Sermon XXXIII (continued, part 2)
But I told you that there was a more especial reason why that this inter
pretation must be here taken in with the rest. For I find all interpreters, almost with one consent, to refer me for the words that follow, hath put all
things under his feet, to Ps. viii., as the only place in the Old Testa ment where those words are spoken concerning Christ ; ver. 6, Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands ; thou hast put all things under his feet. So as, say they, these words, he hath put all things under
his feet/ are a testimony borrowed from Ps. viii., which the same apostle Paul quoteth and citeth in two other epistles to the very same purpose. He
quoteth them Heb. ii. 8, where he speaks of his kingdom, and in 1 Cor. xv. 27. Now therefore, I was led to look into Heb. ii., where indeed I find the same words quoted out of Ps. viii. ; and I found this likewise, that the
Apostle s scope was to prove that the Psalmist prophesied of a world to
come, ordained for Christ; and proveth it by this, that he was to have a world wherein all things were to be subject to him ; the very same thing that folioweth here in the 22d verse. And, saith he, though we now see
Christ crowned with glory and honour, so it is at Heb. ii 8, which is all one and to sit at God s right hand, yet, saith he, all is not subject unto him. Though God hath put all under his feet, yet all is not yet subject ; therefore there is a world to come, saith he, wherein all things shall be sub
ject to Jesus Christ.
. Now then, I finding here a world to come, wherein Christ is King over
all, and all things put under his feet, which are the next words, and that in the judgment of all interpreters it is taken out of Ps. viii., which Heb. ii.
quoteth, there is no rational man could imagine but that, in the same sense
that world to come is taken in Heb. ii., in the same sense it must be taken
here.
I did in my last discourse, indeed, with more modesty pass over what I
thought was meant by that world to come than perhaps is here meet.
Perhaps, likewise, I might not be so well understood. I will therefore ex
plain myself unto you, professing not to be long upon it ; for I will not dis
course of it, but merely take what is pertinent and apposite to the expression in hand, the world to come, as it is held forth unto us in Heb. ii. I also proved that that man prophesied of in Ps. viii., that was to have
all things under his feet, was only Jesus Christ. I shall speak now more to
this, that he hath a world to come ordained for him, in which all things are to be understood. And I shall express myself, all that I mean to sayabout it, in these two heads : The first is, That that world to come, mentioned Heb. ii. 5, wherein
Christ is to have all things under his feet, is not this world that now is, or
merely the government that Christ now hath ; neither is it the world after the
day ofjudgment, and yet is said to be a world to come. And then, secondly, / shall shew you what I think is meant by that world
to come, and the several steps and degrees of its perfection, its growing up, in respect of which it is said to be a world to come.
Em. I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 517
And, first of all, that the world to come, mentioned in Heb. ii. and pro phesied of, Ps. viii., which this text referreth us to, is not the world that now
is, that is plain \ for the Apostle distinguished this world that now is from that world that is to come by this : saith he, now we do not see all things subject unto liim, and it is his argument by which he proveth that there must needs be such a world to come subject unto Christ, We see not, saith he, all things put under him yet, Heb. ii. 8 ; therefore it is a world
to come. Here lies the Apostle s reason. That same word not now, or
1 not yet, implieth evidently that there is a world to come in which this is to be fulfilled, wherein all things shall be subject unto Christ. It is true, this world to come is begun, as I shall shew you by and by, but it is not grown up to its perfection. We see Jesus crowned indeed, but we do not see all things subject unto him yet. This is the Apostle s scope in Heb. ii. So that, first, it is not this world that now is. Then the second thing is this, to prove that it is not the estate of the world
after the day of judgment. I shall only prove it out of Heb. ii. and this
place ; I will go no further, for I will still speak pertinently to the text.
First, then ; the world to come, that is ordained for Christ to have all
things subject to him, is not the world after the day of judgment, I mean the
state after the day of judgment. My reason is this, because that of this world that is to come for Christ, Adam s world was the type. Now mark it, my brethren. Look into Rom. viii. 19-22, the Apostle sheweth you plainly there that Adam s world, this very world wherein now we are, which is the
type of Christ s world to come, this earth and this heaven, these creatures do groan
* for the manifestation of the sons of God ; for the creature, saith
he, was made subject unto vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him, namely, Adam, who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature
itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. So that you see there is a world to come which is not that after the day of judgment, for what will become of these creatures then, no man can tell me, but it is this very in
dividual creation, where we live and are, that doth groan for a restitution ; and the restitution of it is the world to come, as the present corruption and
bondage of it is this world.
And then, if you look into Ps. viii., you shall find there, that in the type of Christ s world to come, it is said that heavens, and stars and moon, and
sheep and oxen, and fowls of the air, and fishes, these are all subject unto him. This cannot be meant after the day of judgment; no, not in the type. There is nothing after the day of judgment which heavens, and stars and
moon, and sheep and oxen, and fowls of the air, and fishes should signify or
typify out to us.
So that it is a world to come, between the state of this world, which is yet in its ruff and in its height to this present, and the day of judgment.
I will give you a second reason for it, and it is this : For when this world
to come shall come, and Christ shall have all subject unto him in it, for he
only, saith he, shall have all subject, then he shall deliver up the kingdom unto his Father, namely, at the end of the day of judgment. This is plain, 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, &c. He saith plainly there that when he hath put all
things under his feet, when he hath done it, when he hath brought Mm fully into possession of this world to come, wherein all things are to be subject unto him, then, ver. 28, when all things shall be subdued unto him, then
shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that hath put all things
518 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SERMON XXXIV.
under him. So that now, this world of his doth cease when the day of
judgment ceaseth, for then cometh the end, saith he, ver. 24. And then, thirdly, answerably out of the very words of the text you have
this world, and the world to come, wherein there are principalities, and powers, and might, and dominion ; not only in this world, saith he, but in the world to come. Why now, after the day of judgment there will be no
principalities and powers, or might and dominion ; therefore not this world
to come, if you take it in a proper and strict sense. That there will be no principalities and powers after the day of judgment
is ended, is plain thus : for in 1 Cor. xv. 24, He shall deliver up the king dom to the Father, when he shall have put down all rule, and authority, and power. Here are three words, according to the Greek, of those four which are in the text.
