THE SAVIOR'S ASCENSION
Lift up your heads, you gates, and O prepare,
Your living orbs, your everlasting doors,
The King of glory comes!
What King of glory? He whose massive might
Subdued Abaddon, and the infernal powers
Of darkness bound in adamantine chains,
Who, wrapped in glory, with the Father reign,
Omnipotent, immortal, infinite!'
"Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed
them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven."
Luke 24:50-51
"It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while
they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud." Acts 1:9
'It was, indeed, our Lord's ascension which unlocked the gates of heaven,
before shut upon us by our sins; which quenched the flaming sword, and
discharged the mighty cherubim which guarded Paradise from all access to
men.' -Barrow.
THE SAVIOR IN HIS ASCENSION
Lift up your heads, you everlasting gates,
And give the King of glory to come in;
Who is the King of glory? He who left
His throne of glory for the pang of death;
Lift up your heads, you everlasting gates,
And give the King of glory to come in;
Who is the King of glory? He who slew
The ravenous foe that gorged all human race!
The King of glory, He whose glory filled
Heaven with amazement at His love to man,
And with divine complacency beheld
Powers most illumined bewildered in the theme.' -Young
The divine mission of our blessed Savior on earth is, at length,
accomplished; and the time has come when He must ascend on high to carry on
His mediatorial work in the courts of heaven. His last weary footsteps from
the manger to the cross have been taken; His last agony has been endured; He
has been nailed to the accursed tree, and laid in the gloomy grave; He has
risen again in triumph, and appeared at different times to His disciples,
confirming their faith in Him as the Messiah, and preparing them to be
witnesses to all nations, of His resurrection and His majesty. Having
remained on earth forty days after His resurrection, and spoken to His
chosen friends of things pertaining to the kingdom of God, the salvation of
the soul, and the welfare of the church, the hour has come which His own
words, uttered at different times, must be accomplished, 'I go unto Him that
sent Me.' 'I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and Four
God.' 'I go to prepare a place for you.'
THE SAVIOR LEADS HIS DISCIPLES TO BETHANY. For the last time Jesus gathers
around Him His disciples, and gently leads them to Bethany, the sacred spot
chosen for His ascension. 'And He led them out as far as to Bethany.' What
Christian does not love to contemplate the Savior and His disciples in their
last visit to Bethany, and listen to the farewell words of Him who came to
redeem the world? With the Word of God in our hands, let us follow them as
they go to the scene of the ascension. Leaving Jerusalem they would, in all
probability, tread the same path on which they had so frequently set out in
their visits to the Mount of Olives. Descending the valley of Jehoshaphat,
'a deep and narrow ravine, which runs from north to south, between the Mount
of Olives and Mount Moriah,' they would cross the Kedron, and pass by the
Garden of Gethsemane.
Here let us pause for a moment, and contrast this visit with the one made by
the Savior in that night of suffering, when, after having instituted the
sacramental supper and comforted His disciples, He came out with them, and
went, 'as He was wont, to the Mount of Olives.' Then how different was it
with Jesus! Then how exceedingly sorrowful was His soul, when He went forth
to bear the sins of a world. And how severe were His sufferings, when
prostrated on the ground in that dark night of conflict and anguish, when
the very sod beneath Him was moistened, with 'great drops of blood' from His
sacred body, and when the agonizing cry came from His lips, 'O my Father, if
it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but
as You will!' Now, those terrible hours in Gethsemane are past. Now, the
Savior lifts up His head with joy. Now, has He finished His redeeming work.
Now, is He about to return with shouts of triumph to the mansions of bliss,
to wear His crown of mediatorial glory, to be highly exalted at the right
hand of God.
As we have already seen, He leads His disciples to Bethany, 'the town of
Mary and her sister Martha,' the home of love, around which so many tender
and interesting associations cluster. Here He had but recently given a proof
of His divinity by calling Lazarus from the grave; and now He gives another
still more glorious one in His own ascension to the heavenly home. He shows
that He is not only the resurrection and the life, but Lord of heaven; yes,
that He is exalted far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.
