And let it stir us up likewise not to be ashamed of religion, and to stand out in (100(1 causes for Christ and the church. ' He is not ashamed to be called our brother,' Heb. ii. 11. No ; not after his resurrection. ' Go tell my brethren, I ascend to my Father and your Father,' John xx. 17. He was not ashamed of it when he began to be in the state of glory. He is not ashamed of our nature now, to take it up into heaven. He is not ashamed to own us here, and at the day of judgment to set us at his right hand. And shall we now, for fear of men, for fear of shame, for any base earthly respect, be ashamed of our glorious Head ? Do we believe that we have a Head that is glorious in heaven, ' sitting at the right hand of God,' that ere long will come to 'judge the quick and the dead;' and shall we be ashamed to hold out the profession of religion for a scorn, for a word, for a frown ? Where is the ' Spirit of glory,' the spirit that should be in
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Christians that hope to be glorious ? ' He that is ashamed of me here,' saith Christ, ' I -will be ashamed of him at that great day.' How can we think that Christ will own us, when we will not own religion here ? When we are ashamed to stand for him, shall we think to stand at his right hand ? All base carnal atheistical spirits, that are afraid of disgrace, of displeasure, of loss, of anything but of him they should be afraid of; let them know there is no comfort for them in Christ's exaltation ; for if they had any communion with Christ, he would infuse another manner of spirit into them. Let us therefore stand for Christ. We have a glorious head, a glorious hope, a glorious inheritance.
And let us go on ivith encouragemcut in r/ood duties, with a spirit of faith ; for wherefore is Christ in heaven but to rule his church by his Spirit ; ' to lead captivity captive, and to give gifts to men,' Eph. iv. 8. Let us there- fore go on with confidence, that Christ from heaven will give us his Spirit to subdue our corruptions. He is in heaven to rule his church ; and what is his kingdom but the subduing of our spirits by his Spirit, to be more humble, and more holy and gracious every way ? Let us not think that our corruptions will be too hard for us, but go on in a spirit of faith ; that Christ that died for us as a priest, he will rule us as a king ; and if we be true to our own souls, we shall have strength to sustain us. He sits in heaven to rule us by his gracious Spirit. Let us not despair. Though we carry this and that corruption about us, we shall by little and little overcome all. He will ' lead captivity captive,' and overcome all in us, as he did in his own person. He that overcame for us will overcome in us, if there be a spirit of faith to depend upon him.
Again, This mystery is a ' mystery of godUness.'' It tendeth to and en- forceth godliness and holiness of life. Christ ' received up to glory.' You see then our flesh is in heaven. Christ hath taken into heaven the pledge of our flesh, and given us the pledge of his Spirit. It was a dignifying of our nature that God should be manifest in our flesh. That that was an abasing to him, as God, was an honour to our nature. The incarnation of Christ it was the beginning of his abasement in regard of his Godhead, for the Godhead to be clouded under flesh ; but it was a dignifying of the human nature that it should be grafted into the second person. And is it not a greater honour to our nature that now in Christ it is gone to heaven, and is there above angels ? Our nature in Christ rules over all the world. And wherefore is all this ? As it is for wondrous comfort, so for instruc- tion, to carry ourselves answerable to our dignity. What ! hath God taken our nature upon him to the unity of the second person, and exalted and honoured and enriched it ? Is he Hkewise gone to heaven in our nature, and is there above all principahties and powers ? All the angels in heaven attend upon him. And shall we debase and dishonour our nature that is so exalted ? Let it work upon us, to carry ourselves in a holy kind of state. Shall we defile ourselves with sinful courses, and make ourselves baser than the earth we tread on, worse than any creature ? for a man without grace is next to the devil in misery, if God be not merciful to him. If God have thus honoured our nature above all created excellency whatsoever, shall not this stir us up to a correspondent carriage ? It is oft pressed by the apostle that we ' walk worthy of our calling,' Eph. iv. 1. And, indeed, let us oft consider to what great matters we are called ; for the life of heaven it must be begun upon earth. ' Whosoever hath this hope,' to be glorious with Christ in heaven, ' it purgeth him,' 1 John iii. 3. It frames him to be like the state he hopes for, and he that hath not a care to suit and fit his carriage and dis-;