So that now, I say, that world to come, which the Apostle speaks of, Heb. ii., and quoteth Psalm viii. for it, wherein Christ is actually to have
all things under his feet, is not that time after the day of judgment. It
is not this world neither, nor the state of things now ; for we do not see yet
all things put under him; therefore there is a world to come between these
two.
( world to
And so much now for that first general head, namely, that by
come, both here and in Heb. ii., is not meant the state of things after the
day of judgment simply or only, but another world besides.
Now, in the second place, I come to explain what it is that is meant by this world to come. I shall do it as briefly as possibly the thing will bear, and indeed but to explain the text.
I will shew you, first, in general why it is called a world ; and, secondly, why a world to come.
Then more particularly I shall shew you the several degrees of the coming on of this world ; and when it is at its perfection, that Christ shall have all
in subjection to him, and then that world to come shall cease ; of that the second of the Hebrews speaks.
First, Why it is called a world. My brethren, you must know this, that as God made this world for Adam, and put all things under him, though not under his feet ; so God appointed a world for the second Adam, his Son Christ Jesus, and Adam s world was but the type of this world to come. Kom. v. 14, it is said that Adam was the type of him that was to come. Answerably this old Adam s world, which now good angels and bad angels, and sinful men, these principalities and powers, rule, it is but the shadow of that world which is to come, prophesied of in that 8th Psalm, and mentioned in that second of the Hebrews.
Yea, my brethren, let me add this to it also, that God doth take the same world that was Adam s, and makes it new and glorious ; the same creation
groaneth for this new world, this new clothing ; as we groan to be clothed
upon, so doth this whole creation. And as God takes the same substance of man s nature, and engrafteth the new creature upon it, the same man still ; so he takes the same world, and rnaketh a new world, a world to come, for the second Adam. For the substance of the same world shall be restored to a glory which Adam could never have raised it unto, the same world that was lost in Adam. And this God will do before he hath done with it; and
this restitution is the world to come.
Now then, Why is it called a world to come ? It is called a world to come because, though the foundation of it is now
EPH. I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 519
laidj it was laid then, when our Lord and Saviour was upon the earth,
the foundation of it is laid in the new creature. Why is it called the new
creature, but because as the first creation began the old world, so this new
creature beginneth the new world 1 And as the old world was not perfected
in a day, but in six days, so this new world to come is not perfected at once,
the new creature is but the beginning of it ; the new creature there below is
in your hearts.
Saith the Apostle there in that second of the Hebrews, do but mark the
coherence, and you shall see that this new world is begun, and it is but
begun, and you shall see when it began, ver. 2, If the word spoken by
angels was steadfast, meaning the law, how shall we escape, saith he,
ver. 3, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard it V &c.
For, saith he, to the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to
come, whereof we speak. He had spoken of the preaching of the gospel in
the words just before ; he saith it was begun to be preached by Christ, and
accompanied with the miracles and signs of the Holy Ghost ; and this gospel,
saith he, the angels did not deliver. They delivered the law indeed. The
word spoken by angels, saith he, was steadfast, that is, the law; but,
saith he, this gospel, which is the kingdom of heaven, is the beginning of
the world to come, whereof we now speak. This world, saith he, was not
subjected to angels; they preached it not, neither shall they have anything
to do in that world which the gospel beginneth. This world that now is, is
subjected to them indeed, as I shewed you formerly ; but the world to come
is not.
It began therefore, you see, then, when Jesus Christ began to preach ; and
therefore you may observe the language of the gospel. Repent, saith John
Baptist, Matt, iii 2, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The world to
come is coming upon you, when Christ shall come to preach the gospel, to
make men new creatures. Here was the foundation of it. And saith Christ
himself, Mark i. 15, Repent; the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and,
Matt, xvi 28, There are some that stand here, saith he, that shall not
taste of death and all are dead that stood there long ago till they see
the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
The foundation of this world to come was thus laid by our Saviour Christ
in bringing in the gospel, and it was prophesied of in Dan. ii. 44. He saith
expressly there, that in the days of these kings while the principalities and
powers stand of those monarchies ; for he came stealing into the world when
the Roman monarchy first began, in Augustus Caesar s time ; Christ, that
meant to ruin it, came stealing in upon it shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom which shall never be destroyed ; but it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. This same new
world, you see, began in the nourishing and height of the Roman monarchy. Now, what did Jesus Christ do when he came into the world and went up
into heaven, when he began his new world 1 Consider what the world was
before.
The devil was worshipped in all parts of the world, as the god of the
world. Our Lord and Saviour Christ flingeth him down ; I saw Satan,
saith he, fall down like lightning. Where heathenism did not prevail, there
did Judaism, all the ceremonial law ; how zealous were the Jews of all their
! He throweth all them down ; the apostle Paul calleth it, Heb. xii. 26, shaking of the earth. Here is a great deal of
ceremonies, and of the temple
this world gone presently, and falling down like Dagon before the new world.
520 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SERMON XXXIV.
He converteth by his apostles millions of souls over all the world ; and how
is conversion expressed in 2 Cor. v. 17 ? Old things are passed away; all
things are become new.
And this is but the first day s work of this world to come ; the world is
yet to come, for the Apostle, for all this, saith, we do not yet see all things
subject unto him. This is but a delivering us out of the present evil world ;
it is not a subjecting the present world unto Christ, it is a delivering them out of it that are converted, as it is Gal. i. 4.
And, my brethren, what is the reason that we Christians begin to reckon our time from Christ ? We do not reckon from the creation ; we do not say five thousand and five hundred and so many years, as it is since the creation; but we say one thousand six hundred, &c. as reckoning from Christ, for then our new world began.
