add that he shall return in like manner as they saw him go that is in Power and great Glory as our Lord describeth his coming to Judgment Matth. XIII 26. It will be of little use to inquire into what part of the Heavens the Body of our Lord was translated yet not unfit to observe that our Lord is said to have ascended into those Heavens by which the most glorious Presence of the Divine Majesty is in Scripture expressed Thus it is said of him Ephes. IV. 10. He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all Heavens and Hebr. VII 10. That he was higher than the Heavens and Heb. IX 12. passing into the holy place even into Heaven it self to appear before the Presence of God that is he was advanced to the same state of Glory with God the Father his Body was translated to the place of his more immediate Presence in Heaven which is fully expressed by his sitting at the right hand of God To determine the place whether in the third in the fourth or above the Heavens is rash and unwarrantable But this we may be assured that whatsoever part of Heaven is the immediate residence of the Divine Majesty whatsoever Region is most Holy whatsoever Place is of greatest Dignity in those Celestial Orbs thither Christ ascended and there now Reigns in Glory III. The Advantages which the Church and all the Members of it received from the Ascension of Christ are many and great The first and most eminent Benefit derived from it was the Mission of the Holy Ghost of which I spoke before A Benefit which was indeed more sensible in the Apostolick times when it communicated to many the gift of Tongues the power of working Miracles or a prophetick Spirit but is at this day no less advantageous since by the Influences and Operations of the Holy Ghost the Church is still maintained the Faithful are enabled to perform their Duty and the unfaithful are converted Thus the Ascension of Christ became a lasting Benefit to all his Followers procuring to them those Graces which otherwise could never have been obtained The Ascension of Elijah made one Elisha left a double Portion of his Spirit with one Disciple to be communicated to no other but the Ascension of Christ was of universal Benefit producing blessed Effects which should extend to all Believers and to all Ages A second Benefit of the Ascension of our Lord is the Confirmation of our Faith which from thence received firm Assurance of the truth of his Doctrine and the Divinity of his Person He had proclaimed to the unbelieving Jews as well as to his own Disciples in the VI. of St. John that he would ascend into Heaven What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before After his Resurrection he said unto the Women Go to my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father It was not therefore unexpected to the Apostles they were acquainted with his Resolutions herein and when they faw effected what he had before foretold them they could no longer doubt that he was the true Messias Thus although the prophetical Office of our Lord expired upon the Cross all his subsequent Actions offered convincing Arguments to Mankind of the truth of his Mission and the certainty of those things he taught No greater Proof of either could be imagined than his Resurrection from the Dead and when to this was added his Ascension into Heaven there was no more place left for doubt Thus the Faith of the Apostles was confirmed by the Ascension of Christ but their Hopes were much more exalted By this glorious Triumph they saw him put into Possession of that ample Power which they so long wished to be assumed by him which might enable him to reward his Followers and effect those Promises which he had made to them In John XIV he had told them there were many Mansions in his Fathers house and that he went before to prepare a place for them intending to receive them afterwards to himself that where he was there they might be also The former part of the Promise they saw to be effected in his Ascension and thence conceived assured Hope that the latter would be accomplished There can be no greater Motive to believe the truth of Prophecies or Promises than to consider the performance of those which went before The same foreknowledge of our Lord which foresaw the Exaltation of himself could as easily foresee the like Reward to be given to his Followers and the same Power which advanced him to the right hand of God could exalt whomsoever he pleased into Heaven So that his Power could not be questioned and his Will therein he had often declared assuring them Joh. XII 32. When I am lifted up from the Earth I will draw all Men unto me Herein the Hopes of all Mankind received increase and strength They had all impatiently wished for Immortality it was easie to believe that their Souls should still exist but their Bodies were equally parts of themselves They were equally concerned for the future Happiness of both yet that either should be hereafter Happy they were assured only by the Revelation of Christ. He affirmed it he promised it he confirmed it by wonderful Signs and Miracles yet it could not but seem strange that Flesh and Blood should inherit the Kingdom of God that such a gross corporeal Being should be admitted to the Society of Angels that Man who