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Christ Exalted
by Jonathan Edwards
Dated August 1738. Lecture.
1 Corinthians 15:25, 26,
"For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The
last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death."
THE apostle in this chapter particularly opposes some among the
Christian Corinthians who denied the resurrection of the dead and
infested the church with their doctrine. There were two sorts of persons
in that age who were especially great opposers of the doctrine of the
resurrection. One among the Jews were the Sadducees, of whom we read,
Acts 23:8. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, either
angel or spirit. And we have the same account in other places. Among the
heathen that were the chief opposers of this doctrine were their
philosophers. The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead was not
consistent with their philosophy, by the principles of which, it was
impossible that one who was deprived of the habit of life, would ever
receive it again. And therefore they ridiculed the doctrine when the
apostle preached it among them at Athens. (Acts 17) Probably the church
at Corinth received this corruption from the philosophers, and not the
Sadducees. For Corinth was near to Athens, and the place of the chief
resort of the philosophers of Greece.
The apostle, in opposing this error, first insists on Christ’s
resurrection from the dead, and next on the resurrection of all the
saints at the end of the world. And in the verses next before the text,
shows how both are connected, or that one arises or follows from the
other. And then adds, “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 he must reign till he hath put
all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death.” Observe,
I. Here is one thing wherein appears the glory of that exaltation and
dominion, that Christ has as our redeemer, viz. that it issues in the
subjection of all enemies under his feet. It is not said all his
enemies, possibly because those that shall be put under his feet are not
only his enemies, but also the enemies of his Father and of his people.
Their being under his feet denotes their being perfectly subdued, and
his being gloriously exalted over them. It shall be thus with respect to
God’s and his, and his people’s enemies universally, not one excepted;
which universality is signified here two ways; all enemies — and the
very last enemy: when there shall be but one enemy left, that shall also
be put under his feet.
II. We may learn what is here meant by enemies by the particular
instance here given as the last that shall be destroyed, viz. death.
Which shows that by enemies, is not meant persons only, that set
themselves in opposition to God and his people, but evils; whatever is
against God and his people, and opposes Christ or his saints, whether
they be persons or things.
SECTION I
How evil of all kinds has prevailed and highly exalted itself in the
world.
Evil, of all kinds, has risen to an exceeding height in the world, and
highly exalted itself against God, and Christ, and the church. — This
will appear by the following particulars.
I. Satan has highly exalted himself, and greatly prevailed. He is vastly
superior in his natural capacity and abilities to mankind. He was
originally one of the highest rank of creatures, but proudly exalted
himself in rebellion against God in heaven. We are told, that pride was
the condemnation of the devil. (1 Tim. 3:6) He became proud of his own
superior dignity and mighty abilities, and the glory which his Creator
had put upon him. And [he] probably thought it too much to submit to the
Son of God, and attempted to exalt his throne above him. And he
prevailed to draw away vast multitudes of the heavenly hosts into an
open rebellion against God.
And after he was cast down from heaven, he proudly exalted himself in
this world, and prevailed to do great things. By his subtle temptations
he procured the fall of our first parents, and so brought about the ruin
of their whole race. He procured their ruin in body and soul, and the
death of both, and that they should be exposed to all manner of calamity
in this world, and to eternal ruin hereafter. He so far prevailed, that
he drew men off from the service of their Maker, and set up himself to
be the god of this world. And in a little time, [he] drew the world into
that almost universal corruption, which brought on the flood of water,
but which it was destroyed. And after that, he drew on all nations,
except the posterity of Jacob, from the worship of the true God, and
darkened all the world with heathenism, and held them under this
darkness for a great many ages, he himself being worshipped as God
almost all over the world. The nations of the earth offered sacrifices
to him and multitudes offered up their children. And during that time,
he often so far prevailed against the people of God, that he had almost
swallowed them up. The church was often brought to the very brink of
ruin.
