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FOR as he defigned them that Happiness thro' the Mediator, the answering up to that Defign, and not disappointing him of their beft Endeavours, and doing what they do in the Name of the Mediator, glorifies him who laid that Defign, and appointed that Mediator for affifting them to carry it on. And thus carrying in their Actions a Reference to the future World, what centers in their own Enjoyment, centers alfo in the Glory of God; where their future Praises will be as liberal and everlafting, as their Happiness. received. Nay, whilft they have Respect to the Recompence of Reward animating them in arduous Virtue, they glorify him who fet the Reward for that Purpose: And all who fall fhort of intending their future Felicity by their prefent Behaviour, fall fhort of the Glory of God. Why are the inanimate Heavens faid to declare the Glory of God, but by the Regularity of the Motions of those Bodies to their defigned End, according to their original Deftination? The fame may be faid of the admirable Beauties, and adequate Uses in the Compofition of the Works beneath.

FOR it is made an exprefs Inftance of pleafing God, to come to him, and diligently feek him in Virtue of that Faith, that he is a Rewarder of thofe that do fo; that he receives no Advantage, no Glory by it; but merely as we receive all the Advantage, and all our Happiness from it, and without such a Faith, it is affirmed to be impoffible to please God and confequently, there is no Probability of pleafing him by any other Sort of Notions of bringing Glory to him exclu five of the Aim of our own Happiness; which to purfue in the Qualifications he has prescribed, is the greatest

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XI.

CHAP. greatest Pleasure, and greatest Glory of our FaXI. ther which his in Heaven. All Duty is fumm'd up in the Love of God, and our Neighbour; Why? but because that is fo laid in our Intereft and our Happiness, that we may look upon it as an Effect depending on the other as its Cause. For, as our Happiness and well-being wholly depend upon the Help and Affiftance of God, and Man; the Love of each must be the trueft Way of fecuring the Help and Affiftance of both; as the Hatred or Neglect of either terminate in our Lofs or Deftruction from one, or both. To love God and Man is the fame Thing as to love our own Good in the trueft Import; that, and the Effects of that being the Virtue, Difpofition, or Qualification for our Happiness, the more Men abound in those Virtues and Qualifications, the more they glorify their Father in Heaven. Gloria eft cenfentiens laus bonorum, incorrupta vox bene judicantium de excellente virtute. Cic. Lib. II. de Invent. And whoever promotes that in others, which undoubtedly advances their prefent, and their future Happiness, promotes the Glory of God both in himself, and in others. But he that difregards the Pursuit of his own Salvation, in the Use of those Means, and all Perfuafion to give Attention to them from thofe, who befeech them in Christ's Stead to be reconciled to God and their own Happiness, reject the Mediator, difhonour God, and have no Respect to his Glory, or his Counsel towards them. So true is the Connection; be that defpifeth you, defpifeth me; and he that defpifeth me, defpifeth him that fent me: And the Defpifer is guilty of defpifing, not Man, but God; and not God's Authority only, but the Riches of his Goodness also t.

Luke. x. 16. +1 Thes. iv. 8.

Rom. 11. 4.
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CHAP. XII.

The INTERCESSION of our MEDIATOR in Heaven: Where he reigns a KING, till he comes again to JUDGE the World.

HE Redemption of the World being finifh'd by the Death of the Mediator; he was raised from the Dead, to demonftrate apparently to the World God's Acceptance of the Oblation of himself for the Sins of it. A Demonstration of the shortest Reasoning, and clearest Evidence that Matter of Fact is capable of; Recorded, not only in the most authentick Hiftory that can be given of it, to future Generations; but, as a Matter of the highest and most conftant Importance, by a weekly Commemoration moreover, as well as annual: The religious Obfervance of the last Day of the Week being purpofely alter'd to the first; and the Name of the Lord's Day given to it, in everlafting Token of fuch a Salvation, even to those who can't read. The first Day of the Week commemorates the firft Day's Creation, let there be Light, and there was Light. So likewise let there be a Recovery of Man by Jefus Chrift, and it was fo, in due time, by his Refurrection from the dead.

HE afcended, not fecretly, but openly, in Circumstances of great Glory, to the Right Hand

CHAP.
XII.

CHAP. Hand of God. He came forth from the Father, XII. and came into the World a Plenipotentiary from

Him; He again left the World, and return'd to the Father a Plenipotentiary from Man, to mediate with God in his behalf, and there continue a Priesthood for ever after the Order of Melchifedeck. And as he left a perpetual Memorial of his Death, upon Earth, in the Lord's Supper; fo he makes a perpetual Memorial of it in Heaven, by prefenting his Blood, And there He remains a perpetual, and moft puiffant Security to Man, of all the Benefits of his Paffion, to guarantee the Remiffion of Sins; the Refurrection of the Body; the promis'd Inheritance, Everlasting Life; and the Promife of the Father, the Fellowship of the Holy Ghoft, to all that shall obey him. For, as the Apostle argues, if when we were Enemies, we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son; much more being reconciled, we shall be faved by his Life*, a Life that lives for ever, to make Interceffion for us. He had faid beforet, We have Peace with God thro' our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom we have Access by Faith to this Grace, [of Peace ] wherein we stand.

His Human Nature was the proper Subject of his Exaltation; in his Humiliation it was cloath'd with Mortality, and the Form of a Servant as an outward Vefture: At his Exaltation, he put off that Vefture, and cloath'd the Human Nature with his Immortality, and cover'd and adorn'd its Immortality with Robes of Glory and Majefty. Before I treat of the Ends and Benefits of his Afcenfion, it may be proper to confider fome Circumstances of it.

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He is represented to have afcended above all XII. Heavens, higher than the Heavens; to be taken into Glory, into the most excellent Glory, and to the Right Hand of God, and there to fit: Undoubtedly fignifying, that He is exalted to that very inacceffible Light where God dwelleth, that all bleffed and all glorious Place, where there are many blissful Manfions. The highest Refidence, the chiefeft Station whereof is juftly given to Him, whom in all Things it becometh to have the Prebeminence*, for his mighty fuffering upon Earth for Man's Salvation: Worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive Power, and Riches, and Wisdom, and Strength, and Honour, and Glory, and Blessing t. This Dignification of him above every Name, and Inauguration into a Kingdom and Governance over all, is familiarly reprefented to our earthy Conceptions by fitting at the Right Hand of God.

FOR as the Right Hand of this World's Monarchs is the chiefeft Place of Honour and Diftinction; after the like manner is the glorified Jefus at God's Right Hand, at the right hand of his Power, and of his Throne, and in many Places faid to fit there; which feems to imply the firm Poffeffion and durable Continuance of that glorious State; or the Honourable Pofture of a Judge which is that of fitting: For he is conftituted our Ruler and Judge, and there he fits in the Throne of his Majefty. One Place there is where St. Stephen is faid to have feen the Glory of God, and Jefus ftanding at his Right Hand; which Change of Pofture feems to denote the + Rev. v. 12.

Col. i. 18.

Aas vii. 56.

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