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SERM. XL. his death, refurrection, ascension, yea, of his very present interceffion in heaven, and fhew it to us. He can be with us in a moment, he can, (as * one well obferves), tell you what were the very last thoughts Chrift was thinking in heaven about you. It was he that formed the body of Chrift in the womb, and fo prepared him to be a facrifice for us. He filled that humanity. with his unexampled fulnefs t. So fitting and anointing him for the discharge of his office.

It is he that puts efficacy into the ordinances, and without him they would be but a dead letter. It was he that bleffed them to your conviction and converfion t. For if angels had been the preachers, no converfion had followed without the Spirit. It is he that is the vinculum unionis, bond of union betwixt Christ and your fouls, without which you could never have had intereft in Chrift, or communion with Chrift. It was he that fo often hath helped your infirmities, when you knew not what to fay; comforted your hearts when they were overwhelmed within you, and you knew not what to do; preserved you many thousand times from fin and ruin, when you have been upon the flippery brink of it in temptations. It is he, (in his fanctifying-work), that is the beft evidence your fouls have for heaven. It were endless to enumerate the mercies you have by him. And now, reader, doft thou not blush to think how unworthy thou haft treated fuch a friend? For which of all these his offices or benefits doft thou grieve and quench him? O grieve not the Holy Spirit whom Chrift fent as foon as ever he came to heaven, in his Father's name, and in his own name, to perform all these offices for you.

Infer. 5. Is Chrift afcended to the Father as our forerunner? Then the door of falvation stands open to all believers, and by virtue of Chrift's afcenfion, they alfo fhall afcend after him, far above all vifible heavens O my friends, what place hath Chrift prepared and taken up for you! what a fplendid habitation hath he provided for you! "God is not ashamed to be "called your God; for he hath prepared for you a city," Heb. xi. 16. In that city Chrift hath provided mansions, and refting-` places for your everlasting abode, John xiv. 2., and keeps them

Mr. Tho. Goodwin. † Luke i. 35. Ifa. Ixi. 1. Col. i, 19. 2 Cor. ix. 6. John xvi. 9. 1 Pet. i. 12. 1 John iii. 24. Rom. viii. 9, 26. John xiv. 26. Ezek. xxxvi. 17.

The hope of future inheritance is most fully fecured to us in our Head, and we are fet down together with him in heaven, Eph. ii. 6. Synopfis purioris Theol. Difp. 28. p. 342.,

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for you till your coming. O how auguft and glorious à dwelling is that, where fun, moon, and stars, fhall fhine as much below your feet, as they are now above your heads? Yea, fuch is the love Chrift hath to the believer, that, as one faith, if thou only badft been the chofen of God, Chrift would have built that house for himself and thee. Now it is for himself, for thee, and for many more, who fhall inherit with thee. God fend us a joyful meeting within the veil with our Forerunner, and sweeten our paffage into it, with many a forefight and foretaste thereof. And, in the mean time, let the love of a Saviour enflame our hearts, fo that whenever we caft a look towards that place, where our Forerunner is for us entered, our fouls may fay, with melting affections, Thanks be to God for Jefus Chrift; and again, Blessed be God for his unspeakable gift.

SERMON XLI.

Wherein CHRIST's fitting at Gop's right-hand is explained and applied, being the third Step of his glorious EXALTATION.

HEB. i. 3.When he had by himself purged our fins, fat down en the right-hand of the majesty on high.

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HRIST being returned again to his Father, having finished

his whole work on earth, is there bid by the Father to fit down in the feat of honour and reft. A feat prepared for him at God's right-hand, that makes it honourable; and all his enemies as a footftool under his feet that makes it easy. How much is the state and condition of Jefus Chrift changed in a few days! Here he groaned, wept, laboured, fuffered, fweat, yea, fwear blood, and found no reft in this world, but when he comes to heaven, there he enters into rest, Sits down for ever in the highest and easiesft throne, prepared by the Father for him, when he had done his work. "When he had by himself purged our

"fins, he fat down," &c.

The scope of this epiftle is to demonftrate Chrift to be the fulness of all legal types and ceremonies, and that whatever light glimmered to the world through them, yet it was but as the light of the day-ftar, to the light of this fun.

In this chapter, Chrift the fubject of the epiftle, is defcribed,

SERM. XLI. and particularly, in this third verfe, he is described three ways.

First, By his effential and primeval glory and dignity, he is anavyoua, the brightness of his Father's glory, the very fplendor of glory, the very refulgency of that fon of glory. "The primary reafon of that appellation is with respect to "his eternal and ineffable generation, light of light, as the "Nicene creed expreffes it. As a beam of light proceeding from "the fun. And the fecondary reafon of it, is with respect to men," for look as the fun communicates its light and influence to us, by its beams, which it projects; fo doth God communicate his goodness, and manifeft himself to us, by Christ. “Yea, "he is the exprefs image, or character of his person. Not as "the impressed image of the feal upon the wax, but as the en"graving in the feal itfelf t." Thus he is described by his ef fential glory.

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Secondly, He is defcribed by the work he wrought here on earth, in his humbled ftate, and it was a glorious work, and that wrought out by his own fingle hand," when he had by "himself purged our fins." A work that all the angels in heaven could not do, but Chrift did it.

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Thirdly, and laftly, He is defcribed by his glory, the which (as a reward of that work) he now enjoys in heaven. "he had by himself purged our fins, he fat down on the right"hand of the majefty on high," i. e. the Lord cloathed him with the greatest power, and higheft honour, that heaven itself could afford; for fo much this phrase of " fitting down on the right-hand of the majesty" imports, as will appear in the explication of this point, which is the refult of this clause, viz.