And when Christ himself appeared in the world, how did he exalt himself
against him! And prevailed so far, as to influence men to hate and
despise him all the days of his life. And at last he persuaded one of
his own disciples to betray him. Accordingly, he was delivered into the
hands of men, to be mocked, buffeted, spit upon, and treated with the
greatest ignominy that unrestrained malice could devise. And at last
procured that he should be put to the most cruel and ignominious kind of
death. And since that, he has greatly exalted himself against the gospel
and kingdom of Christ. He has procured that the church, for the most
part, has been the subject of great persecution; has often brought it to
the brink of utter destruction; has accomplished great works in setting
up those great kingdoms of antichrist and Mahomet; and darkened great
part of the world, that was once enlightened with the gospel of Christ,
with worse than heathen darkness. And he has infected the Christian
world with multitudes of heresies and false ways of worship, and greatly
promoted atheism and infidelity. Thus highly has the devil exalted
himself against God and Christ, and the elect. And so far he prevailed.
II. Guilt is another evil which has come to a great height in the world.
All guilt is an evil of a dreadful nature. The least degree of it is
enough utterly to undo any creature. It is a thing that reaches unto
heaven, and cries to God, and brings down his wrath. The guilt of any
one sin is so terrible an evil that it prevails to bind over the guilty
person to suffer everlasting burnings. And so is in some respect
infinite, in that it obliges to that punishment which has no end. And so
is infinitely terrible. But this kind of evil has risen to a most
amazing height in this world. Where not only some persons are guilty,
but all, in all nations and ages, are naturally guilty wretches. And
they who live to act any time in the world, are not only guilty of one
sin, but of thousands, and thousands of thousands. What multiplied and
what aggravated sins are some men guilty of! What guilt lies on some
particular persons! How much more on some particular populous cities!
How much more still on this wicked world! How much does the guilt of the
world transcend all account, all expression, all power of numbers or
measures! And above all, how vast is the guilt of the world, in all
ages, from the beginning to the end of it! To what a pitch has guilt
risen! The world being, as it were, on every side, loaded with it, as
with mountains heaped on mountains, above the clouds and stars of
heaven.
And guilt, when it was imparted to Christ, greatly prevailed against him
— though in himself innocent, and the eternal Son of God — even so as to
hold him prisoner of justice for a while, and to open the flood-gates of
God’s wrath upon him, and bring his waves and billows over him.
III. Corruption and wickedness of heart is another thing that has risen
to an exceeding height in the world. Sin has so far prevailed that it
has become universal. All mere men are become sinful and corrupt
creatures. Let us attend to St. Paul’s description of the world (Rom.
3:9-18), “Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. As is written, There is
none righteous, no not one; there is none that understandeth, there is
none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are
together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no not
one.” And not only is every one corrupt, but they are all over corrupt,
in every power, faculty, and principle. Every part is depraved. Which is
here represented by the several parts of the body being corrupt, as the
throat, the tongue, the lips, the mouth, the feet. “Their throat is an
open sepulchre, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of
asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
their feet are swift to shed blood.” And not only is every part corrupt,
but exceeding corrupt, being possessed with dreadful principles of
corruption. horribly evil dispositions and principles of sin, that may
be represented by the poison of asps, which makes men like vipers and
devils, principles of all uncleanness, pride, deceit, injustice, enmity,
malice, blasphemy, murder. Here their throats are compared to an open
sepulcher, and their mouth is said to be full of cursing and bitterness,
and destruction and misery are said to be in their ways.
And there are those principles of sin not only that are very bad, but
every kind. Here is no sort of wickedness, but there is a seed of it in
men. And these seeds and principles have not only a being in men’s
hearts, but are there in great strength. They have the absolute
possession and dominion over men so that they are sold under sin. Yea,
wicked principles, and those only, are in the heart. The imagination of
the thoughts of their heart is evil only. There are bad principles only,
and no good ones. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Thus the
hearts of all men are deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9).
And if we look, not only at the natural corruption of the heart, but at
the contracted habits of sin, by wicked education and customs, how full
shall we find the world of wickedness, in this respect! How have men, by
bad customs in sinning, broken down all restraints upon natural
corruption, and as it were abandoned themselves to wickedness! So far
has corruption and wickedness prevailed in the world, and so high has it
risen, that it is become a great and universal deluge, that overtops all
things, and prevails with that strength, that it is like the raging
waves of the tempestuous ocean, which are ready to bear down all before
them.
