He afcended into Heaven, and fitteth at the right hand of God. SERMON XXXI. MARK XVI. 19. He was received up into heaven, and fat on the right hand of God. OUR Lord after his refurrection having confummated SERM. what was requifite to be done by him upon earth, for XXXI. the confirmation of our faith, and the constitution of his Church; having for a competent time converfed with his difciples, enlightening their minds with knowledge of the truths concerning him, and in right understanding of the Scriptures relating to him; establishing their faith in immoveable conviction, enflaming their affections by pathetical discourse, comforting their minds with gracious promises against tribulations enfuing, and arming their hearts with courage and patience against all oppofitions of earth and hell; directing and prescribing to them how they fhould proceed in the inftruction of men, and converfion of the world to the belief of his doctrine, the acceptance of his overtures, the obfervance of his laws; furnishing them with authority, and giving them orders to atteft the truth concerning him, to difpenfe the grace and mercy procured by him, and to promulgate the whole will of God to mankind; promifing them fpiritual gifts and aids (both ordinary and extraordinary) neceffary or conducible either SERM. to the common edification or to the particular welfare of XXXI. Christians; ordering them to collect and compact the fo ciety of faithful believers in him, which he had purchased with his blood; in fine, imparting to them his effectual benediction, and a promise of continual affiftance in the profecution of thofe great and holy defigns which he committed to their management; having, I fay, accomplished all these things, which St. Mark in this verse expreffeth briefly by the words μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι αὐτοῖς, after he had spoken to them; and which St. Luke compriseth in Acts i. 2. the words evraλáμsvos aurois, that is, having imparted to them all needful instructions, and imposed all fitting commands upon them; he in their prefence departed away into the poffeffion of his glorious ftate; He was, faith St. Mark in our text, received up into heaven, and fat on the right hand of God. 51. Acts i. 9. Which words of the Evangelift do contain two grand points of our faith, the afcenfion of our Lord to heaven, and his feffion there at God's right hand; the right understanding and due confideration whereof [as it is now peculiarly, when the Church recommendeth these points to be the fubjects of our devotion most seasonable, so perpetually] is of great ufe for the edification of our fouls and the direction of our practice: in order to which purposes, I fhall endeavour to explain them, to confirm the truth of them, to fhew the ends and effects of them, and practically to apply them. I. He was received into heaven; this is the first point, wherein we may observe the act, and its term: the act, aveλn, he was affumed, or taken up, faith St. Mark here; avspepero, he was elevated, or carried up; and iný, Luke xxiv. he was borne up, faith St. Luke; πоρsúdn, he went into heaven, faith St. Peter: which phrafes do import, that he was, according to his humanity, (or that his body and foul united together were,) translated by the divine power into heaven; or that he as God (by the divine power immanent in him) did transfer himself as man thither; fo that he both was carried and did go with a proper local motion, the term whereof was heaven. 1 Pet. iii. 22. 17. xiii. 1. ται τῷ προσε ώπῳ Θεό. Acts ii. 33. 16. 26. Διεληλυθέα νές. And what is meant by heaven, in the proper fenfe ade- SERM. quate to this matter, may appear from other places equi- XXXI. valent, by which this action, or the refult thereof are expreffed. It is called afcending to his Father, and passing John xx. out of this world to his Father; that is, departing hence into the place of God's more especial presence and refidence; where he, as the Apostle to the Hebrews faith, 'Euparisappeareth to the face of God; being, as St. Peter fpeaketh, exalted to the right hand of God; (that is, to the greateft Heb. ix. 24. proximity, and therefore highest eminency, with God.) It v. 31. is termed being taken up into glory, and entering into his 1 Tim. iii. glory; that is, into a moft glorious place and state peculiar Luke xxiv. to him; that place which St. Peter calleth payahожρns 2 Pet. i. 17. da, the magnificent, or moft excellent glory. It is ftyled Heb. vi. 19. entering εἰς τὸ ἐσώτερον τῷ καταπετάσματος, into the moft in- ix. 12. ward part behind the veil; and into the rà aya, the espe- જા જà૬ ૨૭cially holy places; that is, into the inmost recesses of glory, Heb. iv. 14. inacceffible, and in degree incommunicable, to any other. Eph. iv. 10. He is faid to have passed through the heavens, (that is, through all places inferior to the highest top of glory and felicity ;) to have afcended ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν ἐρανῶν, over Υψηλότε above all the heavens; to have become higher than the hea-yeavens, or advanced above them: by which expreffions it Heb. vii.26. appeareth, that the term of our Saviour's afcent, called heaven here, was that place of all places in the universe of things in fituation moft eminent, in quality most holy, in dignity most excellent, in glory most illuftrious; the inmoft fanctuary of God's temple above, not made