the kingdom which he has prepared for us before the foundation of the world. He will place us on the very same throne on which he has placed his Son2: he will assign to us the office of judging the world, yea and of judging angels too, as assessors in judg- ment with him3 : and he will " give to us the very same glory which he has given to himV Doubtless in all this the Lord Jesus will have the pre-eminence, even as the sun, which is the fountain of light, has above the twinkling star, which emits only a bor- rowed radiance : but as far as what is finite can be compared with what is infinite, we shall enjoy in our measure the same blessedness and the same glory which Christ himself possesses ; being " heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ c."
Behold then what encouragement is here afforded us ! Did Christ himself " for the joy that was set before him endure the cross and despise the shame, till he was called to sit down at the right hand of the throne of Godd ?" Methinks we should do the same : we should account no commandment hard, nor any suffering grievous. We should consider ourselves as altogether devoted to the Lord Jesus, and " yield up both our bodies and our souls as living sacrifices to hime," to be consumed, as it were, if he see fit, on his altar by the flames of martyrdom, but especially and above all by the fire of his love.
But who can conceive aright of this glory ? We can form no idea of what it was to behold the Lord Jesus on Mount Tabor, when his glory shined above the brightness of the meridian sun : how much less can we conceive what it must be to " see him as he is" in glory! There he shines, not only in all the brightness of the Godhead, but in the tempered effulgence of the " Lamb that has been slain f." There we shall see, not merely the glories of his nature, but all of them exhibiting in the brightest possible array the wonders of his love. There we
■'■ Rev. iii. 21. a 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. b John xvii. 22, 23.
c Rom. viii. 17. d Hcb. xii. 2. ;' Rom. xii. 1.
f Rev. v. G.