood might be accomplished, and also that the
Gentiles should be the first-fruits of the Savior's finished work.
Now, as the secret will of God thus sometimes differs
from his open will, who is so fit to carry into execution this hidden will
as the Son of his love, of whom we read, "No man knows the Son but the
Father; neither knows any man the Father save the Son?" He who ever lay in
his bosom as his dear Son must fully know all the mind of the Father, for he
declares, "As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father." (John 10:15.)
To carry out this will demands infinite wisdom and infinite power, as well
as an infinite knowledge of the mind and purpose of God. But in whom shall
we find this union of infinite knowledge, wisdom, and power but in the
exalted Son of God?
To bring the subject more fully before your mind, take as
an instance the execution of the secret purpose of God to save his elect
people from all their sins and all their foes. Consider for a moment the
countless complications of events connected with the execution of this
purpose! Look at the millions of human beings and of human passions which
lie in the path as obstacles; the opposition of all the powers of earth and
hell; the dreadful state of alienation and enmity into which the elect are
sunk; the several and special call of every vessel of mercy; the
temptations, trials, and deliverances of each, all which need infinite
wisdom to know and almighty power to meet—do but consider these complicated
circumstances, and what a view will it give you of the present reign of
Jesus as carrying into execution this secret will of the Father. We have
named but one instance, but that is sufficient to give us some little idea
of the authority and power committed to the hands of Jesus as enthroned King
in Zion.
2. Another purpose of the exaltation of the blessed Lord
to the throne of mediatorial glory is that he should be a living Head of
influence to his Church. This, is beautifully set forth by the Apostle
in that heavenly prayer which he put up for the Church of God at Ephesus at
the close of the first chapter of his Epistle—"I pray that you will begin to
understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him.
This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated
him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he
is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in
this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the
authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the
church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills
everything everywhere with his presence." (Eph. 1:19-23.) In what grand,
noble, eloquent, expressive language does the Apostle here set forth the
exaltation of Jesus, "far above all principality, and power, and might, and
dominion" in earth, heaven, or hell, and "all things" past, present, and to
come put under his feet," that he might be a glorious Head of life, power,
and influence to the members of his mystical body.
It has pleased the Father that in him should all fullness
dwell—a fullness of all grace and gifts as well as all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. Out of this fullness he is ever supplying the members of his
mystical body; for from him, as an ever-living Head, "For we are joined
together in his body by his strong sinews, and we grow only as we get our
nourishment and strength from God." (Col. 2:19.) It is only by this union
with Christ as a living Head, and by receiving supplies of grace and
strength out of his fullness, that we come experimentally and feelingly to
know that he lives at the right hand of the Father. We may indeed believe it
to be so from the testimony of God in the written word, but we have no such
evidence as the Lord speaks of when he says, "At that day you shall know
that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you;" (John 14:20;) or that
which John means when he declares, He who believes on the Son of God has the
witness in himself." (1 John 5:10.)
This is the grand, the vital distinction between the
living and the dead, that the living have union and communion with a living
Head, while the dead are "alienated from the life of God, through the
ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." (Eph.
4:18.) This blessed truth and divine mystery of union and communion with
him, the Lord unfolded to his sorrowing disciples in those heavenly
discourses, before his sufferings and death, which the Holy Spirit has
recorded by the pen of John—John 14, 15, 16. But we shall merely refer to
one passage in them as chiefly illustrating our present point—"I will not
leave you comfortless; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world
sees me no more; but you see me. Because I live, you shall live also." (John
14:18, 19.) Let us seek to enter into the meaning of our Lord's gracious
words here. His bodily presence was now to be withdrawn from the world. It
had despised, it had rejected him. It knew him not, it valued him not. It
had proved itself utterly unworthy of his continued presence; it should
therefore be deprived of that blessing; it should "see him no more." This
polluted earth should no more be trodden by his holy feet. His miracles of
mercy should cease; his words of grace and truth should be no more heard;
and as the world had no powers of sight but the bodily organ of the eye,
when he left the earth it ceased to behold him. "But you," he says to his
disciples, "but you see me. Because I live, you shall live also."
