God the

namely, that this confession is so to be made, as it redound glory of "to the glory of God the Father." Whose great glory it is, that Father." His Son is Lord of such servants, that men shall say, See what servants He hath! How full of reverence to His Name! How free, how forward to do His will! Herein is His Name much magnified. As on the other side it must needs be "evil spoken of, and that among the very heathen," when not a knee Rom. 2. 24. got to bow; when this syllable, Lord, comes out of our mouth, but no Quid me vis facere? to follow it. When they see how unservice-like our service is, how rude our behaviour toward Him and His Name, Whom we term Lord indeed, but use Him nothing so. But come hither into His presence, and carry ourselves here for all the world as the fellow did before Augustus, of whom Mæcenas well said; Hic homo erubescit timere Cæsarem. And so we, as if we were ashamed to seem to bear any reverence at all to Him, or His name. It would not be thus. I am privy there is no one thing doth more alien those that of a simple mind refuse the Church, than this, that they see so unseemly behaviour, so small reverence shewed this way. But sure, the Apostle tells us our carriage there should be such, so decent, as if a stranger or unbeliever should come into our assemblies, the very reverence he there seeth, should make him fall down and say, "Verily God is 1Cor.14.25. among us," to see us so respectfully bear ourselves in the manner of our worship.

the Lord to the

God the

This confession that "Jesus is the Lord," is to be "to the "Jesus is glory of God the Father:" so we take it one way. Or this confession is to be, "that Jesus is the Lord to the glory of glory of God the Father:" so another way. And both well. To Father." "confess" that He is "the Lord," that all His Lordship is not to His own glory, but to His Father's. Think not then that gloria Filio shall abate aught of gloria Patri. The Son is "Lord to the glory of His Father," and not otherwise. Let that fear then be far from us, that in exalting the Son we shall in the least minute eclipse the glory of His Father. Here is no fear of emulation, that it will prove the case of Jupiter and Saturn. No, so blessed is the accord of this Father and this Son, as the Father thinketh it some blemish to His glory, if so profound humility, so complete obedience, He had not seen highly rewarded with super upon super.

IX.

The conclusion.

SERM. And the Son will admit of no glory that shall impair His Father's in the least degree; for lo, "He is Lord to the glory of God His Father." This is the end of His, of Christ's, and the same may be the end of all exaltations; that a Saviour ever may be "Lord,"-hold that place, and hold it and be “Lord,” not to His own, but "to the glory of God," even "God the Father." The end of all, and we must needs know and take that with us, for which all this here is brought. And it is a lesson, even Mat.11.29. His Discite a Me; and it is a pattern, even His exemplum dedi Joh. 13.15. vobis, to commend unto us the virtue of the text, the propter Lu. 2. 12. quod of the feast, even humility; hoc erit signum, it is His sign at Christmas. As His sign then, so His propter quod now at Easter; so the virtue of both feasts. I will offer I will offer you but three short points touching it.

1.

Humili-
arit.
Christ's
Person.

2.

Work.

Joh. 10.38.

Joh. 14.11.

3.

Reward.

It is no humble man is set before us here, it is the Son of God, and Himself God; et quomodo non humiliatur homo, coram humili Deo? How is not the son of man humble, and the Son of God is? Even for Him to love it, for His very Person.

And in this verse He is not barely set out to us, but in it and by it bringing to pass the works of our redemption, which cannot but extraordinarily commend this virtue to us ; in that it hath pleased God to do more for us in this His humility, than ever He did in all His Majesty, even to save and redeem us by it. To love it then, if not for Him, yet "for

the work's sake.”

But specially, which is the third, for the propter quod in the text; if not for the work, yet for the reward's sake. That as Christ was no loser by it no more shall we, for all this glory here, the way to it, is by the first verse. Humiliavit is the beginning, and the end of it is exalting, That the mother, this the daughter; all riseth from humiliavit Ipse Se. Jas. 4. 10. Humiliamini ergo, saith St. James; humiliamini ergo, saith St. 1 Pet. 5. 6. Peter; and after it there followeth still, et exaltabit vos Deus, a promise of a like glorious end. And what saith the Apostle Phil. 2. 5. here? "This mind," saith he," was in Christ," and it was opoveîv,

a wise mind; that we count it a wise mind, and worth the carrying, and carry it; and it shall carry us to the same journey's end it brought Him, even "to the glory of God the Father." This for humility.

Domino.

19.]

