Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ...

SECT. VIII. Of Christ's surrendring and delivering up the Kingdom to God, even the Father.

8. FOR Christ's surrendring and delivering up the Kingdom to God, even the Fa∣ther, no sooner is he in heaven but these things follow.—

1. He presents the Elect unto his Father, of this the Apostle speaks, you hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable,* 1.1 and unproveable in his sight; to this end Christ dyed that he might wash us and cleanse us by his blood, and then that he might present us without spot unto his Father. We may imagine Christ as going to his Father with his bride in his hand, and saying thus, O my Father, here is my Church, my Spouse, my Queen; here are the Saints concerning whom I covenanted with thee from Eternity, concerning whom I went down from heaven, and dyed on earth, and ascending up I have interceded these ma∣ny hundred years; concerning whom I went down to Judge the World, and ha∣ving sentenced them to life eternal, I now bring them in my hand to give them the possession of thy self. These are they whom thou gavest me in the beginning of the World, and now I restore them to thy self at the end of the World, for they are thine. Thus he presents them to his Father. Indeed we read that Christ presents the Saints to himself, as well as to his Father,* 1.2 Christ loved the Church and gave him∣self for it,—that he might present it to himself, a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle; but this I take it was done before; when first a Soul believes, it is contracted to Christ, when the soul is sentenced to glory, then is the solemnity, and consum∣mation of the Marriage, then doth Christ present the Soul to himself; and I know not but that the Ministers of Christ may have a part in this matter, for I have espoused you to one husband (said Paul to his Corinthians) that I may present you as a chast Vir∣gin to Christ.* 1.3

And after this when Christ takes the bride home, brings her into Heaven, and leads her by the hand into his Fathers presence; then is his last presentation, then he pre∣sents her faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. The word signifies leaping, springing, exalting joy: O what springing, leaping, exalting is in heaven, when Christ takes the hand of his Bride and gives her into the hand of his Father; q. d. O my Father, see what a number I have brought home to thee; thou knowest what I have done, and what I have suffered, and what offices I have gone through, to bring these hither; and now my Mediatourship is done, I resign all my charge to thee again; see what a goodly Troop, what a noble Army I have

brought thee home, why all these are mine, and all mine are thine, and all thine are mine,* 1.4 and I am glorified in them; all those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost; see here is Adam, and Abel, and Noah, and Sem, and every Saint from the beginning to the end of the World, the Nuptial between them and me is solem∣nized? and whither should I lead them but to my Father's house, and into my Father's presence? I have already pronounced them blessed, and the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them,* 1.5 that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one. Here take them from mine hands, now give them a welcome into glory, and let them know that thou hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

2. He presents all his Commissions to his Father, as he is a Mediatour (at least by Destination) from all Eternity;* 1.6 were not the Saints chosen in Christ before the foun∣dation of the World? then was he a Mediatour in the business of Election, and then was he Predestinated to be a Mediatour of Reconciliation.* 1.7 I was set up from Ever∣lasting, (i.e.) I was appointed and designed to be a Mediatour from all Eternity. How∣soever he was a Mediatour virtually and inchoatively from the Fall of Adam; then did he undertake that great Negotiation of reconciling God to man, and man to God; and actually he was a Mediatour after his Incarnation; for then was he ma∣nifested in the flesh, then was he manifested to be what before he was, then did he act that part visibly upon earth, which before he had acted secretly and invisibly in heaven; then he entred upon the work of his active and passive obedience; then he discharged his Prophetical and Priestly office here on Earth, which having done, then he entred upon his Kingly Administration in Heaven. Now as to this work he was called by God (him hath God the Father sealed;* 1.8 it pleased the Father by him to reconcile all things to himself.* 1.9 And as to these offices severally he had Commission from God, (the Lord hath annoynted me to Preach good tydings unto the meek; and the Lord hath sworn,* 1.10 and will not repent, thou art a Priest for ever; and the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy foot-stool.) So now he comes with all his Commissions in his hand, and he delivers them all up unto his Father again. In this case it is with Christ as with some General, whom the King sends forth with Regal Authority to the War, who having subdued the Enemy, he returns in Triumph, and all being finished he makes a surrender of his place; thus Christ having discharged all his offices imposed on him, now the work is finished, he leaves his function by delivering up his Commissions to his Father.* 1.11 In Heaven there is no need of Sun or Moon, that is, as some interpret, there is no need of Preaching, or Prophesying; of the Word or Sacraments, for the Lamb is the light thereof, Christ is the only means of all the communication that the Elect there shall have; and as for his Regal Office,* 1.12 the Apostle is express, then shall he deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father. Only here is the question, how is Christ said to resign his King∣dom to God the Father?* 1.13 for saith not the Scripture, that Christ's Kingdom shall have no end? and that Christ's Throne is for ever and ever? for answer, I see no con∣tradiction but that Christ may both resign his Kingdom, and yet reserve it. See a like case,* 1.14 All Power, saith Christ, in heaven and earth is given to me of my Father: shall we say now that the Father himself was quite stript of it? no; but as the Kingdom which the Father gave the Son is nevertheless called the Father's Kingdom, or the King∣dom of God; so Christ shall return it, yet retain it also. Two things (we say) are con∣tained in the Term of Reign, sci. Dominion, and Execution; to wear the Crown, and to bear the Scepter: now Christ in the former sense shall reign for ever, the honour of dominion and of wearing the Crown he shall never resign up to his Father, for his Fa∣thers Throne disturbs not his, there are both their Thrones at once, Rev. 7.11. but the functions of a King, to sit in Judgment, to reward deservers, to punish evil-doers, to rescue the oppressed, to fight with the enemy, Christ in this sense shall cease to reign, and shall deliver up the Kingdom to his Father.