Our Lord in these words unfolds two mysteries of his
heavenly grace—sight and life. The believer sees, the believer lives. But
whom does he see, and by whom does he live? He sees Jesus, he lives by
Jesus. He sees by a spiritual sight, he lives by a spiritual life, for Jesus
is his life; and because Jesus lives, he shall live also. Thus the child of
God carries in his own bosom the clearest proof and sweetest evidence that
the Son of God is risen from the dead and reigns supreme in the courts
above, for he sees him there, he feels him there. His anointed eye, like the
eye of Moses, sees him who is invisible;" (Heb. 11:27;) and his believing
heart, rising up on the wings of love, seeks those things which are above,
where Christ sits at the right hand of God. (Col. 3:1.)
In the parable of the vine and the branches, this mystery
of vital godliness is more fully and clearly unfolded, especially in the
words, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, unless it abides in the vine, no more can you, unless you abide in
me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him,
the same brings forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing." (John
15:4, 5.) A living Head in heaven is the great object of our faith. Without
faith in him, there is no union with him; without union with him, there is
no communion with him; without communion with him, there is no fruitfulness;
without fruitfulness, there is a casting into the fire as a withered and
dead branch. Such is the circle of divine life and fruitfulness in the
mystery of faith; such the outcome of barrenness and death in the mystery of
unbelief. Let us trace it a little more distinctly.
Jesus lives at the right hand of God; because he lives,
he quickens into spiritual life the members of his mystical body; as a fruit
of this quickening power, they live; they see him; they believe on him; they
have union and communion with him; they live a life of faith upon him; and
bring forth fruit to his praise. The whole mystery of this life is contained
in the experience of the Apostle—"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me." (Gal. 2:20.)
But as this life of faith on the Son of God is exposed to
countless fluctuations, and is opposed by countless inward and outward foes;
as it has no power to maintain itself, but, like fire, must go out if left
untended; and as the extinction of this life would involve the oath and
promise of God and the faithfulness of his dear Son, it needs the Almighty
power of the enthroned King of Zion to maintain it in being by continual
communications of grace and strength out of his own fullness.
3. Another purpose of the regal sway of the Son of God is
to subdue all things unto himself. When the Father raised him from
the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, he
virtually put all things under his feet. This was the promise made in Psalm
8, as spiritually interpreted by the Apostle—"You made him a little lower
than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the
works of your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.
For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not
put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him." (Heb. 2:7,
8.) When God created Adam, he gave him dominion over the works of his hands.
This dominion, however, he forfeited by transgression. But the dominion
given to the first Adam is bestowed in a much larger measure on the second
Adam; for to the first Adam was granted dominion only over all things in the
earth, but to the second Adam of "things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth." (Phil. 2:10.)
But though this dominion is virtually and absolutely
given him, and though he sits at the right hand of the Majesty in the
heavens, as a sure pledge of the Father's absolute gift, yet its full
accomplishment is still incomplete. This is clearly intimated by the Apostle
in the last clause of the words quoted by us from Hebrews 2:8—"But now we
see not all things put under him;" and in that remarkable passage—"After
that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the
Father, having put down all enemies of every kind. For Christ must reign
until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be
destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, "God has given him authority
over all things." (Of course, when it says "authority over all things," it
does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)" (1 Cor.
15:24-27.)
We shall have occasion, in the course of our Meditations,
to dwell somewhat fully on these words; but the point to which we wish to
call present attention is, the declaration in them that Christ "must reign
until he has humbled all enemies under his feet." But why this necessity?
Because the Father has virtually put all things under his feet, both by
promise and by performance; by promise when he said, "Ask of me, and I shall
give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for your possession;" and by performance when he raised him from the
dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. He must,
therefore, reign until he has fully executed the Father's purpose and
the Father's promise. Were he to leave the throne before he had "put all
things under his feet," where would be the faithfulness of God; where the
promised reward of Jesus? But we must bear in mind that as the reign of
Jesus is a spiritual reign, so the enemies put under his feet are the
spiritual enemies of his people. Their enemies are invisible, and
therefore the power exercised against them is invisible also.
