1. Whence was he taken ? Ho was taken * up to glory,' from mount Olivet, where he used to pray, and where he sweat water and blood, where he was humbled. From the place of humiliation was his ascension to glory, shewing unto us that the place ofttimes where we pray, where we are aiflicted, our sick-beds, nay, the places of our abasement, the very prisons, they may be as mount Olivet to us, from whence God will take us to glory. Let no man, therefore, fear any abasement ; it may prove as mount Olivet to him in this respect.
2. And when W'as he taken ' up to glory ?' Not before he had finished his work, as he saith, John xvii. 4, ' I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.' Then he was taken up, when he had done all, when he had accomplished our salvation ; and after his abasement, not before. So our taking ' up to glory,' it must be when we have done our * work,' when we have finished our ' course,' when we have run our * race,' w-hen we have ' fought the good fight.' And also after our abasement. We must first ' sufiiar ' wdth Christ, before we can be ' glorified ' with him. Again, if we speak of the first degree of Christ's glory, his resurrection : he was taken ' up to glory ' when he w^as at the lowest that could be, when he was in the grave. So God's church and children, at the lowest they are nearest to glory. We use to say. Things when they are at the worst are nearest mending. So is the state and condition of the church of God, and every particular Christian. When he is lowest he is nearest rising, as we shall see afterwards.
3. The ivitnesses of this were the angels. They proclaimed his incarna- tion with joy ; and without doubt they were much more joj'ful at his ascending up to glory. It was in the presence of the angels. So likewise, when he shall come to manifest his glory at the day of judgment, there will be 'innumerable thousands of angels.' Those glorious creatures were witnesses of his glory, and no question but they yielded their joyful attend- ance and service, that were so willing to attend him at his birth and coming into the world.
4. He was carried ?/p in the clouds, in which also he shall come again at the last day.
But befoi-e he was taken up ' to glory ' he was forty days on earth, to give evidence to his apostles and disciples of his resurrection, and to instruct and fuinish them in things concerning their callings; afterwards he was
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taken ' up to glory.' And in all that time of his abode on earth, after his first degree of glory, his resurrection, he was never seen of sinful eye for anything we see in Scripture — I mean of those that were scorners of him, that despised him. The Scribes and Pharisees and carnal people did not Bee him. They had no commerce ot all with him after his resurrection. They that despised him in his abasement had no comfort by his exaltation.
But that which I will chiefly press in this clause shall be to shew, that, as this is a mystery, so how it is a ' mystery of godliness ' to stir us up to godhness ; for, as I said before, divine truths and principles they are called ' godliness,' because, where they are embraced, they work godliness, the soul is transformed into them. Where these truths are ' engrafted in the soul,' as St Peter saith, they turn the soul into their own nature. Therefore I will shew how this mystery, Christ 'received up to glory,' breeds a frame of godliness in the heart.
That it is a mystery it will easily appear. For was it a ' great mystery ' that God should take our nature upon him, to be abased in it ? Surely it must needs be a mystery that God will be glorified in our nature. Was our nature advanced in his incarnation ? Much more was it glorified in his exaltation, when he carried it to heaven with him. Here was the mystery of the exaltation of our nature. God was as much abased as he could be, being born and dying for us. Our human nature was as much advanced as it could be, when God raised it up to heaven. God could be no more abased, remaining God; and man's nature can be no more advanced, remain- ing the true nature of man. This is a 'great mystery,' the advancement of our nature in Christ, that was made ' lower than the angels ;' he was ' a worm, and no man.' Now our nature in Christ is advanced above the angels. Now this nature of ours in Christ, it is next to the nature of God in dignity ; here is a mystery.
Among many other respects it is a mystery for the greatness of it. We see after his ascension, when he appeared to Paul in glory, a glimpse of it struck Paul down ; he could not endure it. Nay, before he sufiered, a very shadow of his glory, it amazed Peter and James and John ; they could not bear it ; they forgot themselves : ' Let us build,' say they, ' three taber- nacles,' &c. If a little discovery of his glory on earth wrought these eflects, what great glory is it then that he hath in heaven ! Certainly it is beyond all expression.