(Read John 14:2, 3, 28; 16:5, 7,; 17:11, 13; Luke 24:50, 51; Acts 1:9-11.)

The Ascension of Christ is so closely identified with His resurrection, and His resurrection with His death, that we can but begin our meditations at Calvary. It is written in Luke 24:26, "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory ?" And then in Rom. 4:25, " Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Also Heb. 4:14, "Seeing, then, that we have a great High-Priest, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."

From these and many other scriptures we learn that man, being a sinner, is estranged from God-an enemy of God by wicked works, under His wrath and judgment; and ere God could be reconciled, a propitiatory offering must be made,-not the sacrifices of beasts, the blood of bulls, goats, or lambs, in which God could not take pleasure; but by "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (i Pet. 1:19).

God be praised that we have not only a sacrifice that He can and has accepted to atone for the guilt of our sins; and also the resurrection of the same to assure us that we are justified in the sight of God, as a proof that God has accepted our sacrifice; but what is necessary to the complete manifestation of the work of redemption-the Ascension of our precious Saviour and Lord. He must needs ascend, in that He must needs go into the holiest,-not as of old, like Aaron, with "the blood of goats and calves; but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us " (Heb. 9:12).

Thus, He is not only the sacrifice, " of a sweet savor unto the Lord," a unique sacrifice, once for all, "by one offering perfecting forever, them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14); but He is also our High-Priest before God; not to continue in office for a few short years and then pass away as did the Aaronic priesthood, but a Priest after the order of Melchizedek,-a perpetual priesthood-"without father, without mother, without descent (or pedigree), having neither beginning of days nor end of life; . . . the Son of God; abideth a Priest continually" (Heb. 7:3),-a King and a Priest.

When we consider our weakness, frailty, and prone-ness to sin, how needful is our Mediator ! "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and He is the propitiation or (mercy-seat) for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world" (I Jno. 2:1, 2, R. V.)

With such "precious blood," with such a complete sacrifice, " as of a lamb without blemish and without spot," with such a heavenly, eternal Mediator, Advocate, Intercessor, how we ought to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory ! what profound peace should be ours !

How triumphantly does the apostle Paul treat of this subject (or rather the Holy Spirit through him) when he says (Rom. 8:31-34), "What shall we say then to these things ? If God be for us, who can be against us ? He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things ? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is He that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.'"

We thus see that the ascension of Christ is a most important part of God's plan in His actings in our behalf. But there is a necessity of His ascension upon which we have not yet touched, and which indeed ought to have preceded what we have been saying. It will be found in the words of our Lord in John 16:7, 8-"It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment."

In these words we find the necessity to consist of a Comforter, a Teacher, a Guide for God's redeemed people; and also a Reprover of the world, a Convincer of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. This was mightily exemplified in the apostle's ministry, in that "as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled" (Acts 24:.25). It was the Holy Spirit who spoke with such power by the apostle;-yea, throughout his ministry, we find him a suited vessel through whom the Holy Spirit could speak to the comfort and consolation of God's people, and to the rebuke of iniquity and convincing of sin of the world.

Blessed was the personal presence of our Lord with His disciples ; but His holy, spotless, and undefiled life on earth could not atone for sin nor justify the sinner-confessed. It could only be a standing testimony against sin. A much-abused passage in this connection is found in Rom. 5:10-"For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." This has no reference to His spotless, unblemished earthly life, but to His priestly service for us in His resurrection-life above. Also ver. 19-" For as by one man's [1:e., one act of] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One [or, one act of Christ's obedience unto death on Calvary's cross] shall many be made righteous." It is a mistake to suppose that Christ's personal righteousness is imputed to us, but He Himself is made unto us God's righteousness. (See i Cor. 1:30.) This is a distinction with quite a difference.

He must needs die on the cross under the judgment of God if our guilt is to be removed. He must needs rise from the dead the third day if the sinner-confessed is to be justified. He must needs ascend to the right hand of the Father, and take His rightful place as our High-Priest, Mediator, Advocate, Intercessor, that the justified one may be carried safely through the dangers and intricacies of this world- "kept by the power of God." He must needs ascend if the Holy Spirit is to do His part of God's purposes concerning this world.

But still there is another most blessed truth, so closely linked with His ascension that it is important
to remember. You will find it embodied in the words of our Lord in John 14:3-" 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." This precious fact for God's people calls forth a word of comfort from the Comforter-"Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (i Thess. 4:18).

This indeed is a wonderful cheer to the Church, espoused to Him in the night-time of His absence, and the long-anticipated event (though not understood) of all the rest who shall have part in the first resurrection (see Heb. 11:10,14,16,39,40). Such are called "blessed and holy" in Rev. 20:6, for they shall dwell in the New Jerusalem, which the Holy Spirit says is "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Rev. 21:9, 10).
Such, then, for the heavenly people, is the culmination of the work of redemption by Him who came and delighted to do the Father's will.

But we have still another aspect of His coming, as expressed in Acts 1:ii-"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? this same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." And then again we read Rev. 1:7, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced him; and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen." Both these passages refer, not to His coming to meet His espoused bride in the air, as set forth in i Cor. 16:51-57 and i Thess. 4:13-18, but His after-coming to earth as set forth in Zech. 12:10 and Matt. 25:31. Thus we see again the need of His ascension in order that He, the despised and rejected One, might be vindicated by God as the Man of His choice – the Man whom He delighteth to honor, – yea, He "hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).

"All hail the power of Jesu's name ;
Let angels prostrate fall ;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all ! "

What glorious truths we find thus linked together in close proximity to the ascension of Christ ! May God grant that His redeemed people may delight to meditate upon them. R. S.