- ----· 408 An Expofttion of the Epiftlc ------~--~~~~~~ -~------~ ~ You mull confider that it is fpoken to us after the manner of men, and when Sermo11 he is faid tofit at God's right hand, God is reprefented to u~as a King, as the XXXI, Lord Sovereign of Heayen and Earth; as I Tim. 1. I7. he IS called, TheKiHg ~ eter11al, immortal, it~vifible, andonfy w:Je God, A King that is full of Glory, which Glory is alwaies reprefented to us under the fame words and exprellions that are familiar among men to reprefent Glory by; and therefor.e when we fpeak of aKing, we fay Hu Majejfy: fo when the Scripture fpeaks of God, this King it calleth htm the Ma;efly on hzgh; fo Heb. I. 3• And as Kmgs have their Thr~nes, as Solowon had, to fet forth his glory; and Throne in the Scripture is. flill put for Kingly power: fo likewife is God faid to have a Throne. The Scripture reprefenteth the Sovereignty of God, by having a Throne that he fit· teth on; therefore you fhall fiill read, both in the Old Tellament and in the New, that he appeareth upon a Throne. Now this Glory of God, and this Throne of his, is faid to be in the Heavens, becaufe it is certain that the Glory of Godand his Sovereignty is there reprcfented more, infinitely more than in this World it is, Thisis but his Footllool, Heaven is his Throne; fo you have it in that 7th of the .Atls, i.t is but fome five Verfes before this Vifion of Stephen's, lleavm is my Throne, attd._Earth is my Foot(loot; and then he looks up and feeth the Glory of God, and Chrill !landing at his right hand. You fee now how the Glory of God is fet forth in the way of Kingly power, having a Court where he manifells it; in which Court llandeth his Throne, for Heaven is fo. Now then, after the fame manner of men, is the Glory of the Man Chrift Je[tts fet forth unto us, by fetting at God's right hand. So Heb.q. it is faid, that he isfat dow11 on the right hand of the Majefly o•J high; as I faid, Majefiy is put for the Kingly power of God, and Chrill is fat down on the right hand of that Majelly, that is, of God himfelf; as you call the King, His Majejly. And as in Heb. I·l· he is faid,tofit down 011 theright ha11d of Maje(ly , fo in Heb. 7• r. he is faid, to fit on the right htmdof the Throne of the Majrjly i11 thr Heavtns, that is, of God, whodifplayeth his Glory ~n the Heavens, Therefore Stephen faw the Glory of God firll, and Jefu.r fiandmg on the nght hand of God; and in Matt. 26.64. it is called, Sitti11g on thr right halldof power ;_ and in Lt~k. 2~.69. it is explained, The right hand of the power of God, that ts, of the powerful God. It was the cullomof the Eallern Nations for Kings to exprefs their refpeCI: to thofe whom they favoured by fetting them at their right hand, as you know Solomon fet his Mother, I Ki11g. 2,19. and therefore it was the requefi of the Mother of the Soos of Zebedre for her Children, that Chrill would let them fit, the one at his right bmtd, the other at his left. And that in r Efdrao4-29. though it be .Apocrjpha, it reprefenteth what the manner of thofe Nations was, it is faid, that .Apame, the King's Concubine, did fit 011 the right ha11d of the Ki11g: So among the Roma11s, we read in Seuto11im, in the Life of Nero, when the King of Parthia came, hefet him at his right hand. But Chrill's fitting at God's right hand, is not only a token of familiarity, but it is more; for thefe, though they were fet at the right hand, yet they were not iavefied with power by it, only a refpeCI: -was fhewn to them; therefore we further read, that the manner of thofe Eaflern Nations was, for the King's Son alwaies to fit upon the Throne of his Father, and that upon his Right hand, for that was his hand of refpeef: So we read in Exod. 1.1. )· when he would exprefs the eldefi Son of Pharaoh, he faith thus; From the Firfl-born of Pharaoh, that fitteth 11po11 hu Throtu, 1mto the Firfl-bor1l of tbe Maid-jervant that is behi11dtbe Mtll. And the like we have Exod. I 2. 29. It came to pajs, that the Lord(mote all the Firf/·6om i11 the La11dof Egypt, from the Firfl-bortt of Pharaoh that fat 011 his Throtu, 111110 the Fir(l-bortt of the Captive thatwM i11 the 'Dzmgeo11. Here you fee how the EldefiSonisexprell; itisallonetofay, The eldell Son of a King, and to fay, One that fat upon his Throne : And accor~ingly you have it of Chrifi, being the Eldefi Son of God, Rev. 3.21. To him that overcometh, I will J!,ra11t to fit with me i11 my Thro11e, M I atfo overcame and am (et dowtJ with myFather inhis Throne. And therefore as Solomo11 (I Ki11g. 3· 6.) was crowned King, and wos fet
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