not into the holy places made with hands, which are figures SERM. of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the XXXI. prefence of God for us. Thus were thefe points aptly fignified: they were also predicted for David, in the 68th Pfalm, celebrating the glorious triumphs of God over the enemies of his people, and in confequence upon them his folemn entrance and Huc etiam. feating himself in Sion, the hill which he delighteth to dwell in, (the ufual emblem of heaven,) fubjoineth; Thou haft Pf.lxvii.18. afcended on high, (, to the high place of heaven,) thou haft led captivity captive: thou haft received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious alfo, that the Lord God might dwell among them: which words appofitely fuit to our Lord's triumphant ascension, after having fubdued all the enemies of his Church, and upon which he liberally dif penfed wonderful gifts and graces to his people, and are Eph. iv. 8. by the unerring interpretation of St. Paul applied thereto. The afcenfion of our Lord feemeth alfo (at least according to myftical expofition reasonably grounded) to be refpected in the 24th Pfalm, as generally throughout, fo particularly in those words, Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Pfal. xxiv. and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory fhall come in: where, according to the first and more literal fenfe, the entrance of the ark (the fymbol of our Lord himself, in whom God is most specially present, in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwelleth bodily) Col. ii. 9. into the temple is defcribed: but in a fecond more elevate, more proper, and more full meaning, the entrance of our Lord (the true Shechinah) into heaven feemeth denoted; the doors of that temple not made with hands, into which he, the Lord of glory, at his afcenfion did enter, being indeed most truly the everlasting doors; and the doors of the earthly temple being only fuch as typifying them. 7, Again, the feffion of our Lord at God's right hand is exprefsly foretold by David; The Lord, faith he, faid unto Pfal. cx. 1. my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I have made thine enemies thy footstool. Who but the Meffias could be that Lord of David, unto whom God fpake? Who but he SERM. could be an eternal priest after the order of Melchizedek ? XXXI. Not only therefore our Lord himself expoundeth that Matt. xxii. place of the Meffias, but the ancient Jews did commonly understand it to concern him; as appeareth by their tacit confent, and forbearing to contradict our Lord so interpreting it. 44. Heb. i. 5. Dan. vii. 13, 14. In fine, all the prophecies, which are very many, that concern the fpiritual and eternal kingdom of the Meffias, (his being invested with and exercifing regal dignity and power over God's people for ever,) do in effect declare the afcenfion and feffion of our Lord; particularly those Pfal. ii. 6, 8. of David; I have fet my king upon my holy hill of Zion; Pfal. xlv. 6, and, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the fceptre Heb. i. 8. of thy kingdom is a right fceptre: and that of Daniel; I faw in the night vifions one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlafting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be deftroyed. So were these points forefhewed and foretold, to the manifeftations of God's wifdom and the confirmation of our faith. III. Now for the ends and effects of our Lord's afcenfion, and his abode in heaven at God's right hand, (I join them together as coincident, or fubordinate,) they are in the Scripture declared to be chiefly thefe. In general, our Lord by them was invested in the complete exercife of all the offices, and in the full enjoyment of all the privileges, belonging to him as perfect Mediator, Sovereign King, High Prieft, and Archprophet of God's Church and people: he did initially and in part exercise thofe functions upon earth; and a ground of enjoying thofe preeminencies he laid here; but the entire execution and poffeffion of all, by his ascenfion into heaven, and in his feffion there, he did obtain particularly. 1. Our Lord did afcend unto, and doth refide in heaven, at the right hand of divine majefty and power, that 44. 13. as a king he might govern us, protecting us from all SERM. danger, relieving us in all want, delivering us from all XXXI. evil; that he might fubdue and deftroy all the enemies of his kingdom and our falvation; the Devil with all his retinue, the world, the flesh, fin, death, and hell; whatever doth oppose his glory, his truth, his service; whatever confequently, by open violence or fraudulent practice, doth hinder our falvation: The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit Pfal. cx. 1. thou on my right hand, until I have made thine enemies Matt. xxii. thy footstool; fo God by the Holy Spirit in David did Heb. i. 13. fpeak unto him: whence St. Peter doth thus infer; There- A&ts ii. 36. fore let all the house of Ifrael know affuredly, that God hath made him Lord and Chrift; that is, his being seated in that place of special eminency is an infallible argument of his royal majefty and fovereignty: and, This man, Heb. x. 12, faith the Apostle to the Hebrews, after he had offered one facrifice for fins, for ever fat down at the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footftool; and accordingly, He muft, as St. Paul faith, 1 Cor. xv. reign, until he hath put all his enemies under his feet. By various combats in his life, our Lord did worst and weaken his and our enemies; and in the last great battle on