It is a question, whether ever those doors of heaven were opened to any before Christ's ascension? Christ tells us, "In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you, but I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am ye may be also," John 14:2,3. Some infer hence, as if there should be many outer courts, and many different places or states in glory; and yet that there is one place whither the saints should arrive at last, which was not then ready for them, and was not to be entered into, until the entrance of our Lord had made the preparation. Again, the apostle tells us, that "the fathers received not the promises, God having provided some better things for us, that they without us should not be made perfect," Heb. 11:40. Whence some infer that their condition after death was a state of imperfection; and that they were placed in an outer court on this side heaven, called paradise, or Abraham's bosom; and thither also Christ went, when he died, and was attended with the blessed thief. For my part, I shall not join with such who think that all souls of saints shall go to paradise, where they must remain till the day of judgment, and then, and not till then, must enter into that heaven, called "the third heaven," or the kingdom of heaven. Indeed some of the ancients make heaven, and the immediate receptacles of souls to Le distinct places, both blessed, but hugely differing in degrees; a modern writer is very confident, *"That no soul could enter into glory before our Lord entered, by whom we hope to have access;" and to that purpose he cites those texts, John 14:2,3. Heb. 11:40. But I see no ground, why the souls of saints should be exclu ded heaven, either before, or after Christ. As for that text of John 14:2. Christ saith, "In my Father's house are many mansions," not inany outer courts, nor many different states: and as for the fathers mentioned, Heb. 11:40. "Surely they without us shall not be made perfect," and we with. out them shall not be made perfect, in some sense, until the day of judg ment. But our perfection is not in respect of a more glorious place, but in respect of that perfection whereof all the faithful shall be made partakers, as well in body as in soul, at the resurrection of the just. Thus far I grant, That no soul ever entered into heaven, but by the virtue and power of Christ's ascension; and that no soul and body jointly ever ascended (except Christ's types) before Christ himself opened those doors, and led the way; and in this respect he is called "the forerunner of his people," Heb. 6:20.

3. That he might assure us, that now he had run through all those offices which he was to perform bere on earth for our redemption, "be that hath entered into his rest, hath also ceased from his own works, as God did from his," Heb. 4:10. He was first to execute his office, and then to enter into his rest, though he were a son, and so the inheritance were his own, "yet he was to learn obedience, by the things which he suffered, before he was made perfect, and so to become the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him," Heb. 5:8,9. This was the argument which Christ used when he prayed to be glorified again with his Father, "I have glorified thee on earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do; and now, O Father! glorify thou me with thy own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was," John 17:4,5.

* Dr. Tayl. Great Exemplar.

+ Multas dicit non varias aut dispares, sed quae pluribus sufficiant, acsi diciret non sibi uni, sed omnibus etiam discipulis locum illic esse. Calvin in loc.

This was the order of the dispensation of Christ's offices; his first work was a work of ministry, and service in the office of obedience and sufferings for his church; and his next work was the work of power and majesty in the protection and exaltation of his church. And there was a necessity in this order. 1. In respect of God's decree, who had so fore appointed it, Acts 2:23,24. 2. In respect of God's justice, which must first be satisfied by obedience before any entrance into glory, Luke 24:26. 3. In respect of Christ's infinite person, which being equal with God, could not possibly be exalted without some preceding descent and humiliation, "That he ascended, (saith the apostle) What is it, but that he descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" Eph. 4:9. 4. In respect of our evidence and assurance, this is the sign that Christ hath finished the work of our redemption upon the earth; first, he was to act as our surety, and then he was to ascend as our head or advocate: as the first-fruits, the cap. tain, the prince of life, the author of salvation, the forerunner of his people. 4. That he might thoroughly convince the world of believers of their perfect righteousness, "The Spirit when he comes (saith Christ) shall convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me,—of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more," John 16:8,9,10. If Christ had not fulfilled all righteousness there had been no going to heaven for him, nor remaining there; certainly God would have sent him down again to have done the rest, and the disciples should have seen him with shame sent back again; but his ascension to heaven proclaims openly, 1. That he hath completely finished the work he had to do for us here, that no more was to be done in this world for us, that the satisfactory work to justice was in itself finished. 2. That God was well pleased with Jesus Christ, and with what he had done and suffered for us: yea, God was so infinitely taken with him, and his oblation after his sufferings, as that he thinks it not fit to let him stay above forty days longer in this world; he cannot be without him in heaven, but he takes him up into glory, and gives him a name above every name. 3. That we have our share in heaven with him; he went not up as a single person, but virtually, or mystically, he carried up all the elect with him into glory; or otherwise how should the spirit convince the world by his ascension of their righteousness? or otherwise how should the Son of God convince his Father of the righteousness? I look upon Jesus Christ going into heaven, as a confident debtor after payment going into a court, and saying, Who hath any thing to lay to his charge? All is paid, let the law take its course. When Jesus entered into heaven, he seemed thus to challenge justice, "Make room here for me and mine, Who should hinder? Hath the law any thing to say to these poor souls for whom I died? If any in heaven can make objection, here I am to answer in their behalf." Methinks, I imagine a silence in heaven, (as John speaks) at this speech, Rev. 8:1. only mercy smiles, justice gives in the acquittance, and God sets Christ down at his right hand. 4. That he hath a new design to be acted in heaven for us; he is taken up into glory that he may act gloriously the second part of our righteousness, I mean that he might apply it, and send down his Spirit to convince us of it. He acted one part in the flesh, in the habit of a beggar, clothed with rags: but now he is gone to act the person of a prince in robes of glory, and all this to manage our salvation in the richest way that may be. Three great things Christ acts for us now in glory: First, He is in place of an advocate for us," He liveth to intercede for us," Heb. 7:25. He is always begging of favor and love for us; he lies there to stop whatever plea may