We see sin and wickedness universally prevailing; a most
cruel, bloody, and fratricidal war (the
civil war in America,) desolating some of the
fairest provinces of the earth, and by its consequences affecting millions
of our own countrymen; Satan raging as if his time were short; vital
godliness at a very low ebb; churches torn to pieces with internal strife;
few faithful ministers in the land, and these often walking apart as if half
afraid of, or half jealous of each other; error widely spreading; and
popular preachers either pandering to the worldly spirit of their hearers,
amusing them with jokes and anecdotes, and entertaining them with stories,
or arresting attention by novel interpretations of Scripture, and running a
reckless combat against established truths.
When, then, we survey a scene like this, our hearts may
well sink, and our faltering lips may almost say, "Does Jesus reign?
Why, then, do these objects meet our eye so opposed to his holy government?
If 'all things are put under his feet,' why is the world, why is the
Church what we cannot but see they are?" To silence this questioning spirit,
which the more it is indulged the more perplexing it becomes, let us bear in
mind the great truth which we have endeavored to enforce--that the reign of
Jesus is eminently a spiritual kingdom, and exercised for his spiritual
people. Thus it is not consistent with his present counsel to put down in an
open manner, by visible acts of authority, the enemies of his people, but to
strip them of so much of their power as affects the salvation and
sanctification of his own loyal subjects.
To set this in a clearer light, let us bear in mind that
an evident distinction may be drawn between the partial and the full display
of the present power of Jesus. A king may possess in himself absolute power,
and yet restrain himself in the exercise of it. So with the Lord Jesus
Christ as King in Zion. None who believe in the power of the Lord Jesus as
the exalted God-man can doubt his ability to sweep away from the face of the
earth every vestige of sin and misery. But he does not do so. Sin still
reigns rampant, and the cry of misery rises up on every side. We must come,
then, to one of these two conclusions--either that Jesus does not reign with
supreme authority--or that his power is for wise purposes not fully put
forth. The first conclusion is infidelity; the second agrees with the views
that we have put forth of the spiritual reign of Jesus. And to this agrees
the testimony of the written word, for we read—"Then the seventh angel blew
his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven--The whole world
has now become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign
forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before
God fell on their faces and worshiped him. And they said--We give thanks to
you, Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have
assumed your great power and have begun to reign." (Rev. 11:15-17.)
From this prophetic declaration it is plain that until
"the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ,"
which they are not now, the Lord has not "taken to himself his great power
and reigned," that is, has not displayed his sovereign authority in visible
manifestation. It is now spiritual, and therefore invisible, but not the
less real because at present necessarily partial. Were it otherwise, this
world would not be a place of temptation and trial, nor would we be
conformed to Christ's suffering image by walking here as he walked. View
this point, then, of real though partial authority and power as exercised by
the Lord, in relation to the various enemies of his people.
Take, first, that enemy of God and man, the arch enemy
Satan. By his death, Jesus "destroyed," or, as the word rather means,
broke his power; (Heb. 2:14;) and when he ascended up on high "spoiled" him
and all his associated "principalities and powers, making a show of them
openly." (Col. 2:15.) Does not this look like a complete conquest of the
powers of hell? Yet Satan is still permitted to blind the minds of those who
believe not, (2 Cor. 4:4,) and hurl his fiery darts against the children of
God. Satan could fill the heart of Ananias with evil, (Acts 5:3,) and hinder
Paul from good. (1 Thess. 2:18.) Can we reconcile these two statements? Is
he destroyed who can blind and ruin the sinner? Is he spoiled who can
distress and hinder the saint? Yes--but not fully nor finally. He is
virtually destroyed as regards the saints of God, because he cannot destroy
them, either body or soul; he is spoiled, if not of all power to hinder or
distress them, yet of that overwhelming authority which he is allowed to
exercise over the world as being still its god and prince. Thus we can
understand how the kingdom of Christ is a real kingdom, and his power a
really exercised power, though not at present triumphant in full and open
manifestation. But though thus wisely and necessarily limited as to
conspicuous display, as regards its spiritual exercise it is full and
effectual.