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Doct. That when our Lord Jefus Chrift had finished his work on earth, he was placed in the feat of the highest honour, and authority; at the right-hand of God in heaven.

This truth is transformingly glorious. Stephen had but a glimpse of Christ at his Father's right-hand, and it caused “his

face to fhine, as it had been the face of an angel," Acts vii. 56. This, his high advancement, was foretold and promised

*Ratio appellationes primaria eft refpectu Patris cæleftis à quo ab æterno, per ineffabilem generationem inftar luminis, de lumine refplenduit, fecundaria refpectu hominum, &c. Glaff. Rhet. p.

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† xaparluv infculpere dicitur, non tam imaginem ex figillo cera impreffam, quam ipfum figillum denotare, Glaff. Rhet, fac. p. 159.

before the work of redemption was taken in hand, Pfal. cx. 1. "The Lord laid unto my Lord, fit thou at my right-hand, "until I make thine enemies thy footstool." And this promife was punctually performed to Chrift, after his refurrection and afcenfion, in his fupreme exaltation, far above all created beings, in heaven and earth, Eph. i. 20, 21, 22. We shall here open two things in the doctrinal part, viz. What is meant by God's right-hand, and what is implied in Chrift's fitting there, with his enemies for a footstool.

First, What are we to understand here by God's right-hand? + It is obvious enough, that the expreffion is not proper, but figurative and borrowed. God hath no hand, right or left; but it is a condescending expreffion, wherein God ftoops to the creature's understanding, and by it he would have us to underftand honour, power, and nearness.

nour.

First, The right-hand is the hand of honour, the upper hand, where we place thofe whom we highly efteem and hoSo Solomon placed his mother in a feat, at his righthand, Kings ii. 19. So, in token of honour, God fets Chrift at his right-hand; which, on that account, in the text is called the right-hand of Majesty. God hath therein expreffed more favour, delight, and honour, to Jefus Christ, than ever he did to any creature. "To which of the angels said he at any time, fit thou on my right-hand?" Heb. i. 13.

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Secondly, The right-hand is the hand of power: we call it the weapon hand, and the working hand. And the fetting of Christ there, imports his exaltation to the highest authority, and moft fupreme dominion. Not that God the Father hath put himself out of his authority, and advanced Chrift above himfelf; no," for in that he faith he hath put all things un"der him, it is manifest that he is excepted which did put all things under him," 1 Cor. xv. 27. But to fit as an enthron. ed king at God's right-hand, imports power, yea, the most fovereign and fupreme power; and fo Chrift himself calls the right-hand at which he fits, Mat. xxvi. 64. " Hereafter ye "fhall fee the Son of man fitting on the right-hand of pow"er."

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Thirdly, And as it fignifies honour and power, fo nearness in

The right hand of God denotes divine honour and glory, on which the Son of God, who exifted before all ages, as God, in the higheft, co-effential with the Father, and incarnate in the latter times, fat down with his glorified body. Damafc. lib. 4. c. 2. de orth. fide.

place, as we use to say at one's elbow, and so it is applied to Chrift, in Pfal. cx. 5. "The Lord at thy right-hand, shall "ftrike through kings in the day of his wrath;" that is, the Lord, who is very near thee, prefent with thee, he shall fubdue thine enemies. This then is what we are to understand by God's right-hand, honour, power, and nearness.

Secondly, In the next place let us fee what is implied in Chrift's fitting at God's right-hand, with his enemies for his foot-ftool. And, if we attentively confider, we shall find that it implies and imports divers great and weighty things in it. As,

Firft, It implies the compleating and perfecting of Christ's work, that he came into the world about. After his work was ended, then he fat down and refted from thofe labours, Heb. x. 11, 12. "Every prieft ftandeth daily miniftring, and offering "oftentimes the fame facrifices; which can never take away “fins: but this man when he had once offered one facrifice for "fins, for ever fat down on the right-hand of God." Here he affigns a double difference betwixt Chrift, and the Levitical priests; they stand, which is the pofture of fervants; he fits, which is the posture of a Lord. They stand daily, because their facrifices cannot take away fin; he did his work fully, by one offering; and after that fits, or refts for ever in heaven. And this (as the accurate and judicious Dr. Reynolds * obferves) was excellently figured to us in the ark, which was a lively type of Jefus Chrift, and particularly in this, it had rings by which it was carried up and down, till at last it refted in Solomon's temple, with glorious and triumphal folemnity, Pfal. cxxxii. 8, 9.2 Chron. v. 13. So Chrift, while he was here on earth, being anointed with the Holy Ghost and wisdom, went about doing good, Acts x. 38. and having ceafed from his works, did at laft enter into his reft, Heb. v. 10, which is the heavenly temple, Rev. xi. 19.

Secondly, His fitting down at God's right-hand, notes the high content and fatisfaction of God the Father in him, and in his work. "The Lord faid to my Lord, fit thou on my right"hand;" the words are brought in as the words of the Father, welcoming Chrift to heaven; and (as it were) congratulating the

* Dr. Edward Reynolds, on Pfalm cx. p. 35, 36.

They are faid to fit down, who reft from their labour, and thereby refresh themselves, Gen. xviii. 1. in which fenfe fome underftand what is faid of Chrift. To fit at God's right-hand, i. e. in the heavens, to rest in that eternal bleffedness with God, from thefe Jabours and miferies to which he voluutarily fubjected himself for Ravan, on the word to fit.

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