has his eyes fixed upon every little sheep or lamb of his pafture; he tells all their wanderings; he is putting all their tears into his bottle; and there is not a figh or a groan, that goes from the heart of any of his oppreffed ones through the land at this day, but it goes to his very heart; and in a fhort time he will call the under-fhepherds, that are beating and abufing his flock, to an account for their management; and in the mean time, however harshly they may be dealt with by others, yet" he will feed his flock like a fhepherd, he will gather the lambs with his arms, he will carry them in his bofom, and gently lead those that are with young."

8. He is gone up as our glorious Reprefentative, to take poffeffion of the inheritance of eternal life, until his fellowheirs, all believers whom he reprefents, follow him. Hence we are faid to "fit together with him in heavenly places," Eph. ii. It is a very strange expreffion, "we fit in heavenly places with him," even while we are fitting upon the dunghill of this world, because he fits in heaven as our reprefentative. There is a kind of mutual reprefentation between Chrift in heaven, and believers here upon earth. Chrift in heaven reprefents us there; for "he appears in the prefence of God for us :" and we, on the other hand, are his reprefentatives here upon earth. The life of the believer in this world fhould juft, as it were, picture forth the life of a living Chrift in glory; hence the life of Jefus is faid to be manifested in us: fo that no man who looks on our walk and way in the world, but fhould prefently know that Chrift is living in heaven; "the life alfo of Jefus is manifested in us." Now, confidering all these things, is it any wonder that Chrift's going up to heaven in our nature, be attended with a shout of joy and triumph, among all the redeemed in the church mi litant or triumphant ?

V. The last thing was the Application of this doctrine. Ule first may be in a word of Information, in these few particulars following.

1. See hence that the ignominy of the crofs of Christ is fully wiped away: "He was numbered with tranfgreffors," called a blafphemer, &c. But now that cloud of ignominy is difpelled, God is gone up with a shout; he who was born in a ftable, has the highest place in heaven; he who endured the crofs, is wearing the crown; he who heard the blafphemy of men, is furrounded with the Hallelujahs of faints and angels, And as it was with the head, fo fhall it be with the members, who now fuffer reproach and fhame for his cause.

2. See hence, that none need to think themselves difhonoured

noured by fuffering the hardest things for his fake. Why, he for whom we fuffer, is gone up with a fhout; he fuffered worse things for us, than we can poffibly endure for him; he was made perfect by fuffering, and his crofs was the way to the crown. Sirs, the very chains that are laid on a man for the caufe of Christ, have a certain beauty and glory in them; hence "Mofes efteemed the reproach of Chrift greater riches than all the riches of Egypt: if we suffer with Christ, we fhall alfo reign with him."

3. See hence how little reafon believers have to be difquieted, because of the reelings and confufions of this lower world; even though heaven and earth were mingling, and feas roaring. Why, God is gone up with a fhout: he governs the world for the church's fake, and therefore nothing can go wrong, "No weapon formed against Zion fhall profper." Why, the church's Head, Patron, and Protector, fits on a throne on high, He is gone up with a fhout; and therefore they who plot her ruin, fhall be turned back, and taken in their own fnare: Pfal. cx. 5. " The Lord at thy right hand fhall ftrike through kings in the day of his wrath, and break them as with a rod of iron," &c.

4. See hence the parallel, or fimilitude, between Chrift's afcenfion, and his coming again to judgement. Why, a she went up with a fhout, and the found of a trampet; fo in like manner he will defcend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: but with this difference, that the fhouts and founds were not heard in this lower world when he went up; but when he defcends or comes down to judge the world, the fhouts of the Redeemer's voice, and the trump of God will found so loud, as not only to startle them that are alive, but to awaken the dead that have lien in their graves for many thousand years.

Ufe fecond, of Trial. Try whether he that is gone up with a fhout, be thy Hufband, thy Head, thy Prophet, Prieft, and King, thy Advocate, that fo you may take the benefit and comfort of his afcenfion. And to try this matter, I ask you,

It is expe

1. Have you received his Spirit? for he went up to pour down his Spirit upon his members here below. dient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you," John xvi. 7. "If any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his." He is a holy Spirit, a praying Spirit, a Spirit of life and liberty, a public Spirit in a time of defection; when the houfe of Chrift is turned into a den of thieves, the zeal of his houfe will eat you up.

2. Your hearts will be frequently mounting up on high af

ter him, as upon eagle's wings. You will mount up after him in your esteem, faying, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee." In your delight and defire," The defire of my foul is to thee, and the remembrance of thy name. In meditation, "My meditation of him fhall be fweet." You will be fending up many a cry in prayer after him, and the lifting up of your hands unto him will be like the evening facrifice; you will fend up the prayers of faith like pillars of fmoke, that went up when the facrifices, mingled with incenfe, were offered under the law. You will fend up not only the cry of prayers, but the cry of praife, like the church here, "Sing praises unto God, fing praifes: Bleffed be his glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with his glory." If he be gone up as thy Head, thou wilt "feek thofe things that are above, where Chrift is at the right hand of God;" and, like the woman clothed with the fun, you will trample upon the earth. You will be frequently looking up after him by the eye of faith. An affectionate wife will even take pleasure in looking towards the airth where her husband is; fo is it with believers. Jonas, even in the belly of hell, cries, "Yet will I look again toward thy holy temple." And this will yield relief and comfort, "They looked unto him, and were lightened," &c. In a word, you will look to him for all the ends of his exaltation at the right hand of God. And fince he is gone up to look after your affairs in heaven, you will look after his affairs here upon earth, according as he calls and employs you; you will be glad to "cause his name to be remembered in all generations;" and when his interest and people are suffering, it will go nearer your heart, than any private concern of your own, like David, Pfal. cxxxvii. 6.

