THE FORTY-THIRD LECTURE.

OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

LUKE, CHAP. XXIV.

47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Hierusalem.

IN opening up of the fifth appearance of the Lord, after his resurrection, to his disciples convened in Hierusalem in the nighttime, well-beloved in Christ, we have heard how the Lord hath travailed by sundry means to make them to know him, while as he appeared to them, and stood up in the midst of them suddenly: he spake to them familiarly, and after his own accustomed manner, yet they believe not, nor understand him not by his speaking, but thought that he had been a spirit, or an angel in the likeness of a Then he comes nearer them, and showing out his hands and his feet, and marks of the nails wherewith he was wounded on the cross, he says to them, "See, feel, and touch mine hands and my feet with your hands; see, I am even he; I am not a spirit, as ye suppose; I am a very body: a spirit hath no flesh nor bones, therefore I am no spirit ;"" yet they believe not for joy," says the text, but they stood wondering. Then he comes nearer them, and

man.

demands, whether if they had any meat amongst them, and they gave him a piece of roasted fish, and of a honeycomb. He eats in their presence, testifying to them, by his action of eating, he was no spirit, (a spirit cannot eat nor drink,) yet he leaves them not, but he preaches to them a sweet sermon, whereof the last day ye heard there were two parts. In the first, he propones to them a necessity of all these things that befel unto him; all behoved to come to pass: he behoved to be crucified; he behoved to rise again the third day; and why? Because it was written, first in Moses, secondly in the Prophets, and lastly, in the Psalms. Whatever was written, all behoved to be accomplished; not so much as one syllable of it might perish, because whatsoever was written by Moses, the Prophets, and David, all was ordained and decreed, all was bound in a fast decree from all eternity. This was the first necessity.

Now, this day, brethren, as God will give the grace, we shall come to the other necessity, which is of the preaching: and then we shall come to the second part of his sermon, concerning a direction unto his disciples, to go out to the world and testify of these things that they heard and saw of him. Then, to come to the purpose. As it behoved that all these things that were foretold of Christ should come to pass, so there was as great a necessity that all should be preached; "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations." Now, to speak somewhat of this necessity of preaching. Men think commonly all this preaching to be for a piece of policy, and for the fashion; a man to stand up and preach to the rest, they think it a piece of folly, veening' to the church to be but for the fashion. But I shall tell thee, except there be preaching, no salvation, no life shall pertain unto thee; except there be preaching, Christ's coming into the world is in vain for thee; all his suffering is for nothing; his resurrection shall be of no value to thee; they will do thee no good.

For to speak of the ordinance of God, and of that eternal de

1 For convening?

cree. For, as the Lord ordained, from all eternity, Christ to come in the world, to suffer and to rise again, so he ordained preaching to be in his name. But to leave that, thinkest thou to come to

never see it; without faith Thinkest thou to get faith

heaven without faith? No, thou shalt thou shalt never see the face of Christ. without hearing? if thou contemnest hearing, thou shalt never get faith in Christ. But how canst thou hear if there be no preaching? thou must hear a voice; so, without the sounding of the gospel, no life. Christ, and his suffering and his rising, are but dead to thee without preaching. That life that flowed from the resurrection of Christ is conveyed in the soul by hearing, and without hearing thou shalt lie dead and die everlastingly. Therefore Christ, when he came into the world, he was no dumb sufferer; he preached on night and day. Paul says, Ephesians ii. 17,"When he came, he was the peacemaker, and he preached peace;" and to the Romans, chapter xv. verse 8, "He is called a minister of circumcision." And Christ, knowing this necessity of preaching, when he goes his way to heaven, leaves he the world without preaching? No; Paul to the Ephesians, chapter iv. verse 11, says, "He gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be Evangelists, some to be pastors, some to be doctors," and all to the end that they might preach the gospel of peace to his coming. And Paul says of himself, "Woe to me if I preach not the gospel!" 1 Cor. chapter ix. verse 16. He left his Spirit behind him, as, ye see, he promises in John, chapter xiv. verse 26. But mark, he left his Spirit to be ministered by preaching: thou who contemnest this preaching, I denounce to thee, thou shalt never taste of that Spirit. Thou who wilt stand up and say, "I have the Spirit," and then contemnest the ministry, I say, thou liest, albeit thou wert the emperor of the world.