Take as an instance, more fully to elucidate this point,
another enemy which is put under his feet—death. The consideration of
this may give us a still clearer insight into the nature of the authority
exercised by the Lord in his kingdom than the one already adduced. That
beautiful chapter, 1 Cor. 15, will throw great light on this part of our
subject—"For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. The
last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15:25, 26.) Observe
the connection here between the reign of Christ until he has put all enemies
under his feet, and the destruction of the last enemy, death. As death is
still destroying, he is not yet destroyed, that is, in the full sense of the
term. But he will be fully destroyed. When? At the resurrection; for
then, and not until then, "will be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory." But is there no destruction of
death until his final destruction? Surely. When, by a manifestation of
pardoning love, the sting of death is taken away, is not death then
spiritually destroyed? Many a dear saint of God has shouted on a dying bed,
"O death, where is your sting! O grave, where is your victory?" even at the
moment when Death is stinging him to death, and the victorious grave is
about to claim for its prey the worn-out body.
We need not pursue further the train of thought. The
examples we have given, and to them we might add those of the world
and of sin, sufficiently show that the apparent incompleteness of the
Lord's triumphs over his enemies, the wide prevalence of sin and misery, and
all the opposition made to his authority and power, are no valid arguments
against the reality of his reign, or the exercise of his government. It is
full and complete for all its intended purposes. If more were needed, more
would be displayed. Is it not enough that he reigns spiritually in the
hearts of his people; that he controls the power of all their enemies; that
he subdues their iniquities; that he sets a limit to the strength and
subtlety of Satan; that he deprives death of its sting, and robs the grave
of its victory; that he keeps back the raging waves of an ungodly,
persecuting world; defeats all devices against his Church; and brings every
member of his mystical body through all the storms of time and waves of
corruption to the eternal enjoyment of himself? Is not this a real kingdom?
Is not this supreme and successful authority? And is not the exercise of
this sovereign government, invisible though it is, as effectual as if it
were more openly displayed and shone more brightly and conspicuously before
the eyes of men?
But here we shall pause, reserving to our next paper our
considerations upon the extent and duration of this kingdom of the Son of
God, the nature and purpose of which we have thus far, however feebly and
imperfectly, attempted to unfold for the edification of our readers and the
promotion of the glory of a Triune God.
C. The nature and object of the Mediatorial kingdom of
the Lord Jesus Christ having thus far formed the subject of our Meditations,
we shall now, with God's help and blessing, attempt to unfold the two next
points which we proposed for consideration--its EXTENT and
DURATION.
Both these points involve difficulties, and have been the
subject of frequent as well as warm controversy. But without flinching from
expressing our views on the subject, we shall endeavor, while we avoid
doubtful and controversial points, to tread as closely as we can in the
footsteps of Scripture, and advance nothing which is not, at least in our
judgment, in strict accordance with the inspired testimony.
By the extent of the Mediatorial reign of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we may understand two things:
1. The present extent.
2. The future extent.
Both of these points will demand our careful and
prayerful consideration, that we may advance nothing inconsistent with the
word of truth or the dignity and glory of the blessed Lord.
The future extent will come more conveniently
under the next section, in which we propose to consider the future
development and glorious manifestation of Christ's Mediatorial kingdom;
and its duration will fall also better into its place when we have
taken a view of his future glory.
We have, therefore, now chiefly to examine the PRESENT
extent of the Mediatorial kingdom of Jesus. One word will express this
extent—unlimited. Nothing short of, nothing less than this, will be
in accordance with his own words—"All power is given unto me in heaven and
in earth." (Matt. 28:18.) What possible limit can be assigned to "all power
in heaven and in earth?" All power in heaven includes dominion over all the
angelic multitudes above; and all power on earth embraces absolute,
uncontrolled authority over all men, things, events, and circumstances
beneath the starry skies.