IV. Many of the devil’s instruments have greatly prevailed and have been
exalted to an exceeding height in the world. It has been so in almost
all ages of the world. Many of the devil’s instruments have prospered
and prevailed till they have got to the head of great kingdoms and
empires, with vast riches and mighty power. Those four great heathen
monarchies that rose in the world before Christ are spoken of in
Scripture as kingdoms set up in opposition to the kingdom of Christ. So
they are represented in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
(Dan. 2:35, 36). These monarchies were exceeding powerful. The two last
ruled over the greater part of the then known world. And the last
especially, viz. the Roman empire, was exceeding mighty. So that it is
said to be diverse from all kingdoms, and that it would devour the whole
earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces (Dan. 7:23). It is
represented by the fourth beast, which was dreadful and terrible, and
strong exceedingly, and had great iron teeth, that devoured and brake in
pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet (Dan. 7:7). These four
kingdoms all persecuted the church of God in their turns, especially the
last. One of the governors of this monarchy put Christ to death. And
afterwards one emperor after another made dreadful havoc of the church,
making a business of it, with the force of all the empire, to torment
and destroy the Christians, endeavoring, if possible, to root out the
Christian name from under heaven.
And in those latter ages, how have those two great instruments of the
devil, viz. antichrist and Mahomet, prevailed, and to what a pitch of
advancement have they arrived, ruling over vast empires, with mighty
wealth, pride and power, so that the earth has been, as it were, subdued
by them. Antichrist has set up himself as the vicar of Christ, and has
for many ages usurped the power of God, “sitting in the temple of God,
and showing himself that he is God; and exalting himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped.” And how dreadfully has he ravaged
the church of God, being drunk with the blood of the saints, and the
martyrs of Jesus. And has often, as it were, deluged the world in
Christina blood, she with the utmost cruelty that human wit and malice
could invent. — And at this day, many other instruments of the devil,
many heretics, atheists, and other infidels, are exerting themselves
against Christ and his church, with great pride and contempt.
V. Affliction and misery have also prevailed and risen to an unspeakable
height in the world. The spiritual misery which the elect are naturally
in is great. They are miserable captives of sin and Satan, and under
obligations to suffer eternal burnings. This misery all mankind are
naturally in. And spiritual troubles and sorrows have often risen to a
great height in the elect. The troubles of a wounded spirit and guilty
conscience, have been felt with intolerable and insupportable weight. “A
wounded spirit who can bear?” (Pro. 18:14). And the darkness that has
risen to God’s people after conversion, through the temptations and
buffetings of the devil, and the hidings of God’s face, and
manifestations of his anger, have been very terrible. And temporal
afflictions have often risen exceeding high. The church of God has, for
the most part, all along, been a seat of great affliction and
tribulation.
But the height to which the evil of affliction has risen, nowhere
appears so much as in the afflictions that Christ suffered. The evil of
affliction and sorrow exalted itself so high, as to seize the Son of God
himself, and to cause him to be all in a bloody sweat, and to make his
soul exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. It caused him to cry out, “My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Affliction never prevailed to
such a degree in this world, as in Christ, whose soul was, as it were,
overwhelmed in an ocean of it.
VI. Death is an evil which has greatly prevailed and made dreadful havoc
in this world. How does it waste and devour mankind, one age after
another, sparing none, high or low, rich or poor, good or bad! Wild
beasts have destroyed many. Many cruel princes have taken away the lives
of thousands, and laid waste whole countries. But death devours all.
None are suffered to escape. And the bodies of the saints as well as
other, fall a prey to this great devourer. Yea, so high did this enemy
rise, that he took hold on Christ himself, and swallowed him among the
rest. He became the prey of this great, insatiable monster. By his
means, was his bodily frame destroyed, and laid dead in the dark and
silent grave. And death still goes on destroying thousands every day.
