A Savior Who Came Down and Is Gone up

That will not make His grace in coming down here to be less precious, nor will it make redemption to be prized less, but, rather, much more. It will imprint a heavenly character upon all our ways, and this, nothing less, is our place. "As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly," and, "As we have borne the image of the heavenly." Then it will be perfect; now is it only partial, and according to the measure in which self is judged.
It is the un-judged activity of our nature that hinders the practical effect of heavenly power's being reflected from us. Do we not know it? When is it that we do wrong? When is it that we form mistaken judgments and become careless and worldly? It is when we take our eyes off Christ as He is now in glory. I grant you that Christ anywhere before the soul is a means of preservation. Nevertheless, there is no power like occupation with Christ in the glory for overcoming the seductions of the world and for discerning the evil in that which looks fair and religious in the world. As far as leading out our souls in love and devotedness is concerned, Christ here below will do it.
But Christ in glory extinguishes the light of earth's best religion and makes it appear pale and tawdry by the side of His surpassing brightness.