* The right-hand of God denotes divine honour and glory, on which the Son of God, who existed before all ages, as God, in the highest, co-essential with the Father, and incarnate in the latter times, sat down with his glorified body. Damme, lib. 4. c. 2. de orth.Jide.
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So, in token of honour, God sets Christ at his right hand ; which, on that account, in the text, is called the right-hand of Majesty. God hath therein expressed more favour, delight, and honour to Jesus Christ, than ever he did to any creature. " To which of " the angels said he at any time, sit thou on my right-hand ?"
Secondly, The right-hand is the hand of power : we call it the iceapon hand, and the working hand, And the setting of Christ there, imports his exaltation to the highest authority, and most supreme dominion. Not that God the Father hath put himself out of his authority, and advanced Christ above himself ; no, " for in that he saith he hath put all things under him, it is ma- " nifest that he is excepted which did put all things under him," 1 Cor. xv. 27. But to sit as an enthroned king at God's right- hand, imports power, yea, the most sovereign and supreme power ; and so Christ himself calls the right-hand at which he sits, Matt. xxvi. 64. " Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the " right-hand of power."
Thirdly, And as it signifies honour and power, so nearness in place, as we use to say, at one^s elbow, and so it is applied to Christ, in Psal. ex. 5. " The Lord at thy right-hand, shall strike through u kings in the day of his wrath," i. e. the Lord, who is very near thee, present with thee, he shall subdue 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 see what is implied in Christ's sitting at God's right-hand, with his enemies for his footstool. And, if we attentively consider, we shall find that it implies and imports divers great and weighty things in it. As,
First, It implies the perfecting and completing of Christ's work, that he came into the world about. After his work was ended, then he sat down and rested from those labours, Heb. x. 11, 12. w Every priest standeth daily ministering, and offering oftentimes u the same sacrifices : which can never take away sins : but this " man when he had once offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever " sat down on the right hand of God." Here he assigns a double difference betwixt Christ and the Levitical priests; they stand, which is the posture of servants ; he sits, which is the posture of a Lord. They stand daily, because their sacrifices cannot take away sin ; he did" his work fully, by one offering ; and after that, sits or rests for ever in heaven. And this (as the accurate and judi- cious Dr. Reynolds * observes) was excellently figured to us in the ark, which was a lively type of Jesus Christ, and particularly in
* Dr. Edward Reynolds, on Psalm ex. p. 55, 36.
SERM. XLI. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 517
this, it had rings by which it was carried up and down, till at last it rested in Solomon's temple, with glorious and triumphal solem- nity, Psal. cxxxii. 8, 9. 2 Chron. v. 13. So Christ, while he was here on earth, being anointed with the Holy Ghost and wisdom, went about doing good, Acts x. 38. and having ceased from his works, did at last enter into his rest, Heb. v. 10. which is the heavenly temple, Rev. xi. 19.
Secondly, His * sitting down at God's right-hand, notes the high content and satisfaction of God the Father in him, and in his work. " The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right-hand ;" the words are brought in as the jvords of the Father, welcoming Christ to heaven ; and (as it were) congratulating the happy ac- complishment of his most difficult work. And it is as if he had said," O my Son, what shall be done for thee this day? Thou *' hast finished a great work, and in all the parts of it acquitted thy- " self as an able and faithful servant to me ; what honours shall I " now bestow upon thee ? The highest glory in heaven is not too " high for thee ; come sit at my right-hand." O how well is he pleased with Christ, and what he hath done ! He delighted great- ly to behold him here in his work on earth, and by a voice from the excellent glory he told him so? when he spake from heaven to him, saying, " Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well " pleased,*1 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 set upon from eternity. He took infinite delight in it.
Thirdly, Christ's sitting down at God's right-hand in heaven* notes the advancement of Christ'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 subject of all this honour and advancement ; and being advanced to the right- hand of Majesty, it is become an object of worship and adoration. Not simply, as it is flesh and blood, but as it is personally united to the second person, and enthroned in the supreme glory of heaven.
O here is the mystery, that flesh and blood should ever be ad- vanced 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 so advanced, that it might be adored and worshipped by all. " The Father hath committed all " judgment to the Son, that all men should honour the Son,
* They are said to sit down, who rest from their labour, and thereby refresh themselves, Gen. xviii. 1. in which sense some understand what is said of Christ. To sit at God's right-hand, i. e. in the heavens, to rest in that eternal blessedness with God, from these labours and miseries to which he voluntarily subjected him- self for us. Koran, vn the word to sit.
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" even as thev honour the Father."" And the Father will accept of no honour divided from his honour. Therefore it is added in the clause, " He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the " Father which hath sent him," John v. 22, 23. Hence the apostles, in the salutations of their epistles, beg for grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ ; and in their valedictions, they desire the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to the churches.