expect to find them after fuch a scene, as had juft paft; For,

1. This pofture was naturally expreffive of the disappointment which they felt.

They had all along, while their mafter was with them, expected, that he would erect a temporal kingdom, and advance his countrymen to a fuperiority over other nations, and his particular friends to a fuperiority over other Jews; nor could they, by all his premonitions, be perfuaded to give up this flattering hope. His death, indeed, gave it a painful fhock but did not destroy it. After this event, fome of them fay, "We had hoped, that he should have redeemed Ifrael," intimating, that their hope was staggered by his unexpected death. But when they faw him rifen from the dead, their languifhing hope was revived; and they afked him, "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Ifrael ?" He answered them in a manner, which rebuked their enquiry, but did not wholly extinguish their hope. "It is not for you to know the times and feafons, which the father hath put in his own power; but ye fhall receive power, after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you, and ye fhall be witnefics unto me in Jerufalem, in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoft parts of the earth." "When he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up from them, and tranflated beyond their fight." Their worldly expectations were now at an end. Their Lord was gone-He was gone; and they were to fee him no more. Their hope, fo long entertained, and now fo fuddenly and totally disappointed, fixed their attention to the fpot, where they laft had feen him, and where he had vanished from their fight. Their gazing attitude expreffed thofe ardent wifhes which fuc

ceeded to their late flattering expectations. So if your most valuable treasure should be irrecovera bly loft in the deep, difappointment and defpair would, for a time, fix your eyes on the fpot, where you saw it fink.

2. This attitude was expreffive of affection.

When we take leave of a dear friend, who is going from us to return no more, we follow him with our eyes, and ftrive to catch the last distant fight of him; and after he difappears, ftill we look and look-and ftill we long to recover one glimpfe more of the parting object. When a friend is dead, we infpect and handle his cold remains; we follow him to the grave; we open his coffin to take one view more. When he is depofited in the earth, we look again. We figh, we weep when the falling duft covers him forever from our fight. We take a mournful pleafure in vifiting the ground where he lies, and in reading over and over the dear name infcribed on his monument.

Similar were the fenfations of the difciples, when they looked at their afcending Lord, and gazed up into heaven after his difappearance. They had, for years been his conftant attendants; often had they been charmed with his converfation, and enraptured with his devotion; often had they received from him favors, which no other friend could give, and had feen him perform fuch works, as convinced them, that God was with him. He was now parted from them. No more fhould they hear from his lips those divine inftructions which had been fo pleafing; thofe fweet confolations which had been fo refrefhing; thofe ardent prayers which had been fo enlivening. They remembered, how their hearts had burned within them, when they heard him fpeak as never man fpake, and pray as never man prayed. No wonder, that they looked at him ftedfaftly as he

afcended; and that they ftill ftood gazing after he was gone from their fight.

3. This attitude expreffed amazement.

Never had they witneffed fuch a scene as they now beheld in Bethany. Here were affembled more than five hundred brethren to fee Jefus for the last time. Hither the Lord had called his particular difciples, whom he defigned to be his apof tles and witneffes. Here he talked with them, renewed former promises, gave fresh affurances of his prefence, prayed over them, bleffed them, and took an affectionate leave of them. While he was fpeaking, he rose from the earth. As he rofe, words of kindness and love dropped from his lips, and melted into their ears His body, which had been like other human bodies, was now fuddenly changed into a glorious body, like that which had before appeared on the mount at the transfiguration; or like that which John afterward faw in vifion, and which he thus defcribes: "His countenance was as the fun, his eyes as flames of fire, his head white as fnow, and his feet as burning brafs." In this wonderful form they faw him gently afcending, like a dove, toward heaven, until a cloud intervened the fame cloud which overshadowed the mount, and which Peter calls the excellent glory. This bright and glorious cloud received him and afcended with him; and they beheld, until the wonderful scene was by distance loft to their admiring eyes. If the fcene exhibited on the mount was fo overwhelming, that the difciples fell on their faces, and were fore afraid; no wonder that this more grand and glorious fcence in Bethany should fo amaze them, that they stood, for a time gazing up into heaven, unable to recover themselves, or to know where they were, or what they were looking after, until they were brought to their recollection by the speech of the

"Why

angels, addreffing them in human voice. ftand ye gazing up into heaven? This fame Jefus whom ye have feen go up into heaven, fhall fo come in like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven."

This expoftulation of the angels, we are now, fecondly, to confider.

The angels here remind the difciples, that though Jefus was gone from their fight, yet he ftill lived in heaven to carry on that gracious work, which he had begun on earth; and that from this time, they were to fee him, not with the bodily eyes, which were now gazing after him, but with the eyes of their faith, which, through the medium of his promises, might ftill difcern him in his invifible ftate, with the fame organ, and through the fame medium we are to view him. We have not the privilege, which they had, to fee him in the flesh; but we may fee him by faith, as eafily as they could. It was but for a fhort time, that they enjoyed perfonal intercourfe with him; and the chief benefit of this intercourfe was to lay a foundation for their faith. What they faw and heard, while he was with them was the ground of that faith by which they held a correspondence with him, after he was gone. And it is alfo the ground of our faith in him, and communion with him now. St. John fays, "That which we have feen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye alfo may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift." The fight which the difciples had of their Lord as cending in his glory, was a fuitable mean to confirm and enliven their faith. But if in gazing at this wonderful scene, they had been fo long detained and fo wholly abforbed, as to loose their spiritual views of Chrift, its end would have been defeated. The word and ordinances of Chrift are means to

lead our thoughts to him, and affift our converfe with him. But we must remember, that hearing his word, and attending on his ordinances, are no farther acceptable to him, and ufeful to us, than they awaken in us those exercises of faith and love, which will excite us to the active discharge of all religious duties.

It will be proper for us particularly to confider, what views of Chrift we should have in the contemplation of his afcenfion into heaven.

1. Chrift warned his difciples, that he would go to him who fent him. Because he faid this, their hearts were filled with forrow. To confole them in their forrow, he affured them, that when he went to the father, he fhould be glorified with the glory which he had before the world was. Hence he fays, "If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I faid, I go to the father." " I go away, but my peace I leave with you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." At the afcenfion they faw his glory begun; and hence might conclude, that the glory foretold would be completed." Because Jefus humbled himself and became obedient to the death of the crofs, therefore God highly exalted him, and gave him a name above every name." And if the Saviour has been honoured and rewarded for all that he has done and fuffered in our behalf, we may reft in the full affurance, that through him our works of faith, and labours of love will be graciously accepted. And in his name we may come to God with all confidence for prefent pardon and future falvation. Had Chrift been left in the grave, our faith and hope muft have been buried with him. But because he lives, we fhall live alfo. Our life is hidden with Chrift in God, and when he shall appear, we fhall appear with him in glory.