The Lords Day Vindicated, Tract · Section 10
SECT. X.
WE have his Conjecture Page 43. about the Week-day of our Lord's Aſcenſion; which he would fain ſuppoſe to be on the Seventh: But if we may believe St. Luke, Act. 1.3. that he tarried on Earth Forty Days, and ſo was viſible to his Diſciples all that time, and converſed with them as oft as he ſaw fit, and about what was moſt neceſſary and profitable for their Knowledge; and then aſcended into Heaven: If we look on this as an Hiſtorical Account of his Abode on Earth after his Reſurrection, (as it lays a fairer Foundation for it, than all Human Conjectures can be) then if we reckon from the Firſt day of the Week, to the Fortieth day, and both the Firſt and Laſt incluſively, then the day of his Aſcenſion, was upon the Fifth day of the Week; which is our Thurſday, (as the Church of England obſerves it) If we exclude either the Firſt or Laſt day only, 'twill be upon the Sixth day of the Week, our Fryday, (if I miſtake not;) but if we exclude both the Firſt and Laſt Days, (I mean the day of his Reſurrection, and the day of his Aſcenſion) from the number of Forty days, then 'twill fall out upon the Seventh day of the Week our Saturday; which he conjectures to be the day of the Week of our Saviours Aſcenſion: But here we muſt conſider that we have two to one againſt him in this Conjecture: And according to his Conjecture, and the uſual Phraſe of Scripture, our Saviour would have continued Forty Two days upon Earth: For the Scripture in the number of Days, does uſually include both the Firſt and Laſt day. As in calling the laſt day of the Week the Seventh, it takes into the Number, both it, and the Firſt day of the Week; for there are but Seven in all: And ſo when it ſaith that our Saviour roſe the Third day from the Dead, it includes the Firſt and Laſt days of the Three; and therefore having the ſcriptural uſual Phraſe on our ſide, and the Tradition of the Churches, we have very good Ground to conclude, that he aſcended upon Thurſday; and he has no Ground but his own Conjecture, for his Opinion of his Aſcenſion upon Saturday. But every little Surmiſe is made uſe of, to exalt the Seventh above all the days of the Week; and eſpecially above the Lords day in this Controverſie. As to that Fancy of our Saviours coming to Judgment on the Seventh day, I leave it as a Pure Fancy.
Here alſo he takes it for granted, that our Saviour after his Reſurrection, appeared to his Diſciples upon the Seventh day, (or at leaſt he ſuppoſes it may well be granted) becauſe they were then aſſembled, &c. But he knows they met together on other days, and particularly upon the Firſt day, on which our Lord appeared unto them. And that Aſſembly in the Firſt of the Acts, if 'twere on the Aſcenſion day, was according to Scripture numbering of days, upon our Thurſday. But ſeeing he would make uſe of (if we would grant) our Lords appearing to his Diſciples once on the Seventh day, what an Advantage may we juſtly take for the Firſt day, from our Saviour's appearing ſo often unto them on the ſame? ſo that there is no other day of the Week named, whereon our Saviour manifeſted himſelf unto them after the Reſurrection, but this Firſt day: 'Tis not ſaid that he appeared unto them on the Second or Third, nor at all on the Seventh; and 'tis very probable, that all the Appearances of our Saviour, (which were not a few) were on the Firſt day: Except only that on his Aſcenſion day. 'Tis worth our ſerious Obſervance, that as our Saviour would not grace the Seventh day, with one particular expreſs word of his Mouth about it, during his Life-time, ſo he would not honour it with one Appearance of his Human Nature to his Diſciples, throughout all the Forty days after his Reſurrection: Which to me, ſeems plainly to ſignify, that he would have a perpetual Silence thereof, in his future Churches; and that he had buried it in his Grave, and would have it lye dormant there for ever.