This new world, that is but in the first day s work, when it had thrown down heathenism, the devil, flung out all those Jewish ceremonies, shook that earth, it is like a new nail that shaveth off by degrees the old one.
Christ will not cease till he hath made all new. It is said there in that Dan.
ii. 44, that it shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms, eat out the world and all the monarchies and glory of it, before it hath done.
Well, you shall see, when he had thrown down heathenism and Judaism, which was his first day s work, as I may so say, then cometh a night of
Popery, and that steppeth up in the room of it. What will Christ do before he hath done 1 He will have a second day s work, and he will not cease till he hath thrown out every rag, the least dross and defilement, that Antichrist
or Popery brought in or continued in the world. And we are under the second day s work, if I may so express it ; we are but working up still to a
purer world ; it is this new world, this world to come, working up to its
perfection. And, my brethren, Jesus Christ will never rest till he hath not
only thrown out all the dross of this world, both in doctrine and worship, which conforming to the world bringeth in, and hath brought into the world,
but for a second degree of this world, he will never rest till he hath
brought all the world, that is, the generality of men, to be subject to him which is another degree of this world to come.
The world, you know, consisteth of Jews and Gentiles. In the Apostle ^ time he had not conquered all the corruptions of the world, much less had he conquered the generality of mankind in the world. How bitterly doth the Apostle complain of the cutting off of the Jews ; but a few of them at
best came in, the generality of that nation was cast off. And for the Gentiles, Who hath believed our report T say the apostles. But a very few in com
parison. Therefore there will come a time when this new world shall have
yet a further perfection ; it shall grow up to a world, that the generality of
mankind, both Jew and Gentile, shall come in to Jesus Christ. He hath had but little takings of the world yet, but he will have before he hath done; the world was made for him, and he will have it before he hath done.
In Rom. xi. 26, saith the Apostle, all Israel shall be saved, speaking of
their second call, for the generality of it. There is the new world of the
Jews, a new world in that sense. And for the Gentiles, he telleth you that
e was the reconciling of the world, that is, of the Gentiles, what shall their fulness be, their
is but cast in. If the casting off of the Jews, saith he,
taking in, but life from the dead? The veil shall be taken off from all
nations, so is the expression, Isa. xxv. 7. And that which is so much alleged for unity shall one day be fulfilled ; but it will be when Christ is Lord of all
EPH. I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 521
the earth, never before. Christians will never agree till then, and then
indeed there shall be one Lord, and his name one/ as it is, Zech. xiv. 9. Here will be a brave world indeed, my brethren, and this is another degree
of this world to come ; one shepherd and one sheepfold of Jew and Gentile, and that sheepfold as large as all the world ; so John x. 16. I speak of the
generality, and the most. This was never yet fulfilled, for the Apostle ex
pressly saith, that the casting off of the Jew was the receiving in of the
Gentiles; therefore they were never yet one sheepfold together, but they
shall be one.
My brethren, read the prophets, you shall find promises of strange and
: of glorious times, and that here upon earth ; of all nations
wonderful things
coming in to Jesus Christ ; of all prosperity ; of the mountain of the Lord
set above all mountains, &c.
Disputing once with a Papist, he urged this upon me : saith he, If the
Church of Rome be not the true church, and the church to which all churches
shall submit, which hath had constant peace and prosperity, all riches, and
glory, and honour, for this many hundred years ; how hath this ever been
fulfilled to your church, that all nations shall flow into it, that it is a moun
tain set above all mountains, that abundance of peace and prosperity is in it, which shall run down like a river ; whereas you, saith he, have been in per secution ? The truth is, my brethren, there is no answer for it but one, that
the time is yet to come. And this one of their own, even Horrerius a Jesuit,
though himself was for the Church of Rome, and made the prosperity of it
one note of the truth of that church, yet he acknowledgeth, seeing such
glorious things spoken of the Church of Christ in this world, that it is yet
to be fulfilled, and was never yet fulfilled, no not in the Roman Church.
So now, you see, there is so much toward this world to come ; yea, and
the truth is, thus far we find many divines fall in, yea, and find those that
do acknowledge that this state of glory, of a glorious church on earth, shall
continue for a thousand years, during which time the Jews shall have it, and
the Gentiles together with them.
There is a third thing, which is more controverted ; and there is a fourth
to be added to that, which I think that few will deny.
The third degree of this new world is this, that when this glorious time-
cometh, that Jesus Christ will thus call home both Jew and Gentile, and
have a new world in respect of multitudes of men of all nations coining in unto
him, to make this new world the more complete, he will bring part of heaven down to it. This, I say, is more controverted. I shall but express to you
briefly some grounds for it, which I confess for these twenty years I have
not known well how to answer, and that is all that I can say.
It is not that Christ himself shall come down that is the old error of
some to reign at Jerusalem ; which error indeed the fathers spake against, and which hath brought a blemish and absurdity upon that opinion. But
that under Christ, reigning in heaven, for certainly his court is there, and
that is his temple, and he sitteth there both over this world and that to
come, yet that under him part of heaven shall come down and rule this
world, to make the glory of it so much the more complete, to put down Adam s world, I shall give you rather those reasons.
I know not how to understand that place first, which shall be the foun
dation of all the rest ; it is a known place alleged to this purpose ; Rev. xx., indeed the whole chapter, but especially the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses. You shall find, my brethren, and those that know that book acknowledge
522 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SEKMON XXXIV.
this, that in chap. xix. both Pope and Turk are destroyed; so ver. 20 of
that chapter. The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that
wrought miracles, and had deceived them that had the mark of the beast, &c. And they were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Here now the beast is gone, but the devil is left; therefore, chap. xx. 1, 2, I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless
pit and a great chain in his hand ; and he laid hold on the dragon, that is, the devil, it is no other, and his angels, he is put for all the rest, that old
serpent, that now doth traverse the world, going up and down, and is the
ruler and the god of this world, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him
up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled : and after that he must be loosed for a little season.