be brought in against us by the devil, or law; yea, he is there to get out fresh pardon for new sins. Secondly, he is the great provider, and caterer for us; he is laying in a great stock and store of glory for us against we come there, "In my Father's house are many mansions.-I go to prepare a place for you," John 14:2. Jesus Christ went before to take up God's heart for us, and now he is drawing out the riches of love from God his Father, and laying them in bank for us, which made the apostle say, "My God shall supply all your, need, according to his riches by Christ Jesus," Phil. 4:19. Thirdly, he sends down his Spirit to convince us that Christ's righteousness is ours: indeed the means of procuring this was the life and death of Christ, but the means of applying this righteousness, are those following acts of Christ's resurrection, ascension, session, interces sion, &c. By his death he obtained righteousness for us, but by his ascension he applies righteousness to us: now it is that in special manner he convinceth us of righteousness, "because he is gone to his Father, and we shall see him no more."

5. That he might receive his Kingdom over us in the place appointed for it; look as kings are crowned in the chief cities of their kingdoms and keep their residence in their palaces near unto them; so it was decent that our Saviour should be crowned in heaven, and there sit down at God's right hand; which immediately follows after his ascension, to which

we now come.

SECT. IV. Of God's right hand, and of Christ's session there. FOR the session of Christ at God's right hand, which is a consequent following his ascension inte heaven, I shall examine. 1. What is God's right hand? 2. What is it to sit there? 3. According to what nature doth Christ sit there? 4. Why is it that he sits at the right hand of God his Father in glory?

1. What is this right hand of God? I answer, 1. Negatively, It is not any corporal right hand of God; if we speak properly, God hath neither right hand, nor left hand; for God is not a body, but a Spirit, or a spiritual substance. 2. Positively, the right hand of God, is the majesty, dignity,. dominion, power, and glory of God. "The right hand of the Lord is exalted, the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly," Ps. 118:15 "Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power, thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy," Exod. 15:6. Thou hast a mighty arm, strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand," Ps. 89:13. Mine hand hath laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens," Isa. 48:13. I know some of our divines make this right hand of God something inferior to God's own power, but others speak of it as every way equal, and I know no absurdity to follow on it.

2. What it is to sit at the right hand of God? I answer, it is not any corporal session at God's right hand, as some picture him with a crown of gold on his head, sitting on a throne, as if he had no other gesture in heaven but sitting still; which Stephen contradicts, saying, "I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God," Acts 7:56. The words sitting or standing, are both metaphorical, and borrowed from the custom of kings, who place those they honor, and to whom they commit the power of government, at their right hand; more particularly, this sitting at God's right hand implies two things. 1. His glorious exaltation. 2. The actual administration of his kingdom.

