happy accomplishment of his moft difficult work. And it is if he had faid, "O my Son, what shall be done for thee this day?TM "Thou haft finished a great work, and in all the parts of it ac

quitted thyfelf as an able and faithful fervant to me; what "honours fhall I now bestow upon thee? The highest glory in "heaven is not too high for thee; come fit at my right-hand." O how well is he pleased with Chrift, and what he hath done! He delighted greatly to behold him here in his work on earth, and by a voice from the excellent glory he told him fo, when he fpake from heaven to him, faying, "Thou art my beloved Son, " in whom I am well pleased," 2 Pet. i. 17. And himself tells us, John x. 17. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because "I lay down my life," &c. for it was a work that the heart of God had been upon from eternity. He took infinite delight in it. Thirdly, Chrift's fitting down at God's right-hand in heaven, notes the advancement of Chrift's human nature to the highest honour; even to be the object of adoration to angels and men. For it is properly his human nature that is the fubject of all this honour and advancement; and being advanced to the righthand of Majefty, it is become an object of worship and adoration. Not fimply, as it is flesh and blood, but as it is perfonally united to the fecond perfon, and enthroned in the fupreme glory

of heaven.

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O here is the mystery, that flesh and blood should ever be advanced to the highest throne of majesty, and being there installed in that glory, we may now direct our worship to him as God-man; and to this end was his humanity fo advanced, that it might be adored and worshipped by all. "The Father hath committed' "all judgment to the Son, that all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." And the Father will accept of no honour divided from his honour. Therefore it is added in the next clause, "He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath fent him," John v. 22, 23. Hence the apostles, in the falutations of their epiftles, beg for grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and our Lord Jefus Chrift; and in their valedictions, they defire the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift to the churches.

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Fourthly, It imports the fovereignty and fupremacy of Chrift over all. The inveftiture of Chrift, with authority over the empire of both worlds: For this belongs to him that fits down upon his throne. When the Father faid to him *, Sit at my

*Therefore this fitting down of Christ at the Father's right-hand,

does

right-hand, he did therein deliver to him the difpenfation and oeconomy of the kingdom. Put the awful fceptre of government into his hand, and fo the apoftle interprets and understands it, 1 Cor. xv. 25. "He must reign, till he have put all his ene"mies under his feet." And to this purpose, the fame apoftlé accommodates, (if not expounds) the words of the Pfalmift, "Thou madeft him a little lower than the angels," (i. e.) in respect of his humbled ftate on earth," thou crownedst him with "glory and honour, and didft fet him over the works of thy "hands, thou haft put all things in fubjection under his feet," Heb. ii.7, 8. He is over the fpiritual kingdom, the Church, abfolute Lord there, Matth. xxviii. 18, 19, 20. He alfo is Lord over the providential kingdom, the whole world, Pfal. cx. 2. and this providential kingdom, being fubordinate to his fpiritual kingdom; he orders and rules this, for the advantage and benefit thereof, Eph. i. 22.

Fifthly, To fit at God's right-hand with his enemies for a footstool, implies Chrift to be a conqueror over all his enemies. To have his enemies under his feet, notes perfect conqueft and compleat victory. As when Joshua fet his foot upon the necks of the kings: So Tamerlane made proud Bajazet his footstool *. They trampled his name, and his faints, under their feet, and Chrift will tread them under his feet. It is true indeed this victory is yet incompleat, and inconfummate; for now "we fee not yet all things put under him, (faith the apostle) but we fee Jefus crowned with glory and honour," and that is enough. Enough to fhew the power of his enemies, is now broken; and though they make fome oppofition ftill, yet it is to no purpofe at all; for he is fo infinitely above them, that they must fall before him; it is not with Chrift as it was with Abijah, against whom Jeroboam prevailed, because he was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them. His incapacity and weakness, gave the watchful enemy, an advantage over him. I fay, it is not fo with Chrift, he is at God's right-hand. And all

does not fignify properly that glory and effential kingdom which was common to the Son of God with the Father from eternity, for in this respect even the Holy Spirit fits at the right hand of God; but the oeconomical and voluntary kingdom, over which he is appointed as Oravopwπos, i. e. God-man and Mediator by the Father, for the gathering in and defending of his church. Synopf. pur. Theol. Difp. 28. p. 343.

*The man who fo often terrified the city Conftantinople, was a dog and a footftool under Tamerlane. Aurel, Vect.

1

the power of God ftands ready bent to strike through his ene-mies, as it is Pfal. cx. 5.

Sixthly, Chrift's fitting in heaven notes to us the great and wonderful change, that is made upon the ftate, and condition of Chrift, fince his afcention into heaven. Ah, it is far other wife with him now, than it was in the days of his humiliation here on earth. Quantum mutatus ab illo! Oh what a wonderfull change hath heaven made upon him! It were good (as a + Worthy of ours speaks) to compare in our thoughts the abafement of Chrift, and his exaltation together; as it were in co. lumns, one over against the other. He was born in a stable, but now he reigns in his royal palace. Then he had a manger for his cradle, but now he fits on a chair of state. Then oxen and affes were his companions, now thousands of faints, and ten thousand of angels minifter roun about his throne. Then, in contempt, they called him the Carpenter's Son, now he obtains. a more excellent name than angels. Then he was led away into the wildernefs to be tempted of the devil, now it is proclaimed before him; "let all the angels of God worship him." Then he had not a place to lay his head on, now he is exalted to be heir of all things. In his ftate of humiliation, "he en"dured the contradiction of finners;" in his ftate of exaltation, "he is adored and admired by faints and angels." Then "he "had no form or comlinefs; and when we faw him, there was no beauty, why we fhould defire him :" Now the beauty of his countenance fhall fend forth fuch glorious beams, as thall dazzle the eyes of all the celeftial inhabitants round about him, &c.

