in Christ; and by the bond of eternal love made us one with him; and the result of this love was giving us eternal glory in Christ Jesus, and ordaining us to it by him; as it is said, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me," John xvii. 23. And the glory that God gave us in Christ is transferred to us by him; as it is written, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one," John xvii. 22.

Secondly, The height of this love may be considered, and clearly seen in the Father's exalting Christ so high in our nature, as the glorious representative of all his seed. God raised up from the dead his son Jesus Christ, without suffering him to see corruption; and then he glorified him, "The God of our fathers hath glorified his son Jesus,” Acts iii. 13. He not only raised him up, and glorified him, but he hath highly exalted him, Phil. ii. 9. Highly exalted him indeed! for he is ascended above all heavens; yea, far above all heavens; for he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things," Eph. iv. 10. God set him "far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come," Eph. i. 21.

Thus, my dear hearers, you see God the Fa

ther's love to us in Christ, in setting him up to be our head from everlasting. 2dly, In preparing him a body in time to be taken into union with his Godhead. 3dly, In not suffering that body to see corruption, but raising it from the dead. 4thly, In giving him glory, or glorifying him. 5thly, In raising him up, and exalting him far above all heavens; and putting all things in subjection under his feet. But you will say, Where are the elect all this time? I answer, When Christ died we were crucified with him; "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him." "I am crucified with Christ," says Paul. And, when Christ was raised from the dead, the elect were raised also; "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise." Yea, and when Christ ascended the elect ascended; and, when Christ took his seat far above all heavens, the elect took their seats in him, and sat down with him; as it is written, "But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love [mark, his great love, this is the bond of eternal union] wherewith he loved us, [mark that, loved us] even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, [mark the union, quickened us together with Christ] by grace ye are saved." Now mark the resurrection and ascension. "And hath raised us up together, [mark the union again, raised us up together] and made us sit together [mark the union again, made us sit together] in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Eph. ii. 4-6. This is no new doctrine; for it

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shone sweetly in the old laws, where God commanded the Israelites to bring the first sheaf of their wheat harvest to him, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest," Lev. xxiii. 10. This institution of the gift of the sheaf of the first-fruits was in order that the harvest might be consecrated, and also to secure the promised blessing of God on the field, Deut. xxviii. 3. Let us now see the Holy Ghost's meaning in all this. That sanctuary into which the sheaf was carried was typical of heaven; as it is written, "The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing, which was a figure for the time then present," Heb. ix. 8, 9.

As that sanctuary was a type of heaven, so the first sheaf offered was a type of Christ; and the harvest under God's blessing was a type of all God's elect. First, Christ calls himself a corn of wheat, before his death; "And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit," John xii. 23, 24. Mark here, before Christ died he calls himself a corn of wheat that shall bring forth much fruit; after his resurrection, by reason of our union with

him, he is called " a handful of corn in the earth, upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof [mark that, the elect are called the fruit thereof] shall shake like Lebanon; and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure for ever:" mark here, the handful of corn is called a person; his name shall endure for ever. And now mark the fruits also; "His name shall be continued as long as the sun; and men [mark, there is the fruit of this handful of corn] shall be blessed in him; and all nations shall call him blessed," Psalm lxxii. 16, 17. We now follow this sheaf, Christ Jesus, up to the heavens, for Jesus is entered into the holiest of all, now to appear in the in the presence of God for of God for us; and there we find Christ is received as the first-fruits, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits [mark that, become the first fruits] of them that slept." There Christ, the first-fruits, has ascended far above all heavens.

But you will say, Where are the elect all this time? I answer, They ascended in him as in their head; and are personally to follow him in their spiritual form and order; as it is written, "But every man in his own order; Christ the first-fruits, afterwards they that are Christ's at his coming; then cometh the end," 1 Cor. xv. 23, 24.

Christ, having entered as the first-fruits, has promised to send his angels to reap his harvest, that is, "to gather together his elect from the

four winds, from the one end of heaven to the other," Matt. xxiv. 31. All these elect persons are called sheaves, and, when bound in the bundle of life, shall be gathered into the same sanctum sanctorum as Christ Jesus the first-fruits was; as it is written, "Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion: but they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel, for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor," Mic. iv. 11, 12. Thus he shall gather his wheat into his garner, but he shall burn up the chaff with fire unquenchable.

I now proceed to the third branch of this general head of discourse, viz. the height of this love in the personal exaltation of the elect at the glorious resurrection.

God promised to Christ the fulness of the Spirit in the eternal counsel; and promised likewise that the same Spirit should never depart from him, nor from his seed. This blessed Spirit is called the promise of the Father to Christ; and Christ sends that Spirit upon all the elect in the appointed time, "Therefore 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 ye now see and hear," Acts ii. 33. The Holy Spirit is to make the elect know their privileges, by leading them into all truth. He searches. the deep things of God, and makes them known to