Here you see the devil cooped up, and why 1 Not to deceive the nations
any more. It was never fulfilled yet. When was it fulfilled ? Not during the times of Antichrist, he never more deceived than he did then ; and the order you see is after the beast is taken, the beast is not yet destroyed
: so that this thing is to come. It is not after the day of judgment, for he is to be loosed for a little season ; so saith the text. And the truth is, you shall
find that which we call properly and strictly the day of judgment, when all
shall arise and be judged, followeth, as ver. 12, 13, and that after the devil hath been loosed a little season again.
Now, when the devil is gone, and is thus shut up for a thousand years, what is done for this thousand years ?
Read the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th verses. I saw thrones, saith he, and
they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. What is judg ment, but reigning ? And what were they to whom judgment was given ?
* I saw, saith he, the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, namely, in the primitive times, under the Homan empire, and which had not received the mark of the beast upon their foreheads, or in their hands, those wiiich stood out unto the days of Antichrist, which argueth that this is to fall out after the times of Anti
christ too, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Now, it is said that the first resurrection is a
spiritual resurrection of men s souls from the death of sin; such interpretations are put upon it. But consider with yourselves a little. First, it is the souls of men dead; that is plain, for he saith they were slain with the sword, they were beheaded for the witness of Jesus : and as their death is, so must their resurrection be ; their death was certainly a bodily death, for they were beheaded, therefore their resurrection must be answerable to it. And, to mention no other arguments, they reigned with Christ a thousand years ; this is not the glory of heaven, for that is for ever, and so they had reigned from the first time they were slain, if that glory were meant ; but they reign upon their rising ; for he saith, the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished. Therefore the opposition implieth, that it is a living again, and a proper resurrection.
Now, where do these reign ? It should seem on earth by this argument ;
because, why else is the devil bound up? He need not be bound up for their
reigning in heaven ; but as a preparation to this, the devil is bound up, so the text saith. This is one place out of which I could urge multitude of
things, but I forbear.
EPII. I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 523
Well, I know not how to answer another, and that is that I quoted in my last discourse, Rev. v. 10, where the saints expressly say in John s time, Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign not, we do, but we shall reign on earth. And then go join with this 2 Pet. iii. 13 : We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. We, we apostles, we saints that
live now, we look for it. How do I prove that ? Because the use he makes of it is this : Wherefore, beloved, seeing you look for such things, be dili
gent to be found of Mm in peace, without spot, and blameless. It could not be an argument then, in those times, to be holy and blameless, if they them
selves personally were not to look for it ; and he saith expressly, seeing you look for it
And what is that which, according to his promise, they look for 1 A new
heaven, and a new earth. Not heaven itself properly taken ; there is not a new heaven to be made ; it is the old heaven, that was made from the foun dation of the world, in which we shall for ever be with Christ after the day of judgment. However, how is there a new earth there 1 We look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, wherein righte ousness reigneth and ruleth ; because, as I said before, it will be a new world subjected unto Jesus Christ, when the new Jerusalem cometh down from heaven.
You will ask me now, What shall they do here in this new world ?
I shall give you such considerations as shall take off the absurdity. First, I will tell you what they shall not do. They shall not eat and drink, nor
marry, nor give in marriage. Our Saviour saith expressly, that the children
of the resurrection do none of these things. Therefore to imagine a Turkish heaven here below, a Turkish paradise, is that which hath been the absurdity put upon that opinion ; and which indeed made many of the fathers, after
the first three hundred years, to fly out against it. There was an opinion then that Christ himself should again reign personally at Jerusalem a thou
sand years, that they should abound in all sensual pleasures, in marrying
wives, eating and drinking, &c., and that the Jewish ceremonies should be then restored. And it was this opinion that the fathers confuted, and did
so much fly out against ; for otherwise the truth is that Austin himself saith, that if you will grant only spiritual delights to come from heaven for them,
it is an opinion, saith he, that may be tolerated. And Tertullian saith the
like in his third book against Marcian, which he wrote in his best time, before he turned Montanist ; and he calleth it, a heavenly kingdom upon earth, in abundance of spiritual good things.
I have told you what they do not ; I will tell you what they do, and take
off the absurdity of that likewise. He saith they shall be kings and priests, so Rev. v. 10. And chap. xx. 6, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in
the first resurrection : on such the second death hath no power, they are
out of the danger of it, both body and soul being raised and in a celestial
estate, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. To open this a little to you
First, to be kings. You heard this in Heb. ii. 5, that he hath not put
this world to come in subjection to the angels. The angels, now, are the
thrones and principalities, and the kings and the great ones that rule this world that is now. But the truth is, he saith, they shall be kings then ; he hath not put this new world in subjection unto the angels, but unto them. And for them to take the angels office, to be as angels after this resurrection,
is no absurdity.
524 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SERMON XXXIV.
They shall be priests. I shall take off that absurdity by this. Our
Saviour Christ, when he took up his body here out of the grave, continued
forty days upon earth ; what did Christ Jesus all that while 1 He did per form the part of a priest and of a prophet, he did instruct them in the wor
ship of God ; so you read expressly, Acts i. The apostles, my brethren, had
a brave teacher, Christ risen from the dead ; he began this new world, and he remained forty days on earth before he ascended, on purpose. Now, think with yourselves, for the saints to be conformed unto Jesus Christ their
Lord and King, to run through but the same state he doth. He ran through this world, he was poor and miserable; so are you. When he died, Into thy hands, Father, I commend my spirit ; whither his soul went, ours go. When he rose again, and took up his body, and remained forty days upon the earth, he instructed his disciples in the great things of the kingdom of God. If the
saints do so, when they first take their bodies, here is but a conformity unto
Christ. He then ascended ; so shall they, and for ever be with the Lord. My brethren, consider this further, for I shall mention all that doth alle
viate it; the great objection lies in this, that the souls of men, that now are
in heaven and see the face of God, should come down and do such a service
as this, to reign on earth here below, in such a glorious church as I have told
you ; here lieth the absurdity. To take this off, consider this : that even
this estate will be a better estate than what their souls now have. I will
give you reason for it ; for otherwise our Lord and Saviour Christ, when his
body and soul was here also below after his resurrection, was not in a
better estate than his soul was before his resurrection, which certainly it was. You will say, They are now in heaven. Yes, as the angels are ; but
as the angels come down here below, and yet always see the face of their
Father, so saith the gospel, Matt, xviii. 10, Their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven, so may these still be in heaven and behold the face of God. Stephen, you know, beheld the face of God, and the glory of God, and Christ standing on his right hand, though he was a mortal man, and here below.
