It is an argument of a great deal of atheism and infidelity in our hearts, as indeed our base nature is prone to sink down, and to be carried away with present things, that professing to believe that Christ is risen and ascended into heaven, and that he is there for us, yet that we should be plodding and plotting altogether for the earth, as if there were no other heaven, as if there were no other happiness but that which is to be found below. There is nothing here that can satisfy the capacious nature of man. Therefore we should not rest in anything here, considering the great things that are reserved for us, where Christ is in glory. Therefore when we find our souls falling down of themselves, or drawn downward to base cares and earthly contentments, by anything here below, let us labour to raise up ourselves with such meditations. I know not any more fruitful, than to consider the glory to come, and the certainty of it. Christ is taken into glory, not for himself only, but for all his ; for ' where I am,' saith he, ' it is my will that they be there also,' John xvii. 24. Christ should lose his prayer if we should not follow him to heaven. It is not only his prayer but his will, and he is in heaven to make good his will. The wills of men may be frustrate, because they are dead ; but he lives to make good his own will, and his will is, that we be where he is. Now, if a man believe this, can he be base and earthly-minded ? Certainly no. ' Where our treasure is, our hearts will be there also,' Mat. vi. 21, by the rule of Christ; ' Where the body is, the eagles will resort,' Mat. xxiv. 28. If we did make these things our treasure, we would mount above earthly things. There is nothing in the world would be sufficient for us, if we had that esteem of Christ, and the glory where Christ is, as we should and might have.
And it is not only meditation of these things that will cause us to be heavenly-minded ; but Christ, as a head of influence in heaven, conveys spiri- tual life to draw us up. ' When I am ascended, I will draw all men after me,' John xii. 32. There is a virtue from Christ that doth it. There is a
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necessity of the cause and couscqnoiice, as well as strcnfiflh of reason and equity. Tliero is an iulluenco issuiiij,' from Christ our head, to make us BO indeed. Therefore, those that are otherwise, they may thank themselves. The hest of us, indeed, have cause to be abased, that we betray our com- fort, and the means that we have of raising; up our dead and dull hearts, for want of meditation. Let us but keep this faith in exercise, that Christ is in heaven in glory, and we in hiuj are in heaven, as verily as if we were there in our persons, as we shall be ere long, and then let us be uncomfor- table, and base, and earthly-minded, if we can.
To conclude all. As the soul of man is first sinful and then sanctified ; first humble and then raised ; so our meditations of Christ must be in this order : iirst, think of Christ as abased and crucified, for the first comfort that the soul hath is in Christ ' manifested in the flesh,' before it come to * received up into glory.' Therefore, if we would have comfortable thoughts of this, ' Christ received up in glory,' think of him iirst ' manifest in the ilesh.' Let us have recourse in our thoughts to Chi-ist in the womb of the virgin ; to Christ born and lying in the manger ; going up and down doing good ; hungering and thirsting ; sufl'ering in the garden ; sweating water and blood ; nailed on the cross ; crying to his Father, ' My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? ' finishing all upon the cross ; lying three days in the grave ; have recourse to Christ thus abased, and all for us, to expiate our sin ; he obej-ed God to satisfy for our disobedience. Oh ! here will be comfortable thoughts for a wounded soul, pierced with the sense of sin, assaulted by Satan ; to think thus of Christ abased for our sins, and then to think of him ' taken up into glory.'
In the sacrament, our thoughts must especially have recourse, in the first place, to Christ's body broken, and his blood shed, as the bread is broken and the wine poured out ; that we have benefit by Christ's abasement and suffering, by satisfying his Father's wrath, and reconciling us to God. Then think of Christ in heaven, appearing there for us, keeping that happi- ness that he hath purchased by his death for us, and applying the benefit of his death to our souls by his Spirit, which he is able to shed more abun- dantly, being in that high and holy place, heaven ; for the Spirit was not given in that abundance, before Christ was ascended to glory, as it hath been since. In this manner and order, we shall have comfortable thoughts of Christ. To think of his glory, in the first place, it would dazzle our eyes, it would terrify us, being sinners, to think of his glory, being now ascended ; but when we think of him as descended first, as he saith, ' Who is he that ascended, but he that descended first into the lower parts of the earth ? ' Eph. iv. 9. So, who is this that is taken ' up in glory ? ' Is it not he that was ' manifest in our flesh ' before ? This will be comfortable. Therefore let us first begin with Christ's abasement, and then we shall have comfor- table thoughts of his exaltation.