_________A1l __r_._D_a_v_id__C_'I_ar_k_0_n_'r__F._un_e_ru_l__S_e_rm_o_n_.________835 2. He afccnded ;nto Heaven to prepare a Place for us. The Allions of our Sa-· viour may be confidered two ways; either as terminated in himfelf, or wi th a relative rcfpeCt to Believers, as the Head of the Church. His Refurrell:ion was meerly Pcrfonal, but hath an operative Force in railing all the Members of his Myf\ical Body ; As D,,vitl's fubduing Goliah, was tlot his own perfonal Vitl:ory limply, but was extended in its happy Confequences to all his Nntion : f0r in him, as their Champion, the Army of lfrael overcame the Philijli~~es. Jefus Chrif\, as Head of the Church, hath broken ,the Dominion of Death; and by virture of his Conquef\, the Grave fhall ref\ore the Saints at the ~eneral RefmreCl:ion. · And his Afcenfidn ~~5n~1~~l /o~r~~~~1toA~ea~~~~Iy ~ ~tt:~i~f: ~~~~(1~~g:~f/~~~~~~~~Y~~~f~~~~~b~~: with the Names of the Children of I[i-ael upon his Breafl:, enter'd into the Holy of Holies ; fo Jefus Chrif\ enter'd into the Eternal Santl:uary as our Reprefcnter, to take pof[effion of it for us. The Language of._Defpair is' filenc'd for ever, WhojbaU afcmd up to Hett.ven to rai:fo llf' thither l Chrifl: is lifted up to the bighefr Glory, and will draw all his People after him. The firfl: Atlam was from the Earth, Earthly; but Chrif\ is the Lord from Heaven, and is return'd to Heaven: and fhall Earth defiroy what Heaven cannot ref\ore? The Apofile tells us, That Believers fit with Chrijl i11 Heavenly Pl•ces ; that is, as he is the Head of that Sacred Society, his Church; and his Promife is expreft, To him that overcoines, wiU 'I gra11t perfo111tlly to fit with me;, my Throne, even tts I alfo am Jet down with my Father ilt hi,; !hro11'e. After .vill:orious Obedience, the Saints fball be •taken into Soveraign Alliance with Chrifl:, and reign for ever. In fhort, his excellent Merit is the Foundation of our glorious Hope : and his prevailing Interceffion introduces us into afrual Poffeffion. He that purchas'd Heaven, difpofes of it by his la(\ Will; . thus he addrefl: to his Father irnmedintcly befOre his Death~ Father, I wiU that thofe w.hom thou haft given me; ~i;~!;';-;~~';e:r~~\~~:! ~;:' h;r'(, ~~;1a?/:aay f!n~et~!~~ -~~:~~~~~~~~o~f;t~ Evidence, and invincible Affurance. of what he hath promiCed. . There is a vaf\er ~if\ance between the Deity and Mifery, tbim betWeen Man and the Heavenly Glory. For the Sun to (;O backwards ten Degrees, was miraculous and af\onifhing; but to t~~'~va~hnu~~~dl~~;, ~u~chi~di~Jv~~t~~~~t31t~r~~;·hiJ,~~ ~~~;"i~n~~~t~=c~~~~: his Divine Relation, and infinitely due to h.is exuberant Merits, and a firm Foundation of Hope, that all his redeemedSaintsftJa//be where hen, and be conform'd to him in all fupernatural Divine Excellencies ofSoul and Body for ever. The Applicatio11. I. L EP1a: ofdJ~;, t!~d ~~r~c~~~a~~ g;~~r~~ 2~~~~ t~~~~ l e~~t~\h~e~~~~J."~h~ Father prepar'd it in· his Decree from Eternit y, and by his creating Power from the Foundation of theWorld: and we are affur'd 'tis fnch a Place and State, as fully an~ ~~:~~~~~~~~~\~~~~~~};~~~st~~:J~ i~b~f~~a~:~·[,~~~/:a~r~a~I~nat~'~tfKg~J from the Divine Refemblance impref\ at fir(\ upon him, into the diCgracefullikenej} of the Beajls thatperifo, as the PCalmif\ jufl:ly reproaches him; then to pardon us, and prefer us; to reftore us to his Favour, and Image, and the nearefr communion with himfelf in his Palace above, is fuch an af\onifhitig Mercy as is only proper to God who n Love. And the Love of O\lr Redeemer is eqnally admirable; when we were expell'd Paradife, he makes a reentry for us, and intercepts the firoke of the flaming Sword that had def\roy'd us. We neither know the depth of our Mifery from whence we are freed, nor the heighth of Glory to which we are rais'd by out' Redeemer. In what Heart but th3t of the Son of God, could ever fuch compaffion and oharity be conceiv'd? He took our Flefh to Heaven to prepare it for us, and interchangeably left his Spirit on Earth to prepare us for Heaven. How juf\ is the folemn and terrible denunciation of the Apo!lie, He that loves not the Lord ]efM Chrijl, let him _be Anathelila, Mm·andtha. And how are we obliged to God for the bleffed and glorious GofJJel, that infinitely excels all humane Books in the matter it contai ns, the everlafiing Happinefs of rylan, and the certain way to obtain it, and iri the manner of con veying thdfe great and Sacred Truths by Divine Revelation ? And what an Argument of thankfulnefs is it to conlider· the dif\inguifhing Grace of God; that when the mof\ arc fo blind in the clear Light of the Gofpel, as JJot to difcover the luf\re of
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