Acts i. 9 — 1 1. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he ivas taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward hea- ven, as he ivent up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel ; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
WE are surprised to see how slow of heart the Apostles were to receive and understand the instruc- tions given them from time to time by their Divine Master. If he spoke to them of his death, they could not endure the thought of such an issue to his mini- strations. If he spoke of his resurrection, they could not at all apprehend his meaning, or conceive to what he could refer. In like manner, when he spoke of his returning to his Father in heaven, and declared to them the special ends of his ascension, and of the deep interest which they themselves had in it, (since he was going to prepare a place for them, and to send them another Comforter, who should far more than compensate them for the loss of his bodily pre- sence,) they could not enter into the subject. They thought, indeed, that they understood him, and said, " Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb3 :" but they shewed, even after his resurrec- tion, how ignorant they were; since they still dreamed
a John xvi. 28, 29.
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of his establishing a temporal kingdom, and asked, in reference to it, " Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to IsraeP ?" It was thus that they surveyed the ascension of their Lord at this time. Instead of being prepared for it, and expecting the completion of his work on earth, they stood and gazed at him, with a kind of stupid amazement ; till two Angels, in the form of men, reproved their stu- pidity : and assured them, that, at a future period, their Divine Master should again return to earth, in a way similar to that of his departure from it.
The points for our present consideration are, I. The ends of his ascension to heaven —
These are fully declared in the Holy Scriptures. He ascended,
1. To receive a recompence for himself — [The Father had engaged in covenant with him, that, " if lie would make his soul an offering for sin, he should see a seed, and prolong his days ; and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hands0." In this compact, his human nature was ordained to have a full participation of his glory, being enthroned at the right hand of God, and, by its union with the Godhead, invested with all the honours due to the Most High God. " All the angels in heaven," no less than his redeemed saints, were " bidden to worship himd." And to this, in part at least, he looked forward, as to " the joy that was set before him ;" in consideration of which " he endured the cross, and despised the shame, till he sat down on the right hand of the throne of God e." All this was conferred on him as the recom- pence of his humiliation : for so says the holy Apostle : He, " being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God ; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men : and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father f." And in his ascension was in some degree fulfilled