Light from Heaven, Part 18
Received up in glory.
Christ received up in Glory.This is the last Branch of this Divine Mysterie of Godlinesse, but it is none of the least. Christ ascended, if we respect himselfe; he was received, if we looke to his Father; himselfe ascended, his Father received him: the Scripture hath both words; foreign, he ascended up, that is, for himselfe; foreign, he was received up; that is, he was assumpted; there is no difficulty in the words: he ascend…d up, as well as he was received up, positively, as well as passively. In his death, he was …ot onelyonly crucified by others, and delivered by his Father, but he gave himselfe to death; so he was not onelyonly received up in glory, but he ascended up into glory. This shewes the exaltation of Christ. The Apostle begins with, God manifest in the flesh; there is the descent: a great Mysterie, for the great God to descend into the Wombe of a Vigin, to descend to the lowest parts of the Earth: and then he ends with this, Received up in Glory. The ascent is, from whence the descent was. Christ ascended, and was received as high as the place was whence he came downe: God manifest in the flesh, that is the beginning of all; Received up in Glory, that is the consumutation, and shutting up of all. It implyes all; his Exaltation, his Resurrection, his Ascension, his sitting at the right hand of God, and his comming to judge the quick and the dead: especially is meant his Glory, after his Resurrection, his Ascension, and sitting at the right hand of God; yet supposing his Resurrection,