was excluded from an Earthly Paradise should be taken up to the immediate Presence of God All this did seem incredible till they saw an Example of it in the Body of Christ which consisting of the same Flesh and Blood partaking of the same Nature was visibly received into Heaven and placed in eternal Happiness By this they were convinced that the like Immortality of their own Bodies was not impossible and while they considered the Promises of Christ and their own Relation to him that he was the first Fruits of humane Nature their forerunner which is entred into Heaven for them the Captain of their Salvation and the Head of their Society they were fully satisfied that it should in time be granted to them since what he foretold of his own Ascension they saw effected since it was but natural to follow their Captain their Head and their Forerunner and with him to be received into the place of their desired Happiness Farther as Christ is our King and our Priest the Benefits which we hope to receive from either of those his Offices received increase by his Ascension into Heaven As King he is thereby invested in the actual Dominion of his Church enabled to bestow upon her all those Graces and extraordinary Assistances which are necessary for her Well-being As our Priest his Intercessions with God the Father in our behalf are made much more prevalent by his personal Presence with him Under the Law the Efficacy of
Imperfections which necessarily do attend it Errors of this nature in matters of Religion are yet much more Dangerous and at the same time more unreasonable because not founded in internal Perfections of our Nature but in extraneous Advantages such as the extraordinary and unaccountable Favour of God whereby he prefers some Men before others without any respect to the Merits or Demerits of either An easie way indeed of gaining Heaven and as what flatters the Ambition of Men is commonly acceptable to them a pleasing Delusion But such Men are to know that altho' themselves proceed herein without any other Principles than a strong Imagination prompted by a vehement Pride yet that the most wise God never Acts without sufficient Reason is not to be swayed by any Partiality and Dispenseth his Favours with the most exact Justice If they believe God will oversee Faults in them which he will not pass by in others they prefer themselves to the inestimable Blood of the Son of God which being shed to purchase a particular Covenant of Remission of Sins they fondly imagine that the Conditions of it shall be Dispensed with for their sake Lastly If any imagine themselves to lay an Obligation upon God by their own Acts of Piety and Obedience this indeed will be a strong Perswasion of extraordinary Dignity since it implies an absolute Independency from God But as this is Blasphemous so the Belief of that is highly Criminal If we performed an exact and unsining Obedience we should still do no more than our Duty it is what we owed to God in Right of our Creation and Dependence on him And then surely even in Affairs of this Life we do not believe our selves to have obliged any Person when we pay a just Debt to him But if we reflect upon our many Sins more numerous than our Acts of Obedience and consider that the first is the sole Act of our own Will the latter the effect of the Grace of God enabling us and working with us that the first is always perfect the latter even when best still imperfect we shall find abundant Arguments of Humility but none of Arrogance II. The usefulness of this Exhortation of the Apostle and what hath been Discoursed by me in the Prosecution of it appears not only in preventing these fatal Errors which have been markt out and opposed by us but also extends to many Actions of Life and Duties of Religion As first This will secure to us constant Peace and Satisfaction of Mind amidst all the inconveniences of Life Whatsoever is wont to render the Mind of Man uneasie may be reduced either to the want of some desired Good or the presence of some vexarious Evil. And herein Men put no Bounds to their Desires or Resentments They passionately desire the acquisition of some Good or removal of some Evil which is sometimes impossible in Nature and ofttimes denied them by the ordinary Providence of God Hereupon they grow Discontented many times repine against God and think themselves injured and all upon a mistaken supposal of their deserving whatsoever they shall desire Whereas if they would contract their ambitious Desires and think Soberly as the Apostle adviseth they would soon be convinced that Man is no such excellent Creature for whose sake the ordinary course of the World should be changed or God work Miracles to please his Fancy That if Infirmities and Diseases attend his Body it is no more than the natural Consequence of the Constitution of it If adverse Fortune doth afflict him it is an effect of the steady Continuation of the same general Laws of Providence in the Universe whereof himself is but an inconsiderable Member If the grant of his Desires be denied to him it is no Wonder his Merits are too small to require the Performance of all his Wishes If all these together trouble him he hath no injury done unto him he cannot accuse Heaven of Injustice All