In His former visit to Olivet, when He went out to agonize there, we have
seen that He paused at the foot of the mountain in the garden of Gethsemane,
and that the place was to Him a valley of tears; now we see Him ascending
the Mount which becomes to Him a scene of the most rapturous joy. How well
is the life of the Christian here represented. To him earth is truly a
valley of tears and trials; but when he ascends Mount Zion- when he rises
with Jesus to the everlasting hills of Paradise, all tears shall be wiped
away and all sorrows excluded, while he shall rejoice in God his Savior
through all eternity.
Here, let us learn, like Jesus, our great Exemplar, to go up, with our souls
possessed in patience, from the valley of humiliation and tears to the mount
of joy and glory. Our blessed Lord and Master has taught us by His own
perfect example, which we are to copy, that the cross is the way to the
crown; that our severest earthly trials may become precious stepping stones
to heaven. At the foot of Olivet He suffers, He drinks of the brook by the
way; on the top of the same Mount He lifts up His head with joy, He ascends
with shouts of triumph to the heaven of heavens. Happy, indeed, are they,
who, relying on the atoning work of Christ for salvation, are crying to God
from the depths of their afflictions; they will soon rise to the Mount of
eternal pleasures. Conducted by angels, they will shortly be borne above the
storms and darkness of these lower regions to the peaceful and glorious
Mount Zion, the City of the living God; the heavenly Jerusalem.
THE SAVIOR BESTOWS HIS BLESSING ON HIS DISCIPLES. Having reached the scene
of His ascension the Savior attends, during the few moments He lingers on
earth, to the spiritual welfare of His disciples. He doubtless soothes and
cheers their hearts made sorrowful by the thought of their losing His bodily
presence, by promising them the Holy Spirit, and by other manifestations of
His tender regard for them. With outstretched arms He pours upon them His
parting benediction. 'And He lifted up His hands and blessed them.' How
delightful to think that the last words of Jesus on earth were those of
mercy! It well suited the character of Him who was henceforth to be a
'merciful and faithful High Priest' in the inner courts of heaven, thus to
leave earth. Moses, before he ascended Mount Nebo, to view the promised
land, and to be seen no more on earth, until his reappearance on the mount
of transfiguration, 'blessed the children of Israel.' And here Jesus, the
great Prophet like unto Moses, pronounces a blessing upon His chosen friends
just before He is taken from them. This is His delightful work. He was sent
to bless us in turning away every one of us from our iniquities.
During His divine pilgrimage He had always been mindful to bless His
disciples; and even now, while He stands on Mount Olivet, ready to be
attended in His ascension to heaven by thousands of His mighty angels, and
to sit down at the Father's right hand in glory, He is still engaged in the
work of promoting the spiritual welfare of His faithful followers on earth.
Instead of being wholly occupied with the thought of His own glorious
ascension and exaltation to the throne of the universe, He thinks of those
feeble ones whom He is leaving in a world of sorrow and persecution; and
stretches out His arms to bless them. Oh, to have listened to His blessed
words at the parting moment! Were they not like those precious words already
uttered by Him?- 'Let not your heart be troubled.' 'I go to prepare a place
for you.' 'Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you.' 'I will see
you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man takes from
you.'
Holy Jesus, You have blessed Your saints with peace. Your last look on earth
was one of love- Your last act one of blessing. You have redeemed Jacob, and
glorified Yourself in Israel. You have ascended to heaven, full of grace and
truth.
Christ having loved His own who were in the world, loved them unto the end.
