not inquire, for it is impossible for us to know; but we are warranted in asserting, that it is a place where all the perfections of the Deity, which can be manifested by means of material grandeur and beauty, are displayed in a degree of which we can form no adequate conception; and that whatever can render a place desirable as a residence to a perfectly holy embodied human mind, with its intellectual faculties and moral dispositions and sensibilities in the highest state of perfection, is to be found there in absolute completeness. The best notion we can form of it is the general one, that it is the place which the eternal Father, the God of infinite power, and wisdom, and righteousness, and love, has prepared as a meet residence for his incarnate Only-Begotten, in whom he is well pleased, after he had on earth finished the work which he had given him to do. The body in which our Lord rose and ascended was the body in which he had lived and died. It was flesh and blood, as he himself very explicitly states. But "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." A change seems to have taken place on it on the occasion, similar to that which "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, is to pass on the saints who are found alive on the earth at the coming of our Lord, and which also shall take place on them when they are “caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”1 This ascension to heaven, like the resurrection which preceded it, is a result of the penal, vicarious, expiatory sufferings of our Lord. "He that ascended is the same as he that descended;" and it is because he descended to the lowest depths of suffering as our appointed victim, that he ascends to the sublimest heights of celestial honor and felicity as our perfected Redeemer. The entrance within the veil into the holy of holies was closely connected with the offering of the sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of the whole congregation of Israel. The High Priest entered there, to present the blood of the sacrifice before God. He could not enter there without having made ceremonial expiation for them by that blood; and it was in consequence of our great High Priest having, by his own sacrifice, "forever perfected all those who are sanctified," that he passed through these visible heavens, the antitype of the veil under the Mosaic economy, to appear in the true Holy of Holies, in the presence of the Divine majesty, with the tokens of his completed sacrifice, and to plead for the communication of those blessings for which he had paid the price, even his own blood. (3.) He is "on the right hand of God." Another result of our Lord's penal, vicarious, expiatory sufferings is, His being on the right hand of God, in that heaven into which he entered. The phrase, in its complete form, is, "He sitteth on the right hand of God." This phrase, which occurs frequently in the New Testament, is plainly borrowed from Psalm cx., where Jehovah is represented as saying to Messiah, the Prince, David's Lord, "Sit on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool." The language is plainly figurative. Neither "the right hand of God," nor 2 Heb. ix. 12; x. 14. 1 9 Psal. cx. 1. . sitting" at his right hand, can be literally understood. The figure is, a person sitting on the throne, on the right hand of the sovereign. Some have strangely held that this is intended to betoken the inferiority of Christ to the Father. It has been said, a person, whom it was intended very highly to honor, was placed on the left hand of the person intending to honor him. But, whatever might be the practice among other nations, the right hand was, among the Jews, undoubtedly, the place of honor, and by their customs must their writings be expounded. Others, still more strangely, have held, that it indicates that, in a certain sense, Christ is superior to the Father. This assertion is absurd and blasphemous. For what saith the Scripture? "The Father hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted who did put all things under him.' The leading idea is common possession, with his Father, of the power and authority and glory of supreme Governor. Paul expounds it to us. Having quoted the text in Psalm cx., "Sit thou at my right hand, till I have made thine enemies thy footstool," he draws the conclusion, “He must reign till all his enemies are put under his feet.”1 To use the language of Daniel: "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 to 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 Jestroyed." "The Father judgeth no man; he hath given all judgment to the Son." "He hath put all things under his feet," in giving him a seat at his right hand, on his throne.2 While this is undoubtedly the primary idea, there are other, and not unimportant, secondary ones, indicated by this phrase. There is the glory and dignity connected with such power and authority. Sitting on the right hand of God, amid the splendors of the burning throne, he is "crowned with glory and honor. All human, all created glory, when compared with this, grows dim and disappears. And there is also the idea of supreme blessedness, "At thy right hand are pleasures for evermore ;""The King," sitting on Jehovah's right hand, "joys in his strength, and greatly rejoices in his salvation. He hath given him his heart's desire, and hath not withholden the request of his lips. He hath prevented him with the blessings of his goodness; and set a crown of pure gold on his head. His glory is great in his salvation; honor and majesty has he laid on him. For he has made him most blessed forever; he has made him exceeding glad with his countenance." 