Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .O8 1721

I: 72 c.fl Declaration ofthe Glorious MYSTERY excercife of his power, kingdom and glorious rule ; but the aftingwith . God On the behalf of his difciples. 1 go, faith he, to my Father, and your Father, to my God, and to your God; not his God and Father with refpe& unto eternal generation, but as he was their God and Father alfa. And he was fo, as he was their God and Father in the fame covenant with himfelf; wherein he was to procure of God all good things for them. Through the blood of this everlafting covenant, namely, his own blood, whereby this covenant was eftablifhed, and all the good things of it fecured unto the church, he was brought again from the dead, that he might live ever to communicate them unto the church, Heb. xiii. 20, 2t. With this defign in his afcenfion, and the effeas of it, did he often comfort and refrefh the hearts of his difciples, when they were ready to faint on the apprehenfions of his leaving of them here below, fohn xiv. t, 2. chap. xvi. 5, 6, 7. And this, was typified by the afcent of the high prieft, unto the temple ofold. The temple was fituated on an hill, high and fteep, fo as that there was no approach unto -it but by ftairs. Hence in their wars it was looked on as a roof} impregnable fortrefs. And the fo- leren afcent of the high prieft into it on the dayy'of expiation, had a refem- blance of thisafcent of Chrift into heaven. For after he hadoffered the facrifice in the outward court, and made attonement for fin, he entered into the molt holy place, a type of heaven it felf, as the apoftledeclares, Heb. ix. 24. of heaven, as it was the place whereinto our high prieft was to enter. And it was a joyful afcent, though not triumphant. All the Pfalms from the rzoth. to the [34th. inclufively, whofe, titles are -=Iv 3-0,yr2n, fongs of degrees, or rather afcents or rífingo, being generally fongs of praife and exhortations to have refpe&unto the fanâuary, were fung to God at the rating places ofthat afcent : efpecially was this re- prefented on the day of jubilee. The proclamation of the jubilee was on the fame day that the high prieft entred into the holy place ; and at the fame time; namely, on the tenth day ofthe feventb month, Levit. xvi. 29. chap. xxv. 9. Thendid the trumpet foundthroughout the land,the whole church; and liberty was proclaimed unto all fervants, captives; and fach as had fold their pofferons; that they might return unto them again. This being a great type of the fpiritual deliveranceof the chruch, the noife of the trumpet was called the joyful found, Pfal. lxxxix. 15. Blefed are the people that know the joyfulfound, they (hall walk 0 Lord in the light of thy countenance. Thofe whoare made partakers offpiritual-deliverance, lhall walk before God in a fenfe ofhis love and grace. - This is the afcent of our high prieft into his fanftuary, when he proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for afhes, the oyl of joy for mourning, the garment ofpraife for the fpirit of heavine, that they might be called trees of righteoufnefs, the planting ofthe Lord, that he might beglorified, Ifa. lxi. 2, 3. For in this afcenfion ofChrift, proclamation was made in the gofpel, of mercy, pardon, peace, joy, and everlafting refrefbments, unto all that were difireffed by fin, with a communication of righteoufnefs Unto them, to the eternal gloryof God. Such was the entranceof our high prieft into heaven, with acclamations of joy and praife unto God. 2.] The place whereinto he thus entred was the fanftuary above, the tabernaclenot made with hands, Heb. viii, 2. It was into heaven it felf, not abfolutely, but as it is the temple of God, as the throne of grace and mercy feat are in it, which mutt further be fpoken unto immediately. ' 3.] The

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