In one word, let me say this : God hath eternity of time to reveal himself
in, he doth advance his favourites by degrees; first glorifieth their souls
apart, takes soul and body, when they are united they have a better condition than the glorifying of their souls simply. How many of these ways God hath to manifest himself by degrees ; how many worlds to come he hath to do all, the more the better ; for you will say, you are so happy in every one, that you know not how to be happier. He leadeth us by a kind of wonderment from one glory to another : as in masques you draw away one
board, and a glorious sight appeareth ; you draw away another, and another
: so doth God with his children, because he hath an
is presented to you
eternity of time to make all these shows and representations to them, and in
doing this he doth not lessen, but increase their happiness.
This is the greatest service that can be done, for it is the angels work, they do it now. And let me add this : then will come to be fulfilled that which you pray for in the Lord s Prayer, Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven. At the day of judgment, during that time we are not so much
doing God s will, as giving account of our ways, and of having performed it.
If, therefore, this prayer be fully and exactly fulfilled, that the will of God
shall be clone on earth as completely as in heaven, it must be the time of the first resurrection ; which Paul therefore, when he would express his
desire of being perfect, saith he would attain to the resurrection of the
dead; that is, to be as holy as men shall be then.
EPH. I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 525
My brethren, I have spoken these things unto you rather as that which hath a great show of truth in it, than as if I could answer all objections that
might be made against it. But, as I said in the last discourse, if this hold
not, as it is exceeding probable it will, yet there is a fourth degree of this world to come, which I am sure will hold, and that is this : during the day of judgment, strictly taken, after the general resurrection both of just and
unjust, then, my brethren, to honour this new world, God will not only come down, but Jesus Christ himself will come down, and he will abide a
long day here too ; therefore it is no absurdity for saints to live on earth, even when Christ himself shall do so ; neither will it diminish from his
happiness at all, for he will come and bring all his glory with him.
The day of judgment will be a long day, my brethren ; and let yourselves judge whether it will not or no. For do you think that the accounts of the world can be cast up in the twinkling of an eye ? Doth not Solomon say
expressly, that every work, whether it be good or evil, shall be brought to
judgment? Eccles. xii. 14. And doth not the Apostle as expressly say, 1 Cor. iv. 5, that things shall be so brought to judgment, as every one shall be able to judge the secrets of all men s hearts 1 Arid do you think this
will not take up time ? Shall we ourselves take in the accounts of all men s hearts in an instant 1 No, my brethren, this will be a long day ; wherein Jesus Christ will do that great service, a greater service than all his preach
ing, the examining of the accounts of all the world, and convincing of all
mankind, and sending them speechless to hell, so as they shall have nothing to say, and so as we too shall be able to judge the world ; so the Apostle
saith, 1 Cor. vi. 2. Now here is this new world in its height and perfection. Here is Christ, and all his angels round about him; yet this world is not subject unto
;.them. They begin it, they gather together those that have died during the thousand years, from all quarters, and they execute the sentence that
Christ hath pronounced, and the saints have assented unto, and they fling them all into hell. But the truth is, they do not sit as judges, they stand, so the expression is used, Dan. vii. 10, whereas the saints are said to sit
upon twelve thrones; and in 1 Cor. vi. 3, they are said to judge the
angels.
And here now is Adam s world in the perfection; that creature that hath
groaned under all men s lusts shall be then fully restored to the glorious
liberty of the sons of God. During that time the world shall be new hung, when Christ her Lord shall come into it. And if the other will not hold ; and thus far I am persuaded it will hold, that there is the w
Torld to come in
to Christ, wherein all heathenism, superstition, error, and whatsoever else, shall be rooted out of the world, and the generality both of Jew and Gentile
shall come in to Jesus Christ ; and that is a glorious world, my brethren
1 , without that of the day of judgment.
Here then is Christ s ivorld to come, I have given you an account of it
as briefly as I can, wherein he shall have all things subject unto him, for the
Apostle expressly saith, that then, at the day of judgment, all things shall be under his feet, and never fully till then, for the last enemy that is to be
destroyed is death, and then he shall give up the kingdom to God the Father. And what the world to come shall be after then, no man knoweth ; only the
Scripture saith, God shall be all in all, and Christ himself shall be subject unto him. So I have done with these words, this world, and the world
if) come.
I come now to the 22d verse, which is the latter part of Christ s exaltation
526 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SERMON XXXIV.
over all creatures ; for that which followeth afterward is Ms exaltation in relation to his Church, The last part of it is this, He hath put all things under his feet.
Here are two things contained in this
1. The lowness of the subjection of all tilings; they are under his feet.
2. The universality; all I shall not handle these two distinctly, for they will fall in promiscuously and miscellaneously one with another ; therefore I shall handle them one with another.
First, For the coherence of these words with the former. The Apostle, as he had set forth the exaltation of Jesus Christ, in respect of personal excellency, more eminently in the former verses, far above all
principality and power, &c. ; so here he setteth forth his dominion more
eminently, that all is under his feet. If you ask what the personal excel lencies of Christ are, they are such as are far above all principality, power, might, and dominion; he excelleth in glory, in majesty, in wisdom, in
power, in holiness, all principalities and powers ; I confess dominion is in cluded too under it, but more eminently personal excellencies. If you ask what dominion he hath over all these, he telleth us plainly, all is under his feet.