these Inconveniences are the necessary Consequences of his Nature and then if he be willing to continue his Existence it is no less than absurd to desire to change the Properties of it If he murmurs against God because his Nature is not more Excellent he shews himself yet more Unreasonable since all proceeds from the free Gift of our Creator to whom we ought rather to be thankful that we are raised above the Order of Beasts than repine because we are set beneath the Dignity of Angels Secondly this will teach us Humility which is nothing else but a sobriety of Thought or just esteem of our own Merits And that first with our fellow Christians which was the peculiar design of the Apostle when he laid down this general Precept directing it against those who upon supposal of their extraordinary Merits above other Men boasted of a particular Favour with God despised their Brethren as Carnal and perhaps Reprobate made Ostentation of those Graces which were the free Gift of God or pretended to those which really they did not possess And in Confidence of either invaded those Offices in the Church which were not committed to them violated the Rules of Ecclesiastical Discipline and presumed to exempt themselves from the Obligation of it Such Spiritual Pride hath in all Ages continued to infest the Church and still continues to molest it But since I have hitherto waved the Prosecution of this particular Design of the Apostle I will return to the more general Use of his Exhortation and observe in the last place That 3. This will teach us Humility towards God and give us a just Idea of our relation to him It is almost impossible to form any rational Act of Adoration to him without obtaining a true Notion of the infinite Distance betwixt him and us That there is nothing in our Nature which could attract his Love that our most perfect Obedience can confer no Benefit upon him that neither our celebrating him on Earth nor our Society in Heaven will add to the infinity of his present Happiness It will demonstrate the inconceivable Greatness of the Divine Mercy towards us in sending his Son to dye for us in proclaiming Pardon to our Sins in offering terms of Salvation to us when nothing could be found in us which could deserve so great a Favor It will add to the Love of Christ that he was content to lay down his Life for such inconsiderable Creatures and thereby not only bestow upon us one full Pardon of all precedent Sins but renew his Pardons as often as Men should sincerely renew their Repentance in giving assurances to us of all this by the Participation of his own precious Body and Blood which for that purpose should be for ever continued and often celebrated in the Church To this whosoever approacheth with Humility Faith and Repentance will assuredly receive Remission of his Sins past and Grace to avoid them for the future But without these preparative Dispositions of Mind it is vain to expect the Benefit upon a
before mentioned that is unless we rise from Sin to die again Lastly the Justice of God and the incomparable Humility and Patience of Christ manifested in his Sufferings rendred it not possible not fit that he should be holden of Death He died not for his own but for the Sins of others and to demonstrate that his own Guilt drew not that Punishment upon him it was agreeable to the Justice of God to raise him up to relieve the Cause of oppressed Innocence and not suffer his Persecutors any longer to triumph in their wickedness Further by his exact Obedience by his inimitable Patience in suffering the Pains and his admirable Humility in undergoing the Shame of the Cross he did deserve to be raised up that as he had humbled himself in so extraordinary a manner so he should be exalted to a no less illustrious Glory And therefore the Sufferings and Humility of Christ are frequently assigned as the meritorious Cause of his Exaltation It was long before Prophesied of him Psal. CX 7. He shall drink of the brook in the way therefore shall he lift up his head And after his Passion and Ascension it is said of him by St. Paul Philip. II. He humbled himself and became obedient to death even the deash of the Cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him The first step of his Exaltation was his Resurrection which therefore was to relate to both those parts of his Humane Nature which had undergone that meritorious Humiliation Not only his Soul had suffered Agonies and the Contradiction of sinners had resigned it self intirely into the hands of God and submitted quietly to the Execution of that bitter Sentence which was inflicted on him as the Representative of sinful Men had endured the Shame of the Cross the insults of his Enemies a violent Separation from the Body with invincible Patience and Charity But also his Body had partaken in his Agony had sweat drops of Blood had endured Scourgings and Buffettings Crucifixion and the wound of the Spear Both Soul and Body therefore were to share in the Reward of all these Sufferings which began to be bestowed on him in his Resurrection His Body was to be raised from the Grave and his Soul being in no other Sense capable of Resurrection was to be reunited to the Body and both to continue for ever joyned since by his Death and