when be bad fpoken these things, (Luke, he lift up his hands and bleed them. And it came to pass while he blessed them) while they bebeld, (therefore this tranfaction happened in the day-time) he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their fight. (Luke, he was carried up into heaven. Mark, was received up into heaven.) 10. And while they looked fedfastly toward beaven, as he went up, behold two men ftood by them in white apparel: Two angels stood by them, who, though they had affumed the form and garb of men, were, by the majefty and fplendour of their appearance, known of the apoftles to be angels. For as Chrift's refurrection had been honoured with the appearance of angels, it was natural to think that his afcenfion into heaven would be fo likewife. 11. Which also faid, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing up into beaven? (It feems they looked up ftedfaftly after he was gone out of fight, expecting, perhaps, to fee him come down again immediately) This fame Jefus which is taken up from you into beaven, shall fo come in like manner as ye bave feen him go into braven: He fhall come in the fame glorious manner in which you have now seen him afcend. The angels fpake of his coming to judge the world at the last day, a defcription of which Jefus in his life-time had given. Matt. xvi. 27. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels.” Wherefore the cloud whereon the Lord now afcended being the fame with that in which he is to come again, was more bright and pure than the cleareft lambent flame; for it was the glory of the Father, that is, the Schechinah or visible fymbol of the divine prefeuce, which appeared to the patriarchs in ancient times, which filled the temple at its dedication, 2 Chron. vii. 3. and which in its greatest splendour cannot be beheld with mortal eyes; fo for that reafon is called the light inacceffible in which God dwells, 1 Tim. vi. 16. It was on this occafion probably, that * our Lord's body was changed, acquiring the glories of immortality, perhaps in the view of the difciples, who looked at their Mafter all the time he was mounting, Acts i. 10. As he ascended up into the skies, the flaming cloud which surrounded him, leaving a track of light behind it, marked his paffage through the air, but gradually loft its magnitude in the eyes of them who flood below, till foaring high, he and it vanished out of their fight; for he was received up where the Deity manifefts himself

Our Lord's body was changed.] For flesh and blood, fuch as he arofe with, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Accordingly the body which he now has, is called a glorious body, and declared to be of the fame nature with that which the faints fhall have after their refurrection. Phil. iii. 21. "Who thall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body." Wherefore, though the Scripture is filent as to the time when this change paffed upon Chift's body, we muft fuppofe that it hap pened either immediately before his afcention, or in the time of it, or foon alter it.

himself in a peculiar manner. Mark xvi. 19. And fat on the right hand of God: that is, in his human nature was advanced in dignity next to the Divine Majefty; all power in heaven and. earth being given him. And this univerfal government he will hold, till he fully establishes the dominion of righteousness, when he will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, that God may be all in all.”

In this illuftrious manner did the Saviour depart, after having finished the grand work which he came down upon earth to execute; a work which God himself, in the remoteft eternity, contemplated with pleasure, which angels anciently, and superior natures, with joy defcried as to happen, and which through all eternity to come thall, at periods the most immenfely diftant from the time of its execution, be looked back upon with inexpreffible delight by every inhabitant of heaven. For though the little af fairs of time may vanish altogether and be loft, when they are removed far back by the endless progreffion of duration, this object is fuch, that no diftance however great can leffen it. The kingdom of God is erected upon the incarnation and fufferings of the Son of God, the kingdom and city of God comprehending all the virtuous beings that are in the univerfe, made happy by goodnefs and love; and therefore none of them can ever forget the foundation on which their happiness ftands firmly established. In particular the human fpecies, recovered by this labour of the Son of God, will view their Deliverer, and look back on his ftupendous undertaking with high ravishment, while they are feasting without interruption on its fweet fruits, ever growing more delicious. The rest of the members likewife of the city of Ged will contemplate it with perpetual pleasure, as the happy mean of recovering their kindred that were loft, and it may be as the grand confirmation of the whole rational fyftem, in their fubjection to him who liveth and reigneth for ever, and whofe favour is better than life.

