Ver, i Y , the 17th Chapter of St. J O H N. 12 their Cafe, that they are to flay in the World ; as thofe that are in the Haven, pity their Fellows that are left behind at Sea in the midíl of the Storm. [./Ind I come unto thee.] An Explication of what he laid before, I am no more in the World ; only it addeth fomething more. I am no more in the World, implieth only Ns Death ; but I come to thee, his Afcenlion. It is expreffed before, John 16. g. 1 go my way to him that fens me. l go to the Father, Verf. to. I am about to enter into the Glory of the Father. It doth not fignify, as Lyranus would have it, I come to thee in Prayer, by way of Addref and Supplication ; but, I come to be with thee in Glory. Mark, there was a great deal of Time yet to pats, forty Days after the Refurreltion; Faith prefents Things future, as prefent ; in this fence we enter Heaven before our Time. In this Claufe, the Occafion, I obferve three Things. I. Chrift's Afcenfion. Father, I come to thee. 11. The neceflary ceafing of his Corporal Prefence, by virtue of that Afcenfion. I am no more in the World. III. Chrift's care to make up that Defeft to his People, it is the Occafion of the prefent Addrefs to God. Of thefe in their order. I. Of Chrifl's Afcenfion. I come to thee. Here's, 0, The Hiftory. 21y, The Reafons. 31y, The Benefits. 41..r, The life that we may make of it. VI, The Hifiory of Chrift's Afcenfion. There are many Circumftances ; Y !hall touch upon them briefly. t. The Time when he had finilhed his Work, not only of Doing and Suffering, but giving fufficient Infrruflions to the Apofiles about his Kingdom. Alts I. 3. He was fien of them forty days, fpea!¿ing of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. As Hezekiab was to fit boo Houle in order before he died, Ifa. 38. I. So Chrift would not afcend into Heaven, till he had let all at rights upon Earth. Chrift would have his Houfe well governed after his Death, and therefore flayeth forty Days to givefnftruhlions. 2. The Place from whence he afcended.; from the Mount of Olives, Alls 1. 1 a. A Mount, an high and eminent Place, to afcertain them of the Truth of his Attention ; he did not withdraw himfelf fecretly, as at other times, but in open view. The Placé is yet again notable : the Mount of Olives was the Place from whence he went to be ,crucified ; the fame Mountain yielded him a Paffage to his Crofs and his Crown : there his Pains and Torments began, in the Garden of that Mount, and thence he attended. How often doth the Lord make that Place, that hath been the Scene of our Sorrows, to be the firft Steps to our Riling and Advancement. Where -ever the Saints die, they have their 0livet, in the Prifon, on the Scaffold ; their Sick -Beds, where they have been wracked with tormenting Pains. As fometimes with Wicked Men,. the Place of 'Sin, is the Place of Vengeance. So dhaÇrpogs licked up his Blood, in the fame place where he fhed the Blood of Naboth. 3. The Place to which, the '¡'bird Heaven. The Tabernacle figured the Church, the Temple Heaven. In the Temple were three Partitions ; the Court, where was the Altar of Burnt - Offerings ; the Holy Place, where was the Table, Candleftick, . Shew-bread, and the Altar of Burnt- Incenfc ; then the Holy of Holies, where the High Prieft came once a Year. So in that vaft fpace, which the Scriptures call Heaven; there are, as it were, three Stories, the Etherial Heaven, the Starry Heaven, and the Heaven of Heavens ; into this Chrift, as our High Prieft, is entred. There was not only a change of his Prefence, but a tranllation of his Body into the High and Holy Place. 4. The Witneffes, the Eleven Apofdes, there were his choice Witneffes, not the whole Company of Believers; (Lq9 ä. Anothet
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