3. Let this be as it will, yet the sufferings of Christ were a cause of his
the promise of an honour to be conferred upon an angel, if he would enclose himself in the body of a fly or other insect, move him to link his own nature with that for ever, since he enjoyed before a higher honour in his own nature than could be conferred upon him upon such a conjunction? It was the grace of Christ that moved him when he was rich to become poor, not that he might be the richer by that poverty, but we: 2 Cor. 8:9, 'For you know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.' Yet Christ may be said to merit this mediatory glory for himself; the Holy Ghost was a meritorious fruit of the sufferings of Christ, and why not that glory then which was necessary to the sending the Holy Ghost, whose coming he had purchased? The very sending the Holy Ghost was a great part of his glory; and we must remember, that whatsoever was merited by Christ, was not merited by virtue of his humanity singly considered, but as having the Deity in conjunction with it; and why might not so great a person merit at the hands of God?
3. Let this be as it will, yet the sufferings of Christ were a cause of his glory, or a way to his glory, by mediatory compact. For as he was by that bound to pay an obedience he was not obliged to before, so was the Father by that obliged to give him a glory proportionable to his work, and a glory distinct from the glory of the Deity. The waters were to come into his soul, Ps. 69:2; he was to drink of the brook in the way, therefore should he lift up his head, Ps. 110:7. This order did
God require for the exalting of him, combat before triumph. This glory could not be conferred upon him before his suffering. If he had enjoyed it from the beginning, by virtue of the hypostatical union, his body had been impassible, incapable of suffering, and so could not have been a sacrifice for our sins. His triumphant laurel grew upon the thorns of his cross, and received a verdure from his dying tears.
The palms spread in his way at his entrance into Jerusalem, a little before his suffering, are by some regarded as an emblem of this, it being the nature of that plant to grow higher by the weights which are hung upon it, for so did our Saviour rise more glorious by his pressures. There was a worthiness in his death to entitle him to the
fruition of glory: Rev. 5:12, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.' Worthy to receive power for silencing the oracles of the devil, power to conquer his enemies; riches, to pour out upon his friends; wisdom, to govern his empire; strength, to execute his orders; worthy to be honoured, adored, blessed by all.
And this glory he challenged as due by virtue of his sufferings, John 17:1. It was fit he should be lifted up above death after he had so obediently suffered, and be instated in the empire of the world after he had so magnificently redeemed it. The necessity of his sufferings is here described, and also the necessity of his glory. Ought not is to be referred to both,—ought he not to suffer, ought he not upon those sufferings to enter into glory? How did he suffer? As man. He entered into glory as man; as man he suffered, as man he was glorified. His divine nature was impassible, and also unglorifiable by any addition of glory to it. His death was necessary for us, so was his glory. He died in a public capacity as a surety for mankind; he was exalted in a public capacity as the head of those he died for. As he offered himself to God for us upon the cross, so he entered into heaven to appear in the presence of God for us upon his throne, Heb.
9:24.
The doctrine to be hence observed is this, Doct. The exaltation of Christ was as necessary as his passion.
As it was necessary for him to reconcile us by his death, so it was necessary for him to reinstate us in happiness by his life, Rom. 5:10.
Reconciliation is ascribed to his death, salvation to his life in glory.
He could not have been a Saviour without being a sacrifice; he could not have applied that salvation without being a king; he was to descend from heaven clothed with our infirmities, to suffer for our crimes. He was to ascend to heaven, invested with immortality, to present our persons before God, and prepare a glory for every believer.