The Sum of Christian Religion, Aphorisms · Article 3
ARTICLE III. Of Chriſts aſcenſion into Heaven.
I. WE beleeve, that properly, and without any trope, Chriſt aſcended from earth into (a) heaven, by a true and locall motion of his body, by his divine power, in the preſence of his Diſciples; and that he is for our ſakes in (b) heaven, untill he returne, to judge the quick and the (c) dead.
Teſtimonies of Scripture.
(a) Acts 1.9, 10, 11. And when he had ſpoken theſe things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their ſight. And while they looked ſtedfaſtly towards heaven, as he went up, behold two men ſtood by them in white apparell, Which alſo ſaid, Ye men of Galilee, 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 ſeene him go into heaven.
(b) Heb. 8.4. If Chriſt we upon earth, he were not a Prieſt.
Heb. 9.24. Chriſt is not entred into a ſanctuary made with hands, &c. but into heaven it ſelfe, that he may appeare in the preſence of God for us.
Col. 3.1. Seeke the things which are above, where Chriſt is ſitting at the right hand of God.
Acts 3.21. The heavens muſt containe Chriſt, untill the time of reſtitution of all things, which God hath ſpoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets ſince the world began.
(c) Acts 1.11. This ſame Jeſus, which is taken up from you into heaven, ſhall ſo come in like manner as ye have ſeene him go into heaven.
Mat. 24.30. Then ſhall appeare the ſigne of the Son of man in heaven, and they ſhall ſee him come in the clouds of heaven, with power …nd great glory.
Mat. 25.31. But when the Son of man ſhall come in glory, and all his holy Angels with him, then he ſhall ſit downe upon the throne of his glory.
1 Theſ. 4.16. For the Lord himſelfe ſhall come downe from heaven with a great ſhout, with the voice of an Arch-angel, and with the trumpet of God.
Phil. 3.20. From whence we expect our Saviour, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
II. What heaven that is, and what place it is unto which Chriſt aſcended, we will not inquire, but leave it to thoſe that are curious, ſeeing it is written,Iſai. 64.4. 1 Cor. 2.9. Eye hath not ſeene, nor eare heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Notwithſtanding, we beleeve piouſly, and with the Scripture, that it (a) is a place, not on this (b) earth, nor (c) below, nor every-where: but above, and without this viſible (d) world, the heaven of (e) heavens, the habitation and throne (f) of God, in light (g) inacceſſible, the houſe of (h) our Father, the City of the living (i) God, the Saints native (k) country, where Chriſt is (l) now at the right hand of God interceding (m) for us, and preparing a place (n) for us, from whence we expect he will (o) returne, downeward into the (p) clouds, that he may receive us unto (q) himſelfe.
Teſtimonies of Scripture.
(a) 1 King. 8.30. Heare the ſupplications of thy ſervant, and of thy people Iſrael, which ſhall pray in this place: heare thou from the place of thy habitation, that is, from heaven; heare and ſpare.
John 14.2. In my Fathers houſe are many manſions; if it were not ſo, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place for you.
Phil. 3.20. From whence we expect our Saviour, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
(b) Jer. 31.37. Thus ſaith the Lord, If the heavens above can be meaſured, and the foundations of the earth beneath.
(c) Luke 16.26. Beſides all this, betweene us and you there is a great gulfe fixed, ſo that they which would paſſe from hence to you, cannot, neither can they paſſe to us that would come from thence.
(d) Epheſ. 4.10. He that deſcended is he alſo that aſcended far above all heavens that he might fulfill all things.
Heb. 4.14. Having therefore our High-Prieſt Jeſus Chriſt, who hath entred into the heavens.
(e) 1 King. 8.27. The Heaven, and heaven of heavens do not containe thee.
Pſal. 115.16. The heaven is the Lords, but the earth he hath given to the ſons of men.
(f) 1 King. 8.45. Heare from heaven, from the place of thy habitation, their prayers.
1 Tim. 6.15. The King of kings, and Lord of lords inhabits light inacceſsible.
(g) John 14.2. In my Fathers houſe are many manſions: I go to prepare a place for you.
(h) Heb. 11.10. Abraham did looke for a City having a foundation, whoſe builder was God.
(i) Heb. 12.32. You are come to mount Sion, to the City of the living God, the heavenly Jeruſalem, and to an innumerable company of Angels.
(k) Heb. 11.14. For they that ſay ſuch things, declare plainly that they ſeeke a countrey.