But the question may, perhaps, arise, "Did not the Lord
Jesus, as the Son of God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and with
the Holy Spirit, already possess supreme dominion over angels and men, and
so over all things in heaven and in earth?" Surely he did. But his power and
authority, as the Son of God, are distinct from his power and authority as
now exercised at the right hand of the Father.
The peculiar glory of his Mediatorial kingdom is that the
Lord Jesus reigns in our nature—not simply, therefore, as the
Son of God, but as the Son of man. This Stephen saw in the vision of
faith—"But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing
on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55, 56.) This was also the prophetic view
given to Daniel—"As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked
like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One
and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal
power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and
nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end.
His kingdom will never be destroyed." (Dan. 7:13, 14.)
Exactly similar are the declarations of the Holy Spirit
in the New Testament—"I pray that you will begin to understand the
incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same
mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of
honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any
ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in
the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ,
and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church
is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with
his presence." (Eph. 1:19-23.) "And in human form he obediently humbled
himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. Because of
this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is
above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:8-11.) These
testimonies demand our careful and particular attention, as in them are
locked up some of the deepest mysteries of our most holy faith; and we will
therefore bestow upon them, before we proceed further, a few moments'
attentive consideration.
The Holy Spirit has set before us in the word of truth
the blessed Lord as the object of our faith under three distinct points of
view:
1. What he was from all eternity—the only-begotten
Son of God; the Son of the Father in truth and love.
2. What he became in time—the Son of man, by
taking upon him the flesh and blood of the children.
3. What he now is—the exalted God-man at the right
hand of the Father; still the only-begotten Son of God, still the very and
true Son of man; but uniting both these distinct natures, the divine and the
human, in one glorious Person, and thus crowned with glory and honor, and
sitting as a Priest on his throne in the highest heavens. These three points
are all embodied in one verse, as spoken to his disciples by our gracious
Lord—"I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world. Again I
leave the world, and go to the Father." (John 16:28.) "I came forth from the
Father;" there is his eternal Deity and Sonship. "And am come into the
world;" there is his sacred humanity. "Again I leave the world, and go to
the Father;" there is his present glorified state as God-man.
It has been our aim and desire to set him before the
Church of God under these three points of view, so far, at least, as we have
seen him by the eye of faith and felt him precious. In one series of papers,
we endeavored to set him forth in his Deity and Sonship, as the Son of the
living God; in another series, we attempted to unfold the mystery of his
sacred humanity as the Son of man; and in the present series, now coming to
a close, to bring him before the Church in his Mediatorial grace and glory
as the enthroned Priest, Prophet, and King of his redeemed people. May he
graciously smile on this feeble attempt to set forth his praise, and more
and more reveal himself to both writer and reader as the chief among ten
thousand and altogether lovely.
It is, then, in his glorious complex Person as Immanuel,
God with us, God in our nature, that he now sits at the right hand of the
Majesty on high; and in him, as thus exalted to be the head over all things
to the Church, faith believes, hope anchors, and love embraces. To look to
him, even at times, from the very ends of the earth; (Isa. 45:22; Psalm
61:2;) to call upon him; (Acts 7:59; 9:14; 1 Cor. 1:2;) to confess and
bewail at his feet our grievous sins and innumerable backslidings; to seek
after clear and renewed manifestations of his glorious Person and finished
work, of his atoning blood and dying love; to desire the promotion of his
glory, not of our own; that his will should be accomplished in and by us,
and not that our own wretched inclinations and sinful desires should be
gratified to our fancied present pleasure, but real future glory; to live to
his praise; to listen to his voice, and obey it; to be separated from the
world and worldly professors and enjoy union and communion with him; to walk
in his footsteps; and when this life, with all its sins and sorrows, comes
to a close, to die in his loving embrace—is not this to live a life of faith
in the Son of God, and thus "to know him and the power of his resurrection?"