More particularly, Christ is said to deliver up the Kingdom in three respects.

1. Because he ceaseth to execute that Authority, which nevertheless he hath; as a Judge that goeth from the Bench is a Judge still, although he giveth no judgment, but imployeth his time about other occasions; so Christ is said to resign his place, not that his Authority is subject to Diminution, but in that he makes no shew; for when his ene∣mies are all put under, there is no need that any more blows should proceed from his Kingly power.

1. Because the manner of his Kingdom after the judgment day shall be wholly changed; he shall not Reign in the same fashion that he did before; there's no need in heaven of good Laws to keep men from starting into wickedness; the orders of this life are changed into a new kind of Government, and in that respect he is said to give o∣ver the Kingdome.

3. Because he ceaseth to increase his Dominion. In this World Christ was still gaining more souls to his Kingdom by the Preaching of his Word, and so he spread his dominion further, and further; but when the Lord shall have made up the number of his Servants to his mind, then he will end the World, and give up the Kingdom, (i.e.) he will cease to enlarge his confines any more, he will be content with the number of his Subjects that he hath already. Here is the Second thing, Christ presents all his Com∣missions to his Father, he gives up his Priestly, Prophetical, and regal offices at his first entrance into heaven.

4. He presents himself unto his Father; not only his offices but Christ himself is presented, and subjected unto God. This I take it, is the meaning of the Apo∣stle, when he saith, then shall the Son also be Subject unto him,* 1.15 that put all things un∣der him. The words are mystical, and therefore we had need to understand them soberly, and according to the Analogy of Faith. The Arrians hence inferr'd, that the Son was not equal with the Father, because he that is subject must needs be inferi∣our to him whose Subject he is. But the Answer is easie, Christ is considered ei∣ther as God, or as man, and Mediatour betwixt God and Man; Christ as God hath us Subject to him, and is Subject to none; but Christ as man and Mediatour is Subject to his Father together with us. Some would have it, that Christ is Subject to his Fa∣ther in respect of his mystical body, the Church; and that this only should be the mean∣ing of the Apostle, then shall the Church be Subject to the Father; but I cannot assent to this Exposition. 1. Because the Apostle speaks expresly of Christ and of his Kingdom. 2. Because though Christ be sometimes in Scripture read for the Church, or for the body of Christ, yet the Son as opposed to the Father, is never so read or understood. 3. Because we read, that he that is to be Subject, must first, have all things Subject to himself. Now the Father doth not properly Subject or subdue all things to the Church of Christ, but only unto Christ, and therefore the Apostle speaks of Christ's subjection to the Father; In the same way as Christ delivers up the Kingdom to the Father, is Christ also to be subject to his Father; but Christ delivers up his Kingdom as man, and as mediatour betwixt God and man; in these respects Christ (as we have heard) must Reign no more, at that day his Mediatourship shall cease, and by consequence in re∣spect of his Mediatourship, or in respect of his humanity, he shall that day be subject to his Father.