The apostles having seen their Master afcend into heaven, were fully convinced of his having come down thence, and of his being Meffiah. This perfuafion they teftified by paying him divine honours. Luke xxiv. 52 And they worshipped him. His afcenfion, therefore, gave the apoftles great joy, and the more so, that in all probability they did not confider it as their Mafter's final parting with them. For we may reasonably fuppofe they understood what the angels faid unto them concerning his return, not of his return to judge the world at the last day, but of his return to restore and take upon himself the kingdom of Ifrael, an event which they would expect to happen very foon. A&s i. 12. Then returned they unto Jerufalem (Luke, with great joy) from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerufalem a fabbath · day's journey. A fabbath day's journey being only a thoufand

paces,

paces, we are to understand Luke as defcribing the distance of that part of Olivet which was nearest to the city, in which way the distance of mountains was commonly meafured. For Bethany, on the other fide of the mountain, nigh to which, as Luke himfelf informs us, our Lord afcended, was full two miles from Jerufalem. After the apoftles returned to the city, they fpent the greatest part of their time in the temple, praifing and bleffing God, as for all his benefits, fo in particular for the refurrection of their Mafter from the dead, after he had been unjustly and inhumanly crucified by a cabal of wicked men, for his glorious afcenfion into heaven, and for the promife that as made them concerning his return. Perhaps they were much in the temple likewife, because they expected their Mafter at his return would make his firft appearance there. Luke xxiv. 53 And were continually in the temple, pratfing and bleffing God Amen. The apoftles, about eight days after this, received the Holy Ghoft according to their Mafter's promife. He defcended upon them in a visible form, which betokened both the efficacy of his operations, and the firft fruits thereof. Cloven tongues as of fire fat on each of them, and immediately they were infpired with the faculty of fpeaking all the languages of the world. After the defcent of the Holy Ghoft upon them, the apoftles were led to form a more juft notion of their Matter's kingdom, for they immediately applied themfelves with great earneftness to their proper work of preaching the gofpel firft in Jerufalem, then in Judea and Samaria, afterwards in all the different countries of the world, according to the inftructions they had received from their Mafter's own mouth at parting. In fpreading the knowledge of the Chriftian religion in far diftant countries, they met with great approbation and acceptance, both from the Jews and Gentiles, who were not able to refift the evidence of the miracles whereby they confirmed their doctrine. Of these things Mark gives us an account. From which it is reafonable to conclude, that he published his gofpel pretty late. Mark xvi. 20. And they went forth and preached every where, the Lord (i. e. Christ. See Matt. xxviii. 20.) working with them, confirming the word with figns following. Amen.

CONCLUSION.

THUS endeth the hiftory of the life of Chrift; a life the greateft and beft that ever was led by man, or ever was the fubject of any hiftory. The human character of Jefus, as it refults from the accounts which the evangelifts have given of him, for they have not formally drawn it, is entirely different from that of all other mea whatfoever. For whereas they have the felfish paffions deeply rooted in their breafts, and are influenced by them in al

