had fo lately purchased for them. And for their extent, they were not only intended for them, who had the happiness to be upon the place with him from whence he afcended; but they reach us as well as them; and will reach the last faint that shall be upon the earth, till he come again. For they were but reprefentatives of the future churches, Matth. xxviii. 20.; and in bleffing them, he blessed us alfo. And by this we may be fatisfied that Chrift carried an heart full of love to his people away with him to heaven; fiace his love fo abounded in the laft act that ever he did in this world: and left fuch a demonstration of his tenderness with them at parting.

Fifthly, He afcended, as well as rofe again, by his own power. He was not merely paffive in that his afcenfion, but it was his own act. He went to heaven. Therefore it is faid, Acts i. 10. He went up, viz. by his own divine power +. And this plainly evinceth him to be God, for no mere creature ever mounted itfelf from earth, far above all heavens, as Christ did.

Sixthly, and laftly, Why did Chrift afcend?

I anfwer: his afcenfion was neceffary upon many and great accounts. For,

First, If Chrift had not afcended, he could not have interceded, as now he doth in heaven, for us. And do but take a way Chrift's interceffion, and you ftarve the hope of the faints. For what have we to fuccour ourselves with, under the daily furprises of fin, but this, "That if any man fin, we have an "advocate [with the Father]:" mark that, with the Father: a friend upon the place: one that abides there, on purpose to tranfact all our affairs, and as a furety for the peace betwixt God and us,

ascended, you could not have en

Secondly, If Christ had not tered into heaven when you die. For he went to "prepare a "place for you," John xiv. 2. He was, as I faid before, the first that entred into heaven directly, and in his own name; and had he not done fo, we could not have entered, when we die, in his name. The Forerunner made way for all that are coming on, in their several generations, after him. Nor could your bodies have afcended after their refurrection, but in the virtue of Christ's afcenfion. For he afcended, as was faid before, in the capacity of our head and reprefentative; to his Father, and our Father: For us and himself too.

His divine power was the cause of his afcenfion.--but that which likewife contributed to it, was the condition of his glorified body, which can move upwards, as well as downwards. Ames.

Thirdly, If Chrift had not afcended, he could not have been inaugurated, and inftalled in the glory he now enjoys in heaven. This world is not the place where perfect felicity and glory dwell. And then, how had the promise of the Father been made good to him? Or our glory, (which consists in being with, and conformed to him), where had it been? "Ought not "Chrift to fuffer, and to enter into his glory?" Luke xxiv. 25. Fourthly, If Chrift had not ascended, how could we have been fatisfied, that his payment on the crofs made full fatisfaction to God, and that now God hath no more bills to bring in against us? How is it that the Spirit convinceth the world of righteoufnefs, John xvi. 9. 10., but from Chrift's going to the Father, and returning hither no more? which gives evidence of God's full content and fatisfaction, both with his perfon and work.

Fifthly, How fhould we have enjoyed the great bleffings of the Spirit and ordinances, if Chrift had not afcended? And furely we could not have been without either. If Chrift had not gone away, "the comforter had not come," John xvi. 7. he begins where Christ finished. For he takes of his, and shews it to us, John xvi. 14. And therefore it is faid, John xvii. 39. "The holy Ghost was not given, because Jefus was not yet

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glorified." He was then given as a fanctifying fpirit, but not given in that measure, as afterwards he was, to furnish and qualify men with gifts, for fervice. And indeed, by Chrift's afcenfion, both his fanctifying, and his miniftring gifts were fhed forth, more commonly and more abundantly, upon men. These fell from him when he afcended, as Elijah's mantle did from him, fo that whatsoever good of converfion, edification, fupport, or comfort you receive from fpiritual ordinances, he hath shed forth that, which you now fee and feel. It is the fruit of Chrift's afcenfion.

Sixthly, and lastly, If Chrift had not afcended, how had all the types and prophecies, that prefigured and foretold it, been fulfilled?" And the fcriptures cannot be broken," John x. 35. So that, upon all thefe accounts, it was expedient that he should go away. It was for his glory, and for our advantage. Though we loft the comfort of his bodily prefence by it, yet if "we "loved him, we would rejoice he went to the Father," Joha xiv. 23. We ought to have rejoiced in his advancement, though it had been to our lofs; but when it is so much for our benefir, as well as his glory, it is matter of joy on both fides, that he is afcended to his Father, and our Father; to his God, and to our God. From the feveral bleflings flowing to us out of Chrift's

afcenfion, it was that he charged his people not to be troubled at his leaving of them, John xiv. And hence learn,

Inference. Did Chrift afcend into heaven? is our Jefus, our treasure, indeed there? Where then should the hearts of believers be, but in heaven, where their Lord, their life, is? Surely, faints, it is not good that your love, and your Lord fhould be in two feveral countries, faid one that is now with him. Up, and haften, after your lover, that he and you may be together. Chriftians, you afcended with him, virtually, when he afcended; you fhall afcend to him, perfonally, hereafter; Oh that you would afcend to him, fpiritually, in acts of faith, love, and defires daily. Surfum corda, up with your hearts, was the form used by the ancient church at the facrament. How good were it, if we could fay with the apostle, Phil. iii. 20. "Our conversation is "in heaven, from whence we look for the Saviour." An heart afcendant, is the beft evidence of your intereft in Chrift's afcenfion.