There are these two parts of his exaltation, mentioned in that second of the Hebrews, which chapter is parallel with this. He saith there, ver. 9, he was crowned with glory and honour; that which the Apostle here ex-
presseth by setting him at God s right hand, that is there expressed by being
crowned. For there are these two ceremonies in the installation of kings; there is a crowning of them, and a setting them upon the throne. Xow Jesus Christ had a crown, first, of glory, set upon his head ; he had all per sonal excellencies poured out upon him. And then, secondly, he had a crown of honour set upon his head. He was crowned with glory and
honour, saith the text ; that is, he had dominion given him ; for, as it fol loweth there, thou hast put all things under his feet. I do but observe this from it, and I will do it briefly
: That the personal worth that is in Jesus Christ is the ground and foundation of his dominion over all. Why are all things so low as under his feet, but because his per sonal worth excelleth all principalities and powers and every name whatso ever? You shall find in Heb. i., where he speaks of sitting down at God s
right hand, he first premiseth his personal worth. He is the image of the
invisible God, saith he, the express character of his person, he by whom he made the worlds, &c.
Is Christ s personal worth the foundation of his dominion over all things; because he is far above all things in his person, therefore are all things under Ms feet ? My brethren, observe this from it, that though Jesus Christ was
worthy of the kingdom of all the world, yet, as the Apostle telleth us, Heb. v., he took not this honour upon himself, but he was called to it. Which should teach us the greatest modesty in assuming any honour or
dignity upon ourselves above others. No such example as Christ s to teach
it. He did not assume a jot of power beyond Ms commission. He would not have had power over all, if all had not been in his commission. Kings should not go a jot beyond their commission; Christ himself did not, though Ms own worth is the foundation of his being king over the world.
And let me add this too, that God himself was not partial. He had a
Son, whom he preferreth ; yet if he had not had personal worth in Mm, asthe foundation of it, he had never raised him up unto this. My brethren,
I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 527
fJEPH.
I Christ is a better king than you could have chosen for yourselves. He is
I my king, saith God, Ps. ii., a king of my appointing. Aristotle saith, that
(nature makes kings, as nature makes servants; meaning those that are the
Imost wise and the most excellent ; they are kings by nature, so is Christ.
I In hell, the greatest devil, the strongest devil, the wisest devil, he is the
prince of devils. So in heaven, Christ, that is far in his person above all
I principalities and powers, and deserveth it, his worth carrieth it, hath all under his feet.
It should therefore grieve none to be subject unto Jesus Christ. You are
to be subject unto men that have power, to kings and those that are in
authority. Wives are to be subject to their husbands, though they be
<fcc. But our Lord and Saviour Jesus
froward, servants to their masters,
Christ, he is the holiest, the wisest, he is far above all principalities and
powers ; in all these, therefore, he deserveth to have all things under his feet. None will grudge to be subject to such a king as he is, if they knew what a
king he were. Therefore, those that will not be subject unto him, how do
! Those that will not have me to reign over
they deserve to be destroyed
them, saith he, bring them hither, and slay them before my face. So much for the coherence.
I shall now open the phrase to you, all things are under his feet. You may understand it either locally, in respect of place, under his feet ; or imperially, in respect of power, they lie at his feet to dispose of as he
pleaseth.
\<>w it is not true that all things shall be under the feet of Christ locally; for when Christ shall come to judgment into this world, the highest heavens
will be above him, they will not be under his feet locally ; therefore that cannot be so properly the meaning of it.
Yet let me add this to that, that even in respect of place he is advanced
far above all angels and men. I know not how otherwise to understand that place, Eph. iv. 10. It is said there that he ascended far above all .heavens ; it is spoken in respect of place. Therefore we argue against the Lutherans, who would have Christ to be in every place ; we say he did
ascend, unless we make his ascension imaginary ; he must be in the heavens, as his proper place, where he is circumscribed. Now, he saith here, he as cended far above all heavens, not heaven only, but all heavens. He ascended up on high to the top of the heavens, to his throne, so eminent that all may see him, all angels and saints, they are all under his feet even in that respect; for in John xvii. he prayeth that they may see his glory, which, if he were not thus eminently set up above them all, how could they see him ? Yet so as it should seem he is in the midst of them ; for he is said to be the tree in the midst of the paradise of God, and the expression still runs thus. I
will be in the midst of you ; yet so too as he is in heaven. It is not so above all heavens, as he is out of heaven, as some fondly and foolishly dream, for it is in the heavenly places ; so the text saith. The mercy-seat, that typi fied out Christ s seat, was the highest thing in the Holy of Holiest ; so certain
is the throne of Christ ; therefore there may be something in it, that even in that respect locally all is under his feet.
But, my brethren, the main thing is, that it is metaphorically taken to ex-
: i is power. Christ s sitting at God s right hand is a metaphor, for God hath no right hand : so answerably, his having all things under his feet is a metaphor too, and both taken from the manner of the eastern monarchs. To be under his feet signifieth in general subjection to him; so Ps. viii., where the phrase is first used of Christ, ver. 6, Thou madcst him to have
528 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SERMON XXXIV.
dominion over the works of thy hands ; thou hast put all things under his
feet. To have all things under his feet, is to have dominion over the works of his hands. And if that will not carry it, yet the Apostle s own interpretation in Heb. ii. will. He, to explain it, putteth in the word subjection
e Thou
hast put all in subjection under his feet. So that to be under his feet importeth in the general a subjection.
As it noteth out a subjection in the general, so to be under one s feet not eth out utmost subjection. You know that in nature it is so : to bow the head is a token of reverence, but to fall down upon the earth at one s feet is the lowest you can go, and it is to express the utmost subjection. And, in
deed, this was the custom of those great monarchs of the East, and it was
peculiar to imperial and monarchial power, to absolute monarchies, which
they then had ; which the western kings not professing to have, therefore
they have not men fall down at their feet, though they have men kneel to them. But the manner of those eastern kings was to have their subjects fall down at their feet ; and it is the manner of the Turks at this day.
It is an expression that setteth forth two things ; to come to shew it more
particularly ; it expresseth 1. The subjection of subjects. 2. A triumph over enemies.
