In the law, the high priest, after he had offered a sacrifice of blood, he was to go into the ' holy of holies ;' so Christ, after he had offered himself for a sacrifice, he went into the ' holy of holies,' into heaven, to appear before God. And as the high priest, when he went into the holy of holies, he had the names of the twelve tribes on his breast, to shew that he ap- peared before God for them all, so Christ being gone into the ' holy of holies,' into heaven, he hath all our names upon his breast ; that is, in his heart the name of every particular believer, to the end of the world ; to present them before God. Therefore, when we have to deal with God, think of Christ, now glorious in heaven, appearing for us ; God can deny him nothing, nor deny us anything that we ask in his name ; we have his promise for it.
It is a gi'ound likewise of contentment in all conditions, ivhatsoever our wants he. What if we want comfort, houses, &c., on earth, when we have heaven provided for us, and glory provided for us ; when we are already so glorious in our Head ? Shall not any condition content a man in this world, that hath such a glorious condition in the eye of faith to enter into? We should not so much as look up to heaven without comfort : Yonder is my Saviour, yonder is a house provided for me. We should think and look upon heaven as our own place, whither Christ is gone before, and keeps a room for us. Here we may want comforts, we may be thrust out of house and home, out of our habitation and country and all ; but all the world, and all the devils in hell, they cannot thrust us out oi heaven, nor
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dissolve and break the commuuiou that is between Christ and us. They cannot take away either grace or glory from us. Therefore we should be content with any condition in this world. Christ is ascended into heaven, to keep a blessed condition for us.
Likewise, when we think of the troubles of this ivorld, of the enemies we have here, think of Christ taken ' up to glory,' and think of Christ's order. First, he suffered, and then he entered into glory. So we must be content to suffer first, and then be glorious. We are predestinate to be conform- able to Christ. Wherein stands our conformity ? It is in abasement first, and then in glory. Christ entered into glory in this order, and shall we think to come to heaven in another order than Christ did ? Shall we wish for a severed condition from him ? If we be in Christ, all that we suffer in this world, they are sufferings of conformity to make us suitable to our Head, and to fit us for glory. And our greatest abasements, what are they to the abasement of Christ ? None was ever so low, and there is none so high. As he was the lowest in abasement, so he is the highest in glory. When he was at the lowest, in the grave, not only dead, but under the kingdt)m and command of death, then he rose gloriously and ascended. Our lowest abasements are forerunners of our advancement and glory. This assumption of Christ to glory should help us in this respect.
In all disconsolations there is a world of comfort hence. We must not think of Christ, as if his honours had changed his manners, as it is among men ; that now he is become stately, that he doth not regard his poor church. No such matter ; he regards his poor church now he is in heaven as much as he ever did. The members here cannot suffer anything but the Head in heaven is sensible of it ; as it is Acts ix. 4, ' Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? ' The foot is trod upon, and the tongue complains. Our blessed Saviour is not like Pharaoh's unkind butler, that forgat Joseph when himself was out of prison. Christ being advanced to honour now, forgets us not here. No ; he is as good Joseph, that was sent into Egypt to provide for all his family beforehand. So this our Joseph, the great steward of heaven and earth, he is gone to provide for us all, against we come to heaven. He forgets us not : ' He disdains not to look on things below,' Ps. cxiii. 6 ; he considers every poor Christian. He is as merciful now as he was when he was upon earth ; as you have it largely proved Heb. iv. 7, ' He was man for this end, that he might be a merciful high priest ;' and he is so in heaven, and pities all our infirmities. It is not here ' Out of sight, out of mind,' for, as I said, he hath us in his breast ; ay, and he is with us, by his Spirit, to the end of the world. He is taken up to heaven by his body ; but his Spirit, which is his general vicar, is here with us to the end of the world : ' I will send you the Comforter, and he shall abide alway with you,' John xiv. 20. And it is better for us to have the Comforter here, without his bodily presence, than to have his bodily presence without the abundance of his Spirit ; as it was better with the disciples when he was taken up to heaven, and was present by his Spirit, than it was before. We lose nothing therefore by the ascension of Christ. It was for us. He was given for us, born for us. He lived for us, he died for us, he rose and ascended to heaven for our good : ' It is good for you that I go,' John xiv. 28. It was to provide a place for us, and to send the Comforter. All was for our good, whatsoever he did, in his abasement and exaltation.