BOOK 8. THE ASCENSION.
CHAPTER 2.
8.2.2. Of Considering Jesus in that Respect.
Of Considering Jesus in that Respect.
Let us know Jesus carrying the great work of our salvation for us, in these particulars: we must not only study to know these things, but we must meditate on them till they come down from our heads to our hearts. Meditation is the poise that sets all the wheels within agoing; it were to small purpose to bid us desire, hope, believe; love, joy, etc. if first, we did not meditate; in meditation it is that the understanding works, that the will is inclined to follow, that devotion is refreshed, that faith is increased, hope established, love kindled; and therefore begin here, O my soul! it is a due consideration that gives both life, and light, and motion, to thy actings in all proceedings.
And to take them in order: --
1. Consider of Christ's ascension into heaven. Methinks souls should put themselves into the condition of the disciples, "When they looked steadfastly towards heaven as Christ went up," Acts i. 10. What shall he ascend, and shall not we in our contemplations follow after him? Gaze O my soul on this wonderful object! thou needest not fear any check from God or angels, so that thy contemplation be spiritual and divine. No sooner had Christ finished his work of redemption here on earth, but on the mount called Olivet, he assembles with his disciples, where having given them commands, he begins to mount; and being a little lifted up into the air, presently a cloud receives him into her lap. Herein is a clear demonstration of his Godhead; clouds are usually in scriptures put for the house, or temple, or receptacle of God himself. How often it is said, that "the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud?" Exod. xvi. 10. And that "he came to Moses in a thick cloud," Exod. xix. 9 . And that "he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud," Exod. xxiv. 16. And that "the Lord descended in the cloud," Exod. xxxiv. 5. Is not the cloud God's own chariot? "Behold the Lord rideth on a swift cloud," Isa. xix. 1. "And, O Lord my God thou art very great, saith David; great indeed, and he proves it thus; who maketh the clouds his chariot," Psal. civ. 3. Jesus Christ in his ascension to heaven enters by the way into a cloud; this was his chariot, led by thousands and ten thousands of his angels, "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels, the Lord is among them as in Sinai in the holy place, thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for men," Psal. lxviii. 17, 18. Some are of opinion, that not only thousands of angels led this chariot, but that many of the saints which slept and rose with Christ at his resurrection, now ascended with him, compassed about this glorious cloud; whence they gave this for the meaning of the text, "That when he went up through the air, and ascended up on high, he led captivity captive: that is, he led a certain number of captives, namely, the saints that were long held in captivity of death, whose bodies arose at Christ's resurrection, and now they accompanied Christ in his triumphant march into heaven." (English annotations on Eph. iv. 8.) However he was attended, be not too curious, (O my soul in this!) the bright cloud that covered his body, discovered his dignity; and therefore here is thy duty; to look steadfastly towards heaven, and to worship him in his ascension up into heaven; O admire and adore!
But stay not thy contemplation in the cloud, he ascends yet higher, through the air, and through the clouds, and through that sphere, or element of fire, and through those orbs of the Moon, Mercury, Mars; of the Sun, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn; and through that azure heaven of fixed stars, and through that first moveable, and through those condense and solid waters of the crystaline heaven; nor stood he still till he came to those doors and gates of the imperial heaven, called "the heaven of heavens;" in all this triumphant glorious march, some tells us of an heavenly harmony made by those choristers of heaven, the blessed angels: "Some going before, and some going after, they chant his praises, and sing hallelujahs; (Cypr. in Serm. Ascens.) and that is the meaning of the Psalmist, "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet," Psal. xlvii. 5. In this meditation pass not over thy duty, which immediately follows, "Sing praises to God, sing praises, sing praises unto our king, sing praises, verse 6. -- Sing unto God, sing praises to his name, extol him that rideth upon the heavens, by his name JAH, and rejoice before him," Psal. lxviii. 4. Thou hast great cause, O my soul! to praise him, and to rejoice before him, especially if thou considerest that Christ ascended not for himself, but also for thee; it is God in our nature that is gone up to heaven; whatever God acted on the person of Christ, that he did as in thy behalf, and he means to act the very same on thee; Christ as a public person ascended up to heaven; thy interest is in this very ascension of Jesus Christ, and therefore dost thou consider thy head as soaring up? O let every member praise his name! let thy tongue (called thy glory) glory in this, and trumpet out his praises, that, in respect of thy duty, it may be verified, "Christ is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet."