O what a change is this! Here he fweated, but there he fits. Here he groaned, but there he triumphs. Here he lay upon the ground, there he fits in the throne of glory. When he came to heaven, his Father did, as it were, thus befpeak him.

My dear Son, what an hard travail hit thou had of it? What a world of woe haft thou paffed through, in the strength of thy love to me, and mine elect? Thou hast been hungry, thirty, weary; fcourged, crucified, and reproached: Ah what bad ufage haft thou had in the ungrateful world! Not a day's reft for comfort fince thou wenteft out from me; but now thy fuffering days are accomplished; now thy rest is come, reft for evermore. Henceforth fit at my right-hand. Henceforth thou fbalt groan, weep, or bleed no more. Sit thou at my right-hand.

Seventhly, Chrift's fitting at God's right-hand, implies the advancement of believers to the highest honour: For this session of Christ's, refpects them, and there he fits as our representative, in which regard we are made to fit with him in heavenly places, as the apoftle fpeaks, Eph. ii. 6. How fecure may we be (faith Tertullian) who do now already poffefs the kingdom? meaning in our head, Chrift. This (faith another) is all my hope, and all my confidence, namely, that we have a proportion in that flesh and blood of Chrift, which is fo exalted, and therefore where he reigns, we shall reign; where our flesh is glorified, we shall be glorified. Surely, it is matter of exceeding joy, to believe that Chrift our head, our flesh, and blood, is in all this glory at his Father's right-hand. Thus we have opened the fenfe and importance of Chrift's fitting at his Father's right-hand. Hence we infer,

Inference 1. Is this fo great an honour to Christ, to fit enthroned at God's right-hand? What honour then is referved in heaven for thofe that are faithful to Chrift, now on the earth? Chrift prayed, and his prayer was heard, John xvii. 24- "That we may be "with him to behold the glory that God hath given him ;" and what heart can conceive the felicity of fuch a fight? It made Stephen's face fhine as the face of an angel, when he had but a glimpse of Chrift at his Father's right-hand. 66 Thine eyes shall see the "king in his beauty," Ifa. xxxiii..17. which refpected Hezekiah in the type, Christ in the truth. But this is not all, though this be much, to be spectators of Chrift in his throne of glory; we shall not only fee him in his throne, but also fit with him enthroned in glory. To behold him is much, but to fit with him is more. I remember it was the faying of a heavenly chriftian, now with Chrift, I would far rather look but through the hole of Chrift's door, to fee but one half of his fairest and most comely face, [for he looks like heaven] fuppofe I should never win to fee his excellency and glory to the full; than to enjoy the flower, the bloom and chiefeft excellency of the glory and riches of ten worlds. And you know how the Queen of the South fainted at the fight of Solomon in his glory. But this fight you fhall have of Chrift, will change you into his likness. "We fhall "be like him (faith the apostle) for we shall see him as he is,” 1 John iii. 2. He will place us as it were in his own throne with him. So runs the promise, Rev. iii. 21. "To him that

overcometh, I will grant to fit with me in my throne; even as I "alfo overcame, and am fet down with my Father in his throne;" and fo 2 Tim. ii. 12. " If we fuffer with him, we shall alfo "reign with him." The Father fet Chrift on his right-hand,

and Chrift will fet the faints on his right-hand. So you know the sheep are placed by the angels, at the great day, Matth. xxv. and fo the church, under the figure of the daughter of Egypt, whom Solomon married, is placed on the king's right-hand, "in gold of Ophir," Pfal. xlv. This honour have all the faints. O amazing love! What, we set on thrones, while as good as we by nature howl in flames! O what manner of love is this! Thefe expreffions indeed do not intend, that the faints fhall be fet in higher glory than Chrift; or that they fhall have a parity of glory with Chrift, for in all things he must have the pre-eminence: But they note the great honour that Christ will put upon the faints; as also, that his glory fhall be their glory in heaven. "As the glory of the husband redounds to the wife;" and again, their glory will be his glory, 2 Thef. i. 10. and fo it will be a focial glory. O it is admirable to think, whither free grace hath already mounted up poor duft and ashes !

To think how nearly we are related now to this royal, princely Jefus! But how much higher are the defigns of grace, that are not yet come to their parturient fulness, they look beyond all this that we now know! "Now are we the fons of God, "but it doth not yet appear what we shall be," 1 John iii. 2. Ah what reafon have you to honour Christ on earth, who is preparing fuch honours for you in heaven.

Infer. 2. Is Chrift Jefus thus enthroned in heaven, then how impoffible is it, that ever his intereft fhould mifcarry or fink on earth? The church hath many fubtle and potent enemies. True, but as Haman could not prevail against the Jews, whilst Efther their friend fpake for them to the king, no more can they, whilft our Jefus fits at his, and our Father's right-hand. Will he fuffer his enemies that are under his feet, to rise up and pull out his eyes, think you? Surely they that touch his people, "touch the very apple of his eye," Zech. ii. 8. “He must reign " till all his enemies are put under his feet," 1 Cor. xv. 25. The enemy under his feet, fhall not destroy the children in his arms. He fits in heaven on purpose to manage all to the advantage of his church, Eph. i. 22. Are our enemies powerful; lo our king fits on the right-hand of power. Are they fubtle and deep in their contrivance; he that fits on the throne, overlooks all they do. Heaven overlooks hell. "He that fits in heaven beholds," and derides their attempts, Pfal. ii. 4. He may permit his enemies to straiten them in one place, but it fhall be for their en

+ Uxor fplendefcis in radiis mariti.