And therefore the grave is one of those things which Agur says, never
has enough (Pro. 30:16). — So have evils of every kind prevailed, and to
such a degree have they exalted themselves in the world.
SECTION II
How Jesus Christ, in the work of redemption, appears gloriously above
all these evils.
It was not the will of the infinitely wise and holy Governor of the
world that things should remain in this confusion, this reign of evil,
which had prevailed and exalted itself to such a height. But he had a
design of subduing it, and delivering an elect part of the world from
it, and exalting them to the possession of the greatest good, and to
reign in the highest glory, out of a state of subjection to all these
evils. And he chose his Son as the person most fit for an undertaking
that was infinitely too great for any mere creature. And he has
undertaken the work of our redemption. And though these evils are so
many and so great, and have prevailed to such a degree, and have risen
to such a height, and have been, as it were, all combined together; yet
wherein they have exalted themselves, Christ, in the work of redemption,
appears above them. He has gloriously prevailed against them all, and
brings them under his feet, and rides forth, in the chariots of
salvation, over their heads, or leading them in triumph at his chariot
wheels. He appears in this work infinitely higher and mightier than
they, and sufficient to carry his people above them, and utterly to
destroy them all.
I. Christ appears gloriously above all evil in what he did to procure
redemption for us in his state of humiliation, by the righteousness he
wrought out, and the atonement he made for sin. The evils mentioned,
never seemed so much to prevail against him as in his sufferings. But in
them, the foundation was laid for their overthrow. In them he appeared
above Satan. Though Satan never exalted himself so high, as he did in
procuring these sufferings of Christ; yet, then, Christ laid the
foundation for the utter overthrow of his kingdom. He slew Satan, as it
were, with his own weapon, the spiritual David cut off this Goliath’s
head with his own sword, and he triumphed over him in his cross. “Having
spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it,” (Col. 2:15) i.e. in his cross, mentioned in
the preceding words. Then the wisdom of Christ appeared gloriously above
the subtlety of Satan. Satan, that old serpent, used a great deal of
subtlety to procure Christ’s death. And doubtless, when he had
accomplished it, thought he had obtained a complete victory, being then
ignorant of the contrivance of our redemption. But so did the wisdom of
Christ order things that Satan’s subtlety and malice should be made the
very means of undermining the foundations of his kingdom. And so he
wisely led him into the pit that he had dug.
In this also Christ appeared gloriously above the guilt of men. For he
offered a sacrifice that was sufficient to do away all the guilt of the
whole world. Though the guilt of man was like the great mountains, whose
heads are lifted up to the heavens; yet his dying love, and his merits,
appeared as a mighty deluge that overflowed the highest mountains, or
like a boundless ocean that swallows them up, or like an immense
fountain of light that with the fullness and redundancy of its
brightness, swallows up men’s greatest sins, as little motes are
swallowed up and hidden in the disk of the sun.
In this Christ appeared above all the corruption of man, in that hereby
he purchased holiness for the chief of sinners. And Christ in undergoing
such extreme affliction, got the victory over all misery; and laid a
foundation for its being utterly abolished, with respect to his elect.
In dying he became the plague and destruction of death. When death slew
him, it slew itself. For Christ, through death, destroyed him that had
the power of death, even the devil (Heb. 2:14). By this he laid the
foundation of the glorious resurrection of all his people to an immortal
life.
II. Christ appears gloriously exalted above all evil, in his
resurrection and ascension into heaven. When Christ rose from the dead,
then it appeared that he was above death, which, though it had taken him
captive, could not hold him.
Then he appeared above the devil. Then this Leviathan that had swallowed
him was forced to vomit him up again, as the Philistines that had taken
captive the ark were forced to return it, Dagon being fallen before it,
with his head and hands broken off, and only the stumps left. — Then he
appeared above our guilt. For he was justified in his resurrection (Rom.
4:4, 25; 1 Tim. 3:16). In his resurrection he appeared above all
affliction. For though he had been subject to much affliction and
overwhelmed in it, he then emerged out of it, as having gotten the
victory, never to conflict with any more sorrow.