He was in the very act of blessing His disciples when the cloud bore Him
away. 'And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them,
and carried up into heaven.' As long as their eyes could behold His
glorified form borne heavenward they could doubtless discern Him still
blessing them. His benediction was unfinished when He left the world, but
the work has ever since been carried on in the courts of Paradise- on the
Mount Zion above. The promise is still made good to the Church, 'The Lord
shall bless you out of Zion.' 'I will abundantly bless her provision.' 'I
will satisfy her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.' 'The Lord has been mindful of us:
He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel: He will bless the house
of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great.'
O, adorable Savior, who is highly exalted at God's right hand, 'look down
from Your holy habitation, from heaven,' upon us weary pilgrims in this
valley of tears; and crown us with Your blessing. Do, we beseech You, bless
us out of Zion. Command Your loving-kindness in the day-time, and in the
night may Your song be with us. O that You would bless us indeed, with all
spiritual and heavenly blessings from Your own unwasting fullness. 'Save
Your people, and bless Your inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up
forever.' Be our constant Guide through a bewildering world; and while we
remain here, lead us to the streams of grace- to the mount of ordinances- to
the feast of fat things which You have there prepared, where our souls may
be refreshed with Your richest blessing, until in death we hear the joyful
welcome to the skies, 'Well done, good and faithful servants; enter into the
joy of your Lord.'
'Gently, Lord, O gently lead us
Through this gloomy vale of tears,
Through the changes Thou'st decreed us,
Until our last great change appears.
O refresh us with Your blessing,
O refresh us with Your grace,
May Your mercies, never ceasing;
Fit us for Your dwelling place.
When temptation's darts assail us,
When in devious paths we stray,
Let Your goodness never fail us,
Lead us in Your perfect way.
O refresh us with Your blessing.
In the hour of pain and anguish,
In the hour when death draws near,
Suffer not our hearts to languish,
Suffer not our souls to fear.
O refresh us with Your blessing.
When this mortal life is ended,
Bid us in Your arms to rest,
Until by angel hands attended,
We awake among the blest.
O refresh us with Your blessing.
O then, crown us with Your blessing,
Through the triumphs of Your grace;
Then shall praises never ceasing
Echo through Your dwelling-place.
O refresh us with Your blessing.'
THE SAVIOR ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN. 'He was received up into heaven, and sat on
the right hand of God.' 'For Christ has not entered into the holy places
made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God for us.' 'Who has gone into heaven, and
is on the right hand of God.' He ascended up far above all heavens, and
entered the palace of Jehovah, the third heaven- the place where God
manifests Himself in the most illustrious manner, and where He is worshiped
with the most profound reverence by all the celestial inhabitants. It is not
for us to determine in what particular part of Jehovah's mighty empire
heaven is located. If it had been necessary for our salvation to have known
this, He, who came from those heavenly mansions to reveal the will of God to
man, would also have fully enlightened our minds on this point. It is
sufficient for us to know that heaven is a place of inconceivable glory and
blessedness, the seat of the divine majesty, where the throne of God is
erected, where holy angels dwell and adore, where the spirits of just men
made perfect are singing the song of Moses and of the Lamb, and where all
the redeemed, in glorified and immortal bodies, shall finally be brought to
be forever with the Lord.
When Jesus spoke to His disciples of His departure from earth, He called it
an ascension to His Father and their Father, to His God and their God. Hear
His language further on this point: 'I have come forth from the Father, and
am come into the world; again, I leave the world and go to the Father.' 'And
now, O Father, glorify Me with the glory which I had with You before the
world was.'
From Mount Olivet Christ actually returned to the bosom of the Father- to
His original and eternal dignity. In the presence of His wondering disciples
He ascended to the glorious place and company from which He originally came-
to 'that place of all in situation most high, in quality most holy, in
dignity most excellent, in glory most august; the inmost sanctuary of God's
temple above, not made with hands; the most special presence-chamber in the
heavenly courts.' As He passed from the gaze of His disciples, He
immediately entered within the veil, the holiest of all, the holy places not
made with hands- into 'those intimate recesses of inconceivable and
incommunicable glory, the place of God's more especial presence and
residence.' There His glorified body now is, and will continue to be, until
the times of restitution of all things, until He shall be revealed from
heaven with His mighty angels, and with power and great glory.
