Book IV. again, God be merciful unto;.,, and b{;js -;.;,-;;nd cmife his face to Ptin~ upon tu. Selt!'· Nal. 67. t. If rhe Spirit fbine upo_n our graces, then tt feah: 0 .confider of thts llumng-fealmg work, and leave not ull the Sp!tit dart m a fptntualltght, and gtvethee a revelauon, knowledge, and perfwafion of thy effetTUll callmg. Many other reafonsare of theSptrirs Million, but amongfl: them all, confider.'? my [Qui, ~':d ponder on thefe few; think over Cbrifl:'s Afcenfion, Se!Tion, and Mtflton of the Spmr; but tn every thought be ferious, fruitful, and particular; fay, Chrij/ is gone up into heaven for me, and he is fot down at God's right hand for me_; and he hath J.nt do1~n his Spirit i~to _my ~;art . . 0 what workings would there be wttlnn, tf thou wert but hvcly and acttve m the meditations of thefe fevcralpaffages ! SECT. Ill. Of defiring after Jefu< in that refpefl. 3. LEt us dejire after Jefiu carrying on the great work of our falvation for us in rhefe particulars: who feeing Chrift to afcend into Heaven, would nor be glad ro afcend up with him? who feeing Chrill: to lit down at the right hand of his Father, would not be glad to lit down with him? who feeing ChriO: ro fcatter his gifts and Spi– rit among!'c hiS Saints, would nor cry, Come holy Spirit; 0 Chrijl give me thy Spirit, thou thatgivejl gifts ;mto me, come andbe flow thofegifts on me! even upon me? The belieying foul cannot hear of Chrill in any true difcovery of his grace and glory, but it mufl: needs fend out many brearhings at:er him, Oh that Chrift were mme! oh that J had any inrereft in this tranfdlwn ! it is true, tbefe tranfaetions are pafl:, ·but the venue of rh~ mcomi– nuesftill, and accordmgly the venue, power,and mfluenceof thefe tranfaet10ns muft be the objeCt of ourdelircs ; now what is the venue of Chri!l's Afcenlion, but that we might akend? and what tr e venue of C.hrifl:'s Seffi?n, but that w_e .might lit down ~th him in his Throne?, and what the venue of the mt!Tion of Ius Spmt, but that we mtght partake of the hoi¥_Ghoft ?_ oh let thefe be the objeCts of our ddires; come let us pant and breath aftet:r:he4e thmgs. As - - , 1 • Let us fee LhriO: afcending, and {odelire to afcend with him, when Chrifl: afcendecl ir was nor m(erly for himfelf, but alfo in our O:cad ; he afcended as a common perfon; as the high ?riefl: afcending into the Holy of Holies, he carried all the names of the twelve Tribes on his· brea!l; fo Jefus Chrifl: afcending into Heaven, he carried the names of all Believers in the world on his breaf\, thereby !hewing that they were likewife ro come after him; in this cafe how Otould we long after him, and cry afte~ him, as Eli£ha after Eh;~h when he faw ,him afcending, My father, my father, 2 Kings 2.12. the chariots of Ifracl, ~nd the horfe"'en thereof? How fhould we cry after him, 0 my Ifa. '4·'4''5· Lord and my God, fee that my name be Written in thy breafl, 0 that vertua!ly I may ~Jcend with the:, and_that really and bodily I may at lajl afcend after thee! There are many can fay m thetr heart , I Wtll afcend above the heights of the clouds, I will be Pfal. '4· 3, 4• lik! the moft High: but the Prophet tells us, S11ch jlMII be brought down to hell, and to the fides of the pit. 6 rhc deftres , and eager purfuits of men after ambition , what topping and advancing is there of one over another? in the mean rime rhe Pf~lmill' s Q!!efl:i~o is quite forgotten, Who jhall afcend into the hill of the Lord ? he Jra. , 4. 12 , that bath clean bnds,. and a ptm heart, who bath not lift up his foul unto·vanity. Down, 0 my foul, wl!h thy top and top-gallant ; !hike fail to God and ChriO:. know that God relins the proud; How art tho~< fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, fo~ of the morning ? even he that would exalt hio throne above the ftars of God, u brought down to hell: Come, come! a dcllre after Chrill and his Afcenlion is the way to Heaven ; tf thou wtlt afcend after Chrifl, fer thy delires upon Chrifl; if thou wilt arrive at true. glory, breathe afrer Chri(\ afcending up into hi<glory; !er others aCend up tnto rhetr heaven upon earth, but 0 my foul delire thy inrerel1 in Chrifl's Afcenlion into the Helven of H<avens. Ob when will it once be th,<t by vertue of Chrifr's Afcenjion 1 fMIIafcmd! ;, Chrift gone up, and am I yet behind? is my Head, my Httoband, my Lo>·d mfleaven, and am I a poor member of his bodygrovelinghereoneartb? what, is Ch~ift gone ttp with a pto~t 1 the Lord rvith the foHud of a trt~mpet ? are all the Angels Jotmdmg hts praife, _and btddmg him welcome into glory? and am I finr.ing here on earth, and by my fins crucifying again and again the Lord of glory? 0 that I might afccndwith Chrij/!
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