3 There seems, too, in the words, an intended tacit contrast to the posture of the priests, even when in the Holy of Holies. They "stood ministering," at a humble distance before the emblematical throne of God, the mercy-seat. He "sits down on the throne, on the right hand" of him that sits thereon.1 1 1 Cor. x. 25. * Dan. vii. 13, 14. John v. 22. Psal. viii. 6. Comp. 1 Cor. xv. 27 and Heb. ii. 8, 9. 9 Psal. xvi. 11; xxi. 1-6. 4 Heb. x. 11, 12. This, like the other things mentioned in the text, is the result of our Lord's penal, vicarious, expiatory sufferings. These dignities are the purchase of his sufferings, the reward of his toils. It was "for the suffering of death that he was crowned with glory and honor." It was by giving himself a sacrifice that he overcame the enemies of man's salvation; and it was because "he overcame that he sat down on his Father's throne." And in the Apocalypse, when represented in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, he is said to be a Lamb as it had been slain; and the song of worship by the redeemed to him is, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his own blood.” 1 (4.)—Angels, authorities, and powers, are made subject to Him. I have only further to remark, that "the having angels, authorities, and powers, made subject to Him," is the result of the penal, vicarious, expiatory sufferings of our Lord. These words are not perhaps so much the expression of a new thought, as the expansion of the primary idea contained in "is at the right hand of God," which is, as we have seen, supreme dominion. The three words, "angels, authorities, and powers," may either be considered as all descriptive of angelic beings, and as equivalent to all orders of angels, angels both authorities and powers, the same orders that are elsewhere styled principalities and powers;" authorities and powers may be viewed as intended to denote the various forms of human authority and power. We are rather disposed to take the first view of the words, a view which by implication contains the second; for certainly if the highest orders of creatures are made subject to him, all inferior orders must be subjected to him also. "2 The exalted Mediator, the man Christ Jesus, is the Lord of angels. The command given to them "when the Father is bringing in the first-begotten into the world," that is, putting him in possession of his inheritance as "heir of all things," is," Let all the angels of God worship him ;"" a command which we find from the Apocalypse they joyfully obey. "He is their king, and they acknowledge him to be so, and do incessantly admire and adore him. They rejoice in his glory, and in the glory and happiness of men through him. They yield him most cheerful obedience and serve him readily, in the good of his church and every individual believer, as he deputes and employs them. There are two things intended in these words; Christ's dignity above the angels, and Christ's authority over the angels." " He has an essential dignity above the angels. He has received by inheritance a more excellent name than they. "Created spirits" is their name; "the only-begotten Son" is his. To which of the angels did he ever say, "Thou art my Son, this day I have begotten thee?" He has also a mediatorial dignity above them. As God-Man, he has been "made much better than the angels." "He is Lord of all;" they are servants. Human nature in him is exalted above all angelic nature. That nature 1 Heb. ii. 9. Rev. iii. 21; v. 6, 12. 3 2 Heb. i. 6; comp. Psal. xcvii. 9. For illustration of the phrase ɛioaɣáyn eis rǹv oikovpévny, see Exod. vi. 8; xv. 17; xxiii. 23. Leighton. which he stooped below them to take on, "being made lower than the angels," he has carried up and raised above them. The very earth, the flesh of man, is exalted in his person above all those heavenly spirits, who are of so excellent and pure a being in their nature, and have been from the beginning of the world clothed with so transcendent glory. A parcel of clay is made so bright and set so high as to outshine those bright flaming spirits, those "sons of the morning," by being united to the Fountain of Light, the blessed Deity in the person of the Son. In coming to fetch and put on this garment, he made himself lower than the angels: but carrying it with him, at his return to his eternal throne, and sitting down with it there, it is high above them. This they look upon with perpetual wonder, but not with envy or repining. No! Among all these eyes no