How it should rejoice us to know that our blessed Savior has ascended to
heaven; that He is now seated on His glorious throne; and that He will soon
come and gather us home to Himself in that better country, where we shall
behold Him face to face, still clothed with that glorified body, which in
His infinite love He assumed for us, and shining in all His ineffable
splendor as the Sun of Righteousness! Christ intended that the news of His
ascension to heaven should cheer the hearts of His disconsolate disciples,
when, on the morning of His resurrection, He directed the weeping Mary to go
to them with this message from His lips; 'I ascend unto my Father and your
Father, and to my God and your God.' May our souls be refreshed by these
words, while we think of the glorious place to which Christ has ascended,
and of the endearing relation which the Father and the Son sustain to us in
the bond of the everlasting covenant!
THE SAVIOR ASCENDED IN A TRIUMPHANT AND GLORIOUS MANNER AND WAS RECEIVED
WITH THE GREATEST ACCLAMATIONS IN THE COURTS ABOVE. 'You have ascended on
high, You have led captivity captive.' 'God is gone up with a shout, the
Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing
praises unto our King, sing praises.' In the ascension of Christ we have a
most illustrious display of His triumph over all His and our foes. As none
ever spoke like Jesus, so none ever triumphed like Him. Even while He was
extended on the cross, as a bleeding agonizing victim, in the midst of the
most severe conflict with the powers of darkness, He triumphed over sin,
Satan, and death itself. He came from the grave in triumph, and now as He
ascends from the heights of Olivet, He gives the clearest manifestation,
that He is still 'the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.'
Having spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in His cross, He is now received up into glory with a
shout and the sound of a trumpet.
If we are the true followers of Christ, we shall also, at the close of our
earthly pilgrimage, triumphantly ascend to the realms of glory. By faith in
that divine blood which was poured out upon the cross, we shall be more than
conquerors over all our foes. Like Paul, we may, through grace, be enabled
to say in our last moments, when angels are ready to conduct us to mansions
of felicity in the skies, 'I have fought a good fight.' 'Thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Or like Payson, we
may exclaim, while contemplating our earthly conflicts now about to cease
forever, 'The battle's fought, the battle's fought, and the victory is won!
The victory is won forever! I am going to bathe in an ocean of purity, and
benevolence, and happiness, to all eternity.' Then let us gird on the
Christian armor, and fight under the banner of King Jesus, so shall we
triumph with Him through all the ages of a blissful eternity. We may even
now adopt the language of exultation and praise; 'Thanks be unto God, who
always causes us to triumph in Christ.'
What a glorious hour was that for the Savior, when, after having finished
His work on Calvary, He ascended to His heavenly throne! With the admiring
and adoring disciples on the heights of Olivet, gaze on the solemn and
mysterious scene. See Him rising majestically from the earth, until a bright
cloud, emblematic of the Divine presence, receives Him out of the sight of
beholders on earth. He is not alone in His ascension. Thousands of angels
attend Him with songs of triumph to the throne of God. In allusion to His
glorious and triumphant ascension the Psalmist says: 'The chariots of God
are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in
Sinai, in the holy place.' With the eye of faith contemplate the Savior as
He is thus accompanied to His Father's throne; and think of the glory and
triumph which crowned Him when He entered heaven. Listen to the sublime song
of the heavenly host as the pearly gates of the new Jerusalem are opened for
the King of glory to come in, and take possession of His kingdom and receive
His crown. 'Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King
of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the
Lord, invincible in battle. Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord
Almighty-he is the King of glory.'
