t> ver. G. c Isai. liii. 10.
d Ps. xcvii. 7. with Heb. i. G. e Heb. xii. 2.
f Phil. ii. 6—11.
that vision of the prophet Daniel : " I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed &.]
2. To carry on and perfect his work for us —
[As our great High-Priest, he offered himself a sacrifice upon the cross. But, in order to execute the whole of that sacred office, he must carry that blood within the veil, and offer incense also before the mercy-seat : nor, till he should have done this, would he have any authority to bless his people. Accordingly, in his ascension he performed this remaining part of his priestly office : entering into heaven with his own blood, and offering before God the incense of his continual intercession11.
But his kingly office also was now to be executed, in a fuller manner than it had yet been. David had said, " The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool1." And again ; " The stone which the builders refused, the same is made the head of the cornerV This, therefore, now remained to be fulfilled : and for the ac- complishment of it, Christ was now exalted to glory. And this accords with the account given us by St. Peter: " This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens : but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ1." To the same effect St. Paul also speaks : " Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men : he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ : till we all come, in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ™." This
b Dan. vii. 1.3, 14. •' Heb. ix. 11, 12,24. j Ps. ex. 1.
k Ps. cxviii. 22. 1 Acts ii. 32—36. m Eph. iv. 7—14.
1735.1 Christ's ascension. 237
then, I say, was the end of his ascension; and in this way was fulfilled what St. Paul had spoken respecting him : " God raised him up, and set him at his own right hand in the hea- venly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come ; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the Church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all"."]
In connexion with this, we are of necessity led to consider, II. The time and manner of his future advent —
There are two periods at which the Lord Jesus Christ may certainly be expected to come again, after the manner of his departure from this lower world0 :