The Tenderness of Christ, Book I: Demonstrations at and after Christ's Ascension
Demonstrations from passages at and after Christ’s Ascension into Heaven.
LET us view him next in his very ascending, his carriage then also will further assure our hearts of this. Luke xxiv. 50, it is said, He lifted up his hands and blessed them; and to put the greater emphasis upon it, and that we might the more observe it, as having some great mystery in it, it is added, and whilst he blessed them, he was parted from them, ami carried up into heaven, verse 51. This benediction
Christ reserved to be his last act; and what was the meaning of it, but (as I have before shewri) to bless them, as God- blessed Adam and Eve, bidding them increase ami multiply, and so blessing all mankind that •vvere to come of them? Thus doth Christ in blessing his disciples, bless all those that shall believe through their word unto the end of the world. I only add this to the illustration of it; this mystery is interpreted by Peter, Acts iii. 26, when speaking to the Jews, he says, Unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, (and hew?) in turning aicay every one of you from his iniquities, and so, for giving of them; (for, Blessed is the man whose sin is forgiven.) Thus at his ascending.
Tn the next place, let us consider what Christ did when he was come to heaven and exalted there; how abundantly did he there make good all that he had premised in his last sermon? For first he instantly poured out his Spirit and that richly, (as the Apostle to Titus speaks,) and he being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which you now see and hear, says the Apostle in his first sermon after, Acts ii. 33, he then received it, and visibly poured him out. So Eph. iv 8, it is said, He ascended up on high, and gave gifts unto men, -for the
work of the ministry, (verse 15) and(/o;- the joining in oj the saints, to I he increase oj the body of Christ, verse 16) that is for the converting of elect sinners, and making them saints. And the gifts there mentioned (some of them) remain unto this day, in pastors, and teachers, §c. And this Spirit is still in our preaching and in your hearts in hearing, in praying, &c.
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and persuades you of Christ’s love to this very day; and is in all these, the pledge of the continuance of Christ’s love still in heaven unto sinners. All our sermons and your prayers are evidences to you, that Christ’s heart is still the same towards sinners that ever it was; for the Spirit that assists in all these, comes in his name, and in his stead, and works all by commission from him. And do none of you feel your hearts moved in the preaching of these things, at this and other times? And who is it that moves you? It is the Spirit who speaks in Christ’s name from heaven, even as himself is said to speak Jrom heaven, Ileb. xii. 25. And when you pray it is the Spirit that indites your prayers, and that makes intercession for you in your own hearts, (Rom. viii. 2G) which intercession of his, is but the echo of Christ’s intercession in heaven. The Spirit prays in you, because Christ prays for you; he is an Intercessor on earth because Christ is an Intercessor in heaven. As he did take of Christ’s words, and u?ed the same that he before had uttered, when he spake in and to the disciples the words of life: so he takes of Christ’s prayers also when he prays in us: he takes but the words as it were out of Christ’s mouth, or heart rather, and directs our hearts to offer them up to God. He also follows us to the sacrament, and in that glass shews us Christ’s face smiling on us, and through his face his heart; and thus helping us toasightof him, we go away rejoicing that we saw our Saviour that day. Then secondly, all those works both of miracles and conversion of sinners, in answer to the apostle’s prayers, are a demonstration of this. What a bles sing attended Peter’s first sermon after Christ’s ascension, when three thousand souls were converted by it? The apostles (you know) went on to preach forgiveness through Christ, and in his name and to invite men to him; and what signs and wonders did accompany them, to confirm that their preaching? And all were the fruits of Christ’s intercession in heaven; so that what he promised, (John xiv. 12) as an evidence of his minding them in heaven, was abundantly fulfilled. They upon their asking, did greater works than he; so Acts iv. 29, 30, at the prayers of Peter. And, Heb. ii. 3, 4, the Apostle .makes an argument of it, How shall we escape, says ‘he, if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, se. Yea, let me add this, that take all the New Testament, and all the promises in it, and expressions of Christ’s love, it was written all since Christ’s being in heaven, by his Spirit, and that by commission from Christ, and therefore all that you find therein you may build on, as his very heart.; and therein see, that what he once said on earth he rcpealeth not a word now he is in heaven: his mind continues the same. And the consideration hereof may add a great confirmation to our faith herein.
Thirdly, some of the Apostles spake with him since, even many years after his Ascension. Thus John and Paul, (of which the last was in heaven with him) and they both do give out the same thing of him. Paul never heard one sermon of Christ’s (that we know of) whilst on earth, and received the Gospel from no man, Apostle or other, but by the immediate revelation of Jesus Christ from heaven, (as he speaks Gal. i. 1 1, 12) but he was converted by Christ himself from heaven, by immediate speech and conference of Christ himself with him; and this long after his ascension. And in that one instance Christ abundantly shewed his heart and purpose to continue to all sorts of sinners to the end of the world. Thus in two places that great apostle telleth us: the first is 1 Tim. i. 13. / was a jxrsecuter, a blasphemer, says he; but I obtained mercy; and the grace of our Lord (namely, Jesus Christ) was exceeding abundant. And upon this he declares, with open mouth, as it were, from Christ’s own self, who spake to him from heaven, that this is the most faith-Jul saying, that ever was uttered that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief, says he, verse 15. And to testify that this was the very scope of Christ in thus converting of Paul him self; and Paul’s scope also in that place to Timothy to shew so much, appears by what follows, verse 16, For this cause I obtained this mercy, that in me first, Jews Christ might shew forth all long suffcrta*, for a pattern to all them that should hereafter believe on him unto life everlasting. It is expressed, you see, to assure all sinners unto the end of the world, of Christ’s heart towards them: this was his drift; — For this very cause, says Paul. The second place I alledge in proof of this, is the story of Paul’s con version, where he diligently inserts the very words that Christ spake to him from heaven, Actsxxiv. 16, which were these: For this purpose I have appeared
unto t/u-e to make thee a minister and a witness, to
tend thee to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unlo God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in me. Brethren! these are Christ’s words since he went to heaven i and he tells Paul he appeared unto him to testify thus much. This for Paul’s conference with him.
