was, however, graced and aggrandised by splendid accessions, when he was advanced to the right hand of God the Father, and solemnly proclaimed King and Lord of his Church. Of this Peter speaks in the following words; "Therefore let all the house of Israel "know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus " whom ye have crucified, both LORD and Christ."z XII. But he also powerfully asserted his dominion, and gave a striking demonstration of it in the sight of the whole world, when he punished the refractory nation of the Jews with a dreadful overthrow, destroyed their polity, burned their temple, and abolished the whole assemblage of those carnal ceremonies by which the glory of his spiritual kingdom was not a little obscured. He asserted it too, when, after the numerous and bloody contests in which his Church was involved, he enabled her to triumph over the barbarous tyrants both of the East and West, established her liberty under Constantine the Great, and either made the rulers of the earth affectionate nursing-fathers to the Church, or compelled them to render him a pretended subjection. In fine, he exhibited a remarkable proof of his sovereign dominion, when, in the days of our fathers, he greatly reduced the tyrannical power of Antichrist, who usurps his throne, and caused the everlasting Gospel, in which he is preached as the only Lord of the Church, to be published through the whole world. XIII. There are also displays of his authority which are yet to take place. He will demonstrate that he is Lord, when he shall convert the Israelites to himself, overturn the profane throne of Antichrist, and destroy the destroyers of the earth,-and when the dominion and Acts ii. 36. See also Ephes. i. 20-23. Philip. ii. 9, 10, 11. a Comp. Luke xix. 27. the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall, in consequence, be given to him and to the people of the saints of the Most High,-when all the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and the Church shall, under his pacific reign, be enriched with the most abundant gifts of the Spirit. In what surprisingly magnificent language the Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament, describe those happy times, we shall elsewhere have a more convenient opportunity of showing at large. That blessed period will at length be succeeded by the last act of the lordship of Christ, when, having judged men and devils, and having trampled all his enemies under his feet, he shall bring the whole assembly of his people home to himself in heaven,-being glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe. Such then is the dominion of Christ; nor is it merely such, but far surpasses all that it is possible for us to express or conceive. XIV. To give evidence that we rightly acknowledge and truly believe the lordship of Christ, it behoves us to be affected towards him in a manner worthy of those who remember that they are his, and not their own. They who call Christ Lord, not only with the mouth and from custom, but from the secret teaching and influence of the Spirit, behold in him, in reality, such Divine excellence, such a height of Divine perfection, so rich an abundance of grace, in short, such a venerable majesty resulting from the glories of his character, and diffusing its lustre on every side, that whatever once seemed bright and magnificent in the world, and whatever seems illustrious and splendid in the choirs of the Seraphim and Cherubim, appears, in comparison with Him, as smoke, or the shadow of a shadow. Such did the Spouse represent him to herself, when she described him as "white and ruddy, the chiefest among "ten thousands," surpassing all those eulogies in which she so copiously and so affectionately celebrates his excellence.b. Such did Peter, with his companions, behold him on the holy mount. Such did John see him more than once ;d and in preceding times, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel.s. Such do all his servants believe him to be, though they may have never seen him but with the eye of faith, as he is represented in the spiritual glass of the Gospel, or as, without any visible splendour, he shines on their hearts by the beams of his majesty. No one, doubtless, rightly venerates the sovereign authority of Christ, who does not deliberately consider him as infinitely more excellent than all creatures, and does not regard him as a person of so transcendant worth that it becomes all orders of angels in heaven, and all the princes, kings, and emperors on earth, to unite with himself in worshipping, praising, and adoring him with the profoundest reverence, casting their crowns at his feet,-and who is not, in fine, so transported with admiration for his unparalleled glory, that to be wholly devoted to it, is his earnest desire and his unspeakable delight. "He is thy Lord," says the Psalmist, " and worship thou him."h xv. Further, it is necessary for every one who acknowledges Christ as his Lord, to renounce Satan, the world, sin, and even himself, that he may belong to none but Christ. It is absolutely impossible to serve b Song v. 10-16. d Rev. i. 13-16. xix. 11-16. h Ps. xlv. 11. VOL. I. 3 F c 2 Pet. i. 16, 17. Dan. vii. 13, 14. 15. at the same time two masters that are so contrary to one another, and the one of whom, at least, justly demands the submission of the whole man. Whoever belongs to Christ, doth not belong to Satan; he is rescued from his tyranny. "In time past," but only in time past, he "walked according to the prince of the 66 power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the "children of disobedience." He doth not belong to the world; he is "delivered from this present evil "world," and he has learned that "the friendship of "the world is enmity with God."m He doth not belong to sin; he is dead to sin, through the death of Christ. Formerly indeed he was its servant; but being now made free from sin, he has become the servant of righteousness." He doth not belong to himself, that he should desire to be the master of his own actions, or the disposer of his own lot, his own foolish concupiscence giving him law. But his affections being reduced to order, the desires of the flesh being subdued, and the remains of his own will gradually vanishing away,Christ alone begins to live and to reign within him. It is certainly the characteristic of all the servants of Christ, that they hate, dread, and detest the cruel dominion of those lords, or rather tyrants, whom they formerly served, and whatever they know to be conducive to their interest. XVI. The dominion of those tyrants was solemnly renounced by believers in ancient times, when they gave their name to Christ in baptism. It was a truly pathetic address which, according to the custom then ob i Mat. vi. 24. • Rom. vi. 18. Heb. ii. 14, 15. 1 Gal. i. 4. n 1 Pet. ii. 24. P Gal. ii. 20. 66 66 66 66 served, the Patriarch, on the sixth day of Easter-week, delivered from his chair to those that were about to be baptized. We shall here exhibit a part of that address, adapted to our present purpose.* You intend this day to show the hand-writing of your faith to Christ. "Your conscience will be the pen, ink, and paper; your tongue, the form. Attend then to the manner "in which you subscribe this profession. Beware of committing a mistake, lest, peradventure, you should "be deceived. Men that are about to die make a tes"tament, and appoint another to inherit their posses"sions. To-morrow night you, too, are going to die "to sin; and now your renunciation is a testament; you make the devil the heir of your sins, and you "leave them to him as an inheritance. If any of you "then retains in his mind any thing which belongs to "the devil, let him renounce it as one that is about to 66 die, who is no longer master of his own possessions. "Let none amongst you, therefore, retain in his heart 66 66 66 66 any thing that pertains to the devil. Cast in the "devil's face all the remainders of filthiness and wick"edness, and be joined with Christ. See that none of you be negligent, or high-minded; stand with trem'bling. The whole transaction in which you are now 'engaged is awful and tremendous. All the powers of heaven are present in this place; all the angels and archangels, though invisible, are recording your words; "the Cherubim and Seraphim are bending from heaven in order to receive your engagements and pro"mises, and represent them to the Lord. Take heed, therefore, how you resist the devil, and adhere to the "Creator of the universe." A little after, he thus ad 46 66 66 * Ex Barberino MS. Sancli Marci. |