276 '1he Circum,f14nces and Benefits. Vol.Il I. In refpe& of our condition in this World: II. In refpe& of the Happinefs of the next World. L In refpea of our Condition in thisWorld. The Church of Chrift, and every particular Member of it, every true Chriftian, are expofed to a great many Trou- bles and Dangers in this World : But it is Matter of great Comfort to us, in the Confideration of all Evils we are liable to, that we are under his Patronage and Prote&ion, who bath ell Power given him in Heaven and Earth. He who is the Head and Defender of theChurch, is fet down on the Right Handof the MajeßyofGod, exalted far above Principalities, and Powers, and Might, and Dominion, and every Name that is named in this World, and thatwhich is to come ; fo that the true Church of Chrift need not fear either the Powers of thisWorld, or the Malice of Devils, becaufe we have a fore Friend, who is greater than all there, whom God bath made his Vicegerent, and hath put all Things under his Feet, and bath given the Government of the World, and of all Creatures, into his Hands; for the Good and Benefit of his Churéh, who is able to prote& his Church, and every true Member of it, againft all the Injuries ofEarth, and. the Maliceof Hell; and if he permit us at any time to fall into Sufferings, he is able to fupport us under them, and to reward us for them; and ifhe be for er, who can be againfi as ? be that died, yea, rather that is rifn again, who is even at the Right Hand of God, and maketh Inter- ceffion for us, Rom. / 4. 9. For this End, Chr f both died, and rote, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the Dead and Living; andnow that he is in Heaven, and cloathed with Majefty and Glory; he is not lets concerned for us, than when be converted with us upon Earth, and fuffer'd and died for us : For he is there in our Nature, that Nature in which he fuffered more than any of us can do ; and therefore we may with Confidence make our Applications to him in all our Difireffes and Difficulties, becaufe he is nearly allied to us, Bone of our Bone, and Flefb of our Flefh, and was once tempted like ourfilm's, and from the Experience ofhis own Trials and Sufferings, Rill retains a quick Senfe of the Frailties and In- frmities of Mortality. This Confideration the Apoftle tothéHebrews makes ufe of to fupport Chriftians underall their Perfecutions for theProfef$on ofChriftianity, Heb. 4. 14, 15. Seeing then we have a great. High-Priefi, that is paid into the Hea- vens, yefirs the Son ofGod ; let us hold fall our Profeffion. For we have not an High- Priefl that cannot be touched with the Feeling of our Infirmities ; but was in all Points tempted like as we are, yet without Sin. II. The Confideration ofChrift's Afcenfron and Exaltation is likewife Matterof Comfort to us, inrefpe& of the Happinefs which we hope for in the nexrWorld. No Religion that ever was in the World bath given Men fo fenfible a Demon- firationof a future Life, and a bleffed Immortality in another World, as the Chri- ftian Religion bath done, by the Refurre&ion of our bleffed Saviour from the Dead, and his vifible Afcenfion into Heaven. This is a fenfible Argument, and le- vell'd to the Capacities of all Mankind. TheReafonings of thePhilofophers con- cerning the Immortality of Mens Souls, and a future State after this Life, betides the Uncertainty of them, have alto this Difadvantage, that they are only calcu- lated for the more refined and fpeculative Part of Mankind : But every Man is capable of the Force of this Argument, that he who declared to the World another Life after this, and the happy Condition ofgood Men in another World, was himfelf railed from the Dead, and vifibly taken up into Heaven. Andnow it is no' difficult Matter for us to believe that God will raife us, and advance us to Glory and Happinefs, when.we confider what anEarneft hebath given us of this, by the Working of that mighty Power which he wrought in Chrifl, when he railed him firm the Dead, and ft him at his own Right Hand in Heavenly Places. If then we believe that Chrifi is afiended into Heaven, and fits at the RightHand ofGod, let this raite our Minds above the vain Delights and perifhing Enjoyments of this World, to the Confideration of thofe better and more glorious Things that are above ; let us often atcend thither in our Thoughts,whîther oar Saviour isgone be- foreus, to prepare aPlacefor us; and from whence he hath promifed to come againat the Foci of the World to receive us to hit/If-elf; that where he is., there we may be al o. But then we mutt endeádour to live as he did, if we bore to go to him when we die. Evcry Man that bath this. Hope in him purifies himflf; even as be is pure. Let us then have our Converfation in Heaven, from whence alto we lookfor aSaviour, 5 the
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