Third. When he was risen from the dead, God, to confirm his disciples in the faith of the redemption that Christ had obtained by his blood, brought him to the church, presented him to them alive, shows him openly, sometimes to two or three, sometimes to eleven or twelve, and once to above five hundred brethren at once (Acts 1:3, 10:40; Luke 24:13-16; John 20:19, 21:1-23; 1 Cor 15:3-8).
Fourth. At his resurrection, God gives him the keys of hell and of death (Rev 1:18). Hell and death are the effects and fruits of sin. 'The wicked shall be turned into hell,' and the wages of sin is death. But what, then, are sinners better for the death and blood of Christ? O! They that dare venture upon him are much the better, for they shall not perish unless the Saviour will damn them, for he hath the keys of hell and of death. 'Fear not,' saith he, 'I am the first and the last; I am he that lived and was dead, and, behold, I am alive always and have the keys of hell and death.' These were given to him at his resurrection as if God had said, My Son, thou hast spilled thy blood for sinners, I am pleased with it, I am delighted in thy merits, and in the redemption which thou hast wrought; in token hereof I give thee the keys of hell and of death; I give thee all power in heaven and earth; save who thou wilt, deliver who thou wilt, bring to heaven who thou wilt.
Fifth. At Christ's resurrection, God bids him to ask the heathen of him, with a promise to give him the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. This sentence is in the second Psalm and is expounded by Paul's interpretation of the words before, to be spoken to Christ at his resurrection—' Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.' I have begotten thee—that is, saith Paul, from the dead (Acts 13:33,34).
He hath raised up Jesus again, as it is also written in the second Psalm—'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.' Now mark, at his raising him from the dead, he bids him ask, 'Ask of me,' and that 'the heathen'; as if God had said, My Son, thy blood hath pacified and appeased my justice; I can now in justice, for thy sake, forgive poor mortals their sin. Ask them of me; ask them, though they be heathens, and I will give them to thee, to the utmost ends of the earth. This is the first demonstration to prove that Jesus Christ, by what he has done, paid the total price to God for the souls of sinners and obtained eternal redemption for them—namely, his being raised again from the dead.
SECOND DEMONSTRATION. A second thing that demonstrated this truth is that he ascended and was received up into heaven. 'So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven' (Mark 16:19). This demonstration consisted of two parts: his ascending and his being received.
First, for his ascending,' He ascended up on high' (Eph 4:8). This act of ascending answered to the high priest under the law, who, after they had killed the sacrifice, was to bring the blood into the most holy place—to wit, the inner temple, the way to which was ascending or going up (2 Chron 9).
Now, consider the circumstances that attended his ascending, when he went to carry his blood to present it before the mercy seat, and you will find they all say amends are made to God for us.
1. At this, he is again attended and accompanied by angels (Acts 1:10,11).
2. He ascended with a shout and the trumpet sound, with 'Sing praises, sing praises, sing praises' (Psa 47:6).
3. The enemies of man's salvation are now tied to his chariot wheels—' When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive' (Eph 4:8). That is, he led death, devils, and hell, and the grave, and the curse, captive, for these things were our captivity. And thus did Deborah prophesy of him when she cried, 'Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam' (Judge 5:12). This David also foresaw when he said, 'Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive' (Psa 68:18).
4. The apostles must be the beholders of his going up and see the cloud receive him out of their sight (Acts 1:9-12).
The consideration of these things vigorously enforced this conclusion that he hath spoiled what would have spoiled us had he not, by his bloodshed, taken them away. And I say, for God to adorn him with all this glory in his ascension, thus to make him ride conqueror up into the clouds, therefore to go up with the sound of the trumpet, with a shout of angels, and with songs of praises, and, let me add, to be also accompanied with those that rose from the dead after his resurrection, who was the very price of his blood; this does extensively demonstrate that Jesus Christ, by what he hath done, hath paid total price to God for the souls of sinners, and obtained eternal redemption for them; he had not else rode thus in triumph to heaven.
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