for what they had heard; of Grief and Fear concerning their now folitary Condition; yet mixed, at the same time, with Submiffion and Hope, and faithful Truft in their dear Lord. But as he himself had told them, If they loved him, they would rejoice, because he went unto the Father"; fo, in Fact, amidst all the Paffions working within them, this prevailed above the reft; and triumphant Gladness of Heart was the Feeling, that took Poffeffion, and dwelt with them. They worShipped him, and returned to Jerufalem with great Joy: and were continually in the Temple, praifing and bleffing God°. Let us then rejoice also in this glorious Exaltation of Chrift our Head. Let us confider the Opportunity it gives us, of exercising that Faith in him, which the Apoftle juftly calls the Evidence of Things not feen; and of obtaining a Reward, fuitable to the greater Virtue and Piety that we fhew, in conducting aright our Understandings, our Hearts and our Lives, under a lower, and yet fufficient, Degree of Evidence for our holy Religion. Because thou haft feen me, faith he himself to St. Thomas, thou haft believed: blessed are they, that have not feen, and yet have believed. This Bleffednefs therefore, by his Afcenfion, he hath left to his whole Church the Means of acquiring: that the Trial of your Faith, as St. Peter expreffes it, may be found unto Praife, and Honour, and Glory, at the appearing of Jefus Chrift: whom not having feen, ye love; and in whom, though now ye fee him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory; receiving the End of your Faith, the Salvation of your Souls', Let us confider too, that if his Ab-fence tries our Faith, the Manner of his going away powerfully confirms it. For the Apoftles were Eyewitnesses of his afcending into the Clouds: and what ftronger Proof need we, of his coming from God, than his being thus taken up to him again; according to his John xiv. 28, John xx, 29. • Luke xxiv. 52. P Heb. xi. I. own repeated Predictions; befides the remarkable, though obfcurer, Intimations of the fame Things in the Old Teftament? Nor let it feem ftrange, that the Scripture should fpeak of one efpecial Place, as the peculiar and appropriated Refidence of God. We acknowledge, that he is, and cannot but be, every where. Heaven and Earth are full of the Majefty of his Glory: yea, the Heaven, and Heaven of Heavens, cannot contain him. Whither fhall I go from thy Spirit? or whither fhall I flee from thy. Prefence? If I afcend up into Heaven, thou art there: If I go down to Hell, thou art there alfo. If I take the Wings of the Morning, and remain in the uttermoft Parts of the Sea; even there fhall thy Hand lead me, and thy right Hand fhall hold me". Yet, notwithstanding this, the Scripture conftantly mentions him, as having condefcended to establish his Throne in one particular Place; and exhibit himself there, in the Symbol of Light inacceffible where therefore his holy Angels attend upon him, and fee his Face; from whence he iffues forth his Commands, as Princes do theirs from the royal Palace ; and is reprefented, as viewing and obferving the Actions of his Creatures; and pouring down Bleffings or Vengeance, as their Behaviour requires. The Lord is in his holy Temple, the Lord's Seat is in Heaven: his Eyes behold, his Eye-lids try, the Children of Men". Here it is, that thousand thousands minifter unto him; and ten thousand Times ten thousand ftand before him, celebrating his Praifes, and rejoicing in the Light of his Countenance. For in his Prefence is the Fulness of Joy, and at his right Hand there are Pleafures for evermore. Into this bleffed Place then did our Saviour ascend: and there, as the Creed, in Conformity with Scripture, 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 $ Te Deum. ✩ Pfal. xi. 4. 1 Kings viii. 27. * Dan. vii. 10. "Pfal. cxxxix. y Pfal. xvi. 12. 7-100 and 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 easily understood. He is the King of the whole World. Now into a King's immediate Prefence not all Perfons are ufually admitted. And of thofe, 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 efteemed and favoured moft, was placing him, on Occafions of Solemnity, at their right Hand: the fecond in Honour was next to the Royal Perfon, on the other Side; and the reft of the Court fucceeded in the fame Order. Thus, when the Mother of King Solomon came to petition for Adonijah, the Scripture informs us, he fat down on the Throne, and caused a Seat to be fet for her, and fhe fat on his right Hand". And when the Sons of Zebedee had, by Miftake, 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 ftand the Queen in Gold of Ophir. And, when the Court of Heaven, attending on their Sovereign, is defcribed; I faw, faith the Prophet, the Lord fitting on his Throne: and all the Hoft of Heaven ftanding by him, on his right Hand and on his left. When therefore our bleffed Lord is reprefented by St. Stephen to ftand, or in the cx. Pfalm, and frequently in the New Teftament, to fit at the right Hand of God: we are to conceive by it, not that he is confined to this or that Pofture or Place; but that he is raifed, in Respect of his human Nature, to a Rank and Station above all Creatures: poffeffed of the fulleft Happiness, the highest 21 Kings ii. 19. * Matth. xx. 21. 1 Kings xxii. 19. Honour, Honour, and the most fovereign Authority: that Authority, with which Daniel foretells his being invested: I faw, and behold, 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 fhould ferve him : his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away; and his Kingdom, that which shall not be deftroyed. The fulfilling of which Prophecy is thus recorded by the Apoftle. God raised him from the dead, and fet him at his own right Hand in the heavenly Places, for 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; that at the Name of Jefus every Knee should 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 thou on my right Hand, until I make thine Enemies thy Footstool? Indeed all Power, both in Heaven in and Earth, was given to our Saviour before his Afcenfion: but not, till afterwards, 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 reserved, with great Wisdom, till after his Afcenfion; both because it was then moft needed, to comfort his Difciples under the Loss of his personal Presence: and also, be Dan. vii. 13, 14. ! 1 Cor. XV. 25+ d Eph, i. 20, 21. * Heb. i. 13. e Phil. ii. 10. Matth. xxviii, 18. caufe cause it afforded a new Evidence of his divine Power, that, far from being in a worfe Condition by his Departure, they were endued with higher Degrees of miFaculous 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. 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 Promise of the Holy Ghoft, he hath shed 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 fhall always need, continue ftill; and conftitute his prefent Share in the Work of our Redemption agreeably to the Affurance, which our bleffed Lord gave, of another Comforter to abide with us, and dwell in us for ever1. 2. His Interceffion with the Father. For his Oblation of himself 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 Priest, that can be touched with the Feeling of our Infirmities, having been tempted in all Points as we are", ever appearing for us in the Prefence of God; and efficaciously pleading the Pardon, which he hath purchased, for all who repent of and forfake their Sins. Who then is he that condemneth? It is Chrift that died; yea rather, that is rifen again; who is even at the right Hand of God; who alfo maketh Interceffion for us". 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 InAuences of his Spirit to preferve us from Sin, and the Efficacy of his Interceffion to procure us Pardon on 1 John vii. 32. Heb. iv. 15. . * Acts ii. 33. John xiv. 16, 178 moft |