1. Christ is exalted, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every

knee shall bow," Phil. 2:9. This session is the supreme dignity and glory given by the Father unto Christ after this ascension; this session is the peerless exaltation of the Mediator in his kingdom of glory. But how was Christ exalted? I answer, 1. In regard of his divine nature, not really, or in itself. Impossible it was, that the divine nature should receive any intrinsical improvement, or glory, because all fulness of glory, essentially belonged unto it: but declaritorily, or by way of manifes tation; so it was that his divinity, during the time of his humiliation, lay hidden and over-shadowed as the light of a candle is hidden in a dark and close lantern; but now in his session that divinity in glory which he had always with his Father, was showed forth and declared, "He was declared to be the Son of God with power," Rom. 1:4. both at his resurrection and at his session. 2. In regard of his human nature; and yet that must be understood soberly, for I cannot think that Christ's human nature was at all exalted in regard of the grace of personal union, or in regard of the habitual perfections of his human soul, because he possessed all these from the beginning: but in regard of those interceptions of the beams of the Godhead, and divine glory: and in respect of the restraints of that sense and sweetness, and feeling operations of the beatifical vision during his humiliation; in these respects Christ was exalted in his human nature, and had all the glory from the Deity communicated to it, which possibly in any way it was capable of. There was a time, when the office which Christ undertook for us made him a man of sorrow, but when he had fin. ished that dispensation, then he was filled with unmatchable glory, which before his session he enjoyed not; there was a time when the natural consequence and flowings of Christ's glory from that personal union was stay. ed and hindered, by special dispensation, for the working of our salvation; but when that miraculous stay was once removed, and the work of our redemption fully finished, then he was exalted beyond the capacity or comprehension of all the angels of heaven: "To which of the angels said he at any time, sit at my right hand?" Heb. 1:13. in this respect it is said, that God highly exalted him; exalted he was in his resurrection, ascension, but never so high as at his session; in his resurrection he was exalted with Jonah from the lower parts to the upper parts of the earth; in his ascension he was exalted with Elijah above the clouds, above the stars, above the heavens; but in his session he is cxalted to the highest place in heaven, even to the right hand of God, "far above all heavens, that he might fill all things," Eph. 4:10.

3. Chris. reigns, or actually administers his glorious kingdom, and this is the principal part of Christ's sitting at God's right hand. So the psalm. ist, "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool: the Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thy enemies," Ps. 110:1,2. The apostle is yet more large, "God set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all," Eph. 1:20,21,22,23. Some describe this session at God's right hand to be all one with his reigning in equal power and glory with the Father, but the Son bath always so reigned, and the Holy Ghost hath always so reigned, who yet is not said in scripture to sit at the right hand of the Father; I believe therefore, there is something in this session or reign of Christ, which doth difference it from that reign.

ing power and glory of the Father, and of the Son as only God, and of the Holy Ghost; and if we would know what this is, I would call it an actual adininistration of his kingdom, or an immediate executing of his power and glory over every creature as Mediator. There is a natural, and a dispensatory kingdom of Jesus Christ; for the first, the Father reigns immediately by the Son, but by the Holy Ghost the Father doth not reign immediately, but through the Son; the same order is to be kept in their power, which is in the persons; the Father reigns not by himself, but of himself; because he is of none; the Son reigneth by himself, not of himself, because he is begotten by the Father; the Holy Ghost reigneth not by himself, but from the Father and Son, from whom he doth proceed. And as in the natural, so in the dispensatory kingdom, the Father reigns im mediately by the Son as Mediator; and hence it is that the Son, as Mediator, is only said to sit at God's right hand, because the right of actual administration, or immediate execution of the sovereign power is appropri ate and peculiar to the Son, as Mediator betwixt God and man, and this made Christ to say, "The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment unto the Son," John 5:22. as Mediator. You may object, Christ was a Media or immediately after his incarnation, but he did not actually administer his kingdom then. I answer, it is true, Christ for a time did by a voluntary dispensation empty himself, and laid aside the right of of actual administration of his kingdom; but immediately after his ascension, the Father by voluntary dispensation resigned it to the Son again, "Come now, saith the Father, and take thou power over every creature, till the time that all things shall be subdued under thee." This right the one relinquished in the time of that humiliation of himself;. and this right the other conferred at the time of the exaltation of his Son.

SECT. V.

Of the two natures wherein Christ sits at God's right hand. 3. ACCORDING to what nature is Christ said to sit at the right hand of God? I answer, according to both natures; First, He sits at God's right hand as God; hereby his divinity was declared, and his kingdom is such, that none that is a pure creature can possibly execute, "The Lord said to my Lord, (saith David,) sit thou at my right hand," Ps. 110:1. the Lord said to my Lord, (i. e.) God said to Christ; now Christ was not David's Lord merely as man but as God. And, 2. He sits at God's right hand as man too; hereby his humanity was exalted, and a power is given to Christ as man," he hath given him power to execute judgment, in as much as he is the Son of man," John 5:27. In the administration of his kingdom the manhood of Christ doth concur, as an instrument working with his Godhead. Hence this session at God's right hand is truly and properly attributed to Christ, as (theanthropos;) and not only to the one nature of Christ, whether divine or human. Or, it is attributed to Christ as Mediator; in which res pect he is called an high-priest, "We have such an high-priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens," Heb. 8:1. And in which respect he is called a Prince, "Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour," Acts 5:31. Now Christ is not a priest and a prince merely according to one nature, wheth er divine or human. I deny not but Christ had a natural kingdom with his Father as God, before the foundation of the world; but this kingdom as God-man, Christ had not before his ascension into heaven. So then Christ sitteth at the right hand of God by a mediatory action, which he executeth according to both natures, the word, working what pertaineth to the word, and the flesh what appertaineth to the flesh; Christ is Media