'Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Eph 5:20). For all things; for all things come to us through this name Jesus—redemption, translation, the kingdom, salvation, with all the good things wherewith we are blessed.
These are the works of God; he gave his Son, and he brings us to him, and puts us into his kingdom—that is, his true body, which Jeremiah calleth a putting among the children, and a 'giving us a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations' (Jer 3:19; John 6).
'Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in
Christ' (2 Cor 2:14).
See here our cause of triumph is through Christ Jesus; and God causeth us through him to triumph, first and chiefly, because Christ Jesus hath done our work for us, hath pleased God for our sins, hath spoiled the powers of darkness. God gave Jesus Christ to undertake our redemption; Christ did undertake it, did engage our enemies, and spoiled them—He 'spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them' upon the cross (Col 2:14,15). Therefore it is evident that he paid full price to God for sinners with his blood, because God commands us to give thanks to him in his name, through his name—'And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him' (Col 3:17).
Take this conclusion from the whole: no thanks are accepted of God that come not to him in the name of his Son; his Son must have the glory of conveying our thanks to God, because he was he that by his blood conveyeth his grace to us.
THE EIGHTH DEMONSTRATION.
EIGHTH. In the next place, that Jesus Christ, by what he hath done, hath paid full price to God for sinners, and obtained eternal redemption for them, is evident, because we are exhorted to wait for, and to expect, the full and glorious enjoyment of that eternal redemption, at the second coming of the Lord from heaven—'Let your loins by girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord,—that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately' (Luke 12:35,36).
Jesus Christ hath obtained by his blood eternal redemption for us, and hath taken it up now in the heavens, is, as I have showed, preparing for us there everlasting mansions of rest; and then he will come again for us. This coming is intended in this text, and this coming we are exhorted to wait for; and that I may more fully show the truth of this demonstration, observe these following texts—
First. It is said, he shall choose our inheritance for us—'He shall choose our inheritance for us; the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. God is gone up with a shout,' &c. (Psa 47:4,5). These latter words intend the ascension of Jesus Christ; his ascension, when he had upon the cross made reconciliation for iniquity; his ascension into the heavens to prepare our mansions of glory for us; for our inheritance is in the heavens; our house, our hope, our mansion-house, and our incorruptible and undefiled inheritance is in heaven (2 Cor 5:1,2; Col 1:5,6; John 14:1,2; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
This is called the eternal inheritance, of which we that are called have received the promise already (Heb 9:14,15).