Branch 5. Christ being exalted at God's right hand, this is for the comfort of be- lievers, that they shall one day be exalted to that place of glory where he is. Christ's exaltation is our exaltation. Christ hath prayed for this, John xvii. 24., " Father, I will, that all those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." And he is said to go before to " prepare a place" for believers, John xiv. 2. Christ is called the head, the church is called his body, Eph. i. 22, 23. The head being exalted to honour, the body mystical shall be exalted too ; as
sure as Christ Is exalted far above all hea- vens, so sure will he instate believers in all that glory which his human nature is ad- orned with, John xvii. 22. As here he puts his grace upon the saints, so shortly will he put his glory upon them. This is comfort to the poorest Christian ; perhaps thou hast scarce an house to put thy head in, yet thou mayest look up to heaven, and say, " there is my house, there is my coun- try, and I have already taken possession of heaven in my head Christ ; he sits there, and it will not be long before I shall sit there with him ; he is upon the throne of glory, and I have his word for it, I shall sit upon the throne with him," Rev. iii. 21. Use 3d. Of exhortation. Hath God highly exalted Christ ? Let us labour to exalt him. Let us exalt, 1. His person. 2. His truths
1. Let us exalt Christ in our hearts ; be- lieve ! O adore and love him ! We cannot lift Christ up higher in heaven, but we may in our hearts. 2. Let us exalt him in our lips ; let us praise him. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, our tongues must be the organs in these tem])les ; by praising and commending Christ we exalt him in the esteem of others. 3. Let us exalt him in our lives, by living holy lives: vera religio hceCy sine macula vivera lacUuit. It is not all the doxologies and prayers in the world do so exalt Christ as an iiol)- life : this makes Christ renowned, and lifts him up indeed, when his followers walk worthy of Christ.
2. Let us exalt Christ's truths, Buchul- cerus, in his Chronology, reports of" the no- bles of Polonia, that whenever the gospel is read, they lay their hands upon their swords, by that intimating they are ready to maintain the gospel with the hazard of their lives. Let us exalt Christ's truths, — maintain the truths of Christ against er- ror,— maintain the doctrine of free grace against merit, — the Deity of Christ against Socinianism.
Truth is the most orient pearl of Christ's crown : contend for the truth as one would for a sum of money, that it should not be wrested out of his hand ; this Christ takes to be an exalting of him, when we exalt his truths, wherein his glory is so much concerned.
CHRIST THE REDEEMER.
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CHRIST THE REDEEMER.
Quest. XXX. HOW doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased to us by Christ ?
Ans. The Spirit applies to us the redemp- tion purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.
Here are in this answer two things : 1.';^ Something implied, viz. That Christ is the glorious purchaser of our redemption, in these words, " The redemption purchased by Christ." — 2d. Something expressed, viz. that the Spirit applies to us this redemption purchased, by working faith in vis, &c.
I. The thing here implied, that Jesus Christ is the glorious purchaser of our re- demption. The doctrine of redemption by Jesus Christ is a glorious doctrine; it is the marrow and quintessence of the gospel ; in this all a Christian's comfort lies. Great was the work of creation, but greater the work of redemption ; it cost more to redeem us than to make us ; in the one there was but the speaking of a word, in the other shedding of blood, Luke i. 51. The crea- tion was but the work of God's fingers, Ps. viii. 3. ; redemption the work of his arm, Heb. ix. 12., " Having obtained eter- nal redemption for us." Christ's purchas- ing redemption for us, implies that our sins did mortgage and sell us; had there not been some kind of mortgaging, there had been no need of redemption : rediniere, q. rursus emere, Hierom. Now Christ, wiien we were thus mortgaged and sold by sin, did purchase our redemption ; Christ had the best right to redeem us, for he is our kinsman. The Hebrew word for Redeem- er, goef, signifies a kinsman, — one that is near in blood : in the old law the nearest kinsman was to redeem his brother's land, Ruth. iv. 4. Thus Christ being near akin to us, ' Flesh of our flesh,' is the fittest to redeem us.
Quest. How doth Christ redeem ns ?
Jns. By his own precious blood, Eph. i. 7., " In whom we have redemption through his blood." Among the Romans, he was said to redeem another that laid down a price equivalent for the ransom of the pri-