moft

moft every thing they do, Jefus was fo entirely free from them, that the narroweft fcrutiny cannot furnith one tingle action in the whole course of his life, wherein he confulted his own interest only. The happiness of others was what he had chiefly at heart. And while his contemporaries followed, fome one kind of occupation, fome another, Jefus had no other butinefs but that of promoting the welfare of men. He went about doing good. He did not wait till he was folicited, but fought opportunities of conferring benefits on fuch as flood in need of them, and always reckoned it more blessed to give than 10 receive; in which respect he differed exceedingly from the reft of mankind, and was much more like to God than to man. In the next place, whereas it is common even for persons of the most exalted faculties, on the one hand to be elated with fuccefs and applaufe, and on the other to be dejected with great disappointments, it was not fo with Jesus. He was never more courageous than when he met with the greatest oppofition and the worst treatment, nor more humble than when men fell down and worshipped him. He came into the world inspired with the grandeft purpose that ever was formed, even that of faving, not a fingle nation, but the whole world; and in the execution of it went through the longest and heaviest train of labours that ever was fuftained; and that with a conftancy of refolution, on which no difadvantageous impreffion could be made by any accident what foever. Calumny, threatenings, oppofition, bad fuccefs, with the other evils befalling him, ferved only to quicken his endeavours in this glorious enterprife, which he pursued unweariedly till he fiuifhed it by his death. In the third place, whereas moft men are prone to retaliate the injuries that are done them, and all feem to take a fatisfaction in complaining of the cruelties of those who oppress them, the whole of Christ's behaviour breathed nothing but meeknefs, patience, and forgiveness even to his bittereft enemies, and in the midst of extreme fufferings. The words, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, uttered by him when his enemies were nailing him to the crofs, fitly expreffed the temper which he maintained through the course of his life, even when affaulted with the heaviest provocations. The truth is, on no occafion did he ever fignify the leaft refentment by fpeech or by action, nor indeed any emotion of mind whatever, except fuch as flowed from pity and charity, confequently fuch only as expreffed the deepest concern for the welfare of mankind. To conclude, the greatest and best men have had failings which darken the luftre of their virtues, and fhew them to have been men. This was the cafe with Noah, Abraham, Mofes, Job, Solomon, Paul, and the other heroes celebrated in hiftory. The fame thing may be faid of all the greatest geniuses in the heathen world, who undertook to instruct and reform mankind; for, omitting the narrowVOL. II. nefs

4 K

t

nefs of their knowledge, and the obfcurity with which they spake upon the most important fubjects, there was not one of them who did not fall into fome grofs error of other, which dishonoured his character as a teacher. The accounts we have in history of the most renowned fages of antiquity, and the writings of the philofophers ftill remaining, are proofs of this. It was otherwife with Jefus in every refpect. For he was fuperior to all the men that ever lived, both in the fublimity of his doctrine, in the purity of his manners, and in the perfection of his virtues. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and feparate from finners. Whether you confider him as a teacher or a man, he did no fin, neither was guile found in his mouth. His whole life was perfectly free from fpot or weaknefs, at the fame time that it was remarkable for the greatest and, moft extenfive exercifes of virtue. But never to have committed the leaft fin in word or in deed, never to have uttered any fentiment that could be found fault with, upon the various topics of religion and morality which were the daily fubjects of his difcourfe, and that through the courfe of a life filled with action, and led under the obfervation of many encmies, who had always accefs to converfe with him, and who often came to find fault, is a pitch of perfection plainly above the reach of humanity; and therefore he who poffeffed it must certainly have been divine. Accordingly, the evidence of this proof being undeniable, both as an argument and as a matter of fact, Jefus himself publicly appealed to it, before all the people in the temple, John viii. 46. Which of you convinceth (or rather, convicteth) me of fin? And if in affirming that I am perfectly free from fin, I fay the truth, why do ye not believe me ?

Such was the perfon who is the fubject of the evangelical hiflory. If the reader, by viewing his life, doctrine, and miracles, as they are here prefented to him united in one feries, has obtained a clearer notion of these things than before, or discerns a beauty in his actions thus linked together, which taken feparately does not fo fully appear; if he feels himself touched with the character of Jefus in general, or with any of his fermons and actions in particular, thus fimply delineated in writings whofe principal charms are the beauties of truth; above all, if his dying fo generously for men ftrikes him with admiration, or fills him with joy, in the profpect of that pardon which is thereby purchased for the world-let him feriously confider with himself what improvement he ought to make of the divine goodness.

Jefus, by his death, has fet open the gates of immortality to men, and by his word, Spirit, and example, graciously offers to make them meet for, and conduct them into the inheritance of the faints in light. Wherefore, being born under the difpenfation of his gofpel, we have, from our carlieft years, enjoyed the best means of acquiring wisdom, virtue, and happiness, the lineaments

of