into heaven as God and man, by his own power. We now come to the second part of the Article.
"SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY"] In these words we observe a trope, that is, the changing of a word from its literal, to a figurative meaning, a thing not infrequent in Scripture, [1] when, accommodating its language to human ideas, it attributes human affections and human members to God, who, spirit as he is, admits of nothing corporeal. But, as amongst men, he who sits at the right hand is considered to occupy the most honourable place, so, transferring the idea to celestial things, to express the glory which Christ, as man, enjoys above all others, we confess that he sits at the right hand of his Eternal Father. This, however, does not imply position and figure of body: but declares the fixed and permanent possession of royal and supreme power and glory, . which he received from the Father; as the Apostle says: " raising him up from the dead, and setting him on his right hand in the heavenly places, above all principality, and power, and virtue, and domination, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and he hath subjected all things under his feet." [2] These words manifestly imply that this glory belongs to our Lord, in so special a manner, that it cannot consist with the nature of any other created being; and hence, in another place, the Apostle asks: " To which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?" [3]
But the pastor will explain the sense of the Article, more at large by detailing the history of the ascension, of which the evangelist St. Luke has left us an admirable description, in the Acts of the Apostles. [4] In his exposition, he will observe, in the first place, that all other mysteries refer to the ascension, as to their end and completion; as all the mysteries of religion commence with the Incarnation of our Lord, so his sojourn on earth terminates with his ascension into heaven. Moreover, the other Articles of the Creed, which regard Christ the Lord, show his great humility and lowliness: nothing can be conceived more humble, nothing more lowly, than that the Son of God assumed the frailty of our flesh, suffered and died for us; but nothing more magnificently, nothing more admirably proclaims his sovereign glory and divine majesty, than what is contained in the present and preceding articles, in which we declare, that he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of his Eternal Father.
When the pastor has accurately explained these truths, he will next inform the faithful, why our Lord ascended into heaven. He ascended because the glorious kingdom of the highest heavens, not the obscure abode of this earth, presented a suitable dwelling-place to him whose glorified body, rising from the tomb, was clothed with immortality. He ascended, not only to possess
