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XVIII. This glory is two-fold, relating partly to his Person; partly to his official character, and particularly his regal office. Both are elegantly included by Zechariah in the following words: "He shall bear “the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne;" namely, the throne of Jehovah.

XIX. The glory of his Person may be considered, partly in reference to the divine nature; partly, to the human. The former is nothing else than a most illustrious assertion, vindication, and display of the Divine majesty of Christ, reflected from the glory of the human nature. During his abode on the earth, the Son of God had so concealed his glory under the vail of his humbled flesh, that only a few faint rays, despised by the generality of spectators, appeared. But now, in his glorified humanity, he shines forth like the sun, having, by his bright and exalted lustre, dispelled the clouds of his obscure and debased condition; and declares, in a striking and glorious manner, that the Son of man is the Son of God, and truly God. This was the matter of his request in the following solemn prayer: "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with ❝ thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee, "before the world' was." That is, "Gloriously de"clare that I am thine eternal and only-begotten "Son :”—which the Father has done chiefly by setting him at his right hand, as the place of the highest dignity and glory.

xx. The glory of the human nature consists in the greatest height of perfection and excellence, as well in soul as in body, and in the most glorious joy arising from the perfection of both. The perfection of the

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soul, is the enlargement to the highest degree of its knowledge and power; added to its original holiness, which was perfect at first, and continued undefiled. The perfection of the body, comprehends the greatest vigour, with unparalleled beauty of form, and splendour of appearance. Hence the Apostle speaks of Christ's glorious body." Hence, too, it appears from Scripture, that the eyes of men may see Christ sitting at the right hand of God. The knowledge and consciousness of his own perfection produces a glorious and unutterable joy and exultation, which he expresses in the following words: "Thou wilt show me the path of life; "in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand "there are pleasures for evermore." See the Theses of Gomar, in which he has delineated, with the utmost accuracy, the whole of this glory of the person of Christ.

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XXI. The glory that respects his Office, denotes the most glorious administration of the kingdom of Christ. And therefore what is called by the Psalmist sitting at the right hand, is explained by the Psalmist himself as synonymous with ruling, and by Paul, with reigning. It implies an opposition to its contrary, namely, ministering in the state of humiliation.y To this the following declaration of Peter refers: "There"fore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."z" Hath made," that is, hath manifested, having vindicated to him, and demonstrated before all creatures, that dignity and

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* Philip. iii. 21.

u Ps. xvi. 11.

Verse 2.

y Mat. xx. 28.

t Mat. xxvi. 64. Acts vii. 56.

▾ Ps. cx. 1.

*J Cor. xv. 25.

፡ Acts ii. 36.

authority which become the Anointed of God, and from which his dominion over all may appear. Or,— "hath made," even truly and properly; not with regard to the commencement of his lordship, for he was "born Lord," and in his deepest abasement he continued "the Lord of glory;" but with regard to the highest degree and the glorious perfection of his lordship.

man.

XXII. The kingdom of Christ is two-fold. 1. He has a Divine, or essential kingdom, which he possesses in common with the Father and the Holy Spirit. 2. He has a Mediatorial, or personal kingdom, as GodThis distinction, however, must not be understood to imply, that Christ's dominion as Mediator over the Church, so far as it involves a plenitude of power, and a name above every name, to which every knee must bow, differs in substance from the essential kingdom, or denotes a majesty of dominion inferior to the dominion of the Most High God: For this kingdom is of such a nature, that it imports a substantial demonstration of the true divinity of Christ, and of his being of the same essence, and of equal dignity, with the Father. It is of such a nature, in a word, that it can belong to no mere creature: "For Jehovah "is our Judge; Jehovah is our Lawgiver; Jehovah is "our King."c

XXIII. Christ's coming to his Mediatorial kingdom is also to be viewed in different lights, according to the disparity of the two distinct natures in his person. If you attend to the Divine nature, it is the vindication and demonstration of that authority over all,

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which, in his own right, the Son of God, who has become man, possesseth, possessed from eternity, and will possess to eternity. He emptied himself, in some respects, of the glory of his kingdom, during the period of his humiliation; not by divesting himself of that dominion which is inseparable from godhead, but by veiling it under the form of a servant. So, when he laid aside the appearance of a servant, he is said to have received the kingdom;-not by attaining a new authority that he did not formerly possess, but by manifesting, and signally demonstrating that ancient sovereignty, which he had always enjoyed; that, although clothed with a human nature, he may be universally recognised as Lord. But if you look to the human nature, his coming to his kingdom, signifies the glorious exercise of that very great, yet limited, and subordinate authority, which is given to Christ as man, exalted far above all creatures; to which, owing to the personal union with the Word, the highest orders of Angels, neither have, nor can have, any thing equal,-" that in all things, he might have the pre-eminence."d

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XXIV. Further, the Mediatorial kingdom, is either Universal, by which he rules over all creatures with sovereign authority, yet with a certain respect to the Church, as he makes use of all creatures for her benefit:e-Or it is Particular, being a sovereign and glorious power to build and preserve the Church, collected from all nations. f "He gave him to be the Head "over all things to the Church."s

xxv. Christ will illustriously assert and display this

a Col. i. 18.

• Mat. xxviii. 18. Eph. i. 20-22. Philip. ii. 9-11. 1 Cor. xv. 27. Heb. ii. 8.

f Ps. ii. 8. cx. 1-3.

* Ephes. i. 22.

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authority, when he shall restore the people of Israel, overturn the throne of Antichrist, and destroy the destroyers of the earth; and when, in consequence, great voices shall be heard in heaven, at the sound of the seventh trumpet, saying, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and " he shall reign for ever and ever;" and the four-andtwenty elders shall say, "We give thee thanks, O Lord "God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; "because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and "hast reigned."h

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XXVI. Christ is to sit at the right hand of the Father; that is, to possess his Mediatorial kingdom, "till he hath put all enemies under his feet." "Then "cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father." For, "when "all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the "Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." what sense these expressions are to be understood, we have been at some pains to show, in the tenth Exercitation, Sect. 39. &c.

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XXVII. We must know, besides, that this royal dignity of Christ extends itself also to the rest of his offices. He now executes his prophetical office with regal majesty, by the powerful co-operation of his Holy Spirit with the preaching of his Ministers, and, where circumstances might render it expedient, by accompanying miracles. They went forth and preached "every where; the Lord working with them, and con"firming the word with signs following." He exer

b Rev. xi. 15-17.

j Mark xvi. 20.

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i 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, 27.

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