(l) Heb. 9.24. Not into the ſanctuary made with hands is Chriſt entred, but into heaven it ſelfe, that he might appeare now for us in the preſence of God.
(m) Rom. 8.34. Who is he that condemneth? It is Chriſt that died yea rather that is riſen againe, who is even at the right hand of God, who alſo maketh interceſſion for us.
(n) John 14.2. I go to prepare a place for you.
(o) Phil. 3.20. For our converſation is in heaven, from whence we looke for the Saviour, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
(p) Acts 1.11. This ſame Jeſus, which is taken up from you into heaven, ſhall ſo come in like manner, as ye have ſeene him go into heaven.
1 Theſ. 4.16, 17. The Lord himſelfe ſhall deſcend from heaven with a ſhout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Chriſt ſhall riſe firſt. Then we which are alive and remaine, ſhall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the aire: and ſo ſhall we ever be with the Lord.
(q) John 14.3. I will come againe, and will receive you unto my ſelfe, that where I am, there you may be alſo.
John 17.24. Father, I will that they alſo whom thou haſt given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou haſt given me.
III. Thither, not often, but (a) once; not in his mothers womb, but the fortieth day after his (b) reſurrection; not every-where, but on mount (c) Olivet; not apparently, but by the true motion of (d) his body; not inviſibly, but his Diſciples looking on, and accompanying him with their eyes, not with their feet, he (e) aſcended, and left the (f) world, by a corporall departure entring his body into heaven; not carrying away his majeſty from the (g) world: becauſe, though he be abſent in his body, preſenting himſelfe to the Father for us, and ſitting at his right hand, he yet dwels in the Saints by his Spirit, and ſuffers them not to be Orphans, as religious Antiquity (h) ſpeakes.
Teſtimonies of Scripture, and of the Ancient Fathers.
(a) Heb. 9.12. Chriſt by his owne bloud hath entred once into the holy place, having obtained eternall redemption.
(b) Acts 1.3. After Chriſt had ſuffered, he ſhewed himſelfe alive to his Diſciples, with many certaine ſignes, being ſeene of them for 40. dayes.
(c) Acts 1.11. Then the Apoſtles returned to Jeruſalem from the mount called Olivet, which is neere to Jeruſalem, being diſtant a Sabbath dayes journey.
(d) Acts 1.9. And when he had ſpoken theſe things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their ſight.
(e) Auſtine Tract. in John 50. According to the fleſh which the Word aſſumed; according to that which was borne of the Virgin; according to that which was apprehended by the Jews, which was faſtened to the tree, which was taken downe from the Croſſe, which was wrapped in linnen, which was laid in the Sepulchre, which was manifeſted in the Reſurrection, you ſhall not have him alwaies with you; Why? becauſe he converſed, according to his bodily preſence, 40. dayes with the diſciples; and, they accompanying him by ſeeing, not by following, he aſcended into heaven, and is not here.
Chryſoſt. Serm. de Aſcenſ. Domini Tom. 2. p. 328. Becauſe the ſpace from earth to heaven is great, and the ſight of their eyes could not throughly perceive the body that was carried unto ſuch an altitude; but, as our eye-ſight failes us, when we looke upon a bird mounting high; ſo, the higher that body was elevated, the more was the ſight of the beholders eyes weakened, nature not being able to reach higher with the eye: therefore the Angels ſtood, ſhewing the celeſtiall journey, leſt any ſhould ſuppoſe but that he was carried up into heaven, after the manner of Elias, who was elevated thither from you.
Ibid. See what ſpace is betweene heaven and earth, or betweene earth and hell, or how far this heaven is diſtant from the higher heaven, or how great the ſpace is from the higher heaven to the Angels; or from the higher powers, to the ſeat of our Lord; above all theſe is our Nature elevated, that man, who was here ſo low, that he could deſcend no lower, ſhould be elevated unto ſuch an high ſeat, that he can aſcend no higher: therefore Paul ſaith, He that aſcended, is he alſo that deſcended.
Ibid. He deſcended into the lower parts of the earth, and aſcended above all heavens.
(f) John 16.28. Againe, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
(g) Auguſt. Tract. in Joh. 102. He left the world by a corporall departure; he went to the Father by a corporall aſcenſion; nor did he forſake the world by his preſentiall government.