his crofs, he did thoroughly rout and overthrow them; but by his triumphant afcenfion into heaven he led captivity Eph. iv. 8. captive, enjoying the glory and benefit of his victory; by fitting at God's right hand he keepeth them down in irrecoverable fubjection under his feet, fo that none of them can make any fuccefsful infurrection against him: for no power certainly fhall ever be able to withstand his will and command, who fitteth at the helm of fovereignty immenfe and omnipotent; at that right hand, which can do any thing, which wieldeth and moderateth all things every where; no fraud can elude, no fecret confpiracy can escape his knowledge, who, fitting in that heavenly watch-tower of infinite wisdom and omnifcience, beholdeth whatever is done, faid, or thought in all the world. He fo there with royal might protecteth us; and with royal goodness, munificence, and clemency, he doth alfo thence difpenfe grace and mercy to his faithful fubjects: 25. SERM. for all good gifts and graces bestowed on the Church in XXXI. general for common edification, and to each member thereof fingly for its particular benefit, which are ufeful Eph.iv. 12. for perfecting of the faints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of Chrift's body in truth, holiness, order, and peace, are expreffed to proceed from our Lord's afEph. iv, 7. cenfion; To every one of you, faith St. Paul, is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Chrift; that is, to every one of you proportionably, according to the quality of your employment, rank, or station in the Church, and according to the particular exigency of your needs, as Chrift in wisdom feeth fit, grace is afforded; in correfpondence, addeth he, to the Pfalmift's prophecy concernEph. iv. 8. ing our Saviour, Having afcended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Particularly in virtue or confequence of his afcenfion and glorification, to all true penitents and converts unto God, mercy, and pardon for their fins are difpenfed: that repentance should be acceptable to God, and available for attainment of mercy, our Lord did indeed merit for us by his suffering; but he effectually dispenseth it in God's name, being now inftated in glory, as a noble boon of Acts v. 31. his royal clemency; God, faith St. Peter, exalted him as Luke xxiv. a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion of fins. 47. 2. Our Saviour did afcend, and now fitteth at God's right hand, that he may, in regard to us, there exercise his priestly function. Having in this outward tabernacle once offered up himself a pure and perfect facrifice for the expiation of our fins, he entered within the veil, into the Heb. x. 12. most holy place, there prefenting his blood before God himself, to the full effect of obtaining mercy for us, and Heb. ix. 24. reftoring us to God's favour; He is, faith the Apostle, entered into heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for us; fo that whenever we by our frailty do fall into fin, and do heartily by repentance turn unto God, invoking his mercy, our Lord is ready, by applying the virtue of his facrifice, and pleading our cause with God, upon the terms of that gracious covenant purchased and Rom. viii. ratified by his blood, to procure mercy for us: for, If SERM. any man fin, we have, faith St. John, an advocate with the XXXI. Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, who is a propitiation for 1 John ii. our fins, and for the fins of the whole world: and, Who, 1, 2. faith St. Paul, is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that 34. died, yea rather, that is rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who alfo maketh interceffion for us; that is, feeing our Lord hath offered a well-pleasing facrifice for our fins, and doth at God's right hand continually renew it, by presenting it unto God, and interceding with him for the effect thereof; what, fuppofing us qualified for mercy, can hinder us from obtaining it? Our Lord alfo doth at God's right hand difcharge the princely ministry of praying for us, and fo interceding in our behalf, as thereby to acquire from God to be conferred on us whatever is needful or conducible to our falvation; He, faith the Apostle, is able to fave to the ut- Heb.vii. 25. termoft thofe that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion for us. More particularly he, by his mediation there, doth procure for us a free access to God in devotion, a favourable reception of our petitions and fervices, a good fuccefs of them in the supply of all our needs; for, Through him we have access by the Eph. ii. 8. Spirit unto the Father; and, Having a great High Priest, Heb. iv. 14. that is paffed into the heavens, Jefus the Son of God-let vii. 25. us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in the time of need, faith the Apostle to the Hebrews: and, He, as he is repre- Rev. viii. 3. fented in the Apocalypfe, is that angel of the covenant, who at the golden altar before God doth offer up the prayers of the faints, incenfed by his mediation and merits. xiv. 6. Hence in his name and through him it is, that we are (John 1. 9. enjoined to present our prayers, our thanksgivings, and Rom. v. 2. all our services; * doing all, whatever we do, in the name of Eph. iii. 12. the Lord Jefus. Heb. x. 19. 3. Again, our Lord telleth us, that it was neceffary he should depart hence, and enter into this glorious state, xvi. 23,24.) that he might there exercise his prophetical office, by imparting to us his Holy Spirit for our inftruction, direction, * Col. iii. 17. |