JESUS leads them out to the Mount of Olives, 650 Sect. 203. Effufion of the Holy Spirit; and this fhall be done not many Days bence. Luk.XXIV. And he then took them with him out of the LUKE XXIV. 50. as to Bethany. City, and paffing over the Brook Cedron again, And he led them out as far When therefore they were come together with But as Jefus was not willing to enter into a long Debate with them, be chofe to filence them in few Words, and faid to them, Whatever the Schemes of Providence may be, it is not for you to know, and therefore is not proper for you to enquire, what are thofe Times or Seafons, which the Father has placed under his own Authority: The Meffiah's Kingdom fhall indeed be triumphant, and the Ifrael of GOD fhall reign with him; ACTS I. 6. When they therefore were come togeing, Lord, wilt thou at this ther, they asked of him, fayTime reftore again the Kingdom to Ifrael? 7 And he faid unto them, It is not for you to know the Times or the Seasons, which the Father hath put in his own Power. (a) As far as to the Boundaries of Bethany.] This at least must be the Import of the Word es but what is faid elsewhere, will not allow us to extend it to the Town itself: For it is plain, the Town of Bethany was about Fifteen Furlongs from Jerusalem, (John xi. 18.) whereas the Place from which our Lord afcended, on Mount Olivet, was but a SabbathDay's Journey, or about half that Distance from Jerufalem. (Acts i. 12.) So that to reconcile what Luke has told us in his Gefpel, with the Account that he has given of our Lord's Afcenfion in the Acts, we must conclude, that he conducted his Difciples only to the Bounda ries of Bethany, which came much nearer to Jerufalem, and took in Part of the Mount of Olives. (See Note (a) on Mat. xxi. 1. pag. 289.)— It is indeed poffible, that our Lord might make his laft Vifit on Earth to Lazarus and his pious Sifters; but it is manifeft, he did not afcend from the Town of Bethany, where many others must have seen him, but from the Mount of Olives, where none beheld him but his own Difciples; nor is there any Intimation in the Words of the Evangelift, that he came from Bethany to the Mount of Olives on the Day of his Afcenfion, but rather that he went directly from Jerufalem thither. (b) While and having blessed them, afcends to Heaven in their Sight. 651 him; but where, or when, or how this fhall Sect, 203. And then lifting up his Hands, in a most fo- Luk.XXIV. And it came to pass, after the Lord had spoken 51 thefe Things unto them, and had difcourfed with his Difciples of the Work they were to do, and of the Power they fhould have to qualify them for it, even while he was bleffing them, he was And while Acts I. 9. miraculously feparated from them. they stedfaftly beheld him, and fixed their Eyes upon him with the ftricteft Obfervation, he was taken up from the Ground on which he stood, and gradually carried up into Heaven (b), as it seemed by the Ministry of attending Angels, (tho' he could, no Doubt, have afcended merely by his own Power :) And while he hovered in the Air, at fome Distance from them, a bright Cloud appeared, as a Kind (b) While they beheld, he was taken up, &c.] Mr. Jennings has obferved with his ufual Sagacity and Propriety, (Serm. at Berry-Street, Vol. i. pag. 373.) that it was much more proper, our Lord thould afcend to Heaven in the Sight of his Apoftles, than that he fhould rife from the Dead in their Sight: For his Refurrection was proved, when they faw him alive after his Paffion; but they could not fee him in Heaven, while they continued upon Earth. Nnnn 2 (c) Which Acts I. 9. 10 Sight, [and he fat on the 10 And while they look ed ftedfaftly toward Heaven, Men ftood by them in white Apparel; as he went up, behold, Two 652 Two Angels tell them, he shall come again in the fame Manner. Sect. 203.a Kind of Triumphant Chariot which GOD had received him out of their prepared on this great Occafion, and received him out of their Sight: And paffing thro' Crouds of adoring Angels, he afcended to a Throne highly exalted above theirs, and fate down, even at the Right Hand of GOD, on a Seat of the highest Dignity and Authority, there to reign in the Glories of his Mediatorial Kingdom, till all Things fhall be put under his Feet. (1 Cor. xv. 25, 27.) And as they were ftedfaftly looking up to Heaven, while he went on in his amazing and triumphant Progress, behold, Two Angels, in the Form of Men, in white and fhining Raiment, being of the Number of those whofe Miniftrations GOD was pleafed to make use of in this illuftrious Event, came and 11 ftood near them; Who alfo fpake to them and faid, Ye Men of Galilee, why do ye ftand gazing up to Heaven with fuch great Aftonishment? Is it not what your Lord himself has often told you, that he was foon to return to the Glofrom which he came? And we are now fent ry hither to affure you, that this Jefus, who is thus taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come again, in the very fame Manner as you have now beheld him go into Heaven: For the Great Day shall furely come, when he will visibly defcend from Heaven in a Cloud of Glory, attended as now with a Guard of Angels, to difpenfe their final Judgment to all the Inhabitants of the World: But in the mean Time, the Heavens must receive him, and you must no more expect his Company on Earth. Luk.XXIV. 52. And his Difciples were fo fully fatisfied of his Divine Power and Glory, that they worshipped bim with the humbleft Reverence, tho' he was now become invisible to them; and then (as he had ordered them,) returned to Jerufalem with great Foy, from the Mount called Olivet, where he was parted from them; which is but a Sabbath-Day's Journey, or about a Mile distant from Jerufalem (c): And it exceedingly rejoiced their Hearts to II Which alfa faid, Ye Men of Galilee, why ftand. ye gazing up into Heaven? this fame Jesus which is taken LUKE XXIV. 52. And [then] returned to Jerufathey worshipped him, and lem, with great Joy, [from the Mount called Olivet, Sabbath-Day's Journey:] which is from Jerufalem a [ACTS L. 12.] (c) Which is a Sabbath-Day's Journey from Jerufalem.] A Sabbath-Day's Journey is generally reckoned by the Jews to be Two thousand Cubits; which was the Diffance between the They return to Jerusalem, and praise GOD in the Temple. 