Resurrection he is become the Mediator of a new and eternal Covenant Thus I have passed through the several parts of the Text and from the whole I shall make but one Inference proper to the Solemnity of this day If the Resurrection of Christ be the great and ultimate Confirmation of the Christian Religion that upon which our Faith is founded our hopes are raised that by which the Mystery of our Redemption is compleated the Author of it Crowned and advanced to be the Head of all the faithful who look for the same Resurrection it becomes us to celebrate this Festival Dedicated to the Memory of it with a suitable Religion We are not to account it an Arbitrary institution or the invention of the Church that this day is accounted Sacred beyond all others of the Year Our Lord hath made it so by rising from the Dead and compleating the Redemption of Mankind on it No revealed Religion was yet ever professed in the World which did not celebrate some certain and solemn Festivals at fixed times of the year and to cast off the publick Solemnization of those Festivals upon which the most illustrious Acts of the Life of our Saviour were performed is no other than in Fact to deny all belief in him and relation to him It is not enough to say that he hath declared he will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth He was himself then going up to Jerusalem to celebrate a solemn Festival when he spake those words And surely unless there be solemn times and places of worshipping him in Spirit and Truth it will never appear that he is so worshipped nor is he worshipped in Truth when Men pay no external Acknowledgments of those eminent Benefits which he hath truly obtained to them Himself hath consecrated this day by his rising from the Grave on it The Apostles have Dedicated it to this sacred Use by their own and by Divine Authority The Jews had before celebrated one day in seven in Recognition of their adoring that God who had created the World in Six days and rested on the Seventh and that Seventh day which they celebrated rather than any other of the Week was sanctified in Memory of their Deliverance out of Egypt wrought upon that day as it is Deut. V. 15. Remember that thou wast a Servant in the Land of Egypt and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm Therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day As the Jews therefore dated their Seventh day for ever from that day of their Deliverance out of Egypt so the Apostles began and the Church hath to this day continued to date their Seventh day from the day upon which their Redemption was compleated A Redemption so far greater than that given to the Jews from the Bondage of Egypt that well might the day instituted in remembrance of their Deliverance give way to the day celebrated in Honour of our Redemption This change therefore was made by the Apostles immediately upon the Resurrection of our Lord and even before his Ascension and so no doubt by his personal Direction and Approbation For all the religious Assemblies we find of them both before and after his Ascension were upon the first day of the Week That so as the Jews acknowledged their belief in God the Creator of the World by celebrating one day in seven and manifested their Worship of that God who brought them out of Egypt by Solemnizing for ever that Seventh day in which he brought them out So we Christians should declare that we worship the same God the Creator of the World by celebrating one day in seven and also manifest that we worship him in and through Jesus Christ by Sanctifying for ever that Seventh day upon which the great and last Act of our Redemption wrought by him was performed which is therefore in Scripture called the Lords Day Rev. I. 10. Farther as the particular Day of the weekly Festival of the Jews was determined by their Deliverance out of Egypt wrought upon the Seventh day so the far greatest of their Annual Solemnities was instituted in Commemoration of that Deliverance effected in the first Month of the year This God did institute by a special Command which was at large repeated to you in the first Lesson of this day And exacted the Observation of it with so great Rigour that he declared That Soul which did not keep this annual Feast should be cut off from Israel And can we imagine that God should require such eminent external Testimonies
Prayer which maketh this whole Observation concerning the Veneration due to Churches not improper in a Discourse concerning the place of Prayer III. I pass now to the third Branch 〈◊〉 the Text that is the Posture that is 〈◊〉 be used in Prayer which is expressed in those Words Lifting up holy Hands Nor is the Posture of Prayer a Matter so indifferent as deserveth not our Enquiry It is indeed the Error of some that all external Modes of Worship are indifferent but to them who are no professed Enemies to Order and Decency it appears far otherwise For since God is the Creator both of Body and Soul since the Existence of both is derived from him and continued by him since he hath provided for the Body as well as Soul both in this Life and in the next it follows that both ought to make Returns of Praise and Worship to God This the Soul the sole Fountain of Reason doth by loving honouring