Tracts for the Christian Seasons. ASCENSION DAY. Christ's Ascension, and ours through Him. PROPER LESSONS: Morning, 1st. Deut. x. ; 2nd. St. Luke xxiv. ver. 44; EPISTLE, Acts i. 1. GOSPEL, St. Mark xvi. 14. OUR Lord, as on this day, led His disciples out as far as to Bethany; thither had they often followed Him before, for Jesus had "ofttimes resorted thither;" it was an old familiar scene, a beloved haunt of Christ and His Apostles; it was associated in their minds with many former acts; and as they took the accustomed path, it is but natural to suppose that they mused on the things that had happened in past days, especially on those that had lately happened, and were above all things likely to keep fresh in their memories. We know how places act on the memory, and bring before us past events in strong relief; when we pass again through scenes where we greatly rejoiced or greatly sorrowed, every object in the way serves to revive the former state of feeling, the former circumstances, the former frame of mind, whether of joy or sorrow. The road to Bethany, Bethany itself, could not have been seen by the Apostles without stirring their souls to the very deepest depths, especially as they were so closely connected with the momentous days and acts of the week in which He suffered. And yet the disciples may have said to themselves as they contrasted those days with the day then present, "we have regained our Master now; though once when He said, ‘a little while and ye shall not see Me, and again, a little while and ye shall see Me,' we understood not His saying, now it is plain; He went from us for a little while, and He has come back; we see Him again in this very Bethany; our heart does greatly rejoice to possess once more our beloved Lord, who is now more than ever known to us as truly our Lord and God by His resurrection; we now follow Him who has conquered death; great is our privilege and our joy." If any such thoughts crossed their minds, it was but fresh proof that when we see most, we see as through a glass darkly;" as formerly they knew not when the hour of Christ's suffering was fully come, as they did not then understand that "it behoved Christ to suffer," as they then missed the meaning of many of His sayings concerning His death, so now, when "He led them out as far as to Bethany," they little guessed, little suspected or foresaw what was about to happen; they were enjoying His presence, little dreaming how soon it behoved Him to enter into His glory." It was now forty days since His resurrection; and doubtless they thought that day after day would still pass on before He departed, or perhaps the thought of His departure was but little entertained. But the time was come; the whole work of Christ on earth was finished and complete. He had suffered; He had risen; He had shewn Himself alive" by many infallible proofs;" He had unfolded many things to His disciples concerning the mysteries of His kingdom; He had more fully instructed them in the truth; He had talked more deeply and filled their minds with treasures of wisdom which He had before hidden from their eyes; He had revealed Himself to them more fully. After this, why should He stay? Why should He linger any more in the sinful abode of man? Why any longer exile Himself from His glory? The time of His departure was come. He had tarried on earth till all that He had to do was finished; and now for cr He was the last time His foot pressed the earth; for the last time He touched that world in which He had performed such wonderful and mysterious acts of love, in which He had wrought salvation for mankind, in which He had become man, died the death of man, suffered the pains of death, loosed the pains, risen triumphantly from the grave; for the last time He stood with His flock. And then it was that He blessed the disciples. To bless them was His parting act of love; "while He blessed them," while the words of blessing were in their ears, while His hands moved in the act of blessing, parted from them;" suddenly-in an instantwithout warning, "He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." He was with them, and lo, in a moment He was gone; He was springing upwards; He was ascending; He was winging His way to heaven's glorious gate; He was mounting higher and higher in His heavenly flight; He was drawing their eyes up and up till "a cloud received Him out of their sight." All was over then. He was gone indeed. There was the spot where He had stood; there was the empty space; there was the little circle of followers, but the centre of the circle, the Master, the Teacher, the Guide, was gone. Wondering eyes had followed Him as He rose, and those eyes were still strained after Him though the cloud was between them and their Lord; stunned, awe-struck, overwhelmed with surprise, filled with amazement, they might have stood for hours lost in silent wonder, still gazing up, not daring to speak or move, had not angels sent from God recalled them from their trance; "Ye men of Galilee," they exclaimed, "why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Their Master was gone; they might gaze and gaze, but they would not see Him descend from the cloud; He whose words they had so lately heard, who had so lately moved along in the midst of them, around whom they had so lately stood, had entered into His glory; He had returned to the right hand of His Father; He was in heaven again; He was in that heavenly place which is clouded over with thick clouds so that no man can see into it. Such was the Ascension of our Lord, a day memorable on earth; but what must it have been in heaven? While the amazed disciples began to feel that their Lord was gone, what must have been passing in heaven? The return |