and exhibited that in Shadow, which the Holy Jefus vouchsafes to enrich us with in Subftance. The Words of the Text fuggeft to us two Inftances of this Sort, wherein the carnal Representations of Heavenly Things, under the Law, meet with their true and spiritual Completion under the Gospel. The Jewish High Priest, went once every Year into the Holy of Holies: Our Great High-Prieft is entered once for all into Heaven. Their High Prieft made Interceffion for the People, before the Mercy-Seat; our High Prieft makes Interceffion for us at God's Right Hand. Chrift, faith the Apostle, is not entered into the Holy Places made with Hands, which are the Figures of the true, but into Heaven itself, there to appear in the Prefence of God for us. The Circumstances therefore, which will furnish out Matter of Reflection, from thefe Words, agreeably to the Seafon of the Year, are

I. OUR Bleffed Lord's Glorious Afcenfion into Heaven, expreffed in thefe Words, Chrift is not entered

into the Holy Places made with Hands, which are the Figures of the true, but into Heaven itself.

And,

II. THE gracious Design of fuch his Afcenfion, with Refpect to Mankind, expreffed in thefe Words, that He may appear in the Prefence of God for us.

I. THEN, let us confider, our Bleffed Lord's glorious Afcenfion into Heaven, expreffed in thefe Words, Chrift is not entered into the Holy Places made with Hands, which are the Figures of the true, but into Heaven itself. The Manner whereby this our Lord's Afcenfion was typified under the Law, was briefly this. A certain Seafon of the Year was fet apart for a folemn and general Expiation ; at which Time the High Prieft, having made an Offering, firft for his own Sins, and then for the Sins of the People, took the Blood of the Sacrifice and paffed with it into the Holy of Holies, a Place feparated by a Veil, from the rest

of

of the Tabernale, into which the High Prieft alone was permitted to enter, and that only once a Year: There he sprinkled the Blood upon the Mercy-Seat; and by that Means he made Atonement both for himself and for the People to cleanse them, that they might be clean from all their Sins before the Lord. In like Manner, but in a Degree infinitely more exalted and beneficial, did our Great High Prieft, after having made a meritorious Sacrifice of Himself for us, pafs with his moft precious Blood into the highest Heavens, and doth now continually prefent it before God, as a full and fufficient Atonement for the Sins of the whole World. The Death and Sufferings of our Saviour Chrift, were truly and strictly expiatory; and the fhedding forth of his Blood, exempts us from the Punishment, and washes us from the Guilt of Sin: But thefe Benefits are made more fully and affectingly our own, by his fully performing the other Part of his Priestly Office, viz. that of prefenting the Merits of his Sufferings before God, and interceeding with Him on our Behalf. Our

Bleffed

up

Bleffed Lord therefore after his Refur- · rection, having continued fome Time on Earth, giving all neceffary Inftructions to his Disciples, as He was a Prophet; and iffuing forth all necessary Directions for the settling and governing the spiritual Kingdom of his Church, during this its militant State, as He was King as well as Prieft, a Prieft after the Order of Melchifedec, led his Disciples out to Bethany; and while they beheld, He was taken up from them, and a Cloud received Him out of their Sight. Thus we find that our Lord's Afcenfion was a true and local Afcenfion; the fame Body which rose from the Dead, did likewife afcend into Heaven: The Disciples indeed, did not actually see Him afcend thither, but they faw his Body raised from the Ground, and moving upwards, 'till He was received by the Cloud : And to add to the Confirmation of this Article, While they looked fedfaftly towards Heaven, as He went up, behold, two Men flood by them in white Apparel; which also faid, Ye Men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing unto Heaven? The fame Jefus which is ta

ken

ken up from you into Heaven, fhall fo come in like Manner, as ye have feen him go into Heaven. And as our Lord thus afcended up in Glory, fo does He remain invefted with the Fulnefs of it. The Gates of the Holy Places, not made with Hands, lifted up their Heads, and the everlasting Doors of the highest Heavens. were lifted up, to give Admission to the King of Glory: In Triumph did He pafs through all the intermediate Courts; was received with the Applauses of the whole Heavenly Hoft into the immediate Prefence of God himself, and fat down at the Right Hand of Majefty on High. He had approved Himself in his Human Nature, the Lord, ftrong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in Ghostly Conflicts, victorious over every Spiritual Enemy. His Human Nature therefore is now very highly exalted, sharing the Glories, and partaking of the Power and Majefty of his Divinity: He hath a Name given Him above every Name; that at the Name of Jefus, every Knee should bow, of Things in Heaven, and of Things in Earth, and of Things under the Earth; Angels and Authorities, and Powers, being made subject

unto