Now the arches of heaven resound with the sweetest music, while the praises
of our all-conquering Emmanuel are thus celebrated. Now every angel sounds
on his golden harp the praises of Christ our mighty King; sings of His
glories and His triumphs; and welcomes Him to the blessed regions of
immortality. We believe the following scripture passage has particular
reference to the solemnity, the joy, and the triumph of that hour, when
Christ, in human nature, passed through the everlasting gates of glory, and
was seated at the right hand of God: 'Then I looked again, and I heard the
singing of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and the living
beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: "The Lamb is
worthy-the Lamb who was killed. He is worthy to receive power and riches and
wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing."
Praise Him still, you bright hosts on high, while saints join with you in
extolling the rich grace of the Lamb who was slain.
'When all arrayed in light
The shining Conqueror rode,
You hailed his rapturous flight
Up to the throne of God;
And waved around
Your golden wings,
And struck your string
Of sweetest sound.
The warbling notes pursue,
And louder anthems raise;
While mortals sing with you
Their own Redeemer's praise
And you, my heart,
With equal flame,
And joy the same,
Perform your part.'
THE SAVIOR ASCENDED TO OPEN THE GATES OF LIFE AND IMMORTALITY TO MAN. Now
the riches and glories of the celestial Paradise are freely offered to us,
and those shining gates on high are continually thrown wide open for our
entrance. No cherubim with flaming sword now stand at the gates of Paradise
to exclude us from entering in, and partaking of the fruit of the tree of
life, and drinking at the fountain of immortality. Now we have 'boldness to
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which
He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.' O
you, whose hearts are absorbed with the passing objects around you, lift up
your eyes to the heavenly Canaan. See this new and living way opened to that
better land, by the ascension and exaltation of the Savior. Why should the
fast-fading scenes of earth engage so much of your affection, since there is
an infinitely nobler inheritance in heaven, to which there is now so free
and easy an access? Why should you confine your views to this region of
vicissitude, pain, and death, since the land of immortality lies before you
in all its beauty, richness, excellency, and attractiveness; and since the
command is given, 'Arise, and possess the land?'
Why should you exclude yourselves from that world where flows the pure river
of life, since a highway has been prepared, and the message proclaimed in
your ears, 'Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the waters!' 'Whoever will,
let him take the water of life freely.' Why should you perish eternally,
since the heavens are opened, and crowns of glory shining for the faithful?
By faith in Christ seek an entrance into that happy world, where you will
behold the face of God our Savior in righteousness, and dwell forever in His
glorious presence.
THE SAVIOR RETURNED TO THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE
HEAVENLY INHERITANCE FOR US, AND TO PREPARE MANSIONS OF FELICITY FOR OUR
RECEPTION WHEN THE VOYAGE OF LIFE IS PAST. This is a soul-comforting thought
to the believer, walking by faith in a world of sin, and sorrow, and death.
How cheering to know that we have a Friend on high, preparing for us the
most sublime joys! Christ did not return to the celestial mansions in His
own name merely, or for the sole advancement of His own glory. No. When He
made His triumphant entrance into the glorious sanctuary above, it was that,
as our great High Priest, He might enter into the most holy place FOR us.
'Where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus.'
In those heavens to which He ascended from Mount Olivet, He is now preparing
for us many mansions of felicity- many crowns of glory- many garments of
salvation- many songs of praise- many palms of victory; yes, infinitely more
of heavenly goodness than the mind of man can conceive. 'Oh, how great is
Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You; which You have
wrought for those who trust in You before the sons of men!'
THE SAVIOR ASCENDED ON HIGH THAT HE MIGHT BESTOW UPON US THE MOST PRECIOUS
GIFTS. 'When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave
gifts to his people.' 'You have received gifts for men; yes, for the
rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.' Among these
divine favors is the gift of the Holy Spirit, a most precious fruit of the
Savior's ascension. It was necessary that Christ should enter into His
heavenly glory before the Holy Spirit should be given in an extraordinary
measure. In that beautiful, consolatory discourse to His disciples on the
eve of His suffering, our Savior reminds them of this important truth. 'It
is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.' The
Spirit's operation was greatly restrained until the Savior, in His glorified
humanity, entered the heavenly sanctuary to appear in the presence of God
for us. Hence it is said by John, with reference to a certain occasion, 'The
Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.'