Ufe third of this doctrine may be of Confolation to all the friends of Chrift in this reeling world wherein we are: God is gone up with a fhout, the Lord with the found of a trumpet, And hence it will follow,

1. That thou shalt follow him ere it be long; for the head, when it goes up, will draw all the members after it: "Where I am, there fhall alfo my fervants be." Thy foul fhall follow him at death, like the foul of Lazarus, under a guard of angels; and thy body fhall follow him alfo at the refurrection, he will gather his faints together, they fhall meet the Lord in the air, and fit with him upon his throne.

2. Is Chrift gone up with a fhout? then thou shalt not want the gifts, graces, and influences of the Spirit to bear you up, and to carry you through in the work and service that he has for you upon earth. Why, "when he afcended on

high, he received gifts for men ;" and what he received for us, he will give out to us according to our need. And therefore let us not fear to go his errands, though it were to go through fires and waters, for your charges thall be borne by him that is gone up with a fhout,

3. Here is comfort under all the glooms and frowns of men in the world, for owning Chrift, his caufe, his kingdom, his truths, his ways, and people. Why, God is gone up with a fhout. Chrift has overcome the world, and all the wicked of the world, they are Chrift's footstool, Pfàl. ex. t. God the Father he has put all his enemies under his feet, and he makes tools and fools of them, and all their politics; for he rules in the midst of his enemies, and makes the wrath of man to praise him. The wrath of man has caft fome of us out of the established church; but who knows, ere all be done, but that wrath of man fhall praise him, and be turned about to the advancement of the intereft of Chrift, in this poor backflidden land, and to the revival of a covenanted work of reformation? 4. Here is comfort against the fear of the "roaring lion, who goes about feeking whom he may devour." Why, Chrift is gone up with a fhout, and he has the lion in chains, and the upper end of the chain is in the hand of an exalted Redeemer: he had him under his command, when in a state of humiliation, as you fee in the cafe of the Gadarens fwine; much more now that he is afcended "far above all principality and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that can be named, whether in this world, or that which is to come." Ere long he will make the poor tempted believer to tread Satan under feet.

5. Here is comfort; all the angels in heaven are upon thy fide, believer, all the armies of heaven are ready to fight the quarrel of his church; they want nothing but his word of command, for he is "in the midst of them as in Sinai; and are they not all miniftring fpirits fent forth to minifter for the heirs of falvation?" &c. Pfal. xxxiv. 7. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him."

6. Here is comfort; death is difarmed of its fting, and can do no hurt. Why, Chrift carried the fting of death, and the armour of this king of terrors with him, when he went up with a fhout. "I have the keys of hell and of death."

7. Here is comfort; thy life is well fecured, believer. Why, it is hid in him who is gone up with a fhout: Col. iii. 3. "Our life is hid with Chrift in God. And when Chrift who is our life fhall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory."

8. Here is comfort, that all providential difpenfations in the government

government of the world, or in thy own lot in particular, hall be managed to advantage: Rom. viii. 28. "All things fhall work together for good, to them that love God." Why, God is gone up with a fhout, and God has "given him to be head over all things unto the church, which is his body." And therefore, though black and gloomy difpenfations fhould caft up, fo as the "confufed noife of the warrior, and garments rolled in blood," should be heard and seen in every corner of the land; yet God is gone up with a fhout, and he rules even in the raging of the fea, and when the waves thereof roar, he ftilleth them again; and he ufually makes worldly fhakings to usher in his own coming in a way of grace to his people: "I will fhake all nations, and the defire of all nations thall come." Thus you fee, that this doctrine is wonderfully comfortable unto all the true friends of Chrift.

Ufe fourth of the doctrine fhall be of Exhortation. Is it fo that Chrift is gone up with a fhout to the right hand of the Majefty on high? then,

1. Be exhorted to behold him with the eye of faith upon the throne; for he that was "made a little lower than the angels," is now "crowned with glory and honour: and therefore go forth, ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his Father crowned him," when he went up with a fhout, and with the found of a trumpet. His Father is beholding him with infinite delight, and he would have all the world to behold him alfo: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed.-Behold my fervant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my foul delighteth." He himfelf is fond that we fhould caft our eyes upon him: "Look unto me, and be ye faved, all ye ends of the earth." Oh how ftately is he upon the throne with all his nobles about him!

2. Lift up the everlasting doors of your hearts, that this King of glory may come in. The gates of heaven were opened for him, when he went up with a fhout; and shall not the gates of our hearts be opened to him, when he comes knocking with the rod of his mouth, faying, "Open unto me, and I will come in?" &c. Oh! let him who has now the principal room in heaven, have alfo the principal room in your hearts and fouls.

3. Is he gone up with a fhout? Then "let us come with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help us in time of need:" for he is gone up as "our great High Prieft and Advocate (as you heard), to appear in the prefence of God for us." Thou haft a friend upon the throne, believer, who hath "all the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily; and it is nothing between

you