Looking Unto Jesus, Book 8 · Chapter 2 · Section 3
SECT. III. Of deſiring after Jeſus in that Reſpect.
3. LEt deſire after Jeſus carrying on the great work of our ſalvation for us in theſe particulars: who ſeeing Chriſt to aſcend into Heaven, would not be glad to aſcend up with with him? who ſeeing Chriſt to ſit down at the right hand of his Father, would not be glad to ſit down with him? who ſeeing Chriſt to ſcatter his gifts and ſpirit amongſt his Saints, would not cry, Come holy ſpirit; O Chriſt give me thy ſpirit, thou that giveſt gifts unto me, come and beſtow thoſe gifts on me! even upon me? The believing ſoul cannot hear of Chriſt in any true diſcovery of his grace and glory, but it muſt needs ſend out many breathings after him, Oh that Chriſt were mine! Oh that I had any intereſt in this tranſaction! it is true, theſe tranſactions are paſt, but the vertue of them continues ſtill, and accordingly the vertue, power, and influence of theſe tranſactions muſt be the object of our deſires; now what is the vertue of Chriſt's Aſcenſion, but that we might aſcend? and what the vertue of Chriſt's Seſſion, but that we might ſit down with him in his Throne? and what the vertue of the miſſion of his Spirit, but that we might partake of the holy Ghoſt? Oh let theſe be the objects of our deſires; come let us pant and breath after theſe things. As—
1. Let us ſee Chriſt aſcending, and ſo deſire to aſcend with him, when Chriſt aſcended it was not meerly for himſelf, but alſo in our ſtead; he aſcended as a common perſon; as the high Prieſt aſcending into the Holy of Holies, he carried all the names of the Twelve Tribes on his breaſt; ſo Jeſus Chriſt aſcending into heaven, he carried the names of all Believers in the world on his Breaſt, thereby ſhewing that they were likewiſe to come after him; in this caſe how ſhould we long after him, and cry after him, as Eliſha after Elijah when he ſaw him aſcending. My Father, my father, 2 Kings 2.12. Iſa. 14.14, 15.the chariots of Iſrael, and the horſemen thereof? How ſhould we cry after him, O my Lord and my God, ſee that my name be written in thy Breaſt, O that vertually I may aſcend with thee, and that really and bodily I may at laſt aſcend after thee! There are many can ſay in their heart, I will aſcend above the heights of the clouds, Pſal. 14.3, 4.I will be like the moſt High: but the prophet tells us, Such ſhall be brought down to hell, and to the ſides of the Pit. O the deſires, and eager purſuits of men after ambition; what topping and advancing is there, of one over another? in the mean time the Pſalmiſt's Queſtion is quite forgotten, Who ſhall aſcend into the hill of the Lord? Iſa. 14.12.he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lift up his ſoul unto vanity. Down, O my ſoul, with thy top and top gallant; ſtrike ſail to God and Chriſt; know that God reſiſts the proud; How art thou fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, ſon of the morning? even he that would exalt his Throne above the stars of God, is brought down to hell: Come, come! a deſire after Chriſt and his Aſcenſion is the way to Heaven; if thou wilt aſcend after Chriſt, ſet thy deſires upon Chriſt; if thou wilt arrive at true glory, breath after Chriſt aſcending up into his glory; let others aſcend up into their heaven upon earth, but O my ſoul deſire thy intereſt in Chriſt's Aſcenſion into the Heaven of Heavens. O when will it once be that by the vertue of Chriſt's Aſcenſion I ſhall aſcend! is Chriſt gone up, and am I yet behind? is my Head, my Husband, my Lord in Heaven, and am I a poor member of his body grovelling here on earth? what, is Chriſt gone up with a ſhout, the Lord with the ſound of a trumpet? are all the Angels ſounding his praiſe, and bidding him welcome into glory? and am I ſinning here on earth, and by my ſins crucifying again and again the Lord of glory? O that I might aſcend with Chriſt! O that I were now on the wing towards heaven! Oh what is it that hinders my aſcenſion but this clog of clay? ſo long as this body remains a natural body I cannot aſcend; oh therefore that the change were come! Oh that this natural body were ſpirituall that this corruptible had put on incorruption, and this mortal had put on immortality! then could I move upwards as well as downwards; ſuch is the ſupernatural property of a glorified body, that it aſcends or deſcends with equal caſe; or if this be not poſſible for my preſent condition, if this body if mine muſt firſt deſcend before it aſcend, if it muſt down into the grave, before it go up into glory: why yet, Oh that my better part were on the wing! Oh that my ſoul were mounting upwards! Oh wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver my ſoul from this body of death? or if the union be ſo ſtrong for a while, that neither ſoul nor body can really or ſubſtantially aſcend, Phil. 1.23.yet O that I were ſtill aſcending in a ſpiritual way! O that my affections were ſtill on things above, and not on things beneath! yea, I could wiſh a nearer union even by a diſſolution; why, Chriſt is aſcended, and I would fain be where Chriſt is, though it coſt me dear; I deſire to be diſſolved, I deſire to depart, and to be with Chriſt, which is for better.