When the Savior left His sorrowing disciples alone in this valley of
mortality, and returned to His Father and the glories of heaven, how mindful
was He of the promise He had made concerning His blessed Spirit! How soon
were the hearts of the disciples made glad under the gracious influence of
this Heavenly Comforter! How wondrously was He 'poured out' upon them on the
day of Pentecost, when the words of the prophets were so gloriously
accomplished! 'And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my
Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon
the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out no
Spirit.' 'I will pour water upon him who is thirsty, and floods upon the dry
ground: I will pour my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your
offspring.'
How true has the Savior been to His word! How often, in later times, has He
blessed His church with remarkable outpourings of His Holy Spirit! Look at
the great revivals of religion, which have taken place since the days of the
apostles; and you will still see in every age the blessed effects of the
Savior's ascension, and the rich manifestations of His goodness. May the
Holy Sprit continue to be poured out upon us in the largest measure, until
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover
the sea.
The Spirit is given to supply the Savior's absence, and to apply to our
souls the redemption finished on Calvary. It is His blessed work to glorify
Jesus- to testify of Him. 'But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name; He shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you.' 'He shall
glorify me: for He shall receive of me, and shall show it unto you.' 'But
when the Comforter has come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even
the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of me.'
By His divine operation 'the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts;' and
through His power we are renewed- sanctified- filled 'with all joy and peace
in believing,' and 'abound in hope' of a blissful immortality.
The Spirit reveals the Savior to our souls in a manner that renders Him
exceedingly precious in our estimation. He shows us His excellence- the
perfections of His divine nature, as the brightness of the Father's glory-
His power, as the Creator of all things- His wisdom- His immutability- His
eternity. He exhibits to us the amazing love of Jesus to sinners- the
wonders of His incarnation- the amiableness of His life on earth- the
spotless purity of His character- the unparalleled sufferings of His life-
the fruits of His death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession. He shows
us His suitableness to our needs as sinners; points us to Calvary, and
whispers in our ears the cheering truth, that we have redemption through the
blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins. He comforts us amid all the
tribulations of earth, by assuring us that our trials are but light and
momentary, by perfecting His strength in our weakness, by bringing to our
remembrance the many precious words of the Lord Jesus, by communicating to
us the things of God, by lifting our hearts above the world, and by pointing
us to a home of rest and glory beyond the skies; where tribulation, and
anguish, and death, never come. Yes, by His divine power thus operating on
our minds, He enables us to look far beyond the present; to direct faith's
far-reaching eye to our Father's house, and the fountains of immortal life,
flowing through those 'sweet fields beyond the swelling flood,' the sight of
which makes us long to be there, that we may see Jesus as He is, and taste
His goodness on the shores of the promised land. Oh, then-
'Descend from heaven, immortal Dove,
Stoop down and take us on Your wings,
And mount and bear us far above
The reach of these inferior things.
Beyond, beyond this lower sky,
Up where eternal ages roll;
Where solid pleasures never die,
And fruits immortal feast the soul.'
Oh, Spirit of truth, come and enlighten my mind with a knowledge of the
truth as it is in Jesus; and may I know and choose the way to eternal life.
Reveal the Savior to my view in all the beauty of His Person, the excellency
of His character, and the richness of His grace. Convince me of sin; show me
my danger; and lead me as an humble penitent to the foot of the cross, the
only hiding-place from the wind- the only covert from the tempest. There may
I be enabled by Your aid, to see the burden of my sins sustained by the
Redeemer when He hung upon the cross in agonies and death; and with admiring
eyes, may I behold Him as my Savior, my Lord, and my God. Let Jesus be
unspeakably precious to my soul, while, through Your assistance, I discover
in Him an infinite fullness of grace, and truth, and glory. Oh, come and
make my heart Your dwelling-place; be my Comforter in a world of
tribulation; be my Guardian, my Sanctifier, and my Guide. Prepare me for all
the events of my earthly pilgrimage; and conduct me, at length, to the
blessed enjoyment of the inheritance of the saints in light.