It was a special mark of the primitive believers that
they "called on the name" of Christ, that is, addressed their prayers to him
as God. Thus Saul came to Damascus "with authority from the chief priests to
bind all that called on his name;" (Acts 9:14;) and Paul addressed his
epistle "to the Church of God at Corinth," etc., "with all who in every
place call upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours."
(2 Cor. 1:2.) So the heathen writer, Pliny, in his letter to Trajan, the
Roman Emperor, written about A. D. 102 or 103, giving an account of the
early Christians, says, "They are accustomed on a stated day to meet before
daylight, and to repeat among themselves a hymn to Christ as God." It was
this worship of Christ, as the exalted Son of God, which drew down upon them
such a load of shame and persecution. That they should worship as God one
who had been crucified as a common malefactor, was unto the Jews a
stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto those who were
called, it was Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor.
1:23, 24.)
But though we do not tie ourselves strictly down to a
prescribed line of thought, and do sometimes avail ourselves of the liberty
implied in the very word "Meditations" to wander, not, indeed, from the
truth, nor even from the subject, but from a rigid adherence to a fixed path
of discussion into the green pastures of musing contemplation of the grace
and glory of the Lord the Lamb, yet we feel that we have rather digressed
from our point, which was to show the present extent of the
Mediatorial reign of Jesus.
We have already pointed out that in all the office
characters undertaken by our blessed Lord, there was an initial entering
upon them on earth prior to their full assumption as now exercised by him in
heaven. In his priestly office there was an absolute necessity for this, as
the Apostle so cogently argues—"For every high priest is ordained to offer
gifts and sacrifices; wherefore it is of necessity that this man have
something also to offer." (Heb. 8:3.) What he offered was himself—"Nor yet
that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy
place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world has
he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." (Heb. 9:25, 26.)
As, then, the blessed Lord entered initially into his priestly office when
he put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, so he entered initially into
his kingly office while here below, before his full assumption of it as now
administered by him at the right hand of the Father. Thus we see the
subjection of all things to his dominion, even in the days of his flesh, as
a pledge of all power being given to him at his resurrection in heaven and
in earth. At his rebuke, as Lord of the elements, stormy winds and roaring
waves were hushed into a calm. At his approach, diseases fled, for there
went virtue out of him and healed them all; under his creative hand, food
for famishing multitudes multiplied itself, without stint or limit; at his
bidding, water was at once changed into wine; at his commanding word, the
paralytic started up from his year-long couch, and the dead from his
grave-borne coffin. He had but to speak, and the deaf heard, the blind saw,
the lame walked, the leper was cleansed.
Was not this to walk on earth as its King and Lord? Yes;
as Lord of the sea, he walked, in calm grandeur, upon its waves; as Lord of
the earth, he bade the grave give back the buried Lazarus; and as Lord of
hell, cast out devils, and made those infernal spirits cry out as in terror,
"Are you come here to torment us before the time?" If, then, his dominion
and authority were so unlimited in the days of his flesh, before he ascended
the throne of his Mediatorial glory, what possible limit can be assigned to
them now? But as our views of it are too often sadly narrow, and our faith
in it proportionally weak, let us endeavor to show in some detail how wide,
how unlimited is its present extent.
1. First, then, view it as extending over all people;
and bear in mind that this includes enemies as well as friends—those whom he
will one day break with a rod of iron and dash in pieces as a potter's
vessel, and those who serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
We are very apt to lose sight of the unspeakable benefits and blessings
which we enjoy in the Lord's exercising kingly authority over all persons,
and especially those in high places. Our beloved Queen, our temporal rulers,
our judges, magistrates, and all administrators of government; our
justly-prized and inestimable constitution; our just and moderate laws; our
civil and religious liberties; and all, in fact, that we enjoy as citizens
of this highly-favored country, we owe to the real power of our exalted
Lord.
