On the Exaltation of Christ, and his Appearance in presence of God in our behalf.

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WHEN our Saviour upon the cross was about

to commend his spirit into the Father's hand, he said, "It is finished." Whatever the types had prefigured, or the prophets foretold, concerning his obedience, conflicts, and sufferings; whatever the glory of God, the honour of the law, or the rights and satisfaction of divine justice, required; and whatever was necessary, in order to his own final victory, triumph, and exaltation at the right hand of the Father, as our Advocate and Friend, was then fully accomplished; that is, as far as it could be, previously to his death, which immediately followed. He then became conqueror over the world, sin, and Satan, (triumphing over them, even on the cross;) and, having consecrated the grave by his burial, to be a sacred repository for the bodies of his disciples, he arose on the third day a mighty Victor over the king of terrors: and at that crisis commenced the glory which was to follow his sufferings.

The evidences of our Lord's resurrection have been already considered;' the ends answered by that great event may here be briefly mentioned. He thus confirmed, beyond all reasonable doubt, every part of the doctrine which he had taught; proving especially that he was the Son of God, in the peculiar and appropriate sense, in which he had claimed that high relation to the Father, and for which he had been condemned as a blasphemer. He fully evinced, that his atonement had been accepted, and had-effectually answered those great and gracious purposes, for which it had been made. He thus became capable of possessing in our nature the mediatorial throne, which had been covenanted to him as the reward of his obedience and sufferings; and to appear, as our Advocate and Intercessor, in the presence of the Father: being our Brother, and glorying in that condescending relation to us. And finally, he was the first-fruits of the general resurrection, the earnest and pledge of that grand and interesting event.

I shall not further enlarge on the circumstances of our Lord's resurrection, or on the instructions that may be deduced from it: but as his mediation. is naturally divided into two distinct parts, it regularly falls within the plan of this work, to consider at present that part which he now performs in his heavenly glory, as we before did, that which he fulfilled during his humiliation on earth. From Essay I. p. 14-17.

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the depth of his voluntary abasement, "he as"cended up far above all heavens, that he might "fill all things." He then "led captivity captive, "and received gifts for men, yea, for the rebel"lious also; that the Lord God might dwell among them.'” "For the heavens must re

"ceive him, until the restitution of all things."" "I go," says he to his disciples, "to prepare a 'place for you; and if I go to prepare a place for "you; I will come again and receive you to my"self, that where I am there ye may be also.3"-We will therefore, in this Essay, point out the purposes for which Jesus, "our Forerunner, hath for "us entered into heaven," and the means by which he prepares the way for our admission to the same place of holy felicity.

The royal prophet introduces Jehovah declaring with an oath, which,denoted, "the immutabi

'lity of his counsel," that the Messiah was constituted "a Priest for ever, after the order of Mel"chizedek ;4" and the apostle thence argues, that the Aaronick priesthood was never intended to be perpetual. Now Melchizedek's priesthood especially differed from that of Aaron, in that it united the regal power with the sacerdotal office; which showed that the Messiah was to "be a Priest upon a throne.5" Before we proceed with the

subject, however, I would observe, that this affords us a most conclusive proof of our Lord's Deity. The sacred historian makes no mention of Melchizedek's "father, mother, pedigree, beginning of life, or end of days;" but introduces him to our notice, with mysterious abruptness; he being," says the apostle, " made like unto the Son

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of God." But in what sense could this circumstance render him "like the Son of God," or a proper type of him, except as it was a shadow of his eternal pre-existence? As man, he had beginning of life like his brethren: and if he, who tabernacled in our nature, had been a pre-existent creature of the highest order, he must nevertheless have had beginning of life; and the emphatical silence of Moses, respecting the birth of Melchizedek, could not have represented him, in any sense, as" like to the Son of God.”

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The High Priesthood of Christ in the sanctuary above, first requires our consideration.-On the great day of atonement, the high-priest, (not arrayed in his robes of glory and beauty, but clothed in linen garments like his brethren,) having offered the sin-offerings for himself and for the people, entered the holy of holies, with the sprinkling of blood, and the burning of incense by the fire taken from the altar of burnt-offering: and thus, as Israel's typical intercessor, he appeared before the mercy-seat, as in the presence of God, for them.

From the holy nation a holy tribe was selected, from that tribe a holy family, and from that family a holy person; (that is typically and by consecration :) yet even this individual, selected with such care and so many precautions, from the whole human race, was not allowed on pain of death to enter within the veil, or to approach Jehovah even on a mercy-seat, except on one day in a year; nor on that day, without the previous offering of sacrifices, the blood of which he must sprinkle before the ark, whilst the smoke of the incense perfumed the holy place. The whole of this appointment was calculated to show, in the most significant manner, to what an immense distance from their offended Creator sin had removed fallen men; and how difficult it was to render their return, and readmission to his favour, consistent with the honour of his infinite justice and holiness.

In like manner, our great High Priest, laying aside his robes of light and majesty, appeared in the mean attire of our nature; and was made in "all things like unto his brethren," except as he was free from the least defilement of sin: and, having on earth offered his one all-sufficient sacrifice, he ascended into heaven, to appear before the Mercy-seat, in the true sanctuary, in the immediate " presence of God, for us;" bearing our nature, and pleading in our behalf the merits of his perfect obedience and inestimable atonement; that we might be delivered from "going down