ing and obferving the actions of his creatures; and pouring down bleffing or vengeance, as their behaviour requires, “The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's feat is in hea ven his eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men *." Here it is, that "thousand thoufands minifter unto him; and ten thousand times ten thousand ftand before himt," celebra-. ting his praises, and rejoicing in the light of his countenance, For "in his prefence is the fulness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore ‡.”

Into this bleffed place then did our Saviour afcend: and there, as the Creed, in conformity with fcripture, teaches, "fat down at the right hand of the Father." Not that God who is an infinite Spirit, and by the word of his power doth whatever he pleafes, both in heaven and earth; either hath, or needs, bodily members, for inftruments of perception or action, like our imperfect nature. But thefe things are figuratively afcribed to him, in condefcenfion to human capacities. And the meaning of fuch figures is eafily understood, He is the King of the whole world. Now into a king's immediate prefence not all perfons are ufually admitted. And of those who are, not all poffefs the fame rank and degree of nearness to him: but every one fuch as he pleases to appoint. Now the highest mark of dignity, which the eastern monarchs conferred on the perfon, whom they esteemed and favoured moft, was placing him, on occafions of folemnity, at their right hand; the fecond in honour was next to the royal perfon, on the other fide; and the reft of the court fucceeded in the fame order. Thus, when the mother of King Solomon came to petition for Adonijah, the fcripture informs us, "he fat down on the throne, and caufed a feat to be set for her, and the fat on his right hand §." And when the fons of Zebedee had, by miflake, imagined the kingdom of our Saviour to be like one of this world, their petition was, "that they might fit, one on his right hand, the other on his left, in his kingdom." Sometimes the pofture of ftanding is mentioned. as Pfal. xlv. 9. "on thy right hand did stand the Queen in gold of Òphir." And, when the Court of Heaven, attending on their Sovereign, is defcribed; "1 faw," faith the prophet, "the Lord fitting

Pfal. xi. 4.

66

.01

Pfal. xvi. 12. §1 Kin. ii. 19.

† Dan. vii. Ic.

Matth. xx. 21.

on his throne; and all the hoft of heaven above all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but alfo in that which is to come;" "that at the name of Jefus every knee fhould bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth†:""And he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet ." Sitting at God's right hand, implies this pre-eminence; " for to which of the angels faid God at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool § ?”

Indeed "all power, both in heaven and earth, was given to" our Saviour before his afcenfion: but not, till after wards, was his title to it publicly recognized, and poffeffion of it folemnly taken by him: which, in other words, "is fitting down at the right hand of God.”

But let us confider, not only the nature of our Saviour's exaltation; but, what principally concerns us, the benefits of it to mankind, which are three: His fending the Holy Spirit to abide for ever with his church: His interceding for it with the Father: His powerful protection of it against its enemies.

1. His fending the Holy Spirit. This was referved, with great wisdom, till after his afcenfion; both because it was then most needed, to comfort his difciples under the lofs of his perfonal presence; and also, because it afforded a new evidence of his Divine power, that, far from being in a worse condition by his departure, they were endued with higher degrees of miraculous gifts, than ever they had been before. St John therefore, upon our Saviour's promifing the Spirit to them who fhould believe on him, obferves, that "the Spirit was not yet given, because Jefus was not yet glorified T." And St Peter, on the day when it was beftowed, faith, “Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghoft, he hath fhed forth this, which ye now fee and hear The miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghoft indeed, being no longer neceffary, ceafed many ages ago: but his fanctifying graces, a much more important bleffing, which we shall always need, continue ftill;

**

and conftitute his prefent fhare in the work of our redemp tion: agreeably to the affurance, which our bleffed Lord gave, of another Comforter to abide with us, and dwell in us for

ever

2. His Interceffion with the Father. For his oblation of himfelf being accepted, as the foundation of a new covenant of mercy and favour; we have now an Advocate in heaven, fure, to prevail: an High Prieft, that can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, having been tempted in all points as we aret, ever appearing for us in the presence of God; and efficaciously pleading the pardon, which he hath purchased, for all who repent of and forfake their fins. Who then is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that died; yea rather, that is risen again; who is even at the right hand of God; who also maketh interceffion for us t.

