SERM." and honour, and fet on the right hand of the ma CXCVI. jefty on high:" and the restoration of our sovereign to his juft rights, and royal state and dignity here upon earth, by a miraculous providence of GOD, and as it were by a kind of refurrection from the dead.

The first of these being of a more spiritual and excellent nature, fhall be the fubject of my present discourse, not forgetting the other in the application of it.

The great foundation of our religion is the history of our SAVIOUR, of his incarnation and miracles, and life, of his resurrection from the dead, and afcenfion into heaven, and interceffion for us at the right hand of GoD; and the doctrines and articles concerning these, make up the main body of the chriftian faith; and therefore, nothing can be more ufeful, than the explication of these, and a ferious confideration and meditation upon them.

In these words you have an account of our SAVIOUR'S afcenfion into heaven; concerning which we will confider thefe three things.

First, the circumftances foregoing his afcenfion. Secondly, the circumstances of his afcenfion. Thirdly, the confequent benefits and advantages of it.

First, the circumftances foregoing his afcenfion, "and when he had spoken these things, he was taken

up." This refers to the discourse which our SAVIOUR had with his apoftles, immediately before he was taken up from them into heaven, of which we have an account in the verfes before the text, ver. 4. Being affembled with them, and just ready to take his leave of them, he commands them "that

they fhould not depart from Jerufalem, but wait

"for

" for the promise of the FATHER, which they SER M. " had heard of him :" that is, they should not dif- CXCVI. perse themselves, 'till the HOLY GHOST, which he had promised to fend from his FATHER, was come upon them, in thofe miraculous gifts and powers, whereby they fhould be qualified for the preaching of the gospel to the world.

And when our SAVIOUR had given them this charge, they put a queftion to him, concerning a thing which, notwithstanding he had fo plainly declared to them, that “his kingdom was not of this world," did still run in their minds about the temporal reign of the MESSIAS, and a glorious kingdom by him to be set up among the Jews; ver. 6. “They asked "of him, faying, LORD, wilt thou at this time "reftore the kingdom unto Ifrael?" To this our SAVIOUR gives them no direct answer, neither that he would, nor that he would not do what they expected; but gently reprehends their curiofity; ver. 7. "It is not for you to know the times and

seasons, which the FATHER hath put into his "own power." And instead of fatisfying them in' things that did not concern them, he difcourfeth to them about thofe things which did concern them; namely, how they should be qualified and fent forth to preach the gospel to the world, ver. 8. "But

ye fhall receive power, after that the HOLY "GHOST is come upon you, and ye fhall be wit"neffes unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all "Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utmost parts "of the earth. And when he had fpoken these ́ things, he was taken up." These are the circumftances preceding his ascension.

Secondly,

1

SERM. Secondly, we will confider the circumstances of his CXCVI. afcenfion, and they are these four.

I. That our SAVIOUR was taken up, while he was bleffing his difciples, Luke xxiv. 51. "And it "came to pass, while he bleffed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven."

II. That he was taken up in the view of his difciples, and while their eyes were attentively fixed upon him: "while they beheld, he was taken up," ver. 9. And verse 10. it is faid, "they looked ftedfaftly towards heaven, as he went up.'

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III. That he was taken up in a cloud: "and a "cloud received him out of their fight."

IV. The place whither he went, ver. 11. " The "fame JESUs which is taken up from you into "heaven;" which is elsewhere more particularly expreffed, by declaring the dignity to which he was exalted in heaven, "being fet down on the right "hand of GoD, and having all power in heaven " and in earth committed to him." These are the chief circumstances of his afcenfion, which I fhall speak briefly to.

I. That our bleffed SAVIOUR was taken up, while he was bleffing his difciples. This St. Luke does not mention here in the history of the Acts, having mentioned it before in his gospel, to which he refers us; Luke xxiv. 50, 51. fpeaking of our SAVIOUR and his apoftles; " and he led them out "as far as Bethany, and lift up his hands, and blef"fed them." Lifting up of the hands was a ceremony used among the Jews, in bleffing the people. Levit. ix. 22. it is faid there, that "Aaron lift up "his hands towards the people, and blessed them.” So our SAVIOUR here in imitation of the ufual

ceremonies

ceremonies among the Jews: " and it came to SERM.
pass, while he bleffed them, he was parted from
"them, and carried up into heaven." The firft
tidings of our SAVIOUR'S birth were attended
with praises to GoD, and bleffings to men; "glory
"to GoD on high, peace on earth, and good.
" will towards men." And when he died, he
breathed out his foul in bleffings to his enemies
in the height of his fufferings he was full of hearty
prayers, and good wishes for thofe who were the
caule of them: FATHER, forgive them, for
"they know not what they do." And after his
refurrection from the dead, juft as he left the
world, he was taken out of it, and tranflated into
heaven, with a bleffing in his mouth: "while
"he bleffed them, he was parted from them, and
" carried up into heaven." And indeed his whole
life, all that he did, and all that he fuffered,
his coming into the world, and his going out of
it, was all a bleffing to mankind. "GOD fent

"him to blefs us, in turning us away every one
"from his iniquity." He was always wishing well
to us, and doing well for us; " he went about do-
ing good."

66.

A bleffed pattern to us, "leaving us an example, "that we should follow his fteps :" a lovely and defirable example; in imitation whereof, we should endeavour that our whole life may be a bleffing and benefit to mankind; and that when we leave the world, we may be found fo doing as our LORD did, doing the work of heaven while we are going thither. II. He was taken up in the view of his disciples, and while their eyes were attentively fixed upon him: "while they beheld, he was taken up," ver. 9.

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SERM. And ver. 10. it is faid, " they looked stedfaftly to"ward heaven, as he went up." After the apofties were fully convinced, by feveral appearances of our SAVIOUR to them, and familiar converfation with them, that he was indeed rifen from the dead; that they might be fully fatisfied that he came from "GOD, and went to him," he was in their fight, while he was speaking to them, taken up into heaven. And this is no fmall confirmation of the truth of our religion, that our SAVIOUR did not only work the greatest miracles while he was alive, and after death rofe again, and converfed among men ; but was vifibly taken up into heaven. So that if all things be duly confidered, never did any man give fo many evidences of his being fent from Go D, as our bleffed SAVIOUR did. He delivered the truth of GOD with a divine authority; and did the works of GOD with all imaginable evidence of a divine power; and with a divine patience fubmitted to the will of Go D, enduring the greatest sufferings; and by the mighty power of GoD was raised from the dead; and in a vifible manner, by the fame divine power, taken up into heaven.

III. He was taken up in a cloud: he was taken

up, and a cloud received him out of their fight." Which circumftance, though it do not feem very material; yet does it fitly reprefent to us the difference between the two difpenfations of the law, and of the gofpel. Elias was carried up "by a whirl"wind" into heaven, in "a fiery chariot with

horfes of fire:" but our SAVIOUR" in a "cloud" to fignify to us the coolnefs and calmnefs of the gospel-difpenfation, in comparison of that of the law; which difference our SAVIOUR

had