such evil eye is to be found. Yea, they rejoice in the infinite wisdom of God in this design, and his infinite love to poor lost mankind. It is wonderful to see him filling the room of their fallen brethren with new guests from earth, yea, such as were born heirs of hell, thrice wonderful to see not only sinful men thus raised to a participance of glory with them who are spotless, sinless spirits, but their flesh in their Redeemer, dignified with a glory so far beyond them. This is that mystery which they are intent in looking and prying into, and cannot, nor ever shall, see the bottom of it, for it hath none. The words intimate not only Christ's dignity above, but his authority over, his angels. They are not only servants, but his servants. He is their Lord, and they worship him. They are under his command for all services in which it pleases him to employ them; and the great employment he assigns them is the attending on his church, and his particular elect ones.. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation ?" He who commands angels must control devils. He who is the Lord of angels must be the Lord of all inferior orders of beings, "King of kings, and Lord of lords," "having all power over all flesh, ""all power in heaven and in earth." 1 That this possession of unlimited power and authority, like the resurrection and ascension, is the result of the penal, vicarious, expiatory sufferings of our Lord, is very explicitly stated in scripture. I shall content myself with quoting two passages. The first is that very remarkable statement in the Epistle to the Philippians, ii. 5-11: “Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." The other passage I referred to is in the book of Revelation, v. 8-10. It is the song of the redeemed in heaven. Falling down before the Lamb, they exclaim, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof," that is, to unfold, by accomplishment, the decrees of the Eternal, "to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and 'Leighton. Heb. i. 14. glory, and blessing; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us to our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth." Thus have I completed my illustrations of the five great topics suggested in this very fruitful passage of scripture. The illustrious sufferer, Jesus Christ the just One, His sufferings, and the nature, the design, and the results of these sufferings. VI.—THE TENDENCY OF THESE TRUTHS RESPECTING THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE CHRISTIANS SUFFERING FOR HIS CAUSE. It only remains that I, in a very few words, endeavor to show how these topics, as treated by the apostle, are fitted to serve the purpose for which they are brought forward here; that is, to reconcile Christians to sufferings in the cause of Christ, and to give them support and direction under such sufferings. The subject is a wide and interesting one, but I must confine myself to a hurried sketch of leading thoughts, which you will do well to follow out in your private meditations. My object as a christian teacher now and at all times should be, not to save my hearers the trouble of thinking, but if possible to compel them to think, and to furnish them with some helps for thinking rightly and usefully. When involved in suffering, support and direction are obtained by turning the mind to the contemplation of the great and good who have been placed in similar circumstances. It is on this principle that the apostle puts those to whom he wrote, in mind, that "the same afflictions to which they were exposed had been accomplished in their brethren who had been in the world;" and that his beloved brother Paul, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, turns the attention of those to whom he wrote to "the great cloud of witnesses" to the power of faith in the hour of trial, with which they were surrounded. There is no example, however, so fraught with instruction and comfort as that of "Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith;" and the points in which that example is instructive and consolatory, are finely brought out in the passage before us.1 "Even Christ, the just One, suffered." If Christ suffered, should Christians think it unreasonable that they should be called to suffer? Is it not enough that the disciple be as his teacher, the servant as his Lord ?" 2 And they need not count it strange, though they be harmless and blameless, that they yet suffer. "The just One suffered"-suffered not only though he was just, but because he was just. If they are like Him, they may expect to be treated as he was treated, to "be in the world as he was in the world." If it were otherwise, they would have reason to doubt their discipleship. If the world loved them, it would be strong presumption at least that they were the world's own. The hatred of the world and its consequences are among the proofs that Christ has "chosen us out of the world."3 To suffer for Christ, to suffer like Christ, is an honorable thing. It 1 1 Pet. v. 9. Heb. xii. 1, 2. 2 Matt. x. 24, 25. • John xv. 18, 19. |