Now, to go forward. There is a great necessity of preaching; but take heed to this preaching. He describes this preaching by sundry circumstances. First, it must be in some name and in some authority. A man that stands up and preaches to the people, he must preach to the people in some name. A herald will stand up

at the market-cross and make his proclamation,-it must be in some name; for if he stand up and proclaim in his own name, he is but a knave, and deserves to be hanged: so, whosoever stands up to preach, look that he preach never a word in his own name. Christ says, "there must be preaching in my name." Look that all preaching be in the name of Jesus Christ.

Now, what is the name of Christ? The name of Christ is his power,-O ................................. power!-his authority. What power? Even that power that he speaks of in the last chapter of Matthew, verse 18, "All power in heaven and earth is mine." Then in the second chapter to the Philippians, and the ninth verse, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given. him a name above every name." He is exalted in a wonderful sublimeness. O that high sublimeness that the Lord hath received! He hath gotten a name above all names, and a power above all powers, and none shall have such a power. Then he sets out this power, "All knees must bow at the name of Jesus ;" all powers must bow to that power, and all knees must be folded before it. Bow thy knee before that power, or else thou shalt be thrust in hell: all knees shall be bowed before that tribunal: that name will cause all the devils in hell bow and stoop. It is written in the iv. chapter of the Acts, verse 12, "There is none other name under heaven able to save men, but the name of Jesus Christ." Thou shalt never see life but by this power and this Mark it. No life, I will tell again, no salvation to man or woman in the world, but by the name of Jesus and his power; and, therefore, how great shall' the power of this his name! as ye may well see by the word which sets it out, even the gospel. The Evangel that speaks of the name of Jesus, Paul calls it, (to the Romans, chapter i. verse 16,)" The power of God unto salvation."2 Speak of Cæsar, and this kingdom, or that kingdom, will it be powerful unto life? will all the speaking of all the creatures in the world be powerful unto life? Speak of the cross of Christ,

name.

1 So in the original, for is; or be is omitted.

2 i. e. Paul calls the Evangel, the power of God.

what seems to be more base? yet it is the power of God, and the 'wisdom of God, unto salvation. So the power must be wonderful, when a word will have such a power that it will save a soul. The Lord, when he was in the world, he preached in his own name, and the Jews marked that he preached with authority; and he says, "Amen, Amen, I say unto you," that is, " in mine own name." As for all other teachers, all their preaching must be in the name and authority of Jesus, and not in a creature's name.

When a man hath this Lord in his eye, without regard of himself, when he goes to set out that name, ye will not believe how the Lord will be with him, and how he will make his authority to be seen. But, by the contrary, if a man have no sincerity, and have not the authority and name of Jesus before him, but seek himself in his preaching, he will have no spirit, no grace, no authority; his language will be unsavoury, his preaching will be of little value. Paul, because he preached Christ, and him crucified, therefore says he,1 that his preaching was with evidency and demonstration of the Spirit; on the other part, because the Corinthian doctors had themselves, and not Christ, before their eyes, therefore he says that they preached with ostentation and human eloquence: all their preaching was but wind. The philosophers of old spake much of matters of virtue, but because they never spake one word in the name of Christ, therefore all their speaking was but babbling; neither were they changed themselves, nor yet changed they others. They might teach men to be hypocrites, and to cover their vices; but they could not be instruments of regeneration, because they spake not in that powerful name of Jesus Christ. I put the Papists in this same rank, that will speak in the Pope's name. I say, all their doctrine and their speaking of salvation is more in the name of man than in the name of Jesus Christ, and, therefore, it may well work error and hypocrisy in thee, but no salvation: thou mayest well think that thou hast something, but in effect thou hast nothing.

Then we see of necessity there must be preaching; but whereof

11 Cor. ii. 2, 4.