Idem Tract. in Joh. 50. The Prieſts commanded, that if any man knew where he were, he ſhould ſhew it, that they might apprehend him. We (ſaith he) will now ſhew to the Jews where Chriſt is. I wiſh that all, who are of their ſeed, would heare and underſtand, who gave command that it ſhould be ſhewed them where Chriſt is. Let them come to the Church, and heare where Chriſt is, and let them apprehend him: They ſhall heare it of us, they ſhall heare it of the Goſpel. He was ſlaine by their parents, he was buried, and roſe againe, he was knowne of his Diſciples, in their preſence he aſcended into heaven; there he ſits at the right hand of the Father: who was judged, ſhall come to judge: let them heare, and hold. Thou wilt anſwer, Whom ſhall I hold? One that is abſent? Send up faith, and thou haſt held him. Thy parents held him in the fleſh, hold thou him in thine heart; becauſe, Chriſt, being abſent, is preſent: for, if he were not preſent with us, he could not be held by us. But, becauſe that is true which he ſayes, I am with you to the end of the world, he is both gone, and yet is here; he hath both returned, and not deſerted us: He hath entred his body into heaven, and hath not taken away his majeſty from the earth.
(h) Cyril in Joh. l. 11. c. 3. For though he be abſent in body, preſenting himſelfe to the Father for us, and ſitting at his right hand; yet he dwels in his Saints by his Spirit, and ſuffers them not to be Orphans.
IV. By this only Orthodox faith, we know where Jeſus Chriſt our treaſure is to be ſought and called upon; to wit, above in heaven, at the right hand (a) of God: for, where our treaſure is, there will our (b) heart be; from whence wee muſt look for him, namely, from (c) heaven; where laſtly our manſion muſt be after this life; to wit, in heaven, where our Lord hath prepared a place (d) for us.
Teſtimonies of Scripture.
(a) Col. 3.1. Seeke the things above, where Chriſt is ſitting at the right hand of God.
(b) Mat. 6.21. Where our treaſure is, there is our heart.
(c) Phil. 3.20. Our converſation is in heaven, whence we looke for the Saviour, &c.
(d) John 14.3. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come againe, and receive you unto my ſelfe, that where I am, there you may be alſo.
John 17.24. Father, I will that where I am, they may be with me, that they may ſee my glory.
(e) 1 Theſ. 4.17. We ſhall be caught in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the aire; and ſo we ſhall be alwaies with the Lord.
V. We reject thoſe odious fictions of the Ubiquitaries,foreign onera moleſta. as ſtrangers from the Chriſtian faith, concerning heaven, and Chriſts aſcenſion; the moſt of which fopperies, to be ſeene in their books, are ſcarce worthy of Lucian. Surely, pious poſterity will have cauſe enough to groane, and to wonder at the power of errour.
1. They ſay, That the heaven which is above this world, which Brentius ſaith he laughs at, is an old wifes dreame, or a Thalmudicall or Mahumeticall phanſie.
2. That the heaven into which Chriſt aſcended, is not a place, nor above, but is God himſelfe, (becauſe, forſooth, the heaven was incarnate, and died for us) that it is every-where: in which alſo hell it ſelfe is; and in which not only the Saints, but Sathan alſo, and his Angels are found.
3. That Chriſt aſcended often into heaven; inviſibly in the womb of his Mother, where the Word was made fleſh: on the Croſſe, where, giving up the ghoſt, he laid aſide the forme of a ſervant: in his reſurrection from the dead. Laſtly, viſibly, upon mount Olivet.
4. That this laſt Aſcenſion was not a true Aſcenſion into heaven, but a wonderfull lifting up of Chriſts body, even to the clouds; a ſight diſpenſed with, or a viſible vaniſhing.
5. That Chriſt in paſſing to his Father, that is, in his aſcenſion to heaven, did not a haires breadth move his body from the earth.
6. To aſcend to heaven, is to put off infirmity, to paſſe to a heavenly and immortall ſtate; to vaniſh, to be united to God, to ſit at Gods right hand, to be raiſed to high honours.
7. That Chriſt in his Aſcenſion hid himſelfe in a cloud, and, Proteus-like, turned himſelfe into ſhapes; or, as they ſay, he put on a cloudy hood, as the Poets feigne of Venus, Hom. Illiad. foreign.who, when ſhe delivered Paris, hid him in a thick cloud: So Jeremie, Lament. 3.44. Thou haſt oppoſed to thy ſelfe a thick cloud, that the ſpeeth may not paſſe through.
8. We will not omit theſe bitter ſcoffes of the Brentians, that by Mathematicall computation, Chriſt, in regard of the bulke and violent motion of his body upward, hath not as yet perhaps pierced the planeticall Spheres, and arrived unto his Fathers houſe.
9. That there he is walking up and downe, or perhaps laid downe to reſt.