When he ascended up into heaven, he rose far above the reach of the
devil and all his instruments, who had before had him in their hands.
And now has he sat down at the right hand of God, as being made head
over all things to the church, in order to a complete and perfect
victory over sin, Satan, death, and all his enemies. It was then said to
him, “Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool,” (Psa. 110:1). He entered into a state of glory, wherein he
is exalted far above all these evils, as the forerunner of his people,
and to make intercession for them, till they also are brought to be with
him, in like manner exalted above all evil.
III. Christ appears gloriously above all evil, in his work in the hearts
of the elect, in their conversion and sanctification. This is what the
application of redemption, so far as it is applied in this world,
consists in, which is done by the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of Christ. In
this work of Christ in the hearts of his elect, he appears glorious
above Satan. For the strong man armed is overcome, and all his armor,
wherein he trusted, is taken from him, and his spoil divided. In this
work, the lamb is, by the spiritual David taken out of the mouth of the
lion and bear. The poor captive is delivered from his mighty and cruel
enemies.
In this Christ appears gloriously above the corruption and wickedness of
the heart, above its natural darkness in dispelling it, and letting in
light, and above its enmity and opposition, by prevailing over it,
drawing it powerfully and irresistibly to himself, and turning a heart
of stone into a heart of flesh, above the obstinacy and perverseness of
the will, by making them willing in the day of his power. In this he
appears above all their lusts. For all sin is mortified in this work,
and the soul is delivered from the power and dominion of it. — In this
work the grace of Christ gloriously triumphs over men’s guilt. He comes
over the mountains of their sins, and visits them with his salvation.
And God is wont often in their work, either in the beginning or progress
of it, to give his people those spiritual comforts, in which he
gloriously appears to be above all affliction and sorrow. And often
gives them to triumph over the devil, and his powerful and cruel
instruments. Many saints, by the influences of Christ’s Spirit on their
hearts, have rejoiced and triumphed, when suffering the greatest
torments and cruelties of their persecutors. And in this work Christ
sometimes gloriously appears above death, in carrying his people far
above the fears of it, and making them to say, “O death, where is thy
sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
IV. Christ gloriously appears above all these aforementioned evils, in
his glorifying the souls of departed saints in heaven. In this he gives
a glorious victory over death. Death by it is turned from an enemy into
a servant. And their death, by the glorious change that passes in the
state of their souls, is become a resurrection, rather than a death. Now
Christ exalts the soul to a state of glory, wherein it is perfectly
delivered from Satan and all his temptations, and all his instrument,
and from all remains of sin and corruption, and from all affliction.
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the
sun light on them, nor any heat — and God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes,” (Rev. 7:16, 17).
V. Christ appears gloriously above these evils, in what he does in his
providence in the world, as head and redeemer of his church. He appears
gloriously above Satan and all his instruments in upholding his church,
even from its first establishment, through all the powerful attempts
that have been made against it by earth and hell. Hereby fulfilling his
promise, “That the gates of hell should never prevail against it,” (Mat.
16:18).
Christ gloriously triumphed over these his enemies, in a remarkable
success of his gospel, soon after his ascension, when many thousands in
Jerusalem, and all parts of the world, were so soon turned from darkness
unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God, and in causing his
word to go on and prosper, and his church to increase and prevail
against all the opposition of the heathen world, when they united all
their power to put a stop to it, and root it out. So that, in spite of
all that the philosophers, and wise men, and emperors and princes could
do, the gospel in a little time overthrew Satan’s old heathenish kingdom
in the whole Roman empire, which was then the main part of the world.
And so brought about the greatest and most glorious revolution. Instead
of one single nation, now the greater part of the nations of the known
world were become God’s people.
And Christ’s exaltation above all evil in his government of the world,
in his providence, as the Redeemer of his people, has since gloriously
appeared in reviving his church by the reformation from popery, after it
had for many ages lain in a great measure hid, and dwelt in a
wilderness, under antichristian persecution.
