Consider the wonderful love of Christ, that would suspend his glory so long. The glory of heaven was due to him upon his incarnation, by virtue of the union of his human nature with the divine ; for that nature that was united to the Godhead, it must needs have right to glory by that very union. What should hinder, when it was so near to God as to be one person, to be taken into the union of the person ? Oh but where had our salvation been then, if Christ had entered into glory upon his incarnation, if he had not shed his blood, if he had not been abased to the death of the cross ? Therefore the schoolmen speak well (t), he enjoyed the presence of God affectione jnstitia;, with the affection of justice and all virtues ; that is, he was as gracious from the beginning, from his incarnation, for matter of grace and love of all that is good ; yet not affectione accommoda. There was a nearness to God in pleasure, and joy, and comfort. This he denied himself till he was assumpted to glory after his resurrection ; and this he did in love to us, that he might suffer and be abased, to work out our sal- vation. That redundance of glory that should have been upon his person presently upon the union, it was stayed till his resurrection, that he might accomplish and fulfil our salvation. What a mercy and love was this I So it is with the church. It is glorious as it hath union with Christ. Is not the church a glorious thing, that is joined to Christ, that is ' Lord of lords, and King of kings,' the ruler of heaven and earth ? What is the reason the church is so abased then ?
If the church were not abased, it could not be conformed to Christ. Christ, that he might work our salvation, he must be abased, and have suspension and stopping of the glory due to him, till the resurrection. Of * That is, ' triumph, boast.'— G. t Qu. ' Eev. xi. 11 ' '?— Ed.
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necessity, wo must bo conformed to Christ as far as v,'c may ; and, that we may be confornicd to liim in abasement and sullcring, there must be a stop of our glory, till we bo dead and turned to dust, until wo rise again, until Christ como to be 'glorious in his saints,' 2 Thcs. i. 10. If Christ, as I formerly said, hud showed all his glory in his abasement, ho could never have suil'ered. The devil himself would have done him no harm. There had been no pretence. The Pharisees would never have persecuted him and hated him, if they had soon him to have been such a person as he was ; but ho veiled his glory that ho might sutler. If the world did but see the thousandth part of the glory that of due belongs to Christians, would they revile them, and disgrace, and malign, and trample on them ? Certainly they would not. TMis is discovered in Scripture ; but the world, to dis- cover their atheism, that they believe not the word of God, take no notice of it. And that the children of God may be conformed to their head, and that way may be made to the malice of wicked men, to trample upon them, they go in the shape of miserable men.
Therefore let us not be discouraged for any abasement. We have a glorious life hid with Christ, which shall be revealed one day ; in the mean time, in the midst of abasement, let us believe glory. And let me add this to the rest :
As the same body wherein Christ was spit upon, and mangled, and crucified, in the same body he rose again, and in the same body ascended into heaven, so it shall be with us. The same body that suffers anything for Christ, the same body that dies, the same body shall rise, and be assumed to glory.
Hence likewise we have a ground of patience in all our suiferings from another reason, not from the order hut from the ceitamty of glory. Shall we not patiently sutler, considering the glory that we shall certainly have ? ' If we suffer with him we shall be glorified with him,' Rom. viii. 17. Who will not be patient awhile, that hath such glory in his eye ? Therefore let us look upon the glory of Christ in all our sufierings whatsoever. What made Moses and all the saints in all times to be so patient ? They had an eye this way. What made Stephen not only patient but glorious ? ' His face shone as the face of an angel,' Acts vi. 15. He looked on Jesus Christ, and saw him ' sitting at the right hand of God.' What made the martyrs not only patient but triumphant in all their sufferings ? They had an eye of faith to see Christ sitting in glory, and to see themselves in heaven ' glorious in Christ ;' and not only to see themselves ' glorious in Christ,' but in themselves afterwards. We are not only glorious in our Head, but we shall be ourselves where he is, 'taken up in glory.'