First, it expresseth the subjection of subjects to their princes, according to the custom of the East. Take the kings of Egypt
: Exod. xi. 8, saith Moses there to Pharaoh, All the people that are at thy feet / read your margins and you have it so ; it is all one as to say, all the people that are thy sub
jects. So it is said of Benhadad the king of Syria ; look in your margins there too, 1 Kings xx. 10.
The manner was, and we have it upon good record, both out of Xenophon of Cyrus, lib. xviii, and of Herodotus, when they came to their kings, to throw themselves down, and to kiss the pavement where their feet stood. The phrase you have likewise in Isa. xlix. 23. And therefore now that
worship that is due to God alone is expressed by falling at his feet, Rev. xix.
10. So that it noteth out, first, a subjection of subjects. Secondly, it noteth out a triumph over enemies. For this I shall give you two instances in Scripture
: the one is Joshua x. 22-24. There you shall read that when Joshua had overcome those five kings, saith he, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings unto me out of the
cave. And they did so, and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave. And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto
Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war, which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings ; and they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of a good courage
: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom
you fight. He did not use it as a right of barbarism and cruelty, but as that which was to hearten out those people and encourage them, to assure them that God would do so with the rest. And Joshua, you know, was Jesus type, who was to tread upon all his enemies, and to make them his footstool.
And in the eastern empire of Greece, which lasted till within these two hundred years and upward, this custom was continued. Therefore we read of Michael Balbus, that he called for a rebel that had usurped the crown, and
having him in his power he bade him lie down upon the pavement ; and, as the historian saith, according to the custom of those kings, he set his feet
upon his neck. It is true, it is used in Europe only by the Pope ; it is,
EPH. I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 529
therefore, one of his characters to prove him to be the Antichrist. You have the like expression to this of Balbus in Isa. li. 23, I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thec, the cup he meaneth, which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over, as he said, Lie down upon the pavement, and so he set his feet upon him ; and, saith he, thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over. It was the utmost subjection and triumph that could possibly be.
So much for the opening the phrase, all things under his feet. It noteth
out, you see, the lowest subjection of subjects, and the greatest triumph over enemies.
Here now are two questions for the opening of this : The first is, because when he saith here, He hath put all under his feet, whether enemies only, or angels and saints in heaven, his Church, be compre hended under this word all / And it is a great question, and it is hard to be resolved. I do find interpreters more generally to restrain this here to ene mies. Say they, When he saith he putteth all under his feet, he meaneth enemies only. I will give you their reasons. For, say they, do but observe the coherence of one thing with another, and the scope of the Apostle will
"be plainly this, to note out the differing government Christ hath over his Church. She is his body, she is not under his feet ; he is a head to her, arid
liis enemies are under his feet : the one he calleth his body, he hath a relation io her as a head ; the other are his enemies. Therefore Zanchy saith plainly, All things are under his feet, except the Church ; for in the next words he saith of her, she is his body ; and, chap, ii., we are said to sit with him. And his saints are said rather to be in his hand. My sheep, saith he, * shall no man take out of my hand ; in his hand to be saved, only his ene mies are under his feet to be destroyed. That is one reason. And then another reason why it is to be restrained to enemies is this, be-
caiuse in Ps. ex. it is limited to his enemies, Sit thou on my right hand,
till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
* he hath given him to be a head over
Then, thirdly, the very next words,
all to his church ; over all there must be meant, excepting his Church, for
lie is a head to his Church and over all besides ; therefore, say they, he is a Lead to his Church, but those that are under his feet arc his enemies. And
in reason Musculus addeth this, they that are under his feet are to be de
stroyed by him, to be trodden upon; why are they under his feet else ? These are the reasons why by this and all should be meant his enemies, and not his church and angels.
But yet for all this, I think it is to be extended to both. I shall give you iny reasons for it, and how to reconcile it, last. The reason which swayeth with me, and I cannot go over it, is this. You know I told you these words are found in Ps. viii. ; they are spoken there of Christ ; and we have them quoted in two several places besides, Heb. ii. and 1 Cor. xv. Now, do but look into both these places, and you shall find, that by all things under his feet, alleging Ps. viii. in both, is not meant only enemies, but
/ill whatsoever. The places are so express as I wonder that men should run upon another interpretation. Look first upon Heb. ii. 8, Thou hast put all tilings in subjection under his feet; what is here meant by all things? i* For in that, saith he, he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. Mark, he saith plainly he left nothing, no not the angels themselves; for the scope of the Apostle is to prove that he is above the angels, as he had shewed in the first chapter. So you see it is
interpreted plainly in Heb. ii. 8. Well then, the other place in which it is VOL. i. 2 L
530 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SEKMON XXXIV.
quoted is 1 Cor. xv., and there it is express, that not only his enemies are said to be under his feet, but all things else whatsoever ; for the Apostle plainly saith, ver. 27, When he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted that did put all things under him/ and only he, only the Father. So that in one word, his church and angels, as well as
enemies, are all under his feet. He hath put all things under his feet. And, my brethren, Psalm viii. is express for it. The Apostle doth not go beyond his commission in interpreting it thus ; for what saith Psalm viii ? Thou hast given him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast
put all things under his feet ; that is, all the works of that kind ; what soever the works are, they are all under his feet. So that by all must
necessarily be meant both his church, saints, and angels, as well as enemies.
And in that Psalm viii. there are two things that are the scope of it. The
first is this : to shew how that God used the man Christ Jesus to destroy enemies ; that you find ver. 2, Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. He took up that babe and suckling Christ, and the apostles after Mm, who were once all but babes and sucklings, and by them did still the enemy and avenger. There are enemies under his feet. The second thing the Psalmist aimeth at is to set forth his dominion over
all things else ; Thou hast made him, saith he, to have dominion over the works of thy hands ; and then cometh in that general, Thou hast put all
things under his feet. So that all under /m/e<?includeth both a subjection of saints and angels, friends and subjects, and destroying of enemies too.