And yet stay not by the way, but consider farther, Christ being now arrived at heavens doors, those heavenly spirits that accompanied him began to say, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift up yourselves, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in," Psal. xxiv. 7. To whom some of the angels that were within, not ignorant of his person, but admiring his majesty and glory, said again, "Who is the king of glory?" and then they answered, "The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle," verse 8. and thereupon those "twelve gates of the holy city, of the new Jerusalem," opened of their own accord. Rev. xxi. 12. And Jesus Christ with all his ministering spirits entered in. O my soul! how should this heighten thy joy, and enlarge thy comforts, in that Christ is now received up into glory? Every sight of Christ is glorious, and in every sight thou shouldst wait on the Lord Jesus Christ for some glorious manifestations of himself. Come, live up to the rate of this great mystery, view Christ as entering into glory, and thou wilt find the same sparkles of glory on thy heart. O this sight is a transforming sight! "We all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18.
2. Consider of Christ's session at God's right hand, no sooner was Christ entered into heaven, but he is brought before his heavenly Father; and herein was the vision accomplished, "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," Dan. vii. 13, 14. This is that we call his session at God's right hand; a dominion was given him above all creatures, yea, a dominion above the hierarchy of all the angels: O the glory of Christ at his first entrance into glory! immediately all the angels fell down and worshipped him; immediately his Father welcomed him with the highest grace that ever was yet shewn, "Come, (said he) sit thou at my right hand, until I make thy enemies, thy foot-stool," Psal. cx. 1. One sweetly observes, That usually in the several parts of the performance of Christ's office, either God is brought in as speaking to Christ, or Christ is brought in as speaking to his Father; thus when he chose him first to be our Mediator, God speaks to Christ, "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec," and when Christ came to take upon him our nature, he spake to his Father, "Lo, I come to do thy will, a body hast thou prepared for me," Heb. x. 7. Again, when Christ hung on the cross, he speaks to his Father, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Psal. xxii. 1. But when Christ rose again from the dead, God spake to him, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee," Acts xiii. 33. And when Christ ascended into heaven, God spake to him, "Son, sit thou down at my right hand," Heb. i. 13. This was the highest point of Christ's elevation, now was the prophecy accomplished, "He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high," Isa. lii. 13. The Chaldee paraphrast reads it thus, "He shall be exalted above Abraham, he shall be extolled more than Moses, he shall be very high, above the brightest cherubim or seraphim!" O my soul! meditate on this session of Christ at God's right hand; and thence draw down some virtue, and sweetness into thyself. What? Was Christ exalted? Had he a name given him above every name? Walk then as becomes those that have so glorious a head: O defile not that nature which in thy Christ was so highly honoured! it was the apostle's arguing, "Shall I take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot!" 1 Cor. vi. 15. So argue thou. Shall I take the nature of Christ, that nature which he in his person hath so highly glorified, and make it in my person the nature of a devil! O my soul! walk worthy of such a Lord, unto all well-pleasing; since now he is in his throne at God's right hand, O kiss the Son! honour the Son with divine worship, reverence, and submission; submit cheerfully and willingly to the sceptre of his word, bow to his name, as it is written, "At the name, the person, the power, the sceptre of Jesus Christ, every knee should bow," Phil, ii. 10.
