"making of his enemies his footstool." This is promised him as the exalted Savior and Sovereign. For the opening of these words we must inquire,

I. Who are these enemies of Christ, and how they. are to be made his footstool. And,

II. By whom.

§6. (I.) We have already shewn, that it is the glorious exaltation of Christ in his kingdom that is here spoken of; and therefore the enemies intended must be the enemies of his kingdom, or rather enemies to him in his kingdom. Now the kingdom of Christ may be considered either in respect of the internal spiritual power and efficacy of it, in the hearts of his subjects; or, with respect to the outward glorious administration of it in the world; and in both these respects it hath enemies in abundance; all and every one of which must be made his footstool. We shall consider them apart. The kingdom or reigning of Christ, in the first sense, consists in his authority and power, which he employs for the conversion, sanctification, and salvation of his elect. As he is their king he quickens them by his spirit, sanctifies them by his grace, preserves them by his faithfulness, raiseth them from the dead at the last day by his power, and gloriously rewardeth them in his righteousness to all eternity.

$7. In this work the great Messiah has many enemies; sin, Satan, the world. death, the grave, and hell: all these are enemies to the work and kingdom of Christ, and consequently to his person, as having undertaken that work. Sin is universally and in its whole. nature his enemy; hence it is, that sinners and enemies are the same, Rom. v, 8, 10. It is that which makes a special, direct, and immediate opposition to the quickening, sanctifying, and saving of his people. Sa

tan is the sworn enemy of Christ; the adversary that openly, constantly, and avowedly opposeth him in his throne. And he exerts his enmity by temptations, accusations, and persecutions, all which are the work of an enemy. The world is also a professed enemy of the kingdom of Christ, John xv, 18. The things of it, as under the curse and subject to vanity, are suited to alienate the hearts of men from Christ, and so to act as enemies against him. The men of the world act the same part; by their examples, their temptations, their reproaches, their persecutions, or by their allurements, they make it their business to oppose the Messiah's kingdom. Death is also an enemy, and so it is expressly called, 1 Cor. xv, 26, for it comes to execute the first curse and judicial sentence even upon believers. The The grave also is an adversary; it fights against the faith of the subjects of Christ, by reducing their mortality into corruption, and holding fast the dead until they are powerfully rescued from the jaws of it. Finally: Hell is that enemy in a subordination to which all these others act. They all bring men into hell; which is an eternal

enemy where it prevails.

This attends the workings of those other adversaries to consume and destroy, if it were possible, the whole inheritance of Christ, Rev. vi, 8. All these, we may justly say, are enemies to the Redeemer in his work and kingdom, with whatever contributes to their assistance, in pursuit of their enmity.

§8. Now all these enemies, as far as they oppose the spiritual and eternal advancement of the work of Christ, must be made "the footstool of his feet." The expression is metaphorical, and is to be interpreted and applied variously, according to the nature and condition of the enemies with whom he has to do. The allusion, in general, is taken from what was done by

Joshua his type, towards the enemies of his people, Joshua x, 24. To shew the ruin of their power and his absolute prevalency against them, he caused the people to set their feet upon their necks; see 2 Samuel xxii, 39; Psalm viii, 6. To have his enemies then brought "under his feet," is to have an absolute and complete conquest over them; and their being made "his footstool," their perpetual and unchangeable dụration in that condition, under the weight of whatever burden he shall be pleased to lay upon them. And this is accomplished in various respects:

1. Meritoriously: by his death and blood-shedding he hath procured the sentence of condemnation to be pronounced against them; so that their right to exert their enmity against him, or his, no more exists. He hath given them all their death wounds, and leaves them to die at his pleasure.

2. Exemplary: all these adversaries exercised, in a peculiar manner, their enmity against him, and tried all their strength. Now he absolutely conquered all them in his own person; and in his own person hath he set an example of what shall be done in behalf of the whole church.

3. Efficiently: when he unites any to himself, he begins the conquest of all his enemies, giving them a right to the complete, total, and final victory over them all. He gradually carries them on towards perfection, treading down their enemies under them. When having freed them from the law, and sin, trodden down Satan, prevailed against the world, recovered them from death, rescued them from the grave, and delivered them from hell, he shall be himself perfectly victorious in them, and they made complete sharers in his victory.

§9. The kingdom of Christ, in the next place, (see §6) may be considered with respect to the external administration of it in this world; which also, with the opposition made to it, is intended in this passage. God the Father, in the exaltation of Jesus Christ, hath given to him "all nations for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession," Ps. ii, 8. Upon this grant a right ensued, to call, gather, and erect his church, in any nation or part of the world; to give to it his laws and ordinances of worship. Also a right and authority to dispose of all nations and persons, for the good and advantage of his kingdom. Now in pursuit of his asserting this grant and right, great opposition is made to him by all sorts of persons, instigated thercunto by Satan. The world understands not his right, hates his government, and would not have him to reign: but hitherto his kingdom and interest in the world hath been maintained against all their enmity and opposition, and themselves. brought to destruction one after another; so by virtue of this promise he shall reign in security and glory, until all their hearts be broken, their strength ruined, and themselves brought "under his feet." Now,

§10, (II.) We are to consider by whom these enemies of Christ shall be made thus his footstool: "I will make them," saith God the Father. It is not the work of Christ himself, to subdue and conquer his enemies: Is it not said that he shall do so? We reply; that work which is immediately wrought by the Son, may, as here, by way of eminency be ascribed to the Father. Power and authority to subdue and conquer his enemies, is given to the Lord Christ by the Father as a reward; it is therefore said to be his work, because the authority for it is from him, see Isaiah iii, 12. Besides, the work of subduing enemies is itself a work of power

and authority. Now in the economy of the blessed Trinity, the works of power and authority are peculiarly ascribed to the Father; as those of wisdom are to the Son, who is the eternal wisdom of the Father, And on this account the same works are ascribed to the Father and the Son. But the Son also, considered as mediator, receives and holds his kingdom by grant from his Father, to whom therefore this work of subduing enemies may be ascribed.

§11. The last thing is the limitation of this all conquering work (ws av) until; "until I make thine enemies," &c. The Son of God shall continue eternally in the essential and natural dominion he has over all creatures, and they in their dependence upon him and subjection to him. But as to the economical kingdom of Christ over the church, and all other things for its protection and salvation, the immediate ends of it will cease, and all his saints being saved, all his sons brought to glory, all his enemies subdued; the end of that rule, which consisted in the guidance and protection of the one, the restraint and ruin of the other, must necessarily cease. The Lord Jesus, however, shall not so leave his kingdom at the last day, as that the Father should take upon himself the administration of it. Upon the giving up of the kingdom, whatever it be, the apostle doth not say, the Father shall rule, or reign, as though he should exercise the same kingdom; but that "God should be all in all;” that is, God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, without the use or intervention of such ways or means as were in use before, during the full continuance of the dispensatory kingdom of Christ, shall fill and satisfy all his saints, shall support and dispose of the remnant of creation. Moreover: this ceasing of the kingdom of Christ is no way derogatory to his glory, or