You will say, is not, and was not Christ always subject to his Father as man, or as mediatour betwixt God and man? how then do we limit this subjection to that day? then (saith the Apostle) shall the Son be subject.

I answer, this subjection will be then, or at that day more clearly manifested then ever it was before; then he must surrender his Kingdom to his Father in the sight of men and Angels; then he shall lay aside all his Offices in the view of all; so that henceforth God shall not Reign by the humanity of Christ, but by himself; nor shall we henceforth be subject to God through a mediatour Christ, but imme∣diately to God himself; nor shall Christ himself reign over us as mediatour any more, for the very glory of his Majesty shall become so illustrious, that all eyes shall see how transcendently eminent the Deity of Christ is above all creatures, even above the humanity of Christ himself. That a fuller view of Christ's subjection shall be at that day then ever before: we may illustrate thus; by night the Sun Reigns or rules over us, but by the Moon; for the light of the Moon is borrowed from the Sun, though in the night we see not any subjection of the Moon to the Sun at all: but so soon as the Sun riseth, presently the Moon surceaseth its office of lightning others, and becomes subject to the Sun it self; not by a new subjection, but by a declaration of its former subjection, so that now all may see what eminency of glory and light the Sun hath both above the Stars, and above the Moon, thus it is with God and Christ, now it is God reigns over us, but only by Christ as Mediatour; God's immediate Reign we discern not so clearly for the present; but when the end shall come, and Christ shall surcease his Office of Mediatourship, then shall the glo∣ry of Christ's Divinity appear more eminently, not only above all creatures, but

above the brightness of Christ's humanity it self; and in this respect Christ then shall be Subject, if not by a new subjection, yet certainly by a new declaration and mani∣festation of his subjection, so as never was before.

* 1.16O the wonders of this day! O the admirable shews in heaven, at Christ and his Saints first entrance into heaven! O my soul, where wilt thou stand? or what wilt thou say, when Christ shall take thee by the hand, and bring thee into the presence of his glorious Father? when he shall present thee, and present all his Commissions which he received for thee, and present himself unto his Father with thee, saying, O my Father, here we are all before thy glorious God-head; thus far I have carryed on the great work of man's Salvation, and now all's done according to the Cove∣nant betwixt thee and me; lo here all the Saints which by decree thou gavest me be∣fore the world was made; lo here all the Commissions which I received from thee in order to their Salvation; lo here the humanity which thou gavest me when I came into the World; such were the sins of my redeemed ones, and grown to such an height, that Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not have, but a body thou preparedst for me,* 1.17 and lo here I present all these before thee; come, take thy Commissions, and be thou all in all; we praise thee O God, we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. Come wel∣come me, and welcome mine, we all stand here before thy glorious Throne, and ex∣pect every way as high an entertainment as Heaven, or the God of heaven can afford us. O my soul, what joy will possess thee at this passage? be sure now thy dan∣ger is over, and thy arrival is safe, neither shall it ever be heard, friend how camest thou hither? for the Lord himself will run unto thee, he will hug thee and em∣brace thee, mouth on thy mouth, eyes on thy eyes, and hands on thy hands; and each hand shall clap for joy, each harp shall warble, each knee shall bend and bow, and each heart be merry and glad. O for the day! Oh when will the day come on, when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to the Father!

Notes

• * 1.1

  Col. 1.12, 22.
• * 1.2

  Eph. 5.25.27.
• * 1.3

  2 Cor. 11 2.
• * 1.4

  Joh. 17.10, 12.
• * 1.5

  Joh. 17.22.23.
• * 1.6

  Eph. 1.4.
• * 1.7

  Prov. 8.23.
• * 1.8

  John 6.27.
• * 1.9

  Colos. 1.19.
• * 1.10

  Isa. 61.1. Psal. 110.4. Psal. 110.1.
• * 1.11

  Rev. 21.23.
• * 1.12

  1 Cor. 15.24.
• * 1.13

  Luk. 1.33. Heb. 1.8.
• * 1.14

  Mat. 28.18.
• * 1.15

  1 Cor. 15.28.
• * 1.16

  Ʋse.
• * 1.17

  Heb. 10.5.