The Government of Christ Considered and Applied

At a Council held at the Council Chamber in Boston, upon Thursday June 1st, 1738.

THAT Thomas Hutchinson and Edward Hutchinson, Esqrs; give the Thanks of this Board to the Rev. Mr. John Webb, for this Sermon preached Yesterday before the Great and General Court or Assembly; And that they desire a Copy thereof for the Press.

Attest. Simon Frost, Dep. Secr.

AN Election SERMON.

—The Government shall be upon his Shoulder.—

THE Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ is of that Nature and Concernment to Mankind, that a Discourse upon it can never be out of Season: and, if I mistake not, it may very fitly be considered on this Occasion; when the Heads of our Tribes are met together in a solemn Assembly, to give Thanks to the God of Heaven, for the many great and distinguishing Privileges, both civil p. 2and religious, which we are favoured with; and to ask Direction and a Blessing from on High, upon all the Administrations of Government in the Land; and especially upon the important Affairs, which lye before the Great and General Assembly of the Province.

And agreeably I have chosen these Words of the evangelical Prophet, as the Foundation for such a Discourse.

And, to make the way clear, we may observe, That in the sixth and seventh Verses of this Context, we have one of the most illustrious Prophesies concerning the Messiah, that is to be met with in any Part of the Old Testament. For here, many hundred of Years before the Accomplishment of it, the Prophet gives us a particular Account of the Coming and Kingdom of Christ: and is as exact in the Description of his Person and Government, as if he had lived in these Gospel Days, and seen the Fulfillment of his own Predictions.

And accordingly there are two things observable in the Prophesy.

First, We have here a plain Prediction of the Incarnation and Humiliation of the Son of God, in theDischarge of his mediatorial Undertaking. This the Prophet gives us in two Words; unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given. But as I have not time to explain these Passages at present; I must go on to consider, the Glory that should follow upon the Abasement of the Son of God, and be the Reward of his Humiliation.

p. 3And therefore,

Secondly, We may further observe a very clear Prediction of the glorious Exaltation of the Son of God, after his Birth and Sufferings in the human Nature. And in this he is described both by his Name and Dominion.

p. 31. He was to have a Name given him above every Name. For says the Prophet, His Name shall be called, Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, I he overlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Now these Characters of his Person and Office, are the most magnificent that any Language can describe; and serve to create in every pious Mind, a most lively and astonishing Idea of the incomparable Glory of our exalted Redeemer: For they can't be ascribed to any mere Creature without Blasphemy and Nonsense [Pool.] . And therefore must belong only to the eternal Son of God, who is one in Nature and Essence with God the Father, and God the Holy Ghost. Again,

2. He was to have a Dominion every way answerable to the Dignity of his Person. This was foretold in the Words of my Text, and in the following Verse. And the Government shall be upon his Shoulder.—Of the Increase of his Government and Peace there shall be no End, upon the Throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with Judgment and Justice, from henceforth even for ever.

Here by Government we may understand the Administration of all Affairs in the Kingdom of Providence and Grace.

p. 4And when the Prophet foretells that this Government should be upon the Shoulder Christ; the Meaning is, That our Lord Jesus Christ, by Virtue of his mediatorial Undertaking, would have a Right to this Government, and have the Administration of it committed to him by the Father.

And whereas the World Shoulder is used to express this; 'tis a plain Allusion to a common Custom among Mankind to lay heavy Burdens upon the Shoulder: and as plainly intimates, in this Place, That as all Governments if they are rightly managed, so this especially is a very great Burden, requiring extraordinary Care, and Diligence, and Fidelity, in the Administration of it.

And having taken this general View of the Words: I come now more particularly to consider this important Truth that is evidently contain'd in them. Namely,

Jesus Christ has the Government of all Things committed unto Him by the Father.

p. 4In discoursing upon this weighty Subject, I shall go into the following Method.

I. I shall say something concerning the Person who is the Subject of this Government.

II. I shall consider the Nature and Properties of this Government.

III. I shall show how Christ came to have the Administration of it put into his Hands.

p. 5IV. Say what the great End of it is.

And

V. Apply the Matter, as near as I can, so as to Answer the Design of the present Solemnity.

I In the first Place, I shall take a brief View of the Person, who is said to have this Government upon him.

And in a Word, The Person who is the more immediate Subject of this Rule and Government, is the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is GOD and MAN united in one Person. For it is not the Son of God, considered as God alone; nor the Son of Man, simply considered, that has this Dignity and Dominion given to him: For in the former Sense, the Son of God being equal with the Father, [Phil 2.6.] in all divine Perfections, needs no delegated Power from him …