+I. With respect to the new heavens and the new earth, what may we
not infer from the ascension of Christ in full integrity of His
nature above all heavens with respect to the conversion and
transformation and ennobling of this material?+--The nature and
history of His person revealed the relations clearly between heaven
and earth, between God and man, between the material and the
spiritual. We cannot for a moment look upon the transformation and
exaltation of Christ's nature as an isolated fact dissociated from
the restitution and exaltation of all things spoken of in His Word.
The nature with which He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven
was the same nature in which He was crucified, though glorified and
swallowed up of life. Must we not say, then, that the body which
ascended in relation to the body which was crucified and laid in the
grave may illustrate the relation of the present heavens and the new
earth? And, in accordance with this idea, are there not every way
most wonderful changes and transformations of which the ascension of
Christ's body seems to be the fulfilment and crown and also the
firstfruits? The flower from its imprisoned bud, the insect from its
grovelling form, light out of darkness, electricity from ponderable
elements, the strange affinities of matter striving to break forth
from their captivity, the unerring instincts of animal life held, as
it were, in bondage--all seem to point with prophetic finger to a
future deliverance and ennobled state and condition whilst meekly
waiting, but with earnest expectation, with the whole creation for
the deliverance and glorious liberty of the sons of God. The Gospel
therefore contains a Gospel for nature as well as for man--the
prediction of the day when the strife of elements shall cease, when
the powers of darkness shall be swallowed up of life, when the lion
shall lie down with the lamb, when the tares shall no longer grow
with the wheat, when creation, now so weary, shall lift up her head
and rejoice in the redemption for which she now groans and travails.
+II. If we cannot dissociate the history of Jesus from the history of
the earth, much less can it be dissociated from the history of
mankind.+--He is humanity, root and crown. Humanity exists nowhere
else but in Him. No aggregate of men make humanity, nor can
personality be ascribed to humanity except in Him. Individual men may
have a personality, but humanity is only an idea except it exists in
Him who is its root and crown; and it is in this sense that He is
spoken of, and that He speaks of Himself as, the Son of man. In His
ascension, therefore, which carries as a necessary presupposition all
the facts of His history, mankind is delivered from its curse and
from bondage. Identity of nature and reciprocity of choice now
constitute the most intimate union and most blessed fellowship of
which we are conscious, and it is the fair offshoot, the true type of
that which is to be the highest, to which He is exalted above all
heavens, from which height He has promised to gather together our
common humanity. In such and for such a relation He is exalted to the
throne of universal dominion as the Bridegroom of mankind, to be the
Head over all things to His Church, which is His body, the fulness of
Him which filleth all in all.
+III. What may we not learn from the fact of Christ's ascension+--not
merely with respect to the new heavens and the new earth, not merely
with respect to mankind and its history, but with respect to the
government and providence of earth? If all nature is gathered up and
represented in human nature, and if all human nature is gathered up
and represented in the Son of man, and if the Son of man resteth and
sitteth upon the throne of universal dominion, then, my brethren, the
conclusion is as direct as it is clear, that all things must be
working together in the interests of His kingdom and of His Church,
that all things have but one purpose and one end to which the whole
creation moves. We may say with Herbert:
"For us the winds do blow,
The earth does rest, heavens, move, and fountains flow;
Nothing we see but means our good--
'Tis our delight or has our treasure.
The whole is either cupboard of our food
Or cabinet of pleasure."
These lines contain as deep a philosophy as they do good poetry. "All
things unto our flesh are kind in their descent and being." As they
descend to us they bless our lower nature, but as we follow them in
their ascent they bless our minds. And in history are there not
changes similar to and commensurate with those which we have seen in
nature, and all subordinated to one end? Mighty nations and kingdoms
have arisen and passed away, and passed away, we might add, in the
greatness of their might. What strange development, as it has well
been asked, is it that the power of the world should rise to a great
height of glory, and, not able to sustain it, pass away? Because they
knew not God--because they were prejudicial to the interests of man.
The present state and prospects of the world are but the results of
all its past history, of the action and reaction, the strife and
ceaseless conflict, which have been going on from the first--the
strife and ceaseless conflict between the spirit of man's revolt in
all the forms of will-worship and idolatrous power, and the returning
spirit of allegiance towards God and His kingdom of life and love. On
the one hand, therefore, we have a series of rapid and mighty
developments of the very power which destroyed them when at the very
height of their glory; on the other hand, we have the continuous and
silent growth and expansion of the same ideas--all-conquering ideas
and all-conquering beliefs personally embodied from the first in men
confessing their allegiance to God.--_Dr. Pulsford._