How plainly does it declare this under his name as
"Wisdom," in the word of truth—"By me kings reign, and princes decree
justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even "the judges of the earth;"
(Prov. 8:15, 16;) "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the
rivers of water he turns it wherever he will." (Prov. 21:1.) Similar is the
testimony of the New Testament—"Let every soul be subject unto the higher
powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of
God;" (Rom. 13:1;) "Submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord's
sake—whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto those
who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of
them that do well." (1 Pet. 2:13, 14.) Thus all civil authority is of God;
and, as the Lord of life and glory sits at his right hand in the plenitude
of his power, we cannot err in ascribing to his royal authority every
temporal privilege that we enjoy.
And not only in this favored island, the Queen of the
isles sitting on her sea-girt throne, the envy and admiration of surrounding
nations, but everywhere on this earthly globe, as far as waves roll, winds
blow, sun shines, or stars hold on their nightly courses, does the scepter
of Jesus sway the destinies and control the designs and actions of men. If,
amid all the turmoil and confusion of passing events, it is difficult to
realize this, consider the consequences which would result both to the world
and the Church, were no such supreme dominion exercised. Look for a moment
at the fierce, we may say ferocious, passions of carnal men, and see what
earth would soon become--were they left unchained in all their natural
ferocity. Without the restraints of law and government, which, as we have
shown, are instruments of Christ's supremacy, men would tear each other to
pieces, like infuriated wild beasts, and deluge society with blood and
crime. Where, amid this awful storm, with every element of fury let loose,
would society be? Imagine London given up for one day to the unchecked
passions of its criminal population, and then ask yourself, "Is there no
mighty power which holds in check these worse than wild beasts?" Yes, there
is a power as wide-spread as light, as universal as air, as pervasive and
far mightier than that which holds the earth itself in its orbit—the supreme
dominion of heaven's exalted Lord. Not to believe this, is not to be a
believer at all.
But you will, perhaps, say, "If Jesus reigns thus
supreme, why all this disorder, this misery and crime? why is earth what it
is? why this bloody, fratricidal war in America? why this appalling distress
in Lancashire, if he holds the reins of government?" But are you a
judge of order or disorder? Where you see little else but confusion, there
may be the greatest order; and wisdom where you would gladly charge the
Almighty with folly. Are you a prophet, or the son of a prophet? Can you
foretell what blessing is to spring out of this horrid war, or this sore
distress? Does not a king punish as well as rule? And how can the Lord more
effectually punish men than by scourging them with their own sins? It is
God's special prerogative to bring good out of evil, and order out of
confusion. If you were to watch carefully from an astronomical observatory
the movements of the planets, you would see them all in the greatest
apparent disorder. Sometimes they would seem to move forward, sometimes
backward, and sometimes not to move at all. These confused and contradictory
movements sadly puzzled astronomers, until Newton rose and explained the
whole; then all was seen to be the most beautiful harmony and order, where
before there was the most puzzling confusion.
But take a scriptural instance, the highest and greatest
that we can give, to show that where, to outward appearance, all is
disorder, there the greatest wisdom and most determinate will reign. Look at
the crucifixion of our blessed Lord. Can you not almost see the scene as
painted in the word of truth? See those scheming priests, that wild mob,
those rough soldiers, that faltering Roman governor, the pale and terrified
disciples, the weeping women, and, above all, the innocent Sufferer with the
crown of thorns, and enduring that last scene of surpassing woe, which made
the earth quake, and the sun withdraw his light. What confusion! what
disorder! What triumphant guilt! What oppressed and vanquished innocence!
But was it really so? Was there no wisdom or power of God here
accomplishing, even by the instrumentality of human wickedness, his own
eternal purposes? Hear his own testimony to this point—"Him, being delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain." (Acts 2:23.) The "determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God," in the great and glorious work of
redemption, was accomplished by the wicked hands of man; and if so, in this
the worst and wickedest of all possible cases, is not the same eternal will
also now executed in instances of a similar nature, though to us at present
less visible?