53 And were continually in the Temple, praifing and bleffing GOD. Amen. MARK. XVI. 20. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with Signs following. Amen. 53: 653 to think, that Jefus their Lord was in this fin- Sect. 203. gular Manner honoured by his Heavenly Father, Luk.XXIV. and received up into a State of everlasting Feli- 52.. city and Glory, in which he would be able to protect all his Followers, and to provide in the most effectual Manner for their prefent and eternal Happiness. And they were always in the Temple, that is, they conftantly attended there at Proper Times, and were daily prefent at the Hours of Prayer (d), praifing and blessing GOD, both in his Houfe, and in their own Retirements. Amen! May GOD always be praised by us, and by all who receive his Gofpel, for the Discoveries and Atteftations of it given to these his Servants, and by them to us! And in a few Days after this, (as will be fhewn Mark XVI.. more largely in the following History,) their af- 20. cended Lord, in Remembrance of his Promife to them, fent down as a Royal Donative the extraordinary Influences of his Spirit upon them, fully to qualify them for that important Office to which they were defigned. And going forth with this Furniture, they preached the Gofpel every where throughout the whole Roman Empire, and even among the Barbarous Nations, with amazing Succefs ; the Lord, according to his Promise, working with them, and confirming the Word the Ark and the Camp, when they marched; (Joh. iii. 4.) and probably the fame Proportion was observed, when they refted. This is ufually computed at about Eight Furlongs, or a Mile. But as the Camp took in a large Extent of Ground, and this was only the Dif tance of those that incamped nearest to the Ark; fo it is evident, that as all the People were to repair on the Sabbath-Day to the Place of God's publick Worship, a Sabbath-Day's Journey was more than Two thousand Cubits to thofe, whofe Station in the Camp was more remote from the Ark: Yet when they were afterwards fettled in Towns, they allowed no more than Two thousand Cubits for a Sabbath-Day's Journey. (See Selden de Jur. Nat. et Gent. Lib. iii. cap. 9. and Lightfoot Hor. Hebr, on Luke xxiv. 50. and Acts i. 12.) Compare Note (a) above, on Luke xxiv. 50. (d) Were always in the Temple.] Some have imagined, (by comparing this with Acts i.. 13, 14.) that the Apoftles dwelt for fome Time afterwards, in an upper Chamber of the Temple: But they had no fuch Intereft with the Priefts, as to allow us to fuppofe, they would permit them to lodge in an Apartment of the Temple. It is fufficient, that they were always there at the proper Seafons; for it is well known, that by Night the Temple was fhut up, (Compare Luke ii. 37. Vol. i. pag. 65, and John xviii. 20. pag. 522.) They probably. joined their Voices with the Chorus of the Levites, as no doubt other pious Ifraelites did; and muft furely from what they had already feen and known, have learnt to ufe many of the Pfalms fung by them, in a much fublimer Senfe, than the Generality of the People could. (e) The Mark XVI. 20. 654 There are many other Things that JESUS did: Sect. 203. Word of his Grace by the Signs and Miracles which followed it; which were at once the most folid, as well as the most obvious and popular Demonstrations of thofe Divine Truths which they delivered. Amen! So may the Prefence of the Lord be always with his faithful Minifters! and may his Gospel be attended every where with Efficacy and Succefs, as well as with convincing Evidences of its Divine Authority! John XXI. 25. And thus we have given a fummary Acount of the most remarkable Paffages of the Life of Chrift during the Time of his Abode on Earth: But after all, it must be confidered only as a Specimen, rather than a full Narration; for there are alfo many other Things that Jefus faid and did, and indeed many other Signs and Miracles, that Jesus wrought, both before and after his Refurrection, in the Prefence of his Difciples, which are not written in this Book of the Four Evangelifts, which is here compleated; and which indeed are fo numerous, that if every one [of them] Should be recorded in all its Circumftances, I am perfuaded, the Work would amount to fo vast a Bulk, that the World itself could not be able to receive the Books that would be written; but the very Size of the Volumes would neceffarily prevent the Generality of Mankind from procuring, or reading But these most neceffary and important Things are written, in this plain Way, and in this portable Volume, not merely that the Reader may be amused by fo curious a Story, but that the John XX. them (e). 31. Faith, (e) The World itself could not be able to receive the Books &c.] There would be no great Inconvenience in allowing an Hyperbole here, as moft Expofitors do; of which we meet with other Instances in Scripture: (See Gen. xi. 4. Numb. xiii. 33. and compare John xii. 19.) But I think the Senfe given in the Paraphrafe eafier, and more fuited to the remarkable Plainnefs of St. John's Style. Elfner explains this Paffage, as if the Evangelift had faid, “If "they were all to be particularly written, the unbelieving World would not admit them, "fo as to be moved by them to Faith and Obedience:" And he produces Inftances in which pew has fuch a Signification. But as John knew, the unbelieving World would reject even what he had writ, this could be no Reafon for his writing no more.. -Perhaps it may be a moft delightful Part of the Entertainment of the Heavenly World, to learn from our bleffed Lord himself, or from those who converfed with him on Earth, a Multitude of fuch Particulars of his Life, as will be well worthy our everlasting Admiration. In the mean Time, the pious and attentive Study of what is here recorded, may moft happily prepare us for fuch Difcoveries, and add an unutterable Relish to them: Amen! So may it be, to the Author of this Expofition, and to all thofe, who do, or may peruse it! |
