come again in the same manner, in which he departed; but he will come locally from heaven in the clouds, according to Philip. iii. 20. 1 Thess. i. 10. iv. 16, therefore he also ascended locally (e) The phrases of "receiving up, departing to the Father, going, and going away," which are used here, intimate a change of place. (f) The omnipresence of Christ's body militates against the nature of that body, which cannot be present in more than one place at the same time: moreover, omnipresence is an incommunicable attribute of God.

We must now defend the orthodoxy of our church on this head against two objections, which are offered by the Lutherans.

(a) The first is thus proposed in the forty seventh question: “Is not Christ then with us even to the end of the world, as he hath promised?" This he promised, Matt. xxviii. 20, but it follows not from this promise, that he is present with us according to his body; for, seeing he is God and man in one person, therefore he can be truly present with his people according to his Godhead, majesty, grace, and Spirit, although he be not present with them according to his body when he had no body, he was present with his people, by his Spirit and grace, for he promised, Exod. xx. 24. "In all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee, and bless thee." Why then cannot he, now he hath a finite and limited body, also be present with us without his body? yea, when he promiseth that he will be present with his Spirit and grace, he denies that he will be present with his body: "If I go not away," saith he, "the Comforter will not come unto you; but, if I depart, I will send him unto you," John xvi. 7.

(b) The second objection is, that the human nature ought to be wherever the Godhead is, or that otherwise those two natures will be separated, one from the other, which being impossible, the human nature must be present wherever the Godhead is. We should allow this consequence, to wit, that the human nature is in all places with the Godhead, on account of the union of the two natures, if those two natures were united in such a manner as to be mixed, or to be equal one to the other; but the two natures are not united in this manner, but the divine nature, which is infinite, assumed the human nature, which is finite, into a personal union with itself. It follows from this, that wherever the human nature is, there also the Codhead is, and that it remains personally united to the human nature; but it doth not follow that the human nature is wherever the Godhead is, For instance, the sun is united to its beams, but the sun is not wherever its beams are.

(c) They say also, that "Christ filleth all things," according to Eph. iv. 10. But it is not said, that he fills all places with his body; but the apostle speaks only of his filling up that which was lacking in his church with the gifts of grace, by means of his servants, whom he gives. See Eph. iv. 11, 12, 13.

Ii. Our second general head is the reality of his ascension into heaven. And verily we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the glory of his ascension, for it can be proved by the most forcible arguments; (a) Seeing he is risen, as we have fully proved on the foregoing Lord's day that he really arose. The force of this argument lies herein, that since he is risen, if he did not ascend into heaven, he must then either have died again, which none can imagine with any probability, or he must have been found here or there, as it was a manifest evidence, that Elijah was really ascended, because he could not be found, 2 Kings ii. 16, 17, 18. Now our Jesus was not found. (b) It is also certain, that he ascended into heaven, because those who testified it, saw it with their eyes; "He was taken up, while they beheld," Acts i. 9. Yea, since this uptaking he hath been seen in heaven: "Stephen saw the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God," Acts vii. 56. And he was seen last of all by Paul, as by one born out of due time," 1 Cor. xv. 8, to wit, when he appeared to him on the way to Damascus, Acts ix. 4-7, 17. The testimony of these persons cannot be deemed suspicious, as we have proved on the foregoing Lord's day. (c) If we attend to the events following his ascension, as the outpouring of his Spirit, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the conversion of the world, and all this according to his prophecies; and also the outgoings of the hearts of believers toward him in heaven, through the operation of his Spirit, who is sent to them from heaven by Christ, and leads them up to him, we must conclude with a full persuasion of mind, that he really ascended into heaven.

III. We must also be certain, that this ascension into heaven was necessary, (a) because it was foretold, and indeed with such an assurance of mind, as if it had already happened; thus they shouted to him, Psa'm lxviii. 18, "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men: yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them." Jesus himself foretold it, John xiv. 15, 16, 20. Now this could not fail. (b) It was also typified: we do not speak now of Enoch and Elijah, see only how the high priest went once a year with strange blood. into the holy of holies, and thereby plainly represented that the true

High Priest should enter into heaven itself with his own blood. Paul assures of this, Heb. ix. 7, 12, 24, 25. It was also typified by the bringing of the ark of the covenant up into the city of David, and into the temple, 2 Sam. vi. 12, 15. 1 Kings viii. 1-6. That this had a respect to the ascension of the Lord Jesus into heaven, the people of the Lord inform us, when they cry one to another, while they were bringing the ark up, “God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet," Psalm xlvii. 5. Since now these types foreshowed the people of the Lord, yea, sealed to them on the part of God, that his Son should ascend into heaven, therefore it was also necessary, that he should ascend into heaven.

