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his kingdom, for the demonstration of God's mercy, is abolished; but whatsoever may be yet subservient to the demonstration of his justice is continued.

Christ then as King destroyeth the power of sin in all those who belong unto his kingdom, annihilating the guilt thereof by the virtue of his death, destroying the dominion thereof by his actual grace, and taking away the spot thereof by grace habitual. But in the reprobate and damned souls, the spot of sin remaineth in its perfect die, the dominion of sin continueth in its absolute power, the guilt of sin abideth in a perpetual obligation to eternal pains: but all this in subjection to his throne, the glory of which consisteth as well in punishing rebellion as rewarding loyalty.

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Again; Christ sitting on the right hand of God destroyeth all the strength of Satan and the powers of hell: by virtue of his death perpetually represented to his Father, he destroyeth him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil." But the actual destruction of these powers of darkness hath reference only to the elect of God. In them he preventeth the wiles, those he taketh out of the snare; in them he destroyeth the works, those he preserveth from the condemnation of the Devil. He freeth them here from the prevailing power of Satan by This grace; he freeth them hereafter from all possibility of any infernal opposition by his glory. But still the reprobates and damned souls are continued slaves unto the powers of hell; and he who sitteth upon the throne delivereth them to the Devil and his angels, to be tormented with and by them for ever; and this power of Satan still is left as subservient to the demonstration of the divine justice.

20 Thirdly; Christ sitting on the throne of God at last destroyeth death itself; for "the last enemy which shall be destroyed is death." But this destruction reacheth ono farther than the removing of all power to hinder the bringing of all such persons as are redeemed actually by Christ into the full possession of his heavenly kingdom. Heff will ransom them from the power of the grave; he will redeem them from death. O death, he will be thy plague; O grave, he will be thy destruction," Hos. xiii. 14.

The trump shall sound, the graves shall open, the dead shall live, the bodies shall be framed again out of the dust, and the souls which left them shall be reunited to them, and all the sons of men shall return to life, and death shall be "swallowed up in victory." The sons of God shall then be made completely happy both in soul and body, never again to be separated, but to inherit eternal life. Thus he who sitteth at the right hand of God"hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light." But to the reprobate and damned persons, death is not destroyed but improved. They rise again indeed to life, and so the first death is evacuated; but that life to which they rise is a second, and a far worse death. And thus Christ is set down at the right hand of God, that he might subdue all things to himself.

The regal power of Christ, as a branch of the Mediatorship, is to continue till all those enemies be subdued. "For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. But now we see not yet all things put under him." Therefore he must still continue there and this necessity is grounded upon the promise of the Father, and the expectation of the Son. "Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool," saith the Father; upon which words we may ground as well the continuation as the session. Upon this promise of the Father, the Son" sat down at the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool." Seeing then the promise of God cannot be evacuated, seeing the expectation of Christ cannot be frustrated, it followeth, that our Mediator shall exercise the regal power at the right hand of God till all opposition shall be subdued.

When all the enemies of Christ shall be subdued, when all the chosen of God shall be actually brought into his kingdom, when those who refused him to rule over them shall be slain, that is, when the whole office of the Mediator shall be completed and fulfilled, then every branch of the execution shall cease. As therefore there shall no longer continue any act of the prophetical part to instruct us, nor any act of the priestly part te

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intercede for us, so there shall be no farther act of this regal power of the Mediator necessary to defend, and preserve us. The beatifical vision shall succeed our information and instruction, a present fruition will prevent oblation and intercession, and perfect security will need no actual defence and protection. As therefore the general notion of a Mediator ceaseth when all are made one, because “a Mediator is not a Mediator of one;" so every part or branch of that Mediatorship, as such, must also cease, because that unity is in all parts complete. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that hath put all things under him, that God may be all in all," 1 Cor.

xv. 24.

Now though the Mediatorship of Christ be then resigned, because the end thereof will then be performed; though the regal office as part of that Mediatorship be also resigned with the whole; yet we must not think that Christ shall cease to be a King, or lose any of the power and honor which before he had. The dominion which he hath was given him as a reward for what he suffered and certainly the reward shall not cease when the work is done. He hath promised to make us kings and priests, which honor we expect in heaven, believing we shall reign with him for ever, and therefore for ever must believe him King. "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of the Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever," not only to the modificated eternity of his Mediatorship, so long as there shall be need of regal power to subdue the enemies of God's elect; but also to the complete eternity of the duration of his humanity, which for the future is coeternal to his divinity.

Lest we should imagine that Christ should ever cease to be King, or so interpret this article, as if he were after the day of judgment to be removed from the right hand of God, the ancient Fathers added those words to the Nicene Creed, "whose kingdom shall have no end"

against the heresy which then arose, denying the eternity of the kingdom of Christ.

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The profession of faith in Christ, as sitting on the right hand of God, is necessary; first, to remind us of our duty, which must needs consist in subjection and obedience. The majesty of a king claimeth the loyalty of a subject; and if we acknowledge his authority, we must submit unto his power. Nor can there be a greater incitation to obedience, than the consideration of the nature of his government. Subject we must be, whether we will or no; but if willingly, then is our service perfect freedom; if unwillingly, then is our averseness everlasting misery. Enemies we all have been; under his feet we all shall be, either adopted or subdued. A double king dom there is of Christ; one of power, in which all are under him; another of propriety, in those which belong unto him: none of us can be excepted from the first; and happy are we if by our obedience we show ourselves to have an interest in the second, for then that kingdom 18 not only Christ's but ours.

Secondly; it is necessary to believe in Christ sitting on the right hand of God, that we may be assured of an auspicious protection under his gracious dominion. For God by his exaltation hath given our Saviour " to be the head over all things to the church;" and therefore from him we may expect direction and preservation. There can be no illegality where Christ is the Lawgiver; there can be no danger from hostility where the Son of God is the Defender. The very name of Head hath the signification not only of dominion but of union; and therefore while we look upon him at the right hand of God, we see ourselves in heaven. This is the special promise which he hath made us since he sat down there," To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Fa ther in his throne," Rev. iii. 21. How should we rejoice, yea rather how should we fear and tremble at so great an honor!

Thirdly; the belief of Christ's glorious session is most necessary in respect of the immediate consequence, which is his most gracious intercession. Our Saviour is

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ascended as the true Melchizedech, not only as the King of Salem, the Prince of Peace, but also as "the Priest of the most high God;" and whereas every priest, according to the law of Moses, "stood daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices which could never take away sins, this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of Gods" Heb. x. 11. And now Christ being set down in that power and majesty, though the sacrifice be but once offered, yet the virtue of it is perpetually advanced by his session, which was founded on his passion; for he is "entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Thus, "if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;" and "He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them," 1 John ii. 1; Heb. vii. 25. What then remaineth to all true believers but that triumphant exclamation of the apostle, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us," Rom. viii. 33. For he who was accepted in his oblation, and therefore sat down on God's right hand, to improve this acceptation continues his intercession; and having obtained all power by virtue of his humiliation, representeth them both in a most sweet commixtion; by an humble omnipotency, or omnipotent humility, appearing in the presence, and presenting his postulations at the throne, of God.

Having thus explicated the session of our Saviour, we are next to consider the description of him at whose right hand he is set down; which seems to be delivered in the same terms with which the Creed did first begin, I believe in God the Father almighty; and indeed, as to the expression of his essence, it is the same name of God; as to the setting forth his relation, it is the same name of Father; but as to the adjoining attribute, though it be the same word, it is not the same notion of almighty. What therefore we have spoken of the nature of God,

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