But having taken this hasty glance at the authoritative
rule of Christ over and in the midst of his enemies, let us now look at his
mild and merciful dominion over his own people. Here we seem to stand, if
not on surer, yet, at least, on plainer and more evident ground. The ancient
promise of authority and power given unto the Son of God in prospect of his
future exaltation, and of this the Scriptures are full, embraced two
things—the subjection of enemies, and the willing obedience of friends—"The
Lord said unto my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your
footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule
you in the midst of your enemies. Your people shall be willing in the day of
your power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; you
have the dew of your youth." Willingly or unwillingly, all should be made
subject to his scepter; for "those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow
before him" in the voluntary obedience of love, and "his enemies shall lick
the dust" in the forced submission of power.
This distinction between the willing obedience of
friends and the forced subjection of foes runs through many other
inspired declarations of the nature and extent of the Mediatorial reign of
Jesus. Thus, addressing his heavenly Father, the Lord speaks in ancient
prophecy—"You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; and you
have made me the head of the heathen. A people whom I have not known shall
serve me. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me. The strangers
shall submit themselves unto me." (Psalm 18:43, 44.) We prefer the marginal
reading of the last clause, "The strangers shall lie, or yield feigned
obedience," as closer to the original, and more in accordance with the next
verse—"The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close
places." Almost the first act of faith is to obey. It was the first act of
the faith of Abraham—"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a
place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went
out, not knowing where he went." (Heb. 11:8.) The faith of the gospel,
therefore, is called "the obedience of faith," (Rom. 16:26,) and to believe
the gospel is to obey the gospel, as the Apostle speaks—"But they have not
all obeyed the gospel. For Elijah says, Lord who has believed our report?"
(Rom. 10:16.) When, therefore, we believe the gospel, as made the power of
God unto our salvation, we obey the voice of the Beloved as speaking in and
by it. "You who dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken to your voice.
Cause me to hear it." (Song 8:13.) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me." (John 10:27.) As, then, the good Shepherd speaks, the
sheep hear, and, as they hear, they believe and obey. The Prince of Peace
sways his scepter of love and grace over their hearts; they take his yoke
upon them, which, by submission, they feel to be easy, and his burden to be
light; and thus find rest unto their souls.
But this unlimited dominion extends also over all
things—all events and circumstances, as well an all persons. This is
hard to believe, but, were it not so, what security would there be for the
salvation of the Church of God? "All things are yours," says the Apostle;
"things present and things to come, all are yours." But how and why are all
things yours? "Because you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." (1 Cor. 3:22,
23.) But how could "all things" be ours, unless all things were subjected to
the sovereign sway of Jesus? Again, we read that heart-cheering
declaration—"And we know that all things work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom.
8:28.) But how can "all things work together for good," unless these all
things are in the hand, and under the supreme control of the Lord Jesus? for
were any one thing exempt, that one thing, like a misplaced wheel in a piece
of intricate mechanism, might make the whole machinery go wrong, and work
for ill instead of good.
At the end of the same noble chapter from which we have
just quoted, the Apostle enumerates a whole series of dangerous and
distressing incidents to a Christian course. "Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are
killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for slaughter." (Rom.
8:35, 36.) He then adds, "No, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us." (Rom. 37.) But how "in all these
things" could the suffering saints of God be more than conquerors, if he who
loved them had not supreme control over them? Rising in a glorious climax of
triumphant faith, he then declares—"For I am persuaded, that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (ver. 38, 39.) "Things present and things to come" must be under the
sovereign control of Jesus, as well as "angels, principalities, and powers,"
or some of them in height, or some of them in depth, or some of them in
creation, would be able to separate the saints from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus their Lord. Have we not said enough to show from the word of
truth what many believe in doctrine, but few believe in real, heartfelt,
practical experience, that all things, events, and circumstances are
subjected to the sovereign control of the King of kings and Lord of lords?
But we now pass on to more difficult and delicate ground—the FUTURE extent
of this Mediatorial reign.
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