53
CHRIST
EXALTED
AND
THE
SPIRtT GIVEN.
[SEEM.
IV.
ture
to
trust
him, in
our
most
important
interests
of
hea-
ven and eternity. Does
he
assure
us,
that
"
they
who
believe
on
him shall never perish
:
?"
John
vi.
40.
Then
we
may
rejoice
with. St.
Paul,
"
I'
know whom
I
have
believed, and
I
am
persuaded
he is
able
to keep
that
which
I
have
committed to
him till
the
great
day."
2
Tim.
i.
12.
Does
he
promise
his
followers,
that
he will
raise
them from the dead,
and
give,
them
eternal
life
?
John
vi.
54.
Then
we
may safely
commit
our
bodies
to the
grave under
his
care, for these
dead
bodies
"
shall
hear
the
voice
of
the
Son
of God
and
live
:"
The grave
shall resign its prisoners
at
his
command
:
He
has the
keys
of death,
and
the gates
of eternal
life
are
in his
keeping.
And
as his
promises
are
worthy
of
our trust,
so
are
his
laws
of our
obedience
:
for in
this
exalted state, he
can enforce them powerfully
with
temporal and eternal
rewards,
with
temporal
and
eternal
punishments.
Hea-
ven,
earth, and
hell,
with
all
that
belong to
them,
being
placed
in his power,
the
blessings
and
the vengeance
are
within
the
reach
of
his
hand,
he
shall
distribute
eternal
recompences
to men
and
angels,
as
the righteous
and
mighty
Judge of
all.
Ps.
ii.
11, 12.
"
Serve,
the
Lord
with
fear,
kiss
the
Son,
or adore
him with love,
lest
you
perish upon the
spot,
if
his
wrath
be kindled
but a little:
But
blessed
are
all
they
that put
their trust
in
him."
Remark
III.
Is Christ
exalted,
then
"
his
faithful
fol-
lowers have
a
pledge and
pattern of their
own
exalta-
tion, though
not
.to
equal
degrees
of
pleasure,
honour or
power."
It
is
as
their forerunner
he
is
entered
within
the
veil,
and
is
dignified
wit.h,many
glories, as
their great
representative. Is
his
body
of
flesh
and blood
by
some
glorious change made fitter for the heavenly world,
and
better
suited
to be the mansion
or instrúment
of
a
glori-
fied
Spirit?
Such shall be the bodies
of
all his people,
for
they
must
be
like
him
:
"
He will
change
their
vile
bodies
till
they
are made
like
his own
glorious
body
;"
Phil.
iii.
21.
Is
his
holy soul
filled with
all
joy
and
blessedness
in
the presence
of
God,
and
in
the review
of
his
past labours and
sufferings? Such shall be
the
felicity
of
their
souls,
for "
they
must
be
like him when they shall
see
him
as
he his
:"
1
John
iii.
2.
They shall rejoice
for
ever,
and their
joy shall
ho man talte
from them
;"