Because, after suffering, Christ was to return to the glory of his God- head : Luke xxiv. 26, ' Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory ? ' He was to put off meanness and death ; these things could have no more dominion over him. He returned to all the otlier glories, and therefore to the glory of his immortality. And hence the apostle saith of our Lord Christ, 1 Tim. vi. 16, ' Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light ; ' that is, in opposition to the creatures. He only hath it to dispose of it, and in himself ; for otherwise we are immortal in our souls ; but it is only by his benefit
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and promise, and as we live in his life. Well, tlicn, you see the reason is, because Christ in in possession of glory and iiuniortality.
Use 1. It maketh for the comfort of believers: j-our Saviour liveth for ever. As the second person in the Trinity, he is immutably glorious ; and as the Mediator, he hath eternity made over by grant and cove- nant to him. It is for your comfort divers ways ; besides what I have spoken to before, take these : —
1. If Christ be eternal, then his lov^e is eternal, his care and his mercy are eternal, his kingdom is eternal : Isa. ix. (J, 7, ' Of the increase of his government and peace there is no end.' Everything in Christ is prolonged to you. As you find Christ to you now, so he will be to you for ever. It is true, there may be some withdrawings of love and grace as to our apprehensions. And so Job saitli. Job xxx. 21, ' Thou art become cruel to me.' Saints may think they have lost God and lost grace, when it is only through the weakness of their own appre- hensions ; there may be a different appearance of Christ to the creature, but his heart is the same to them still ; like children, that think the sun doth not give light but when they see it breaking out in glory. There is light for you in Christ, though you cannot see it through the darkness that is ujion your spirits.
2. Here is relief against all our enemies. Is it the shortness of life ? Ps. cii. 11, 12, ' My da3-s are like a shadow that declineth, and I am withered like grass ; but thou, 0 Lord, shalt endure for ever.' It may be you are assaulted with weaknesses, you carry about you a .sickly, crazy, body that is ready at every turn to drop into the grave. This is a trouble to you : God having placed in the creature naturally a desire of immortality, the vanity and perishableness of their being is a trouble to them. But consider, Clnist is long-lived, and there- fore your glory shall not be left in the dust, nor God's holy ones left to corruption and rottenness. Christ's life was not shortened by his death, but prolonged ; so shall yours be that have an interest in him. Oh, see that your lives are made long in the prolongation of Christ's life; for as tiie body liveth in the life of the soul, so shall we live in the life of Christ. See how the church draweth out this comfort everywhere : Hab. i. 12, ' Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One ? We shall not die.' We cannot jxirish if we iiave an interest in one that is everlasting : Fs. cii. 27, 28, ' Thy years shall have no end ; therefore the chiklren of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.' It is taken for a good consequence, that if God continueth, the s;iints shall continue : ' Thy years have no end, tliereforc their seed shall be established.' What a privilege is this, that creatures that are in their own nature but of a day's standing, as it were, should have their lives prolonged to the con- tinuance of their Maker !
3. This will supi)ort and settle the heart in doubtful times, in days of misery and violence. Your hearts are ready to be overcome, to see the thriving of wicked men ; and you know not how dangers may grow \\\^Qx\ you. Consider, the days of the Lord Christ are jjrolonged ; let them flourish never so long, he will outlive them. A man would comfort himself in this, if he knew that the interest of religion would thrive to a long continuance. Why, you may be sure Christ will take
IsA. LIII. 10.] THE FIFTY-TniRD CHAPTER OF ISAIAH. 397
care of his church : Ps. ix. G, 7, ' 0 thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end ; but the Lord shall endure for ever.' Their enemies are such as must die, but Christ will never die ; his days are prolonged, but tlieir days are shortened : Ps. Iv. 23, ' Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days.' You may see an end of Christ's enemies, but never of the life of Christ. Alas ! who would fear them ? You may be sure when they perish, Christ will remain : Ps. xcii. 8, 9, ' But thou. Lord, are most high for evermore. Thine enemies sliall perish, all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.' Still you have an eternal God, and an everlasting Christ, that will live beyond your enemies.