II. God hatli exalted Christ in his office ; he hath honoured him to be Salvator mundi, — the Saviour of the world, Acts v. 31., " Him hath God exalted Avith his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour." It was a great honour to Moses to be a tem- poral saviour; but what is it to be the Sa- viour of souls ! Christ is called ' the horn of salvation,' Luke i. 69. He saves from sin. Mat. i. 21.; from wrath, 1 Thess. i. 10. To save is a flower belongs only to his crown. Acts iv. 12., " Neither is there sal- vation in any other." What an honour is this to Christ ! How did this make hea- ven ring of saints' praises ! they sing hal- lelujahs to Christ their Saviour, Rev. v. 9., " They sung a new song, saying, thou art worthy to take the book and open the seals ; for tliou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."
HI. God hath exalted Christ in his as- cension ; if he be ascended, then he is exalt- ed. Austin saith, " Some were of opinion that Christ's body ascended into the orb and circle of the sun :" so the Hermians. But tlie scripture is plain, he ascended into heaven, Luke xxiv. 51., and Eph. iv. 10., " Far above all heavens," — therefore above the firmament. He is ascended into the highest part of the empyrean heaven which Paul calls the third heaven. Concernincr Christ's ascension, two tilings :
1. The manner of Christ's ascension : \st, Christ being to ascend, blessed his disciples, Luke xxiv. 50., " He lifted up his hands, and blessed them, and while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." Clu'ist did not leave his
disciples houses and lands, but he left them his blessing. — 2dli/, Christ ascended as a conqueror, in a way of triumph, Ps. Ixviii. 18., " Thou hast led capti\'ity captive," &c. He triumphed over sin, hell, and death ; and Christ's triumph is a believer's triumph : Christ hath conquered sin and hell for every believer.
2. The fruit of Christ's ascension: Christ's ascension to heaven causeth the descension of the Holy Spirit into our hearts, Eph. iv. 8., " When he ascended up on high, he gave gifts to men." Christ having ascend- ed up in the clouds, as his triumpliant cha- riot, gives the gift of his Spirit to us : as a king at his coronation bestows gifts liberally to his favourites.
IV. God hath exalted Christ in his ses- sion at God's right hand, Mark xvi. 19., " After the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven, and sat upon the right hand of God." Eph. i. 20., " He raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand, far above all princi- pality and power, and every name that is named."
Quest. JVhat is meant by ChrisVs sitting at God's right hand?
Ans. To speak properly, God hath no right hand or left ; for being a Spirit, he is void of all bodily parts ; but it is a borrow- ed speech, — a metaphor taken from the man- ner of kings who were wont to advance their favourites next to their own persons, and set them at their right hand : Solomon caused a seat to be set for the queen his mother, and placed her at his right hand, 1 Kings ii. 19. So for Christ to sit at the right hand of God, is to be in the next place to God the Father in dignity and ho- nour. The human nature of Christ, being personally united to the divine, is now set down on a royal throne in heaven, and adored even of angels. By virtue of the personal union of Christ's human natvu'e with the divine, there is a communication of all that glory from the Deity of Christ which his human nature is capable of. Not that the manhood of Christ is advanced to an equality with the Godhead, but the divine nature being joined with the human, the human nature is wonderfully glorified, though not deified. Christ as Mediator is
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filled with all majesty and honour, beyond the comprehension of the higliest order of angels :. Christ in his humiliation descend- ed so low, that it was not fit to go lower ; and in his exaltation he ascended so hijrh that it is not possible to go higher. In his resurrection he was exalted alwvc tlie grave, — in his ascension he was exalted above the airy and starry heaven, — in his sitting at God's right hand, he is exalted above the highest heavens far, Eph. iv. 10., " Far above all heavens."
V. God hath exalted Christ in constitut- ing him Judge of the whole world, John V. 22., " The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son." At the day of judg- ment shall Christ be exalted supereminent- ly, " He shall come in the glory of his Fa- ther," ]Mark v-iii. 38. He shall wear the same embroidered robes of majesty as the Father ; and he shall come witli all his holy angels, Mat. xxv. 31. He who was led to the bar with a band of soldiers shall be attended to the bench with a guard of angels ; Christ shall judge his judges, he shall judge Pilate that condemned him; kings must leave their thrones, and come to his bar. And this is the highest court of judicature, from whence is no appeal.