and where we are fo concerned, there especially in fpirit SERM. and heart we may be supposed to be.

XXXI.

6. I might add, that God did thus advance our Saviour, to declare the special regard he beareth to piety, righteoufnefs, and obedience, by his fo amply rewarding and highly dignifying the practice thereof. We, faith the Heb. ii. 9. Apostle, fee Jefus, for the fuffering of death, crowned with glory and honour. We fee him, not only as an object of our contemplation, but as a pattern of our practice, and as a ground of our encouragement; Looking up, faith that Heb. xii. 2. Apostle again, unto Jefus, the captain and the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was fet before him endured the cross, defpifing the shame, and is fet down at the right hand of God. God, it feemeth, did intend, and he doth propound, our Lord's exaltation, for an engagement and motive to us of following him in the way by which he attained it; giving us affuredly to hope for the like rewards of glory and joy, in proportion answerable to our imitation of his exemplary obedience and patience.

Such are the principal ends and effects of our Lord's afcenfion, and feffion at God's right hand; the confideration of which points may have great ufe, fhould have much influence upon our practice.

1. It may ferve to guard us from divers errors, which to the dangerous prejudice and difparagement of our religion (introducing into it notions thwarting reafon and fense, charging it with needlefs and groundless incredibilities, expofing it to difficulties and objections fo maffy, that the foundations of Chriftian truth are scarce able to fupport them) have been and are afferted by divers perfons, or by fects of men profeffing Christianity, fuch as are that of the old Eutychians, who held, that the human nature of our Lord was converted into his divinity, or fwallowed up thereby; that of the German Ubiquitaries, who fay, that our Lord according to his human nature corporally doth exift everywhere; that of the Lutheran Confubftantialifts, and of the Roman Tranfubftantiators, who affirm, that the body of our Lord is here upon earth at once present in many places, (namely, in every place

SERM. where the Hoft is kept, or the Eucharift is celebrated :) XXXI. which affertions, by the right understanding of these points, will appear to be falfe. For our Lord did vifibly in human shape afcend to heaven, (which to do is inconfiftent with the invifible, omniprefent, and immoveable nature of God,) and therefore he continueth still a man; and as fuch he abideth in heaven, and therefore he doth not exist everywhere or otherwhere. It is the property of a creature to have a definite existence, or to be only in one place at one time; for could it be in divers places at once, it might by like reason be in any or in every place, and confequently it might be immense; nor can we conceive a thing to be at once in several distant places, without its being multiplied in effence: it efpecially is repugnant to the nature of a body at once to poffess several places, feeing its substance and quantity do not really differ, or are infeparably combined, whence it cannot be multiplied in dimenfions, answerable to many localities, without being multiplied in fubftance; wherefore fince our Lord, as man, did by a proper local motion ascend, Heb. ix. 24. pafs through, and enter into the heavens, (being, as it is faid in holy Scripture, in the visible form and dimenfions 10, 11. of his body, taken, carried, lifted up, gone into heaven, Luke xxiv. parting from his difciples, going away from us, leaving Mark xvi. the world and going to the Father; being where no man here can come, or can follow him; being to be no more in the world, fo that we have him not always with us; being there, where we, being in the body, are abfent from him; John xvi. 5, feeing he doth now refide in heaven, which muft, as St. xiv. 25. xiii. Peter affirmed, receive (or hold) him, until the reftitution 3.vin 33,34. of all things; where he conftantly appeareth in God's pre36. xvii. 11. fence for us, and ever liveth to make interceffion for us; 2 Cor. v. 6. whence alfo we do expect, that in the like visible manner δέχεσθαι. as he went, that he fhall come again, defcending, as St. Heb. vii.25. Paul speaketh, from heaven, and coming in the clouds of ix. 24. heaven, at the last resurrection and judgment, which is 1 Thef. iv. therefore commonly termed his prefence and appearance 16. i. 10. here;) fince, I fay, according to the tenor of Scripture, 1 Cor.xv.47. our Lord did thus, as man, in his flesh go into heaven, and

iv. 14.

Acts i. 2, 9,

50, 51.

19.

Matt. xxvi.

11.

1 Pet. iii.

22.

7, 10, 28.

viii. 21. xiii.

Ὃν δεῖ ἐρανὸν

Acts iii. 21.

Acts i. 11.

2 Thef. i. 7.

Phil. i. 20.

30.

τησιν

1

Κυρία.

Phil. i. 23.

there perpetually doth abide in glory, until he fhall thence SERM. return hither to judge the world, we must not fuppofe XXXI. him to be any where corporally upon earth. He is in- Rev. i. 7. deed every where by his Divinity prefent with us; he is Matt. xxiv. also in his humanity present to our faith, to our memory, (Eis úráv to our affection; he is therein alfo prefent by myfterious Ki representation, by spiritual efficacy, by general inspection 17.) and influence upon his Church; but in body, as we are Eva. Παρασία. abfent from him, fo is he likewife feparated from us; we 2 Cor. v. 6. must depart hence, that we may be with him, in the place i Thef. iv. whither he is gone to prepare for us. Who shall afcend 17. into heaven, to bring Chrift down thence? faith St. Paul, intimating where he doth immoveably abide, in exclufion to all other places. These things (befide many other ftrong reasons) if we do confider, it will fuffice to guard us from those rampant abfurdities, which fo long, with fuch impudence and fuch violence, have outbraved plain reason and fenfe. But to leave this, and to come to more practical applications.