And he will yet far more gloriously triumph over Satan and all his
instruments, in all the mighty kingdoms that have been set up in
opposition to the kingdom of Christ, at the time of the fall of
antichrist, and the beginning of those glorious times so much spoken of
in Scripture prophecy. “Then shall the stone that has been cut out
without hands smite all these kingdoms, and break them to pieces; and
they shall become like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors, and the
wind shall carry them away, that no place should be found for them: and
the stone which smote them shall become a great mountain, and fill the
whole earth,” (Dan. 2:34, 35). “Then shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and it shall break in pieces,
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever,” (Dan.
2:44). “And then the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of
our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever,” (Rev.
11:15). Though great and might empires have been set up one after
another in the world, in opposition to the kingdom of Christ, during the
succession of so many ages; yet, Christ’s kingdom shall be the last and
the universal kingdom, which he has given him, as the heir of the world.
Whatever great works Satan has wrought, the final issue and event of
all, in the winding up of things in the last ages of the world, shall be
the glorious kingdom of Christ through the world; a kingdom of
righteousness and holiness, of love and peace, established everywhere.
Agreeable to the ancient prediction, “I saw in the night visions, and
behold, one like the Son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and
came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And
there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people,
nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall
not be destroyed. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and
all dominions shall serve and obey him,” (Dan. 7:13, 14, 27).
Then shall Christ appear gloriously exalted indeed above all evil. And
then shall all the saints in earth and heaven gloriously triumph in him,
and sing, “Hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto
the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath
judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her
fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,” (Rev. 19:1, 2, 6).
VI. Christ will appear gloriously above all evil in the consummation of
the redemption of his elect church at the end of the world. Then will be
completed the whole work of redemption with respect to all that Christ
died for, both in its interpretation and application; and not till then.
And then will Christ’s exaltation above all evil be most perfectly and
fully manifest. Then shall the conquest and triumph be completed with
respect to all of them. Then shall all the devils, and all their
instruments, be brought before Christ, to be judged and condemned. And
then shall be completed their destruction in their consummate and
everlasting misery; when they shall be all cast into the lake of fire,
no more to range, and usurp dominion in the world, or have liberty to
make opposition against God and Christ. They shall forever be shut up,
thence forward only to suffer. Then shall death be totally destroyed.
All the saints shall be delivered everlastingly from it. Even their
bodies shall be taken from the power of death by a glorious
resurrection.
Then shall all guilt, and all sin and corruption, and all affliction,
all sighs and tears, be utterly and eternally abolished, concerning
every one of the elect, they being all brought to one complete body, to
their consummate and immutable glory. And all this as the fruit of
Christ’s blood, and as an accomplishment of his redemption.
Then all that evil, which has so prevailed, and so exalted itself, and
usurped and raged, and reigned, shall be perfectly and forever thrust
down and destroyed, with respect to all the elect. And all will be
exalted to a state wherein they will be forever immensely above all
these things. “And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away,” (Rev. 21:4).
SECTION III
The subject improved and applied.
I. IN this we may see how the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ appears in
the work of redemption. It was because the Father had from eternity a
design of exceedingly glorifying his Son, that he appointed him to be
the person that should thus triumph over the evil in the world. The work
of redemption is the most glorious of all God’s works that are made
known to us. The glory of God most remarkably shines forth in it. And
this is one thing wherein its glory eminently appears, that therein
Christ appears so gloriously above Satan and all his instruments, above
all guilt, all corruption, all affliction, above death, and above all
evil. And more especially, because evil has so exalted itself in the
world, as we have heard, and exalted itself against Christ in
particular.
Satan has ever had a peculiar enmity against the Son of God. Probably
his first rebellion, which was his condemnation, was his proudly taking
it in disdain, when God declared the decree in heaven, that his Son in
man’s nature, should be the King of heaven, and that all the angels
should worship him. However that was, yet it is certain that his strife
has ever been especially against the Son of God. The enmity has always
been between the seed of the woman, and the serpent. And therefore that
war which the devil maintains against God is represented by the devil
and his angels fighting against Michael and his angels (Rev. 12:7). This
Michael is Christ (Dan. 10:21 and 12:1).