'Blessed Spirit! beautify my soul
With humble joy and holy fear;
Your power can make the wounded whole,
And bring each gospel blessing near.
Descend and dwell within my heart;
The Savior's image let me bear;
Then bid me hence with joy depart,
And angels' bliss forever share.'
Blessed Jesus, from Your sacred throne in glory, shed on us Your Holy
Spirit. Oh, may He come down 'like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that
water the earth;' and may His graces distill as the dew, enlightening,
cheering, refreshing, and beautifying our souls. May we seek the Lord until
He comes and rains down righteousness upon us. May we seek Your Spirit
continually, knowing that without Him we are helpless; that if any man has
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. Blessed be Your name, You have
encouraged us to pray for the Spirit, to ask Him of the Father. 'If you
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much
more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?'
IN THE ASCENSION OF THE SAVIOR HUMAN NATURE IS ADVANCED TO THE HIGHEST
DIGNITY, HONOR, AND FELICITY. How cheering to the believer is the thought,
that He who is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, is now seated on a
heavenly throne, and wields the scepter of universal dominion! Human nature
was never so honored as when Christ assumed it; and never so advanced and
ennobled as when He ascended with it to the mansions of glory. In heaven,
our nature, in the Person of Jesus, is far exalted above that of seraphim
and cherubim; for we read of 'angels, and authorities, and powers being made
subject unto Him.'
Yes, He who, in His incomparable love, condescended to assume humanity, and
'was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,' is now
'crowned with glory and honor' above all those bright angelic messengers who
stand in the presence of God to perform His high commands. 'Being made so
much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more
excellent name than they.' 'For unto which of the angels did He at any time
say, You are my Son, this day have I begotten you? And again, I will be to
Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son?' Here is a matter of wonder and
admiration to saints as well as to angels themselves; a mystery which all
those holy intelligences around the throne above, are endeavoring, with
their mighty energies, to unfold; a mystery which will be the wonder and the
study of ceaseless ages. Humanity united to divinity, and raised above
angels in dignity and honor! How wonderful!
What an honor is it to be a Christian; to be thus united to the Son of God;
to be redeemed by His precious blood; to be advanced to such unspeakable
dignity, and honor, and happiness in heaven, to be brought even nearer the
throne of Jehovah than those pure and excellent spirits who have never
sinned, and who have always been clothed with the most illustrious majesty!
'This honor have all His saints.' What a soul-entrancing thought!
'And what, in yonder realms above,
Is ransomed man ordained to be?
With honor, holiness, and love,
No seraph more adorned than he.
Nearest the throne, and first in song,
Man shall his hallelujahs raise;
While wondering angels round him throng,
And swell the chorus of his praise.'
ONE GREAT Lesson THE ASCENSION OF THE SAVIOR TEACHES US, IS THE ELEVATION OF
OUR MINDS ABOVE THE TRANSITORY OBJECTS OF EARTH TO THE PERMANENT FELICITIES
OF HEAVEN. 'Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your
sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in
the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think
only about things down here on earth.' It is the privilege of believers to
do not be only quickened together with Christ, but made to sit together with
Him in heavenly places. When He ascended to the mansions of glory, we
virtually rose with Him to the same state of felicity. Heaven is now our
true, abiding home. While on earth we are strangers and pilgrims, far from
our final rest. And while such is our condition here, should we not often
think of our heavenly home? Should not heaven attract us more and more as we
journey through life? Shall we still cleave to earth, since Christ has
obtained eternal salvation for us, and passed into the heavens to prepare a
way for our entrance into those unending joys in the presence of God?
