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SERMON XIV.

The Difciples gazing after their afcending Lord

A Communion Sermon.

ACTS i. 10, 18

And while they looked fled faftly toward heaven, as he went up; behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which alfo faid, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This fame Jefus, which is taken up from you into heaven, fhall fo come, in like manner as ye have seen him gọ heaven.

AFTER our Lord had rifen from the dead,

he tarried on earth about the space of forty days; during which time he had feveral interviews with his difciples, converfed with them familiarly on things relating to his kingdom; gave them fuch inftructions and encouragements, as were neceffary to guide and animate them in their future work; and, on a day prefixed, he led them out to Bethany, a village nigh to Jerufalem, where, in confequence of previous notice a large number of believers had affembled to be witneffes of his afcenfion. When he was come to the place, he ftood-he lifted up his hands and blessed his chof

en difciples-he fervently implored the divine bleffing to attend them, and renewed the gracious promises which had before been made to them: and while he was bleffing them, praying for them, and commending them to God; and while their eyes were intently fixed upon him, " he was parted from them ;" he rofe into the air, afcended toward heaven," and a cloud received him out of their fight." Here they ftood with their eyes fixed on that fpot in the fky, where they loft the fight of him; and here they would longer have ftood, had not the voice of an angel fummoned them away. "While they looked ftedfaftly toward heaven, as Jefus went up two men,"-men in form, but by the fplendor of their appearance known to be angels, "ftood by them, and said, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye here gazing into heaven? This fame Jefus, who is now taken from you into heaven, fhall fo come, as ye have feen him go into heaven." On this advice they returned to Jerufalem; and there affembling with other devout perfons, they spent their time in fuch religious exercises, as were adapted to comfort them in present trials, and to prepare them for future labours.

In the words, which have been read, there are two things to be remarked.

Firft; The posture in which the difciples ftood, after they had loft fight of their afcending Lord. And, Secondly, The expoftulation of the angels with them on this occafion.

Firft; The pofture, in which the difciples ftood, after the afcending Saviour had difappeared from their eyes, is worthy to be remarked. "They looked ftedfaftly toward heaven, as he went up ;' and in this attitude they seem to have continued, after the cloud had received him out of their fight. In this fixed and gazing posture we might

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

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

They had all along, while their master 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 deftroy it. Af. ter 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 asked him, "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Ifrael?" He anfwered 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 seasons, 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 witneffes 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 difappointed, fixed their attention to the spot, where they laft had feen him, and where he had vanished from their fight. Their gazing attitude expressed thofe ardent wishes which fuc

ceeded to their late flattering expectations. So if your most valuable treasure fhould be irrecoverably loft in the deep, disappointment and despair would, for a time, fix your eyes on the fpot, where you faw 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 laft diftant fight of him; and after he disappears, still we look and look-and still 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 pleasure 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 disciples, 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 seen 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 refreshing; thofe ardent prayers which had been fo enlivening. They remembered, how their hearts had burned within them, when they heard him speak 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 stood 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 apoftles and witneffes. Here he talked with them, renewed former promifes, 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 be held, until the wonderful fcene was by distance loft to their admiring eyes. If the scene exhibited on the mount was fo overwhelming, that the disciples fell on their faces, and were fore afraid; no won der that this more grand and glorious fcence in Bethany fhould 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 werebrought to their recollection by the fpeech of the

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