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Afcenfion

Day.

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Thou hast afcended on High, thou hast led Captivity Captive: Thou haft received Gifts for Men; yea, for the Rebellious alfo, that the Lord God might dwell among them, Pfal. 68. 18.

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HIS Text is a Part of that excellent Pfalm, which the fweet Singer of Ifrael fang to his Lord, and our Lord when he faw this Day, and the Glory thereof; for David being a Prophet, and knowing that God had fworn an Oath to him, That of the Fruit of his Loins, according to the Acts Flesh, he would raise up Christ to fit upon his Throne: He 2. 30. Jeeing this before, pake of the Afcenfion of Chrift; and was in many Things a Type of him, and particularly of this Day's Triumph, which he transferred to himself in a Figure, and in his own Perfon when he afcended into Mount Zion with the Ark of God, and led his Captivity Captive, and difperfed his Royal Gifts among his Friends, after the Manner of victorious Monarchs ; like that of Deborah, in the Day that the Lord had delivered his People Ifrael from all their Enemies: Awake, Judges awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a Song: arife Barak, 5, 13. and lead thy Captivity Captive, thou Son of Abinoam.

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But alluding more especially to the King of Saints, and to the King of Glory, who having conquered all the Powers of Darkness, and recovered fo many rich Spoils from the Enemy of Mankind, afcended this Day on High to open the Gates of Heaven to all Believers.

Thou haft afcended on High. See how the Pfalmift fpeaks of Chrift's Afcenfion, as if he had feen it with his Eyes, and been afcending with him; he was all on Wing, and feemed to cry impatiently after him, as Elijha did after Elijah, My Father, my Father, the Chariots of Ifrael, and the Horsemen thereof. And again, Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth 73.25. that I defire befides thee. And again, O that I had Wings like a Dove ! for then would I flie away, and be at reft.

Pfal.

Pfal.

55. 6.

Eph.

4. 8.

Thou haft afcended. This Text is cited by the Apostle, to fhow the Harmony of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; which, like the Cherubs on the Mercy-feat look both one Way, pointing unto Jesus Chrift that he is the Son of God, and Saviour of Believers in all Ages, the Sum and Subftance of the Word of God, which he hath spoken by the Mouth of his Holy Prophets fince the World began, for the Teftimony of Jefus is the Spirit of Prophecy, and thefe early Predictions of his Appearance in the World, and his Afcenfion

into Heaven.

Thou hast afcended on High. He was not tranflated as Enoch was, that he should not fee Death, nor carried up in a fiery Chariot as Elijah was by the Miniftry of Angels; but afcended up into Heaven by the fame mighty. Power in himself, by which he was declared to be the Son of God by his Refurrection from the dead. And I faw in the Night a Vision, ( fays Daniel) and behold, Dan. 7. one like the Son of Man, came with the Clouds of Heaven, 13, 14 and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him

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near before him. And there was given him Dominion and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People, Nations, and Languages fhould ferve him: His Dominion is an everlafting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and his Kingdom that which fhall not be destroyed.

And it was but just that our blessed Lord and Saviour fhould afcend on High, to take Poffeffion of thefe Crowns and Glories, which he had purchased with fo much Blood and Agony, as he had formerly prayed, I have glorified thee on Earth, I have finished the Work that shou givest me to do; and now glorifie thou me with thine John own felf, with the Glory which I had with thee before the 17.. World was.

He that was made a little lower than the Angels, by fuffering of Death, is now crowned with Glory and Honour, exalted on the right Hand of Majelty, and triumphing over all his and our Enemies, as it is written, The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right Hand, Pfal. until I make thine Enemies thy Footstool. When the 110. 1. Scripture faith that Chrift is fet down at the right Hand of Majefty on High, and at the right Hand of the Throne of God: It is alluding to the Cuftom of great Princes, who Place their great. Favourites, and thefe Perfons that are next them in Dignity, at the right Hand of their Thrones. As when King Solomon, to Honour his Mother, placed her on his right Hand; Upon thy. right Hand did ftand the Queen in Gold of Ophir, to show us that unspeakable Glory, and fovereign Power which Chrift hath, as Man and our Mediator, next unto God, over the whole Creation, that all Men fhould honour. the Son, even as they honour the Father; he that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father that fent him: For as the Father hath Life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have Life in himself, and hath given him Authority to execute Judgment alfo, becaufehe is the Son of Man.

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This was the Reward of Chrift's Sufferings and Obedience, for taking upon him the Form of a Servant, and humbling himself unto the Death, even the Death of the Crofs. God hath now highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Name, above all created Titles and Dignities, not only in this World, but also that which is to come, even the Name of Jefus, that at his bleffed Name every Knee fhould bow, of Things in Heaven, and Things in Earth, and Things under the Earth; and that every Tongue fhould confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the Glory of God.

God is gone up with a Shout, the Lord with the Sound of Trumpet. Sing Praifes to God, fing Praises: fing Praifes to our King, fing Praifes

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For God is King of all the Earth, fing ye Praises with Understanding. God reigneth over the Heathen: God fitteth upon the Throne of his Holiness. Worthy art thou, 10 Lamb of God, that was flain for the Sins of the World, to receive Power, Riches and Wifdom, and Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Bleffing: Therefore every Creature that is in Heaven, and on the Earth, and fuch as are in the Sea, and all that are in them were heard finging before the Throne, faying, Blessing, and Honour, and Glory, and Power be unto him that fitteth on the Throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever.

Thus Chrift was rewarded for his Obedience and Sufferings: Ought not Christ to have fuffered thefe Things, and to have entred into his Glory? So likewife fhall every Chriftian who hath followed his Example, be rewarded with fuitable Degrees of Glory.

Who shall afcend into the Hill of God? and who shall Stand in his Holy Place?

He that hath clean Hands, and a pure Heart, who hath not lift up his Hands unto Vanity, nor fworn deceitfully.

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He ball receive the Bleffing from the Lord, and Righteoufnefs from the God of his Salvation.

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When one of the Elders asked St. John who those were that ftood before the Throne, and before the Lamb clothed with white Robes, and Palms in their Rev. Hands He anfwered, faying, Thefe are they which 13. came out of great Tribulations, and have washed their Robes, and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the Throne of God, and serve him Day and Night ight in his Temple: and he that fitteth on the Throne fball dwell among them.

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Wherefore feeing we are alfo compaffed about with fo Heb. great a Cloud of Witneffes,let us lay afide everyWeight, and the Sin that doth fo easily befet us, and let us run with Patience the Race that is fet before us, looking unto Jefus the Author and Finisher of our Faith; who for the Joy that was fet before him, endured the Cross, despising the Shame, and is fet down at the right Hand of the Throne of God, Verily, fays our bleffed Saviour, fpeaking to his Difciples, Te who have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of Man fhall fit in the Throne of his Glory, ye also shall fit upon twelve Thrones, judging the twelve Tribes of Ifrael. And again, To him that overcometh will I grant to fit down with me in my Throne, even as I also and am fet down with my Father in his Throne. Therefore, fays the Apoftle, We faint not, but though 2 Cor. our outward Man perish, yet the inward Man is renewed 4. 16, Day by Day.

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For our light Affliction, which is but for a Moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory; While we look not at the Things which are feen, but at the Things which are not feen: For the Things which are feen, are Temporal, but the Things which are not feen are Eternal.

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