Then again, sixty years after his Ascension, did the Apostle John receive a revelation from him, even when all the Apostles were dead (for after all their deaths was that book written) and that Revelation is said to be in a more immediate manner, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, (so chap. i. 1) than any other of the Apostles’ writings: and you read that Christ made an apparition of himself to him, and said, lam he that was dead, and am alive, and live for evermore, chap, i. 18. Now let us but consider Christ’s last words in that his last book (the last that Christ hath spoken since he went to heaven, or that he is to utter till the day of judgment). You have them in the last chapter, verse 16. / Jesus have sent mine Angel to testify unto you these things in the churches: I
am the root and the off-spring oj David. And the
Spirit and the bride say, Come: and let him that heareth say, Come: and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely. They are the latter words I cite this place for. The occasion of these words was this: Christ was now in heaven, and had before promised one day to come again, and fetch us all to heaven: and in the mean time, mark what an echoing and answering of hearts and of desires there is mutually between him. from heaven, and believing sinners from below.
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Earth calls upon heaven, and heaven calls upon earth, as the prophet speaks. The Bride frohi tear th says unto Christ, ‘Come unto me; and the Spirit in the saints hearts below says, Come un’.o him also; and Christ cries out as loud from heaven, Come, in answer unto this desire in them: so thift heaven and earth ring again of it. Let him that is at hirst come unto me! and let him that will conic, come, and lake of the water -of life freely! This is Christ’s speech unto men on earth! They call him to come unto earth to judgment; and he calls sinners to come up to heaven unto him for mercy: — they cannot desire his coming to them, so much as he desires their coming to him. Now what is the meaning of this, that upon their calling upon him to come, he should thus call upon them to come? It is in effect as if he had plainly uttered himself thus: — I have a heart to come to you, but I must have ail you, my elect, that are to be on earth, come to me first: you would have me come down to you, but I must stay here, till all that the Father hath given me be come to me; and then you shall be sure quickly to have me with on: — hereby expressing how much his heart now longs after them. This to be his meaning, is evident by the words which he adds, verse 20, He that testifies these things, (namely, Christ) says, Surety I come Quickly. And if we observe how much, by the bye, (as it were) these words of Christ’s do come in, it makes them the more remarkable to shew his heart hi uttering them. This book was intended merely as a prophecy of the times of the Gospel until his coming; unto which period of it, when Jfohn had brought that prophetic story, he brings in the bride
14 ‘- ‘L longing for that coming of Christ: the Bride says. Come. And no sooner says she so, but Christ, by way of retortion, doth likewise say, Come, unto her also; yea, it puts the more observation upon it, that he had uttered the same words before, Rev. xxi. 6, but notwithstanding he will repeat them again, and have them to be his last words. All which shews how much his heart was in this part of the Gospel, to invite sinners to come to him; that now when he is to speak but one sentence more, till we hear the sound to judgment, he should especially make choice of these words. Let them therefore for ever stick with you, as being worthy to be your last thoughts, when you come to die, and when you are going to him. He speaks, indeed, something else after them; but that which he says afterwards, is but to set a seal unto these words,- and to the rest of the Scriptures, whereof this is the chief. And further to shew that these words were singled out to be his last, and that he meant to speak no more until the day of judgment, therefore also he adds a curse to him, who should add to them, or take from them. He adds indeed after that another speech, but it is only to ingeminate his willingness to come quickly, weue all his elect but once come in to him, so ver. 20- And all this tends to assure us that this is his heart, and we shall find him of no other mind until his coming again.
And that you may yet the more consider them as thus purposely brought in by him as his last words, to make them stick with us, let me add another observation about them, and that is this, that at another time when he was on earth, he in like man-Tier singled out these very words (I mean the matter of them) as the conclusion and shutting up of many days preaching. Thus John vii. 37, In the, last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, if any man thirst Id him come to me and drink. These words were spoken on the last day of the feast, after which he was to preach no more at that tirne» and for a good while after unto them; (and he had preached upon all the former days of that feast, as his manner was) and it was the great day of the feast, when he had the greatest audience, and you see he chooseth this for his last sentence, of that his last sermon then; and when he would give them some thing at parting, as a viaticum, which he would have them carry home with them to feed upon above all the rest, these are his words, //’ amj man thirst, let him come to me and drink: (which himself interprets to be believing on lain, ver. 3S) and he stands up to speak this; yea, he cries, says the text, with open mouth, with the utmost vehemence, to the intent that all might hear this above all sayings else. And thus in like manner at this time also, when he is to speak no more, but to hold his tongue for ever till the day of judgment, (nor is to write any more scriptures) he then sends his angel to testify these to be his last words; and this, although he had spoken them before. It was therefore assuredly done, to shew his heart in them. They were his last words then, and they shall be mine in the closing of this discourse, for what can there be added to them?
THE
TENDERNESS OF CHRIST*