274 The Circumffances and Benefits Vol. II. pity doth confift, the fame Apoftle tells us in the next Words ; That he bath put allThings under his Feet, andgiven him to be Headover all 7 hings ro the Church ; which is the fame with what ourSaviour told his Apofiles before his Afcenfion, All Power is given me in Heaven and inEarth; that is, God bath committed the Government of the World into his Hands, for the Benefit and Advantage of hisChurch here in this World, and for the difpenfing of Rewards and Punifhments to good and bad Men in the next Life. And tho' the Apofiles did only fee him taken up, and received in a Cloud out of theirSight, and were not Witneffes of his Advancement and Exaltation at the Right Hand of God ; yet they had, and we have fufficient Aflurance of it, both by what our Saviour declared before his Afcenfion, and by theEffeers which fol- lowed after. Before he afcended, he told them whither he was going, and what Power and, Dignity would be conferred upon him, that all Power in Heaven and Earth was committed to him ; and that as an Evidence of this Exaltation at the Right Hand of God, and the Power there conferr'd upon him, he would in a few Days fend down the Holy Ghoft upon them in a fenfible Manner, and in great andfenfible Effe&s, enabling them to fpeak with Tongues, and to work all Sorts of Miracles. After this he was in theirSight taken up from them, and car- ried towards Heaven; and ten Days after, the HolyGhoft, accordingto his Pro: mile, came down upon them in miraculousPowers and Gifts. So that here was abundant Evidence to them of his Exaltation in Heaven, they having feen him taken up, and carried thitherwards, and after this finding the wonderful Effe&s of his being there, and of the Power whichwas conferred upon him. The Third and Lail Thing to be fpoken to, is the confequentBenefits of our Savi- our's Afcenfion andExaltation; and they are chiefly thefe three: The fending of theHolyGhoft; His powerful Interceffion for us at the Right Hand of God ; and the Confirmation of our Faith, as to the Truth of his Do&rine in general, and particularly as to his coming to Judgment. I. The fending of the Holy Ghoft in miraculous Powers and Gifts upon the Apofiles, to qualify them for the fpeedy and effe&ual Propagation of the Gofpel, and to give Credit to then in the Preaching of it. By the Gifts of Tongues, they are enabled to preach the Gofpel to all Nations ; and by the other miraculous Powers, God bare witnefs to the Teftimony which they gave of our Saviour's Do&rine and Refurre&ion. And this was a great Benefit; for to this we owe the great Bleffingof the Gofpel, and the Spreadingof the Chriftian Religion thro' the World ; and this was properly the Fruit of our Saviour's Afcenfion into Heaven, and his Exaltation at the Right Hand of God, and of that Royal Power and Ma- jefty which he was invdted withal. God in his wife Difpenfation of Things ha- ving fo ordered, that this Dignity and Power fhould be the Reward of our Savi- our's Obedience and Sufferings; which may ferve to explain to us that Paffage, john 7.39. This fpake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him fliould receive: For theHolyGhofi was not yet given, becaufe7efm was not yet glorilted. The giving of thefe Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, was purpofely referved by God, to be an Inftanceof that Power and Glory, wherewith our Saviour was tobe invefted upon his Afcenfion into Heaven, and Exaltation at the Right Hand of God; and therefore our Savi- our tells his Difciples, that they ought not to be troubled at his Departure, becaufe, till he had left them, the Holy Ghoft would not come; john 16. 17. I tell you the Truth, It is expedient for you that Igo away : For if Igo not away, the Comforter will not come untoyou. II. Another mighty Benefit of our Saviour's Afcenfion and Exaltation, is his powerful Intercefiion for us at the Right Hand of, God. And this is a mighty Advantage and Comfort, to have a perpetual Patron and Advocate at the Right Hand of God, to pleadour Caufe, to folicit our Concernments, and reprefentour Wants, and tooffer upour Prayers and Requeffs to God, in theVirtueof his meri- torious Sacrifice ; tohave fo good a Friend in the Courtof Heaven, in fuch Power and Favour With the great Kingof the World. Thus under the Law was fhadowed by the High-Prieft's going into the Holy of Holies, once every Year alone, carry- ing Blood with him, tooffer for theSins of thePeople;. anfwerably to which, our Saviour is once forall entredinto the Heavens, to intercede with God for us, by the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=