1

Rom. x. 6.

2. Is Chrift afcended and advanced to this glorious eminency at God's right hand? Then let us answerably behave ourselves toward him, rendering him the honour and worship, the fear and reverence, the fervice and obedience fuitable and due to that his ftate. In regard hereto all the angels of God are commanded to adore him; and Heb. i. 6. they willingly fubmit thereto, acknowledging him to deserve the highest worship; Every creature (it is in the Re- Rev. v. 12, velation) in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, doth in 18 its way send up acclamations of bleffing and praise unto him. And fhall we then refufe or neglect to do the like? we, who of all creatures in equity and gratitude are most obliged, who in reafon and intereft are most concerned to honour him, as ourselves receiving most honour and advantage from his exaltation? Shall we be backward in yielding obedience to him, who is in nature so nearly re

1 Secundum majeftatem fuam, fecundum providentiam, fecundum ineffabilem et invifibilem gratiam impletur quod ab eo di&tum eft, Ecce ego Tobifcum fecundum carnem vero-non femper habebitis me vobifcum, Aug. in Joh. Tra&. 50.

13.

SERM. lated to us, and in affection fo well difpofed toward us; XXXI. who, out of tender good-will toward us, hath undertaken this high charge, and exercifeth it with defign to do us good; who therefore especially is pleased to fit at the helm, that he may protect us from all the enemies of our welfare, and that he may fettle us in the enjoyment of happiness? Shall we dare to oppose his will, and not Matt.xxviii. dread to displease him, to whom all power in heaven and

18.

27.

earth is given; whofe will is executed by the irresistible right hand of God; who therefore can eafily check us in our bad courses, and will furely chaftife us for our disobedience? We do plainly hereby incur the heinous guilt, and fhall furely undergo the grievous punishment, of rebellion; this being the sentence which, refusing subjection Luke xix. to him, we fhall one day hear and feel; Thofe mine enemies, that would not have me reign over them, bring them hither, and flay them before me. 3. These points do afford ground and matter of great joy and comfort to us. Have we not cause to rejoice, that our Lord hath obtained fo abfolute and glorious a victory over all our cruel enemies? Should we not with joyful gratulation applaud the triumphs of goodness over wickedness, of charity over malice, of mercy over wrath, of life and happiness over death and mifery? Is it not matter of huge fatisfaction that one of our kind and kindred, who beareth toward us the bowels of a man and the affection of a brother, who hath yielded fo wonderful expreffions of good-will and charity toward us, who fo loved us as to lay down his life for us, is raised to fuch preferment? Shall we not be pleased, that we have fo good a friend in fo high place and fo great power; or that he who is fo willing, is alfo fo able to do us good? Have we not great cause to acquiefce in our subjection to so just, so mild, fo gracious a Governor; the fceptre of whose kingdom is a right Sceptre, whose yoke is eafy, and burden light? Shall we not be glad, confidering that we have so merciful and fo kind an interceffor always refident with God, always ready to do good offices for us at the throne of grace? Confidering this, what is there that can be or

happen in the world that should displease, difcourage, or SERM. difturb us? What enemies fhould we fear, fince all our XXXI. enemies lie proftrate under his feet? What good can we fear to want, fince all things are at his difpofal, and all good is difpenfed by him? What events fhould trouble us, fince all things are managed and ordered by his good hand? Will he suffer any thing to hurt us? Will he fee us need any convenience? Will he let us be oppreffed by any mischief or diftrefs, whofe office it is and continual care to protect and fuccour us? Have we not, in contemplation of these things, abundant reafon to comply with that precept, of rejoicing in the Lord always? Be our case Phil. iv. 4. in this world what it will, confidering where our Lord is, we have great cause to be cheerful, according to that injunction of our Lord, enforced by this confideration; In John xvi. the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; 133. have overcome the world.

4. The confideration of these things ferveth to cherish and ftrengthen all kind of faith and hope in us. If the refurrection of our Saviour might beget in us a ftrong perfuafion concerning the truth of our Lord's doctrine, and a lively hope of falvation from his undertakings and performances for us, his afcenfion and feffion in glory (confirmed by the fame indubitable testimonies and authorities) must needs nourish, improve, and corroborate them. We cannot surely diftruft the accomplishment of any promises declared by him, we cannot despair of receiving any good from him, who is afcended into heaven, and fitteth at the right hand of divine wisdom and divine power, thence viewing all things done here, thence ordering all things every where for the advantage of those who love him and truft in him.

iii. 1.

It especially doth serve to quicken in us that blessed Tit. ii. 13. hope, as St. Paul calleth it, of a joyful and happy rest after

the troubles and forrows of this wretched life; which hope Heb. vi. 19. we have as an anchor of the foul, both fure and fedfaft, and which entereth into that within the veil; where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jefus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.