obeying and submitting to him The Body indeed is not capable of such noble Operations yet is it enabled to give Praise and Glory to God by Gestures implying Adoration Submission and Subjection to him To worship God only with the Body were to make no returns of Gratitude for the Faculties of the Soul received from him and to worship him only with the Mind were to deny the Subjection of the Body to him Both thereâ—â—â— are alike necessary The Worship 〈◊〉 the Soul is indeed more acceptable because the Faculties of it are far more noble but the Worship of the Body is no less the Duty of Man and that especially in publick Worship where the chief Design being the Glory of God the Worship of the Body is the only visible Testimony of the internal Honour pay'd by the Soul to God and that not only because the Words of publick praise and adoration are expressed by the Organs of the Body but also in that the very Gesture of the Body is a Mark of Subjection paid to God since such Gestures used in sacred Places and to an invisible Being are notoriously known to be intended in Honour of God Bodily Worship therefore is absolutely necessary and that such as may express the greatest Submission and deepest Humility The most intense Operations of the Soul are due to God and so are the most significative Humiliations of the Body That posture therefore which expresseth the most humble Submission ought to be employed in Prayer the principal Act of Worship and is indeed an essential Part of Worship Only the particular posture is not determined in Scripture because the Expressions of Civility Honour and Subjection vary in several Ages and Countries So that it was impossible to determine any one Gesture since what was very expressive of Worship in one Nation might be contrary in another The external Mode of Worship therefore was left indifferent to the whole Church because such Modes varied in the several parts of it but in any particular Church it is not indifferent but that it be esteemed absolutely necessary essential and commanded by God which according to the received Customs of that Nation is most expressive of Humility Submission and Subjection If Kneeling be the most humble posture of Respect which obtains in any Nation that ought to be employed in the Worship of God and in that Case to pretend to pray to God standing is not only indecent but unlawful a detaining from God the Honour due to him and offering to him an inferiour degree of Worship when a more exalted degree is possible If by the Custom of the Country Prostration be the most significative posture of Humility that then becomes necessary in Divine Worship If neither Prostration nor Kneeling be in use neither ought it to be employed in Prayer but the same infallible Rule is always to obtain that whatsoever Posture by Custom Institution or Prescription is most significative of Honour and Subjection that ought to be made use of in adoring God and in Prayer which is always accompanied with Adoration To apply this Rule to our own practice It is notorious and undeniable that in the Nation wherein we live Kneeling is the most humble posture that whereof we should make use were we to do Homage to our Prince or to beg his Pardon This posture therefore becometh our indispensable Duty in Prayer wherein we adore God and implore his Mercy In this Nation therefore or in any other where Kneeling is the most submissive Gesture to practise Standing in publick Prayer is in truth to deny that the supream Honour is due to God to refuse to pay that Homage to him which Men are content to pay to earthly Princes as if either he were not worthy of it or themselves were too great and noble to condescend to it In many Eastern Countries Prostration hath been in use and there it was necessary in the Worship of God for the same Reason In others Standing with either spreading forth the Hands or gently inclining the Body and laying the Hand upon the Breast In all these Cases the Custom of the Country was to give Directions to the posture of Religious Worship To enquire which of these is the best and most significative posture is wholly vain since no posture signifieth any Respect in that Country where it is not used and what in one place includeth the highest Honour and Reverence in another may signifie none at all Among the Jews Kneeling with Hands lifted up or spread abroad was the most reverential Gesture as might be proved from innumerable places of Scripture Psal. CXLI 2. Dan. VI. 10. Luk. XXII 41. Acts IX 40. XXI 5 c. and so also among the Grecians St. Paul therefore writing to both of them joyned in one Church in Corinth expressed in this place the posture of Prayer to be lifting up of Hands because that Custom did prevail among them not that he intended to oblige us to the same posture in Prayer who for the same Reason are left to be directed by the Custom of our particular Nation amongst whom the most submiss and at the same time most civil posture is Kneeling with clasped Hands and that if I be not mistaken was always the most received Gesture in the Western World but most certainly was in use from the very beginning of Christianity in the Western Church vid. Tertul. Cypr. It hath been indeed received in all Ages and in all Countries as far as we can find that in Sacrifices the Priest who offers them up should do it standing In Compliance with this universal Custom our Church hath most certainly directed that the Prayers presented to God from the Altar where the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ the great Sacrifice of the Christian Religion is celebrated should be offered up by the Priest in a standing Posture which I would not omit to observe to you lest that Practice should be any Objection against the necessity of Kneeling in time of Prayer since it is founded
