he ascended; for, had he been there before in that body, it would have been no such wonder that he should ascend thither again. But what Christ proposed to them, as worthy the greatest admiration, and an object of their highest faith, was this, that the flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, should ascend unto that place where the majesty of God was most visible; that his body in which they saw him ascend, should be seated far above all angels and archangels, all principalities and powers, even at the right hand of God. This, indeed, was another mystery of godliness, surpassing all the miracles at which they had before been amazed. Whatsoever heaven, then, is higher than all the rest that are called heavens; whatsoever sanctuary is holier than all which are called holies; whatsoever place of greatest honour in all the heavenly courts above; into that place is Christ ascended, where, in the brightness of his divine glory, he was before he took upon him our frail humanity.

The further expressions in the article, as they contain no difficulty, so they require no very copious explanation. To be seated on the right hand of God, plainly assures us of the pre-eminence, or high post of honour, to which our blessed Master is now exalted. Few people are so ignorant, as not to know, that to sit at the right hand of any one of great quality or

power, is a mark of the merit or excellence of the person so distinguished; but a few scriptural authorities even for this article of our belief, may reflect due honour upon the assertion; for even this has types and prophecies to support it. Joseph, we have already shown, was in several respects an express type or figure of Christ; and no part of his history represents what was to happen to our Saviour more, than that of his exaltation from prison, to the supreme power of Egypt; for these are the words of Pharaoh (Gen. xli. 40), Only on the throne will I be greater than thou.-Accordingly, he invested him with all the marks of second in the kingdom; he caused him to ride in the second chariot that he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee; and he made him ruler over all the land. This was a clear representation of the Son of man, who, by sitting on God's right hand, obtained power to rule and govern all things, both in heaven and earth, especially as the ruler of his house the church, with express command that all things both in heaven and earth, and under the earth, should bow to him; for, unto Jesus every knee shall bow but all this in the name of the Father, to whom the throne is still reserved, in whose original authority it still remains; for it is written, He must give up all rule, and all authority and power, and be subject to Him who put all things

under him, that God may be all in all: and thus Christ's seat above was prefigured.

And, that it was as clearly foretold, both the phrase and sense of the Prophet David's words absolutely declare (Psalm ex. 1): The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy FOOTSTOOL. And that this honour did properly belong to our Jesus, whom we worship as the true Messiah, appears from this testimony of the Evangelist (Mark, xvi. 19), He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God; or, as the Apostle expresses it, God raised Christ from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places. To have been seated there, he must have ascended. This was an exaltation never given, never promised, to any but the Messiah. The glorious spirits stand about the throne, but never any sat down at the right hand of God; for, to which of his angels said he at any time, Sit thou at my right hand? And so assured was our blessed Lord of this honour, that, even with all the ensigns of death before him, and sentence ready to be passed, he publicly declared, Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

To conclude this part of the article: the expression is certainly figurative. The particular place is described, according to our received notions of honourable exaltation. God being a

spirit, cannot, properly speaking, have any bodily part; but he is pleased to descend to our present capacity of receiving the things concerning him, and not only to speak to us by the mouths of men, but after the manner of men; and therefore describes his powers of pre-eminence, by something that belongs to us. All the execution of God's works is signified as done by the hand of God; and, as the right hand is generally more used, and possessed of greater strength, therefore the right hand of God signifies the exceeding great and infinite power of God. And because the most honourable place among men is the right hand, therefore, by the same figure of speech, the right hand of God denotes the glorious majesty of the Supreme; the place where his honour dwelleth; the place of celestial happiness and perfect glory, according as the Psalmist (xvi. 11) expresses it: In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore. Further to sit at the right hand of God, is not to be understood positively of the posture, but what the word variously implies in Scripture language: (1.) It signifies in general, the habitation, possession, or continuance of situation. (2.) It signifies, great quietness, or freedom from labour and sorrow; (3.) nay more, dominion, sovereignty, and majesty. And in this sense St. Paul well interprets the words of the Prophet, Sit thou at my right hand until I

make thy foes thy footstool; saying, He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. (4.) The term sitting does likewise still more properly and particularly imply the right of judgment. Thus, the expression of a king sitting on the throne of judgment, is used to describe his general proper office; and so Christ, by being said to sit on God's right hand, is manifested and declared to be the great Judge of quick and dead.

Having endeavoured to give you as just a notion of the propriety and improvement of the language here used, as time would admit, we come now to the description of the Person at whose right hand Christ is seated, or preferred for evermore. As the character of the Supreme Being is here expressed in the same language as at the beginning of the Creed, what was said of God the Father Almighty, in that Lecture, will suffice in great measure for your information in this part also. The perfection of the Deity is there rather confined to the following particulars of his omnipotence as Maker of heaven and earth; but in this part of the article his attribute of omnipotence or almighty power, not being instanced as in any particular work, as before, seems to imply universal extent of power, even infinite might. Therefore, as to him all honour and praise is due, it may help to improve our understandings and build up