Christ the Root of David

    CHRIST THE ROOT OF DAVID

    "I am the Root and offspring of David," &c., Re 22:16.

    THERE is a great and glorious mystery in these words; many understand not how Jesus Christ should be the Root, and yet the offspring of David. This text agrees with those words of our Saviour, "If David called him Lord, how then is he said to be his Son?"[1] They understood him not. Christ, as he is God, is David's Lord, and the Root of David; but as he is man, he is his offspring, and hence elsewhere called the Branch.

    [1] Caryl on Job 29:19.

    Christ is and may fitly be called and compared to a Root.

    1. The Root of grace.

    2. The Root of glory.

    METAPHOR

    I. A Root is that from whence the tree and branches do proceed.

    PARALLEL

    I. From the Lord Jesus Christ, the Root of David, all believers do proceed: "I am the vine, ye are the branches." See Christ the true vine.

    METAPHOR

    II. A Root is a thing hidden in the earth, and not obvious or visible to the eye.

    PARALLEL

    II. The Deity or Divine nature of Jesus Christ is a hidden thing, cannot be seen with mortal eyes. Christ's glory was veiled under afflictions, reproaches, poverty, &c., as a Root is under the earth.

    METAPHOR

    III. A Root hath life, nay, it is the centre of life: the life of any tree or plant is principally in the Root.

    PARALLEL

    III. In the Lord Jesus Christ is life; he is called "The way, the truth, and the life, Joh 14:6; 5:26. "As the Father hath life in himself, the Son also hath life hi himself. Life is in Christ, as sap is in the Root of a tree.

    METAPHOR

    IV. The Root beareth the body of the tree, and all the branches thereof.

    PARALLEL

    IV. The Lord Jesus Christ, this Root bears up his Church, and every member thereof, Ro 11.

    METAPHOR

    V. The Root communicates sap and nourishment unto the body, and all the branches thereof.

    PARALLEL

    V. The Lord Jesus Christ conveys sap and nourishment to all his Church, and every particular believer or branch thereof; hence he is called our life, Col 3:3.

    METAPHOR

    VI. The body and branches have a necessary dependence on the Root.

    PARALLEL

    VI. The saints and Church of God have the like dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ: "Without thee we can do nothing," Joh 15:5.

    METAPHOR

    VII. There is much life and sap in the Root, when the tree and branches seem dead, dry, and sapless.

    PARALLEL

    VII. There is much sap and life in Jesus Christ for the godly, when oft-times they seem like withered and dry branches.

    METAPHOR

    VIII. As in the soundness and firmness of the Root of a tree, the more sound, firm, and stable is the tree itself, with the branches thereof; these being likely to endure, when those that have no Root fall away.

    PARALLEL

    VIII. The goodness, firmness, and soundness of this divine Root, the Lord Jesus Christ, shows us the very happy, stedfast, and secure state of the Church. This Root cannot fail nor decay, and consequently the Church and people of God shall endure and stand against all the storms and blasts of the devil, antichrist, and all wicked enemies, Mt 13:16.

    METAPHOR

    IX. The Root is best secured of any part of the tree, being excellently fortified by nature in the earth.

    PARALLEL

    IX. The Lord Jesus Christ is secured from hurt and danger, (whilst his Church is daily exposed thereunto) being hid in God, as it were: "You are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God," Col 3:3.

    METAPHOR

    X. Those that would utterly destroy the tree, strike at the Root.

    PARALLEL

    X. The devil's grand design being utterly to destroy all the godly, struck most furiously at Jesus Christ, the blessed Root, Mt 4:5-6.

    METAPHOR

    XI. The Root communicates of its life and natural virtue to the tree and branches.

    PARALLEL

    XI. Christ communicates of his Spirit and divine nature to his Church: "If the Root be holy, even so are the branches. Be ye holy, even as I am holy," 1Pe 1:16; Ro 11:16. "He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure," 1Jo 3:3.