And what? Shall we not give some light trial of our obediens obedience also, to aver our confession, that He is our Lord ? It would be by Domine, quid nos vis facere? that is the true trial. Say then Domine, quid nos vis facere? and He will answer us, Hoc facite in Mei memoriam. Will ye know what I would have you do? "Do this, in remembrance of Me." [Luke 22. In sign that I am Lord, do but this; here is a case of instance, and that now, even at this very present, a proof to be made. By this we shall see, whether He be Lord or no. For if not this, but slip the collar here, and shrink away; si 2 Kings 5. rem grandem dixisset, in a far greater matter, how would we stand with Him then? We were wrong before; here is the sound and syllables we spake of, here it is. For all is but sound and syllables, if not this.

13.

But of us, "I hope for better things," that by our humble Heb. 6. 9. carriage and obedience, at least in this, we will set ourselves some way to exalt Him, in this His day of exaltation; which, as it will tend to His glory, so will He turn it to matter of our glory, and that in His kingdom of glory; or, to keep the word of the text, "in the glory of God the Father." That so we may end, as the text ends. A better or more blessed end there cannot be. And to this blessed end He bring us, That by His humility and obedience, hath not only purchased it for us, but set the way open, and gone it before us, "Jesus Christ the Righteous," &c.!

[1 Joh. 2.

A SERMON

PREACHED BEFORE

THE KING'S MAJESTY AT WHITEHALL,

ON THE NINTH OF APRIL, A.D. MDCXV. BEING EASTER-DAY.

SERM.

The occa

JOHN 2. 19.

Jesus answered and said, Dissolve (or destroy) this Temple, and within three days I will raise it up again.

Respondit Jesus et dixit eis Solvite Templum hoc, et in tribus diebus excitabo illud.

[Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Engl. Trans.]

HE "answered and said" this to the Pharisees, who X. sought "a sign" of Him the verse next before. A sign they sion: would have, and He tells them, a sign they should have. A sign. Themselves should minister Him occasion to shew a sign, the like was never shewn. For destroy Him they should, His body so, and He within three days would raise it again from death to life.

Joh. 2. 18.

The speech,

But this answer of His is a figurative speech, and runs figurative. under the terms of the Temple. The reason whereof was, they were then in the Temple; there, fell out this question. And as it appeareth in the verses before, much ado there had been between them, and that a long time, about the Temple.

The figure interpreted.

Now His manner still was the place, the time, the matter in hand, ever to frame the tenor and terms of His speech, according to them. And so, now being in the Temple, He takes His terms from thence, even from the Temple.

But He doth, as I may say, solvere Templum hoc, loose and undo this term for us; for within a verse we are told, this

Temple is no other than "the Temple of His body." Now the Joh. 2. 21. rest follows of itself. The solvite is a taking Him in sunder, His soul from His body; the excitabo is the setting them together, and raising them up again. And both these "within three days," the only word in the text wherein there is no figure.

sign in the

And this now was His sign, and a great sign it was. Great, How a even in their sense if it had been but of the pile of building, true sense. as they took the word Temple. But greater far, far another manner sign in His sense, in the true.

For, as for that Temple, Zerubbabel and Herod had raised it, and other great persons as great buildings as that. But the Temple of the body, if that were once down, all the Templebuilders that ever were, with all their care and cost could never get it up more. Therefore in His, in Christ's sense, it

is far the greater sign, than as they fancied it.

Indeed, so great a sign as he that was in hell fire could not devise, nor did not desire a greater. If but Lazarus, "if Lu. 16. 30. but one come from the dead," then, then regard him; that sign out of question. Why here is one come from the dead, and this day come, and a greater than Lazarus. I trust then we will regard Him, we will regard this sign, and not be worse than he in hell was. Let us then regard it.

vision.

The ground of the sign, and of all here, is Templum hoc. The diAbout it two main acts, they shew forth themselves; the razing of it down in solvite, the raising of it up in excitabo. These in figure. Answerable to these, this Temple is Christ's body. The razing it down, is Christ crucified and slain. The raising it up, is Christ restored to life.

Of which two, to divide it by the persons, solvite is their part, excitabo His. That, His Passion by their act-solvite; This, His Resurrection by His own,-excitabo.

Now this He saith shall be done, and saith farther shall not be long in doing, no longer than three days. And within the compass of the time limited He did it; for this is now the third day, and to day by sun-rising it was done.

So upon the matter, there come to be handled these four I. points: I. That Christ's body is Templum hoc. II. The disso- II. lution of it by death, in solvite. III. The rearing it up again by III. His resurrection, in excitabo. IV. The time to do it in, three days. IV.