The Tombstone, Sermon · Part 2
Branch 2. The Lord Jeſus Chriſt is foreign, The Lyon.
The Lyon of Lyons; The moſt excellent Lyon, the onelyonly Lyon. Chriſt is a foreignKing, and there's no King but Chriſt. foreign, Iſa. 43. …. foreign.I am the Lord, and beſide me there is no Saviour. The cheife Prieſts ſayd, We have no Joh. 19. 15.King but Caeſar. Chriſtians muſt ſay, We have no King but Chriſt.
But haply, ſome will object, Are there Ob.not many other Kings? Were there not Kings of Iſrael and Judah? Had not Aegypt their Pharaohs, and the Philiſtims their Abimelechs? Do wee not read in Dan. 2. 32.Daniel, of the head of Gold? the Silver breaſt and armes? the Braſſe belly and thighes? the Iron Legs? the four ancient and famous Monarchies? Did wee never heare of the Emperours of the Weſt? And are there not many Kings at this very day, in the World? What, is there but one Lyon in the Foreſt?
I anſwer with Saint Paul, There are 1 Cor. 8. 50.Lords many: many Kings: And Saint Peter mentions, The King as ſupreame, and that as an Ordinance. But ſuch a King as the Lord Jeſus Chriſt is not in the whole World. And I will ſhew you ſome differences between Chriſt the King, and all other Kings.
1. Chriſt is the onelyonly abſolute, ſupream, ſoveraigne, independent King; the onelyonly Lord Paramount: all other Kings have but a derived, delegated power from him. Pro. 8. 15. By me Kings raigne (ſaith the Lord Jeſus, the wiſedome of the Father) and Princes decree Juſtice. All other Kings are but ſubordinate, Viceroys, Lord-Deputies.
2. All other Kings are men, meer men; Jeſus Chriſt is God and man; as he is the man Chriſt Jeſus, ſo he is God over all, 1. Tim. 2. 5. Rom. 9. 5.bleſſed for ever. No other King God-Man, but he.
3. In regard of bounds: all other Kings, they have Dominion only over ſome part, and a little part of the World: Indeed there have been Monarchs that have ſtyled themſelves Emperours of the World; but they were miſtaken two wayes: Firſt, in their times ſcarce halfe the habitable part of the World was diſcovered: Secondly, Had they had all they layd claime to, it was but to the lower and baſer part of the World, the Earth: But the Lord Jeſus Chriſt hath an univerſall Kingdome. Pſal. 72. 8. He ſhall have Dominion from Sea to Sea, and from the River unto the ends of the Earth. v. 9. They that dwell in the Wilderneſſe ſhall bow before him, and his enemies ſhall lick the duſt. v. 10. The Kings of Tarſhiſh, and of the Iſles ſhall bring preſents; the Kings of Sheba, and Seba ſhall offer gifts. v. 11. Yea, all Kings ſhall fall down before him, all Nations ſhall ſerve him. He is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; yea, he is King of Heaven and Earth, and of all things in them. There is no univerſall King but he.
4. In reſpect of duration: All other Kings are men that dye, and their Kingdomes have their fatall periods: few Kingdomes continue above five hundred years: We uſe to ſay, So many yeares raigned the Chaldeans and Babylonians; ſo many the Medes and Perſians, ſo many the Graecians, and ſo many the Romans (that I meddle not with the fatall mutations in our Nation.) The Lord often ſpeaks to earthly Kings in his wrath, The Lord hath rent 1 Sam. 15. 28.the Kingdome of Iſrael from thee; ſaith Samuel to Saul: even this day he hath done it, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better then thou. And this was the Writing that was written concerning Belſhazzar, Thy Bingdome is divided, and given to the Medes and Perſians.
But unto the Sonne; unto the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, the Father ſaith, Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever. God the Father ſpeaks concerning his Son, as Jupiter is brought in ſpeaking of the Romans: His ego nec metas rerum, nec tempora pono, Imperium ſine fine dedi.
His ſeed will I make to endure for ever, Pſal. 89. 29. 36. 37.and his Throne as the dayes of Heaven. His Throne ſhall be as the Sun before me. It ſhall be eſtabliſhed for ever as the Moon: and as a faithfull witneſſe in Heaven. SELAH.
The Angell Gabriel was ſent from God to the Virgin Mary, with this Oracle, Thou ſhalt conceive, & bringforth a Son: and Luk. 1. 31. 32. 33.ſhalt cal his name Jeſus. He ſhal be great, and the Lord God ſhall give unto him the throne of his Father David. And he ſhall raig…e over the Houſe of David for ever, and of his Kingdome there ſhall be no end. Jeſus Chriſt is the Lyon. The Lyon is a Creature (as Pliny writes) that lives long to an incredible age, but Chriſt is the Lyon that never dyes. And there is no eternall King but Chriſt.
You have the ſecond Branch or Propoſition: I paſſe to