Chapter I
A connection of this third head with the two former ; shewing how it affords a
farther degree of triumph. Two things involved in it : 1. Christ s ascension;
2. Christ s power and authority in heaven.
I COME next to this third great pillar and support of faith, Christ s being at God s right hand ; and to shew how the view and consideration hereof may strengthen faith seeking justification and pardon of sin ;
* Who is he that condemneth? Christ is even at God s right hand.
In the opening of which, I shall keep to the begun method, both by showing how justification itself depends upon this, and the evidence thereof to us ; both which the apostle had here in his eye, and from both which our
faith may derive comfort and assurance. And I mean to keep punctually to the matter of justification only, as in the former.
These two latter that remain here in the text Christ sitting at God s
right hand, and his interceding for us are brought in here by the apostle, as those which have a redundant force and prevalency in them, for the noncondemnation of the elect ; that although the two former abundantly served
to secure it, yet these two added to the former, do make the, triumph of
faith more complete and full, and us more than conquerors, as it after
follows. Nor doth this place alone make mention of Christ s
* sitting at God s right hand, which I now am first to handle, in this its relation, and
influence into our justification, and the assurance of faith about it ; but you have it to the same end, use, and purpose, alleged by that other great
apostle, 1 Peter iii. 1822. And if the scopes of these two apostles in both
places be compared, they are the same. Here the resurrection of Christ, and his sitting at God s right hand, are brought in as the ground of this bold challenge and triumph of faith ; and there, in Peter, is mentioned the answer or plea of a good conscience in a believer justified, which it puts into the court, and opposeth against all condemning guilts, (so it is called, verse 12), the apostle alleging the resurrection of Jesus Christ as one
ground of it, the answer of a good conscience, by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. And then further to back and strengthen this plea or answer of a
good conscience, the apostle puts his ascension and sitting at God s right
CHAP. I.] FROM CHEIST S ASCENSION. 45
hand into the bill, as further grounds confirming it ; so it follows, who is
gone to heaven, and is at the right hand of God, angels, and authorities, and powers, being made subject to him. All which the apostle here ex-
presseth in one word (as enough to carry it) that Christ is even at God s
right hand, The soul hath sufficient answer against condemnation in
Christ s death and resurrection, full enough though it should stop there ;
yea therein can faith triumph, though it went no further ; for it can shew
a full satisfaction given in his death, and that accepted by God for us, and
Christ acquitted, and we in him. Therefore, faith (you see) comes to a
rather there. But then, let it go on, to consider Jesus sitting at God s
right hand, and making intercession for us ; and then faith will triumph and insult over all accusers, be more than a conqueror ; then it comes not
to a rather only, as here, but to a muck more shall we be saved by his life, thus Rom. v. 10. And the meaning thereof is, that if his death had power to pay all our debts, and justify us at first, then much more hath his life
this power. So that his death is but the ground and foundation of our
faith herein, and the lowest step of this ladder, but these other are the
top and full triumph of faith therein. And our spirits should rise, as the
apostle here riseth. Faith upon these wings may not only fly above the
gunshot of all accusations and condemners, but even clean out of their
sight, and so far above all such thoughts and fears, as it may reach to a
security that sins are forgotten and shall be remembered no more. What
joy was there in the disciples, when they saw Christ risen ! John xx. There
fore in the primitive times it was used as a voice of joy ; and to this day the Grecian Christians so entertain each other, at that time of the year^ with these words,
* The Lord is risen, your Surety is out of prison, fear not. But (as Christ said in another case, so say I) what will you say, if you see
your Surety ascended up to heaven, and that, as far above angels and prin
cipalities (as the apostle speaks, Eph. i.) as the heavens are above the
earth ? Will you not in your faiths and hopes proportionably ascend, and climb up also, and have thoughts of pardon, as far exceeding your ordinary thoughts as the heavens are above the earth ? Therefore, first view him
as ascending into heaven, ere ever he comes to be at God s right hand, and
see what matter of triumph that will afford you ; for that you must first sup
pose, ere you can see him at God s right hand, and so is necessarily in
cluded, though not expressed here. But that place fore-quoted out of Peter (1 Peter iii.) gives us both these two particulars included in it : 1. His ascension (who is gone into heaven) ; and 2. his power and authority there (is at God s right hand, and hath all power and authority subject to
him), and prompts both these, as fit matter to be put into a good conscience,
its answer and apology why it should not be condemned ; and therefore both may here as well come in into faith s triumph, and that as being in tended also by the apostle, and included in this one expression. He speaks with the least, to shew what cause faith had to triumph, for the least ex
pression of it ; his purpose being but to give a hint of faith, or that which
comprehensively contains many things in it, which he would have us dis
tinctly to consider for our comfort.
46 THE TKIUMPH OF FAITH [SECT. IY.