with Heb. ix. 11, hands; the most auguft chamber of prefence in the celes- 22. tial court and whereas there are, as our Lord telleth us, many manfions, or apartments, in the houfe of God, the John xiv. 2. chief and beft of them our Lord hath taken up for his refidence; whereas heaven is a place of vaft extent, to the utmost top thereof our Lord hath ascended, even into that pas apóσTov, inacceffible light where God dwelleth. And there, as it followeth, he fitteth at God's right hand; the meaning of which words it is not difficult to find out; it being obvious and clear, that the state of things above, in the other bleffed world, is in the Scrip es 1 Tim. vi. 16. SERM. ture reprefented to us by that fimilitude, which is moft XXXI. apt to beget in us reverence toward God, and which indeed 16. really doth moft resemble it; by the state of a king here, fitting upon his throne, being furrounded with perfonages of higheft rank, worth, and refpect; his nearest relations, his dearest favourites, the chief officers of his crown, and ministers of his affairs there attending upon him; fo that yet for diftinction, fome place more eminent, and fignally honourable, is affigned to that perfon, to whom the King pleaseth to declare most especial favour and regard; the which place by custom, grounded upon obvious reason, hath been of old, and continueth ftill, determined to the Pfal. cxviii. next place at the right hand; (the next place, because nearness yieldeth opportunity for all kind of converfation and addrefs; at the right hand, because that hand hath advantage for strength and activity acquired by use, and therefore hath a special aptitude to offer any thing, or to receive, as occafion doth require :) hence for instance of the custom among those from whom the phrase is taken, when Bathsheba, king Solomon's mother, did come 1 Kings ii. unto him, it is faid, The king-fat down upon his throne, and caufed a feat to be fet for the king's mother; and she fat on his right hand: thus our Lord, as man, in regard to his perfect obedience and patience, being raised by God to the fupreme pitch of favour, honour, and power with him, Acts v. 31. God having advanced him to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion of fins; having Phil. ii. 9, fuperexalted him, and bestowed on him a name above all names, to which all knees in heaven, in earth, and under Eph. i. 20, the earth must bow; having feated him in heavenly places above all principality, and authority, and power, and dominion, and name that is named, either in the prefent world, or in that which is to come; having committed to him all authority in heaven and upon earth, and given all things xiii. 3. xvii. into his hand; having conftituted him heir of all things, and subjected all things under his feet, and crowned him with fovereign glory and honour; having, in fine, given unto him all that which in the Revelation the innumeraRev. v. 2. ble hoft of heaven acknowledgeth him worthy of; power, 19. 10. 21. Matt. xxviii. 18. John iii. 35. 2. Heb. i. 2. ii. 8, 9. 1 Pet. iii. 22. XXXI. Matt. xxvi. and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and SERM. glory, and bleffing; that is, all good and excellency conceivable in the moft eminent degree, fo that yiveras év Tão pшTEúwy, he in all things becometh to have the preemi- Col. i. 18. nence; God having, I fay, conferred all these preeminences of dignity, power, favour, and felicity upon our Saviour, is therefore said to have feated him at his right Eph. i. 20. hand; at the right hand of power, fay the Gospels; that 64. is, fo at the right hand of the Almighty Potentate, that Mark xiv. all power is imparted to him for the governance and pre- Luke xxii. fervation of his Church; at the right hand of the majesty Heb. viii. 1. on high, and at the right hand of the throne of God, faith the Apostle to the Hebrews; that is, fo at the right hand of the Sovereign King of the world, that royal dignity is communicated to him; in regard to which all honour and worship, all service and obedience, are due to him from all creatures. 62. 69. 34. Thus much plainly the whole fpeech, fitting at God's right hand, doth import; the which matter is otherwife more generally and fimply expreffed by being at God's right hand; Who, faith St. Peter, is gone into heaven, and 1 Pet. iii.22. is at the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made fubject to him: and, It is Chrift, Rom. viii. faith St. Paul, that died, yea rather, that is rifen again, who is also at the right hand of God: fometimes also our Lord is represented standing at God's right hand, as in the Revelation several times, and in the vision of St. Stephen, who saw the glory of God, and Jefus ftanding at the Rev. v. 6. right hand of God; the which posture doth then feem Acts vii. 55, purposely affigned to him, when he is represented affifting 56. his fervants, or in readiness to achieve fome great work for the good of his Church; but most commonly, as in our text, it is called fitting; the which word in ordinary use denoteth an abode, or permanency, in any state: but there is, perhaps, fome peculiar emphafis defigned in attributing to our Lord that pofition; it implying the folid ground, the firm poffeffion, the durable continuance, the undisturbed rest and quiet of that glorious condition, wherein he is inftated: the term fitting may also feem to augment xiv. 1. |