(c) The ascension of Christ was necessary also on the Father's account, who would not suffer that his Son should always remain absent from him, inasmuch as "he was his delight," Prov. viii. 3, and also on the Son's account, who ought to receive in this manner, his promised reward, that "he should lift up the head," according to that which is said, Psalm cx. 7. It was necessary also on account of the elect, who would otherwise have missed the greatest and most necessary advantage of his ascension: therefore he quieted them with this consideration, when they were greatly disturbed on account of his departure, saying, "It is expedient for you that I go away," John xvi. 7. And thus,

IV. We proceed to our fourth general head, to wit, the advantaof the ascension of the Lord. The instructor mentions three advantages:

ges

1. "That he is our advocate inthe presence of his Father in heaven." We explained the nature of Christ's advocacy, when we discoursed of his priesthood on the twelfth Lord's day; to perfect which, it was necessary that he should ascend into heaven,; "for if he were on earth, he would not be a priest," Heb. vii. 5. It was therefore necessary, that he should ascend into heaven, and thus, like the high priest under the Old Testament, enter into the Sanctúary, "to appear in the presence of God for us," Rom. viii. 34. It is true, he could pray for his people on earth, as he also did, John xvii. but on account of his certain expectation, that he would shortly be taken up into heaven, he prays, John xvii. as if he were already in heaven: therefore he saith, vrs. 11, "I am no more in the world," and vrs. 24. “I will also that they whom thou hast given me be where I am." And it is truly a great advantage to his people, that they have such an advocate at court, before the throne, who pleads for them, and who will assuredly gain their cause. With this John supported the minds of believers under their dejection on account

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of their sins, when he said, 1 John ii. 1, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

2. Of no less consequence is the second advantage, to wit, "that we have our flesh in heaven, as a sure pledge, that he as the head will also take up to himself, us his members." Believers know of nothing worthier or more blessed than that Christ will take them up to him in heaven: "For this being far the best, Paul was therefore desirous to depart, and to be with Christ," Philip. i. 23. The words with which believers must comfort one another, are that they shall be taken up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall ever be with the Lord," 1 Thess. iv. 17, 18. This great advantage follows from his ascension, as he himself testifieth, John xiv. 3, "If I go, and prepare a place for you. I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." It is not strange, that being ascended into heaven. he will take them also to himself into heaven; for (a) he is there, as their sure pledge, since he is their portion and treasure, given to them in behalf of that house of their Father, which confirms and ensures heaven to them, as their property, and therefore the apostle saith that "they were set together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," Eph. ii. 6, For he is only gone before them, to take possession, and to prepare a place for them beforehand, as their forerunner, Heb. v. 19, 20. John xiv. 2, 3. (b) He is there also as their own flesh. On account of the mystical marriage, they are one with him, and are thus "of his flesh and of his bones," Eph. v. 30. Now it is certain that a part of their flesh and bones, yea, their bridegroom and husband, being in heaven, he will not suffer his own flesh and bones, his other half, his beloved bride and wife, to remain always absent from him. (c) He is also in heaven, as their head: therefore he will take them up to himself as his members.

The sending of his heaven: this he de

3. Moreover," he sends his Spirit as an earnest, by whose power we seek the things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, and not things on earth." Spirit is a consequence of his ascension into clares, John xvi. 7, "If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I denart, I will send him unto you." As this was also foretold, Psalm Ixviii 18, and fulfilled by him, Acts ii. 33. The Spirit is a so an earnest to believers, whereby they are assured, as by a sealed epistle, of their right to Jesus and to heaven; for "God hath sealed them, and given them the earnest of the Spirit in their hearts," 2 Cor. i 21. See also Eph. i. 13, 14. iv. 30. Yea, the Holy Spirit is like a pledge in the stead of Christ; therefore he said, when

he was about to go away; "I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever," John xiv. 16. And truly he is an infallible seal and pledge, as he not only sets the mark of Jesus upon their souls, by "changing them from glory to glory after his image," 2 Cor. iii. 18, and assures them, "bearing witness with their spirits, that they are the children of God," Rom. viii. 16, but as he also directs them to Jesus, and leads them to him, yea, causes them by his power to "seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting on the right hand of God, and not the things which are on earth," according to Coll. iii. 3, and that not only by admonitions, but also by efficaciously directing and leading them thither, by which means their conversation is in heaven; for "the good Spirit of God leads them into the land of uprightness," Psalm cxliii. 10. Is not this now a precious advantage of Christ's ascension into heaven? is it now possible, that they should lose their right and expectation? Have they not a double ensurance upon heaven? certainly they have: for they have their own flesh, as a pledge, in heaven, and also the Holy Spirit, as an earnest in their souls, in the stead of Jesus.

APPLICATION.

Since then Christ is in heaven, we conclude, that he is not in or with the bread and wine in the Lord's supper, either by a consubstantiation, as the Lutherans conceive, or by a transubstantiation, to wit, a real change of the bread and wine into the flesh and blood of Christ, as the Papists imagine for as he is with his human nature in heaven, and continueth there in that nature until his final coming, therefore he cannot be with his human nature in the Lord's supper.

We conclude also from what hath been said, that believers have a glorious Saviour; for "they have a great High priest, who is passed into the heavens," Heb. iv. 14, "Who is made higher than the heavens," Heb. vii. 26, and that by his own power. Wonderfully were Enoch and Elijah glorified above other saints, when they ascended into heaven with body and soul together, without tasting of death; but it was not through their own power, but through Christ's power, who took them up: but he was raised to heaven by his own power and strength. Yea, more he ascended for the good of believers, and to procure them the greatest and most precious