Oh, let our best affections be placed on those spiritual and divine things
above. Let the noblest aspirations of our minds be after a more intimate
knowledge of Jesus in His ascension and session at God's right hand. Let us
look beyond this valley of tears and keep our eyes fixed on that better
country where the Savior ever reigns in glorious majesty- where the
fountains of bliss ever flow - where the tree of life ever spreads its
delightful shade and yields its immortal fruits- where all is unending joy,
and love, and peace, and felicity!
Oh! sweet abode of peace and love,
Where pilgrims freed from toil are blessed,
Had I the pinions of a dove,
I'd fly to you and be at rest.'
Let our hearts be more and more disentangled from the cares and temptations
of the present life- let us live in the world as those who are not of it- as
those whose treasure is in heaven, and whose hearts are there also. The
nearer a Christian comes to heaven the less he loves or esteems the world;
just as a mariner when he leaves port, the land he has left behind him
appears less and less in his view, until it seems to shrink to a point and
at last totally disappears. If we are quickened into a new and spiritual
life by the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, our affections will rise
heavenward. We will be continually lifting up our eyes to the hills, from
where our help comes from, endeavoring to bring the realities of future,
eternal things more vividly before our minds, and to realize our interest in
them.
O my soul, rise above these earthly scenes; and, on the wings of faith, soar
to the realms of the blessed, where Jesus is enthroned in unspeakable glory,
reigning as the life, the hope, the treasure, and the head of believers.
'Look up, my soul, toward the eternal hills,
Those heavens are fairer than they seem,
There, pleasures glide in its crystal rills,
There, not a dreg of guilt defiles,
Nor guilt disturbs the stream;
There is no cursed soil, no tainted spring,
No roses grow on thorns, nor honey wears a sting.'
Blessed Jesus, we rejoice that You have accomplished our salvation on earth,
and ascended triumphantly into heaven to enter into Your glory, to appear in
the presence of God in our behalf, and to prepare a blissful home for us. We
beseech You to show us Your glory, and to raise our hearts, our hopes, and
our desires, to that blessed world to which You have ascended. O may our
souls be daily rising, in holy thought, towards those 'sweet fields arrayed
in living light,' where the 'weepers cease to weep,' and where the ransomed
of the Lord shall forever obtain joy and gladness. May our thoughts become
heavenly, and our hearts be attuned to those songs with which the arches of
heaven shall resound to all eternity!
'Deign from Your glory, Savior, now to shed
On us Your quickening Spirit's influence,
That risen with You, our hearts with strong desire
May seek the things above, and join the strain
Of seraphs that surround Your sapphire throne,
Mingle our songs with theirs, until, in one tide
Of harmony, the pealing anthem roll
Over the eternal hills, and waft Your deathless fame.'
O my Savior, wean my heart from earth, and enable me to place my affection
on things above. May I be truly risen and exalted with You. May I dwell with
delight on the glories of Your ascension, and the honors which were bestowed
upon You when the portals of bliss were opened for Your entrance, and when a
voice from the Father, said, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make Your
enemies footstool under your feet.' May I rejoice to know that You still
wear our nature on the heavenly throne, and that You will be clothed with it
to all eternity, for the admiration, the joy, and the happiness of the
redeemed.
Prepare me for ascending to be with You in the mansions of light, to behold
Your matchless glory, and to sit with You on Your throne. As I pass along
the valley of life, may Your gracious presence go with me; and when I stand
on the banks of the river of death, while the scenes of earth are forever
vanishing from my view, oh, may I hear You whispering in my ear the blessed
words, Today shall you be with me in Paradise.
'Then, Savior, then, my soul receive,
Transported from this valley to live
And reign with You above;
Where faith is sweetly lost in sight,
And hope in full supreme delight,
And everlasting love.'