God had appointed his Son to be the heir of the world. But the devil has
contested this matter with him, and has strove to set himself up as God
of the world. And how exceedingly has the devil exalted himself against
Christ! How did he oppose him as he dwelt among the Jews, in his
tabernacle and temple! And how did he oppose him when on earth! And how
has he opposed him since his ascension! What great and mighty works has
Satan brought to pass in the world! How many Babels has he built up to
heaven, in his opposition to the Son of God! How exceeding proud and
haughty has he appeared in his opposition! How have he and his
instruments, and sin, affliction, and death, of which he is the father,
raged against Christ? But yet Christ, in the work of redemption, appears
infinitely above them all. In this work he triumphs over them, however
they have dealt proudly, and they all appear under his feet. In this the
glory of the Son of God, in the work of redemption, remarkably appears.
The beauty of good appears with the greatest advantage, when compared
with its contrary, and appears vastly above it, in its greatest height.
The glory of Christ, in this glorious exaltation over so great evil,
that so exalted itself against him, the more remarkable appears, in that
he is thus exalted out of so low a state. Though he appeared in the
world as a little child; yet how does he triumph over the most gigantic
enemies of God and men! He who was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief,” is a man of war, and triumphed over his enemies in all
their power. He who was meek and lowly of heart, has triumphed over
those proud foes. And he is exalted over them all, in that which appears
most despicable, even his cross.
II. Here is matter of exceeding great encouragement for all sinful
miserable creatures in the world of mankind to come to Christ. For let
them be as sinful as they will, and ever so miserable; Christ, in the
work of redemption, is gloriously exalted above all their sin and
misery.
How high soever their guilt has risen, though mountains have been
heaping on mountains all the days of their lives, till the pile appears
towering up to heaven, and above the very stars; yet Christ in the work
of redemption appears gloriously exalted above all this height. — Though
they are overwhelmed in a mighty deluge of woe and misery, a deluge that
is not only above all their heads, but above the heads of the highest
mountains, and they do not see how it is possible that they should
escape; yet they have no reason to be discouraged from looking to Christ
for help, who in the work of redemption, appears gloriously above the
deluge of evil. Though they see dreadful corruption in their hearts,
though their lusts appear like giants, or like the raging waves of the
sea; yet they need not despair of help, but may look to Christ, who
appears in the work of redemption, gloriously above all this corruption.
If they apprehend themselves to be miserable captives of Satan, and find
him too strong an adversary for them, and the devil is often tempting
and buffeting them, and triumphing over them with great cruelty; if it
seems to them that the devil has swallowed them up, and his got full
possession of them, as the whale had of Jonah; yet there is
encouragement for them to look again, as Jonah did, towards God’s holy
temple, and to trust in Christ for deliverance from Satan, who appears
so gloriously exalted above him in the work of redemption.
If they are ready to sink with darkness and sorrows, distress of
conscience, or those frowns of God upon them, so that God’s waves and
billows seem to pass over them; yet they have encouragement enough to
look to Christ for deliverance. These waves and billows have before
exalted themselves against Christ, and he appeared to be infinitely
above them. — And if they are afraid of death, if it looks exceeding
terrible, as an enemy that would swallow them up; yet let them look to
Christ who has appeared so gloriously above death, and their fears will
turn into joy and triumph.
III. What cause have they who have an interest in Christ, to glory in
their Redeemer! They are often beset with many evils, and many mighty
enemies surround them on every side, with open mouths ready to devour
them. But they need not fear any of them. They may glory in Christ, the
rock of their salvation, who appears so gloriously above them all. They
may triumph over Satan, over this evil world, over guilt, and over
death. For as their Redeemer is mighty, and is so exalted above all
evil, so shall they also be exalted in him, They are now, in a sense, so
exalted. For nothing can hurt them. Christ carries them, as on eagle’s
wings, high out of the reach of all evils, so that they cannot come near
them, to do them any real harm. And, in a little time, they shall be
carried so out of their reach, that they shall not be able even to
molest them anymore forever.
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