my Father upon you. And He led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God." Luke xxiv. 49–53.

It is not for us to explain why it is that it has pleased Infinite Wisdom to bestow the gifts and graces of the Divine Spirit upon the Church, for the enlightening, sanctifying, and saving of His people, as a reward for the obedience of His Son, and as a proof of his ascension, but it is in this manner the Scriptures set these things before us. The Apostle expressly declares that all the gifts and graces bestowed on the Church for the perfecting of the saints is according to the measure of the gift of Christ after His ascension up on high. "And because He was obedient to death, therefore did God exalt him; for the suffering of death, we see Jesus crowned with glory and honor." It is thus He sees the

travail of his soul and is satisfied.

And herein also lies

our encouragement. We cannot distrust his promises to give us comfort in affliction, strength in weakness, and complete deliverance from all our enemies, for He is exalted to reign over all things for His Church. He is exalted as our Advocate. He is our friend at court, to receive and hand in our petitions, indorsed by his recommendation. Wherefore we may come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may receive mercy, and grace to help in time of need.

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe Thy only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to have ascended into the heavens, so we may

also, in heart and mind, thither ascend, and with Him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

XIV.

"AND SITTETH ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.

"Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."-ACTS ii. 33.

"Looking unto Jesus, * * * and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."-HEB. xii. 2.

"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."-ACTS v. 30, 31, with EPH. i. 20-23, inclusive.

IN the Discourse last Sabbath evening on the sixth Article of our Creed, which is in these words: "He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty," I desired you to consider it as divided into two parts: First. Our Lord's ascension. Secondly. His position-" sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty." The first part was the subject of the last Discourse, in which I spoke of the history of the Article, how it has been regarded by the Church, and how the festival of Ascension Day has been observed. I endeavored to explain the fact of the ascension of our Lord, its nature, manner, truth and certainty, necessity and advantages. The proofs of the

HIS BODY IN HEAVEN.

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fact were named, and the nature and properties of the body in which Christ ascended were found to constitute the spiritual body of St. Paul, which he declares is the body of believers in the resurrection. The body in which Christ ascended into heaven, and which is still in heaven, according to our standards, and of the Orthodox Church throughout the world, is "the very same body in which he suffered, with the essential properties thereof," "with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature," "but without mortality and other common infirmities belonging to this life." When our Lord rose from the dead, He took again the same body in which He lived, suffered, and died, and in this same body He ascended into heaven. This body had the same senses that belonged to it before death, and they were capable of the same, and even of a greater perfection of their functions, as it was now a spiritual bodythat is, a purified, a heavenly body. This was the doctrine of the best, and, in fact, of almost all the Fathers.

It will be remembered, also, that in the history of the ascension of our Lord, two places are distinctly specified -the place from which He ascended, and the place to which He ascended. He ascended from the side of Mount Olivet, which lies towards the town of Bethany, and on the border of the district or township of Bethany; and "He ascended into heaven," where He "sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty." It is of the position, posture, or "the session" of our Lord's human nature in heaven that I am to speak this evening. And the order I propose is

I. The fact itself, as stated in the Holy Scriptures.

II. Some explanation of the terms or phrases, "into heaven," and "sitteth at the right hand of God the Father."

III.

Some reasons for Christ's "session "" on God's right hand in heaven.

I. The fact itself. The learned and eloquent Witsius introduces his dissertation on Christ's sitting at the right hand of God the Father in the following style: Whoever loves Christ in sincerity, cannot fail, on many accounts, to take pleasure in meditating on that unbounded glory, to which the Father has been pleased to exalt him. No spectacle can be more excellent, more splendid, or more delightful in the esteem of believers, than that to which they are invited in the Song of Solomon: "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart." According to his method of interpreting Scripture, which is still followed by many good men, King Solomon here is the Lord Jesus; the day of his espousals is the Gospel dispensation, which is the day of the gladness of his heart. And the putting of the crown upon his head denotes the great glory of his kingdom by the conversion of souls, as on the day of Pentecost and in the spread of the Gospel. I do not altogether adopt this typical illustration, but still the application is beautiful. And we can all pray that the daughters of Zion, true believers in Jesus, may come in great crowds from all parts of the world to behold His crown.

As to the fact: "and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty." First. The Scriptures speak as plainly and as positively as they can. Mark says, "He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." And this was the fulfilment of our Lord's own words to the priest, who asked him, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? and Jesus said, I am: and ye