Fourthly, It imports the sovereignty and supremacy of Christ over all. The investiture of Christ, with authority over the em- pire of both worlds : for this belongs to him that sits down upon his throne. When the Father said to him * Sit at my right-hand, he did therein deliver to him the dispensation and ceconomy of the kingdom. Put the awful sceptre of government into his hand, and so the apostle interprets and understands it, 1 Cor. xv. 25. " He must reign till he have put all his enemies under his feet." And to this purpose, the same apostle accommodates, (if not ex- pounds) the words of the Psalmist, " Thou madest him a little " lower than the angels," i. e. in respect of his humbled state on earth, " thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst " set him over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things " in subjection under his feet," Heb. ii. 7, 8. He is over the spiritual kingdom, the Church, absolute Lord there, Mat. xxviii. 18, 19, 20. He is also Lord over the providential kingdom, the whole world, Psal. ex. 2. And this providential kingdom, being subordinate to his spiritual kingdom ; he orders and rules this, for the advantage and benefit thereof, Eph. i. 22.
Fifthly, To sit at God's right-hand with his enemies for a foot- stool, implies Christ to be a conqueror over all his enemies. To have his enemies under his feet, notes perfect conquest and complete victory. As when Joshua set his foot upon the necks of the kings : So Tamerlane made proud Bajazet his footstool -f*. They trampled his name, and his saints under their feet, and Christ will tread them under his feet. It is true indeed this victory is incomplete and inconsummate ; for now " we see not yet all things put under " him, (saith the apostle) but we see Jesus crowned with glory " and honour," and that is enough. Enough to shew the power of his enemies is now broken ; and though they make some oppo-
* Therefore this sitting down of Christ at the Father's right-hand, does not signify- properly that glory and essential kingdom which was common to the Son of God with the Father from eternity, for in this respect even the Holy Spirit sits at the right- hand of God ; but the ceconomical and voluntary kingdom, over which he is ap- pointed as &suQpw7roc, i. e. God-man and Mediator by the Father, for the gather- ing in and defending of his church. Synops. pur. Theol. Disjy. 28. p. 543.
f The man who so often terrified the city of Constantinople, was a deg and a footstool under Tamerlane. Aurel. Vect.
SERM. XLI. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 519
sition still, yet it is to no purpose at all ; for he is so infinitely above them, that they must fall before him ; it is not with Christ as it was with Abijah, against whom Jeroboam prevailed, because he was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them. His incapacity and weakness gave the watchful enemy an advantage over him. I say, it is not so with Christ, he is at God's right- hand. And all the power of God stands ready bent to strike through his enemies, as it is, Psal. ex. 5.
Sixthly, Christ's sitting in heaven notes to us the great and won- derful change that is made upon the state and condition of Christ, since his ascension into heaven. Ah, it is far otherwise with him now, than it was in the days of his humiliation here on earth. Quantum mutatus ab illo ! Oh, what a wonderful change hath heaven made upon him ! It were good (as a * Worthy of ours speaks, to compare in our thoughts the abasement of Christ, and his exaltation together ; as it were in columns, 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 sits on a chair of state. Then oxen and asses were his companions, now thousands of saints, and ten thousands of angels minister round 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 wilderness 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 state of humiliation, " he endured the contradiction of sinners ;11 in his state of exalta- tion, "he is adored and admired by saints and angels." Then " he had no form or comeliness ; and when we saw him, there " was no beauty, why we should desire him :" Now the beauty of his countenance shall send forth such glorious beams, as shall daz- zle the eyes of all the celestial inhabitants round about him, &c.
O what a change is this ! Here he sweated, but there he sits. Here he groaned, but there he triumphs. Here lie lay upon the ground, there he sits in the throne of glory. When he came to heaven, his Father did as it were thus bespeak him.
My dear Son, what an hard travail hast thou had of it ? What a world of woe hast thou passed through, in the strength of thy love to me and mine elect? Thou hast been hungry, thirsty, wtrry, scourged, crucified, and reproached : Ah, what bad usage hast thou had in the ungrateful world! Not a day's rest for comfort since tltou wentest out from me ; but now thy suffering days are accom- plished ; now thy rest is come, rest for evermore. Henceforth sit
Mr. T. Case, Tisgah, part .3. p.
5ZQ THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XLI.
at my right-hand. Henceforth thou shalt groan, weep, or bleed no ■more. Sit thou at my right-hand.
Seventhly, Christ's sitting at God's right-hand, implies the ad- vancement of believers to the highest honour: For this session of Christ's respects them, and there he sits as our representative, in which regard we are made to sit with him in heavenly places, as the apostle speaks, Eph. ii. 6. How secure may we be (saith Ter- tullian) who do now already possess the kingdom ? meaning in our Head, Christ. This (saith another) is all my hope, and all my confidence, namely, that we have a proportion in that flesh and blood of Christ, which is so 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 Christ our Head, our flesh, and blood, is in all this glory at his Fathers right-hand. Thus we have opened the sense and importance ofChrisfs sitting at his Fathers right hand. Hence we infer,