the Propagation of it Afterwards for several Ages the peaceable Principles of the Gospel seldom wanted their effect in private Christians And even wrought so far in publick Societies professing Christianity that for more than five hundred years after Christ it is certain that Christians never warred against others of the same Communion Nor is the blessed Effect of it wholly expired in these degenerate times Witness that great number of Christians which still frequent the Holy Sacrament of whom it is charitably be to supposed that none presumes to approach this holy Table without an entire Resolution of forgiving Injuries and maintaining Peace with all Men. The last part of the Angels Doxology is Good-will towards Men Which expresseth much more than Reconciliation of God to Man implying no less than his favour and kindness to them using the very same word in the Original which God did of his Son when he said of him This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased The Incarnation of Christ and therein the Assumption of the humane to the Divine Nature so far propitiated God in regard to Men that he not only forgave their Sins and was reconciled to them but also admitted them to his Favour made them capable of even preter-natural Happiness even of enjoying himself in Heaven Insomuch that he who had once thro' abhorrence of their Sins repented himself that he had made them and resolved that his Spirit should not always strive with them did now adopt them for the Darlings of his Creation and as the Original word in the Text implieth even took Pleasure in them vouchsafed to Honour theirs by joyning it to the Divine Nature in the Person of his Son and therein raised it to a degree even above that of Angels not only admitting them to that Pardon of past Sins which was never vouchsafed to the Angels but also sending the Prince of Angels and the Lord of Glory to take human Flesh upon him who afterwards ascending with it into Heaven should thereby consecrate the whole Mass of Mankind of which his Body was the first Fruits and thereby make it capable of the same Glory And surely no greater Argument of the Good will of God towards Men or of his delight in Mankind could be desired than to raise them to the Society of himself in Heaven This was the Effect of the delight which he testified to take in his beloved Son the utmost Reward of his obedience that he advanced his Human Nature to his own right hand in Heaven for his Divine Nature was placed there from all Ages and for his Sake admitted all those who should imitate his Life and Obedience to the same Glory The possession of Heaven wherewith the Human Body of Christ is now invested is an Argument that our Nature is capable of it and an Earnest that we shall in due time be raised to the same Honour For Christ our forerunner is entred into Heaven for us Yet are we not left without other visible Pledges of the same hope more particularly this blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ wherein is lively represented the Truth of his Human Nature and our relation to it The Bread declares his Body the Wine his Blood the breaking of the Bread the Mortality of his Body the pouring out of the Wine the shedding of his Blood to purchase Redemption for Mankind The Distribution of both to every Communicant manifests that they are peculiarly concerned in all this that they are Members of the Mystical Body of Christ and by receiving his Figurative Body are assured of obtaining in due time the same Happiness with his true Body now in Heaven By these Figures of his true Body we openly profess our Belief of his Incarnation that he really took Human Flesh upon him for our Sakes and not only in appearance as was the vain Imagination of ancient Hereticks for that cannot be so much as represented which is not real We acknowledge his Divine Nature at the same time by that Adoration both of Mind and Body which ought to accompany this religious Action We profess our Belief that he came in the fulness of time and that in time all the ancient Prophesies were fullfilled in that we celebrate the very time of his Coming as the Intention and the Offices of this Festival directs Lastly We secure to our selves the Benefits of this wonderful Mystery if we do all this with sincere Faith Repentance and Charity So shall we give occasion to the Holy Angels to renew their Hymn to sing Glory to God who is honoured by this Devotion and Thankfulness of his Servants Peace on Earth wherein Men are hereby reconciled to God and to each other and Good-will towards Men who are hereby admitted to the Favour of God and will be hereafter to the Fruition of him Which God of his infinite Mercy Grant FINIS