3. His Protection of his Church against all its enemies, fpiritual and temporal. The attempts of the former he defeats by the above-mentioned methods, the influences of his Spirit to preserve us from fin, and the efficacy of his interceffion to procure us pardon on most equitable terms, whenever we fall into it. As for the latter: Upon the firft oppofers of his church, the Jewish and Roman perfecutors, his vindictive power hath been most remarkably exercised: and the fucceeding adverfaries of religion, in every age, have ferved, and fhall ferve, only for a trial of the faith and patience of the faints §: generally, without prevailing to their harm even here; and always being fubfervient to their happiness hereafter: till at length the appointed time shall come, when the kingdoms of this world fall become the kingdoms of the Lord and bis Chrift and having reigned on this earth, till its period arrives, he shall refign up to God his kingdom of grace, its end being accomplished; and reign over his faints, in that of glory, for ever and ever fully performing that invaluable promife, Ta bim that overcometh will I grant to fit with me on my throne; even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne¶. These things being fo, inftead of amufing ourselves with the fpeculative confideration of his afcenfion, and the reasons of it; we should learn from his departure to prepare for his

:

return, To this was the attention of those, who saw it, directed by the gels. Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing up into heaven? This fame Jesus, which is taken up from you, shall fo come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven * The prefent article of our Creed is, that he fitteth at the right hand af God. The next is, that from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And what should this very clofe connection teach us, but that we all be careful to behave in fuch manner, that we may be ready to meet our Lord † at his coming, and enter with him into his joy? He hath defcended upon earth to procure us a right to future happiness; and inftruct us, how to obtain it: he is now afcended up into heaven, to prepare a plase for us §: there feated in glory, he invites us to him. What then remains, but that we fix our hearts where our treasure is ; and "fet our affections on those that are above, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God?" But in vain do we rejoice in a glorified Saviour, unless we become "his friends, by doing what he commands us" in vain do we lift up our eyes and our wishes to his happy abode; unless, by refembling him now in purity and holinefs, we qualify ourselves to partake hereafter the resemblance of his glory. "Who fhall afcend into the hill of the Lord? or who fhall ftand in his holy place? even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life, and doth the thing which is right, and fpeaketh the truth from his heart. He that hath used no deceit in his tongue, inor done evil to his neighbour, and hath not flandered his neighbour. He that fetteth not by himself: but is lowly in his own eyes. In whofe eyes a vile perfon is contemned: but he honoureth them, that fear the Lord. He that hath clean. hands and a pure heart, and hath not lift up his foul unto vanity. He fhall receive the bleffing from the Lord, and righteoufnefs from the God of his falvation."

*

LECTURE XII.

CRE E D.

Article VII. From thence he fhall come to judge the

THIS

quick and the dead.

HIS is the great and awful doctrine, which makes all the preceding ones fo important to us: that "God hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs by that Man, whom he hath ordained *:" a truth, the belief of which infinitely concerns every one of us to settle well in our fouls, and be duly affected by it.

ני

The reafon of our minds, and even the feelings of our hearts, give us very ftrong grounds to be perfuaded of a future judge ment, had we no further evidence. We are all of us by nature, capable of perceiving, what is juft and right for us to do, and what is otherwife: we are all capable of acting ac cording to this perception: we all fee, it is fit we fhould; and fit we should fuffer for it, if we do not. When we behave ac

cording to our duty, there fprings up a delightful peace and ferenity within our breafts: when we knowingly tranfgrefs it, we not only difapprove and accufe ourfelves, whether we will or not, but experience a foreboding expectation of just recompence. "For wickedness, condemned by her own wit nefs, is very timorous: and, being prefled with confcience," always forecafteth grievous things t. Nor do these horrors relate only, or chiefly, to what we have deserved to fuffer.in this world; but when our fhare in it draws to an end, and death approaches, then our fears grow ftronger than ever," concerning fomewhat, which is yet to come ‡. And thus are all men a law unto themselves; and fhew the work of the

દર

law

*Acts xvii. 31.

† Wifd. xvii. 11.

* Επειδαν τις είγυς η τε οιέθαι τελευτήσειν, Φροντις περί ών εν τα προθεν εκ είσηεί.

εισερχεται αυτω φοβῷ καὶ Plat. de Rep. 1. 1.