But how will you answer the former reasons, and reconcile the difference ? I shall first reconcile it, and then in a word or two answer the reasons that were given. First, to reconcile it
It is manifest that there is a twofold subjection noted out by being under Christ s feet. The phrase implieth a double kind of subjection, whereof both are being under his feet. The first is, being under him in a way of dis
tance, as creatures; he being the Son of God and the Creator; a being under his feet to give honour unto him. Secondly, there is a being under his feet to be destroyed, to be ruined, to be trodden upon, to be trampled on. You know the very phrase, as I opened it before, noted out all subjection whatso
ever, and it noted out also triumph over our enemies. Now then, the phrase here is largely taken, for it is taken both to express the sovereignty of Christ, his Church is wholly under his feet ; there is a kind of subjection they have, and they are subject according to their kind : if they be friends and good subjects, as his Church is, then they are under his feet as creatures, to
worship him; if they be devils and enemies, they are under his feet according to their kind, to be destroyed, and to be ruined.
To confirm this, you shall observe, that it is a different phrase to say, they are made his footstool, and to be under his feet. In Ps. ex., when he
speaks of enemies, then he saifch, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool ; that is to tread upon, as a man doth upon his footstool ; but it is one thing to be made a footstool to Christ, that is proper to enemies, and to be under his feet. They that are a footstool to him, and
they that are under his feet, are all under him; but his enemies are so under
him, as they are his footstool ; but the rest are under his feet too, but it is in
respect of subjection. Now then, the reconciliation being made, for an answer to the former reason. The reason lieth in this : say they, The Apostle s scope is to shew the dignity of the Church ; that the Church is his body, therefore not under his
EPH. I. 21-23.] TO THE EPHESIANS. 531
feet. Here lies one of the reasons. But, my brethren, although the Church may be under his feet in way of subjection
"to her sovereign Lord, yet she may be his body likewise. For, as a queen hath a double relation to her husband; one as he is a king, and so she is subject ; if she ask anything at his hands she kneeleth clown as well as the meanest subject, she is at Ida feet presently
: yet for all that, she is flesh of his flesh, she is his queen, she is his wife notwithstanding, and her being his wife hindereth not her being a subject. You have it in Ps. xlv. applied to the Church, At his right hand, saith he, is the queen ; yet saith God to her,
l He is thy God; wor ship thou him. She is at his right hand, she is advanced as a queen ; yet she is to know her distance, she is to be subject, for all that she sitteth together with him in the heavenly places ; yet she must worship him, she must be at his feet.
If it be urged, that to shew the Church s dignity, she is said to be Christ s body, and therefore not at his feet, I say it followeth not ; for as the one is put to shew forth her dignity, so the other is put to shew forth Christ s
dignity. Her dignity is set forth by what she is advanced to, that she is his body ; but her dignity must not impair his, she must know her distance, for all this she is under his feet. Even as Christ s satisfaction swalloweth not up free grace, so -the dignity of the Church, sitting together with Christ, swalloweth not up that exaltation of Christ over her ; she is under his feet notwithstanding.
Yea, my brethren, I may say, even as Abigail said unto David, 1 Sam. xxv. 41, when he sent to take her to him to wife : Tell him, saith she, I am his servant to wash his feet. So may the Church say. She is a queen indeed, and she is his body, but she is a servant, she is his subject, she is under his feet for all that.
Yea, it was necessary to express her subjection as well as her dignity; for whence is her dignity but from his free grace 1 Therefore, to exalt that free grace was her subjection to be intimated. She is laid thus low, she is under his feet ; but then Christ takes her off the dust, setteth her at his own right hand, makes her his queen; this sets off the other, makes the grace of Christ the more glorious ; therefore the Apostle, Eph. ii., when he saith, We are set together with Christ, addeth, by grace ye are saved; for your
j place is under his feet, saith he, however you are called up to sit at his right
; tand.
So much for the answering that question. I had another, which I cannot
j now handle.
I will but make an observation or two, and so I will end. Obs. 1. The first is this : Are you all under his feet, my brethren ? Then learn to worship him :
l He is the Lord thy God; worship thou him. How
; is worship expressed ? Fall down at his feet. In Rev. v., the elders are
| said to cast down their crowns, and to fall at his feet ; and, Ps. xcix. 5,
| which is a psalm of the kingdom of Christ, Exalt him, saith he, worship
1 at his footstool. Not only the excellency of his person calleth for this, Let all the angels
: of God worship him ; but consider with thyself, it is necessary for thee. Thou
I must either be under his feet as an enemy, to be trodden upon, to be de stroyed; or under his feet in way of subjection, to worship him, and to wor ship him purely too, according to his law; therefore look to it that you do
; what you do according to law. Choose now, either to be subject to him as a friend, to worship him according to his law, or to be destroyed, to be trod-
i den under his feet as enemies.
532 AN EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE [SERMON XXXIV.
Qbs. 2. A second observation is this : All things are under his feet. He
is your sovereign; you are in the lowest subjection that may be. Is there
ever a poor soul a suitor to him for grace ? Wilt thou know how to obtain
it ? Acknowledge his sovereignty, lay thyself at his feet, acknowledge as a
creature thou art subject to him, he may do with thee what he will. And
as thou art a sinner, say, Thou mayest tread upon my neck, thou inayest crush me to pieces as an enemy ; acknowledge that he hath not power only to crush
thee, but provocation to do it. If you will but lay yourselves thus at his
feet, give up your souls to him, he will pardon you. You must do it; he hath all your lives in his hand, he hath the keys of hell and of death ; there
is no way but to submit. It is the expression used, Lam. iii. 29, Put thy mouth in the dust/ what is the meaning of that 1 It is plainly this, as the
Scripture useth to express it, lick the dust of his feet ; for it is a metaphor, taken from what they used to do when they came before their great kings ;
they licked the dust of their feet, and spake submissly, as out of the earth :
so they do to the Great Turk at this day. Do so to God : put thy mouth in