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There is no difBculty in the words. He ' ascended up' as well as he was * received up,' positively as well as passively. In his death, he was not only crucified by others, and delivered by his Father, but he gave himself to death ; so he was not only ' received up in glory,' but he ' ascended up into glory.' This shews the exaltation of Christ. The apostle begins with ' God manifest in the flesh.' There is the descent ; a great mystery, for the great God to descend into the womb of a virgin, to descend to the ' lowest part of the earth,' Ps. Ixxxvi. 13 ; and then he ends with this, received up in glory.' The ascent is from whence the descent was. Christ ascended, and was ' received' as high as the place was whence he came down. ' God manifest in the flesh,' that is the beginning of all ; ' received up in glory,' that is the consummation and shutting up of all. It implies all — his exaltation, his resm'rection, his ascension, his ' sitting at the right hand of God,' and his coming to 'judge the quick and the dead;' especially is meant his glory after his resurrection, his ascension and ' sitting at the right hand of God ;' yet supposing his resurrection,
' Keceived up to glory.'
' Glory' implies three things. It is an exemption from that which is opposite, and a conquering over the contrary base condition. It implies some great eminency and excellency as the foundation of it, and then a manifestation of that excellency; and it implies victory over all opposition. Though there be excellency, if there be not a manifestation of that excel- lency, it is not ' glory.' Christ was inwardly glorious, while he was on earth in the state of abasement. He had true glory, as he was God and man ; but there was not a manifestation of it, and therefoi'c it is not pro- perly called ' glory.' There was not a victory, and subduing of all that was contrary to his glory ; for he was abased, and sufi'ered in the garden, and died. But where these three are, — an exemption and freedom from all baseness, and all that may diminish reckoning and estimation, and when there is a foundation of true excellency, and likewise a shining, a declaring and breaking forth of that excellency, — there is glory. But Christ, after he was ' manifest in the flesh,' and had done the work here that he had to do, he was ' received up to glory ;' that is, all baseness was laid aside. His glory appearing, all abasement did vanish ; he was victorious over that ; for, in his resurrection, that was the first degree of his glory. You know, the cloths that he was bound with were left in the grave, the stone was removed. All things that might hinder his glory, that might abase him in body, in soul, or condition, they were removed. There was an excellency in all that was not before, in regard of manifestation. For his body, it was now impassible, an immortal, spiritual body. It could sufier no longer. It was not fed with meat and drink, as in the time of his abasement. It was a body so agile and so nimble, that he could move even as he would himself. So there was a glory put upon his body above the sun. There was a glory upon the soul. All that might hinder that, was subdued ; for there was no sorrow, no fear, nor grief, as there was in his soul before he was glorified. So both in body and soul, he was more glorious.
And then for his whole condition, that was glorious. He was abased no longer, for now he was taken into the highest place of all, above the heavens ; and as his place is most eminent, so his government is most eminent. For he is taken up there ' above all principalities and powers,' as it is Eph. i. 20, and ' is gloriously set down at the right hand of God,' 1 Peter iii. 22. All being subject to him, he hath the domination and government of all. So that whatsoever might shadow and cloud him, all
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ills, oitluT in body, in soul, or couJitiou, all was removed, and he was glorious in all.
For excellency, tho foundation of glory, that was always with him in his very abasement, but now it was ' manifested.' He was ' mightily declared to be tho Son of God, by raising himself from the dead,' Rom. i. 4. Ho was declared to be glorious in all those things wherein he could be glorious. As no person can bo glorious but either it must be in body or soul or con- dition, ho was glorious in all ; for ho was ' received up ' into the place of ' glory,' to heaven, to the assembly of glory, to the presence of his Father and the blessed saints and angels, and no question but there was a glorious welcome. If the angels came so cheerfully to proclaim his incarnation when ho was born, and sang, • Glory bo to God on high, on earth peace, and good will towards men,' Luke ii. 14, what kind of triumph do you think was made by all the blessed company in heaven when he was entertained thither after his abasement ? It is beyond our conceits to imagine. ■ It will not be altogether unuseful to speak of the circumstances of Christ's being ' taken up to glory.'