Luke xxiv. 50 — 53. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and re- turned to Jerusalem with great joy : and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
AMIDST the various proofs given by our Lord to his Disciples respecting his Messiahship, there was one of pre-eminent authority, namely, the ascending up to heaven in their immediate presence. He had not risen in their presence, because his frequent appearances to them for the space of forty days after his resurrection would be a sufficient evidence to them that he had risen : but if, in his ascent to heaven, he had withdrawn privately, they would not have known whither he was gone ; since they could not go up thither to obtain a personal interview with him, or to ascertain the truth of his ascension. Hence our blessed Lord, having accomplished all that was necessary to be done on earth, led them out to Mount Olivet, and went up from the midst of them to heaven, giving them ocular demonstration that his removal from them was such as he had taught them to expect : " I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world : again, I leave the world, and go to the Father*."
In the account here given us by St. Luke, we notice two things;
I. Our Lord's departure from his Disciples —
" Having loved his own, he loved them to the end ;" and expressed his love to them most particu- larly in the very instant of his departure : " He lifted up his hands, and blessed them :" and it was in this very act that he was taken up from them ; " While he blessed them, he was parted from them." Now his removal in the midst of this act ought not to be
a John xvi. 28.