    METAPHOR

    I. NATURAL, Roots of trees and plants are in the earth.

    DISPARITY

    I. BUT this blessed Root, the Lord Jesus Christ, is in heaven, Heb 9:24.

    METAPHOR

    II. Natural Roots, as well as the body and branches, decay, grow old, and die; though the root thereof wax old,"&c., saith Job 14:8.

    DISPARITY

    II. This Root of believers, the Lord Jesus Christ, never grows old, decays, nor dies: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever'' Heb 13:8.

    METAPHOR

    III. A natural Root usually bears but one tree; if it bears (as some Roots do) many bodies, yet not all of one species or kind; there may be many thousands of Roots.

    DISPARITY

    III. Christ is a Root that gives consolation and satisfaction to all. He was the Root of the Church both before and since his incarnation, both triumphant and militant; the Root of Abraham, Job David, &c., and of all the prophets and saints that ever had spiritual life in them.

    METAPHOR

    IV. Natural Boots are subject to the wills, humours, and pleasures of men.

    DISPARITY

    IV. The Lord Jesus Christ is a Root which neither men nor devils can touch, destroy, or dig up, for he is God.

    APPLICATION.

    Object. Here we may enquire, "If Jesus Christ be the Root of David, how is he said to be the stem or branch out of the Root of Jesse?" Is Jesse Christ's Root, and yet is Christ the Root of Jesse?

    Ans. Jesse is the Root of Christ according to his human nature, and Christ is the Root of Jesse according to his divine nature; as he is Mediator, God and man in one person, he is both these, viz., the Root and Branch of Jesse.

    Doct. From hence note, that Christ is God.

    1. He is called God, "The mighty God, the true God, the only wise God, the God blessed for ever." 2. He made the world, all things in heaven and earth: "He laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of his hands." 3. He upholds all things, was before all things, and by him all things consist. 4. He is omniscient, knows all things, &c. 5. He searcheth the heart. 6. He is the first and the last, Alpha and Omega. 7. He ought to be prayed unto, all divine worship and spiritual adoration belongs to him. 8. He hath power to forgive sins. 9. He thought it no robbery to be equal with God. 10. He had power to raise himself and others from the dead: ergo, he is the eternal God, Isa 9:6; 1Jo 5:20; Jude 1:25; Ro 9:5; Joh 1:2-3; Heb 1:10; Joh 21:17; Mt 9:1-2,4; Mr 2:5-7; Lu 5:21. See the metaphor Light.

    Jesus Christ is the Root of nature, as well as of grace and glory, though we run the metaphor under that notion, Joh 10:16.

    Infer. I. If Christ be the Root of all the grace that the saints and the Church receive, then from hence we may justly infer, that all the divine goodness any person or persons have in them, they derive from Christ; it is he that makes one man to differ from another. "Who made thee to differ? &c., what hast thou that thou hast not received," 1Co 4:7; Joh 5:23.

    II. From hence we infer, that as Christ is God, so he ought to have all the glory. All should honour the Son, as they honour the Father.

    III. Then let us fear to offend him, and let all our dependence be upon him, &c.

    IV. What is thy state and condition, sinner? Thou hast heard Christ is the Foundation and common Root of all believers, art thou taken out of the dead and corrupt Root of mankind, viz., the first Adam, and engrafted into Christ? Dost thou grow upon this living Root? Does thy fruit flow from spiritual union with him?

    V. If thou art not taken out of that evil, fruitless, and sapless Root, labour now to be transplanted, get an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Root of David.

    VI. This shows the happy state and blessed condition of the Church and people of God: "Because I live," saith our Divine Root, "ye," my branches, "shall live also," Joh 14:19; although the graces of his saints may sometimes seem to fail and their greenness decay, yet out of this full and blessed Root shall they have sufficient supplies: "For in him all fulness dwells," Joh 1:16.