3. Consider of the mission of the Holy Ghost: no sooner is Christ inaugurated in his throne, but he scatters his coin, and gives gifts, "when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men," Eph. iv. 8. He gave gifts, or the gift of gifts, the gift of the Holy Ghost, "If thou knewest the gift of God," John iv. 10. said Christ to the Samaritan woman. That gift was the water of life, and that water of life was the Spirit, as John who knew best his mind, gave the interpretation, "Thus spake he of the Spirit," John vii. 39. O my soul! consider of this princely gift of Christ; such a gift was never before, but when God gave his Son, "God so loved the world, that he gave his Son," and Christ so loved the world, that he gave his Spirit; but, O my soul! consider especially to whom this Spirit was given; the application of the gift is the very soul of thy meditation, "unto us a Son is given," saith the prophet, Isaiah ix. 6. and "unto us the Holy Ghost is given," saith the apostle, Rom. v. 5. And yet above all, consider the reasons of this gift in reference to thyself; was it not to make thee a temple and receptacle of the Holy Ghost? Stand a while on this; admire, O my soul! at the condescending, glorious, and unspeakable love of Christ in this! it was infinite love to come down into our nature when he was incarnate; but this is more, to come down into thy heart by his Holy Spirit, he came near to us then, but as if that were not near enough, he comes nearer now; for now he unites himself unto thy person, now he comes, and dwells in thy soul by his Holy Spirit: O my soul! thou hast many incomes of the world, though many are above thee, yet many are below thee; but oh! what little contentment hast thou in these outward things? Come, here's that which will infinitely content thy vast desires; "Christ is in thee, really in thee by his Spirit;" will not this content the utmost capacity of an heart? Surely he is too covetous, whom God himself cannot suffice; if thou hast Christ, thou hast all things, and if thou hast the Spirit of Christ, thou hast Christ himself, not notionally, not by the habit of grace only, but really, essentially, substantially by his Spirit; it is the very Spirit of Christ, the Spirit itself; the Holy Ghost itself in his own person that is united to thee, and dwells in thee, not only comes he in person, but he brings along with him all his train; hath he not endued thee with some gifts? Hath he not divided a portion and measure to thee in thy place and calling? Take notice, observe it, and be thankful; if thou hast a gift of prayer, of prophecy, of wisdom, of knowledge, it comes and flows from his Holy Spirit; "Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ," Eph. iv. 7. Or, according to the measure of the Spirit, who is the gift of Christ, and all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will, 1 Cor. xii. 11. But besides a gift, hath he not endowed thee with his grace? Hath he not planted in thy soul the habit, the power, the seed, the spring, the principle of grace? Hast thou not felt sometimes the excitings, quickenings, stirrings of the Spirit of God, commanding thy faith, love, zeal, and other graces to be in exercise? Hath he not many a time at some dead lift, at some mighty strait, at some prevailing temptation, when thou wast even ready to yield to Satan, come in, as betwixt the bridge and water, and given thee grace to help in time of need? Heb. iv. 16. O the sweet incomes of the Spirit of God? as he is an Holy Spirit, so he makes holy hearts, and if there be any holiness in thy heart, what is it but an emanation, influence, effect, of the Spirit of God? If ever thou hadst any flowings, of exciting, quickening grace, say, "This is above nature, above flesh and blood, it comes from the holy and blessed Spirit of God." Some other effects thou mayest consider of, as of the comforts of the Spirit; what, hast thou not sometimes felt the joys unspeakable and full of glory? Hast thou not sometimes known a morning's joy, after a night's sorrow? An healing of thy broken heart, a reviving of thy dead spirit, a drop of heaven's joy given thee at the handsel, or earnest of thy inheritance? why, all these are but the workings of the promised Comforter; "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever," John xiv. 16. Another effect is the seal of the Spirit; and, what hast thou not sometimes had the seal of the Spirit stamped on thee? I will not say this is absolutely necessary. But hast thou not sometimes been assured of thy salvation, by a reflex act of faith? Or, by a work of grace habitual or actual? Or, by an irradiation of the Spirit on thy graces? Sometimes the Spirit is pleased to shine with its bright, and glorious, and heavenly beams into our souls, and then we are assured: hence the apostle prays for the Ephesians, "that they might have the spirit of revelation" and to what end? "That they might know what is the hope of his calling" Eph. i. 17, 18, 19. (i.e.) That they might know upon what certain grounds and foundation their hopes were built; and hence the Psalmist prays for himself, "Cause thy face to shine upon thy servant," Psal. xxxi. 16. And again, "God be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us, Selah," Psal. lxvii. 1. If the Spirit shine upon our graces, then it seals; O consider of this shining sealing work! and leave it not till the Spirit dart in a spiritual light, and give thee a revelation, knowledge, and persuasion of thy effectual calling: many other reasons are of the Spirit's mission, but amongst them all, consider, O my soul! and ponder on these few; think over Christ's ascension, session, and mission of the Spirit; but in every thought be serious, fruitful, and particular: say, "Christ is gone up into heaven for me, and he is set down at God's right hand for me; and he hath sent down his Spirit into my heart." Oh! what workings would there be within, if thou wert but lively and active in the meditations of these several passages.