Inference 2. Did Chrift go to heaven, as a forerunner? What hafte fhould we make to follow him? He ran to heaven; he ran thither before us. Did he run to glory, and fhall we linger? did he flee as an eagle towards heaven, and we creep like fnails? Come Chriftians, "Lay afide every weight, and the fin that doth "so easily befet you, and run with patience the race fet before "you, looking unto Jefus," Heb. xii. 1, 2. The captain of our falvation is entered within the gates of the new Jerufalem, and calls to us out of heaven to haften to him; proposing the greateft encouragements to them that are following after him, faying, "He that overcomes fhall fit with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and am fet down with my Father in his throne," Rev. iii. 22. How tedious fhould it feem to us, to live fo long at a distance from our Lord Jefus !

Inference 3. Did Chrift afcend fo triumphantly; leading captivity captive? How little reason then have believers to fear their conquered enemies? Sin, Satan, and every enemy, were, in that day, led away in triumph, dragged at Chrift's chariot wheels, brought after him as it were in chains, It is a lovely fight to fee the necks of thofe tyrants under the foot of our Joshua. He made, at that day, 66 an open fhew of them," Col. ii. 15. Their ftrength is broken for ever. In this he fhewed himfelf more than a conqueror; for he conquered and triumphed too.

was then trod under his feet, and he hath promised to tread him under our feet alfo, and that fhortly, Rom. xvi. 20. fome power our enemies yet retain, the ferpent may bruise our heel, but Christ hath crushed his head.

Inference 4. Did Christ ascend so munificently, fhedding forth fo many mercies upon his people? mercies of ineftimable value, referved on purpose to adorn that day? O then fee that you abuse not thofe precious afcenfion-gifts of Chrift, but value and improve them, as the choiceft mercies. Now, the afcenfion-gifts, as I told you, are either the ordinances and officers of the church, (for he. then gave them paftors and teachers), or the Spirit that furnished the church with all its gifts. Beware you abuse not either of these.

First, Abuse not the ordinances and officers of Chrift. This is a fin that no nation is plunged deeper into the guilt of, than this nation, and no age more than this. Surely God hath written to us the great things of his law, and we have accounted them Small things. We have been loofe, wanton, fceptical profeffors, for the most part, that have had nice and coy ftomachs, that could not relish plain, wholesome truths, except fo and fo modified to our humours. For this the Lord hath a controverfy with the nation, and, by a fore judgment, he hath begun to rebuke this fin already. And I doubt not, before he make an end, plain truths will down with us, and we shall bless God for them.

Secondly, But in the next place, fee that you abuse not the Spirit, whom God fent from heaven, at his afcenfion, to supply his bodily absence among us, and is the great pledge of his care for, and tender love to his people. Now take heed that you do not vex him by your difobedience; nor grieve him by your unkindnesses; nor quench him by your finful neglects of duty, or abufe of light. O deal kindly with the Spirit, and ebey his voice comply with his designs, and yield up yourselves to his guidance and conduct. Methinks, to be intreated by the love of the Spirit, Rom. xv. 30., (hould be as great an argument as to be intreated for Chrift's fake. Now, to perfuade all the faints to be tender of grieving the Spirit by fin, let me urge a few confiderations proper to the point under hand.

Confid. 1. First, He was the first and principal mercy that Chrift received for you at his first entrance into heaven. It was the first thing he afked of God when he came to heaven. So he speaks, John xiv. 16, 17. “I will pray the Father, and he "fhall give you another comforter, that he may abide with "you." No fooner had he fet foot upon the place, but the first thing, the great thing, that was upon his heart to ask the Father for us was, that the Spirit might forthwith be dispatched, and fent down to his people. So that the Spirit is the firft

born of mercies; and deferves the first place in our hearts and esteems.

Confid. 2. Secondly, The Spirit comes not in his own name to us, (though, if fo, he deserves a dear welcome for his own fake, and for the benefits we receive by him, which are inestimable), but he comes to us in the name, and in the love, both of the Father, and the Son. As one authorized and delegated by them; bringing his credentials under both their hands and feals, John xv. 26. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will fend to you "from the Father;" Mark, I will fend him from the Father; and in John xiv, 26. the Father is faid to "fend him in Christ's "name." So that he is the meffenger that comes from both thefe great and holy perfons. And if you have any love for the God that made you, any kindness for the Chrift that died for you, fhew it by your obedience to the Spirit that comes from them both, and in both their names to us, and who will be both offended and grieved, if you grieve him. O therefore give. him an entertainment worthy of one that comes to you in the name of the Lord. In the Father's name, and in the Son's name.

Confid. 3. Thirdly, But that is not the only confideration that should cause you to beware of grieving the Spirit, because he is fent in the name of fuch great and dear perfons, to you, but he deferves better entertainment than any of the faints give him, for his own fake, and upon his own account, and that upon a double fcore, viz. of his nature and office.

Firft, On the account of his nature; for he is God co-equal with the Father and Son in nature and dignity, 2 Sam. xxiii. 23. "The Spirit of the Lord ipake by me, and his word was in my "tongue; the God of Ifrael faid; the rock of Ifrael fpake to 66 me." So that you fee he is God. The Rock of Ifael. God omnipotent, for he created all things, Gen. i. 2. God omniprefent, filling all things, Pfal. cxxxix. 7. God amniscient, who knows your hearts, Rom. ix. I. Beware of him therefore, and grieve him not, for in fo doing you grieve God.

Secondly, Upon the account of his office, and the benefits we receive by him. We are obliged, even on the score of gratitude and ingenuity, to obey him; for he is fent in the quality of an advocate to help us to pray; to indite our requests for us; to teach us what and how to afk of God, Rom. viii. 26. He comes to us as a Comforter, John xiv. 16. And none like him. His work is to take of Christ's and fhew it to us *, i. e, to take of