A Golden Chain

Thus much of Christs intercession: the other benefit which concerns Christ kingly office is, that he sits at the right hand of his father for the administration of that special kingdom which is committed to him. I say special, because he is our king not only by the right creation governing all things created together with the father and the holy Ghost, but also more specially by the right of redemption in respect of another kingdom, not of this world, but eternal and spiritual respecting the very conscience of man. In the administration whereof he hath absolute power to command and forbid, to condemn and absolve, and therefore hath the keys of heaven and hell to open and shut; which power no creature beside no not the angels in heaven, ⟨p. 414⟩can have. For the better understanding of this which I say, we are to consider, first the dealing of Christ toward his own Church; secondly his dealing in respect of his enemies. And his dealing toward his own Church stands in four things. The first is the collecting or gathering of it: and this is a special end of his sitting at the right hand of his father. Christ said to his disciples, I have chosen you out of this world: and the same may truly be said of all the Elect, that Christ in his good time will gather them all to himself that they may be a peculiar people to God. And this action of his in collecting the Church, is nothing else but a translation of those whom he hath ordained to life everlasting out of the kingdom of darkness, in which they have served sin & Satan, into his own kingdom of grace, that they may be ruled & guided by him eternally. And this he doth two ways: first by the preaching of the word, for it is a powerful outward means, whereby he singleth and forteth his own servants from the blind and wicked world, as Paul saith,¹ He gave some to be Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the gathering together of Saints. And hence we learn two things. The first, that every minister of Gods word, and every one that intendeth to take upon him that calling, must propound unto himself principally this end, to single out man from man, and gather out of this world such as belong to the Church of Christ: and as Jeremiah saith,² to separate the precious from the vile.