2. Let us ſee Chriſt ſitting down at the right hand of God, and ſo deſire to ſit with him: when Chriſt ſate down, it was not in his own pure Perſonal right ſimply, as it is his inheritance,Eph. 2.5, 6. but with relation to his Saints and Members; He hath quickened us together wtth Chriſt, and hath raiſed us up together, and made us ſit together in heavenly places in Chriſt Jeſus. I confeſs Chriſt's ſitting at God's right hand (as taken for the ſublimity of his power) is not communicable unto us, for that is Chriſts own prerogative; to which of the Angels ſaid he at any time,Heb. 1.13. Sit on my right hand? Yet his ſitting in heaven as it is indefinitely expreſſed, is in ſome ſort communicable unto us, for he ſate down as a common perſon, thereby ſhewing that we were to ſit down with him in our proportion,Rev. 3.21. Him that overcomes, I will grant to ſit with me in my Throne, even as I alſo overcame, and am ſet down with my Father in his Throne. Chriſt ſits in his Fathers Throne, and we ſit in Chriſt's Throne; Chriſt ſits at the right hand of God, and w… ſit at the right hand of Chriſt: Oh how deſirable is this? The Mother of Zebedees Children underſtood this myſtery very darkly,Mat. 20.21, 22, 23. yet worſhipping Jeſus, ſhe deſired a certain thing of him; what thing? why, grant (ſaith ſhe) that theſe my two Sons may ſit the one at thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand in thy Kingdom: Chriſt blamed them, becauſe they know not what thy asked, and yet he tells them, that to ſit on his right hand, and on his left is given to them for whom it is prepared of his Father. O my ſoul deſire after this, for this is worthy of thy deſire: this is a great thing, an high exaltation, another manner of honour than any that this world affords; Courtiers deſire no more but to ſit at the Princes right hand; but O the vertue of Chriſt's Seſſion, that thereby thou ſhouldſt ſit at the right hand of God! this is the very height and excellency of heavens glory; only take heed of apprehending it after a carnal and natural way; this very exaltation conſiſts in the Image of God, and communion with God; it is the ſpiritual part, and power, and glory of heaven: if any thing be deſirable above another, ſurely this above all;Eph. 1.20, 21. what? that Chriſt ſhould be exalted above all Principalities, and Powers, and mights, and dominions, and every thing that is named in this world, and in the other? what? that Chriſt ſhould ſit down in his Fathers Throne,Eph. 4.10. in the higheſt part of Heaven, far above all heavens? and that I a poor worm, duſt and aſhes ſhould ſit with him in Heaven, ſhould be one with him in glory, ſhould be as near him in honour and happineſs, as ſuch a poor creature is poſſibly capable of? Oh how ſhould I but hunger and thirſt after this? if I might have a wiſh, I would not wiſh low things: why, this is the very top, and height and quinteſſence of Heaven, Chriſt in his Fathers Throne, and I in Chriſt's Throne; in deſiring this I deſire all, and therefore whatever thou giveſt or denyeſt, Lord give me this, and I have enough for ever.
3. Let us ſee Chriſts miſſion of his holy ſpirit, and ſo deſire a ſhare in that gift: we cannot expect to ſit with Chriſt, but we muſt firſt have the ſpirit of Chriſt; and therefore as we would have that, let us deſire after this. The greateſt gift we can expect in this world is the ſpirit of Chriſt. Conſider O my ſoul, all things here below are either temporal or ſpiritual things; and of things ſpiritual this is the ſum, the in-dwelling of the Spirit. O Lord give me thy ſelf, and that contains all gifts; O give me the ſpirit,Pſal. 4.6. and thou canſt not but with him give me all things; there be many that ſay (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) Who will ſhew us any good? earthly things are deſired of many; but is any thing on earth to be compared with this gift from heaven? if it were only the beauty of holineſs, it were certainly a moſt deſirable thing; if we rightly underſtand it, holineſs (though but one effect of the ſpirit) is a moſt rare thing; holineſs fills the ſoul with joy, peace, quietneſs, aſſurance; holineſs entertains the ſoul with feaſts of fat things and of refined wines; holineſs carries the ſoul into the banqueting-houſe of apples and flaggons; holineſs gives the ſoul a dear communion with God and Chriſt; holineſs brings the ſoul into a ſight of Chriſt, an acceſs to him, a boldneſs in his preſence; holineſs admits the ſoul into the moſt intimate conferences with Jeſus Chriſt in his bed-chamber, in his galleries of love, and that which is an argument of more beauty than all the creatures in the world have beſides; holineſs attracts the eye, and heart, and longings, and raviſhments, the tender compaſſions, and everlaſting delights of the Lord Jeſus; and if holineſs be thus lovely, Oh what is the holy ſpirit it ſelf? what is the Riſe, the Spring, the Fountain of holineſs? what? O my ſoul, that not only grace, but the ſpirit of Chriſt ſhould dwell in thy ſpirit? that thou ſhouldſt be God's building, and that not as the reſt of the world is, for his creatures to inhabit;1 Cor. 3.9. 2 Cor. 6.16. Cant. 7.5. but as a Temple for himſelf to dwell in, as a Gallery for himſelf to walk in? Oh what longings! Oh what pantings and gaſpings! Oh what faintings and ſwoonings ſhould there be in thy ſpirit after this Spirit! Come holy ſpirit, O come and dwell in my ſoul! I know thou wilt make the place of thy feet glorious; if I have but thy preſence, I ſhall be all glorious within: O come, come holy Spirit!