Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-06-08
TEE GREAT MYSTERY.
= Lecture by Rev. W. a Harrison, d
40. ian the Third Presbyterian



Church.
The following is the third Of a series {
lectures o. 1.-THE Great Mystery" by Rev
w. A. Harrison, d. D., delivered at tb
Third Presbyterian Church Sunday night
1st inst:
Ist Timothy 8: 16: "And without con
troversy great is the mystery of godliness
God was manifest in the flesh, justified il
the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, was re,
ceived up into glory"
The feature of our text to which we de-
sire to call particular attention tonight il
| contained In the last clause, viz: - Was
received up into glory" The ascension OF
Jesus Christ to heaven is, therefore, The
| subject of our lecture tonight.
Those of US who believe in God, the
Father, Almighty maker of heaven and
earth, believe also in His Son, Jesus
Christ, who was conceived of the Holy
Ghost. born of the Virgin Mary, suffer ed
under Pontius PLATE, descended into hell
the gravel, rose from the dead on the
third day, and assembled up into heaven,
| from which place he will come again to
/ judge the quick and the dead.
the Pagan world longed, as we have
seen, for II deliverer, and fancied that he
must come from heaven, and, after his
work of redemption, must return back to
heaven, there TO secure the reward of his
labOrs on the earth. Prompted by these
longings, they created for themselves such
men as we find Hercules to have been
among the Greeks, and VIshnu among the
Hindoos in India. The ascension of Her.
cules, as described by the Greek poets or
that of Vishnu, as described by the poets
of India, is a matter of interest to US only
from the fact that it is an embodiment of
their traditions and legends on this subject,
and also the reflection of the intense long
ing of the human soul for some one to help
them against supernatural evils, and also
10 represent them on the other side of the
veil, among the higher powers of another
world.
But we do not propose looking at this
fundamental of onr holy religion from the
Pagan standpoint. however interesting
standpoint, as we propose to do tonight,
will exhaust all our time and demand all
your attention.
The references made By the vaDgelists
to this subject are exceedingly briet La
Matthew's account of the resurrection it is
Christ simply charges His disciples to
preach the gospel to all nations, saying
that all power in heaven and earth had
been given to Him.
Mark adds: So then after the Lord had
spoken unto them He was received up into
heaven anu shb On Inc EiSuG udHu VI OOu.
Here il is simply stated that formal re- |
ception into heaven was given to Christ. |
None of the cIrcumstaI ces of that recep- |
ton are mentioned.
Luke gives US another feature: "And it |
came to pass, while He blessed them, He |
was parted from them and carried up into
heaven" He does not tell US who carried |
him up. There is a mere allusion to an
escort, without any reference to the per-
ions constituting that escort.
The Acts of the Apostles, in the first |
chapter, throws some light on that point:
And when he had spoken these things, |
while they beheld, he was taken up, and a
cloud received him out their sight. And
while they looked steadfasty toward
heaven as he went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel, which alsJ
3aid, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye
gazing up into heaven2 This same Jesus
which is taken up from you into heaven,
.hall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him 60 into heaven"
Here is, at least, revelation of part of
hat escort the two men in shining APP
oarel." Other particulars are given In the
Ssh Psalm and 18th and 18th verses.
There we find tho material world, as well
As the spiritual, taking part in the ascen-
zion of Christ. The hills leap and skip for
oy, for Christ is their redeemer as well as
mans, and now that he has gone up to
heaven, the curse will certainly be re-
moved from nature, her groanings shall be
lushed and Eden shall come back again. !
The chariots of God" continues the
Psalmist, ARE twenty thousand, even
thousands of angels: the Lord is among
hem.
Thou hast ascended on high thou hast
ed captivity captive; thou hast received
gifts for men, even for the rebellious, that
The Lord God might dwell among them"
The retinnue, or escort, OF Christ was
inconceivably grand. Not one chariot, as
Z !ijah had, but twenty thousand of them,
and a Vast host of angels, as numerous as
The hosts that attended the giving of the
law on Sinai. For Christ was seen of
adgels not only in his humiliation, but
especially in his exaltation.
Why, it may be asked, are the descrip-
ions of the prophets, concerning the as
,ensiOn, so much more graphic and detailed
han those of the Evangelists? l do not
know that l can answer this question, but
t may throw some light on it to remember
hat the standpoint from which the
prophets looked was from the jas
,er wall downward to the earth,
While the Evangelist looked from this earth
N Christ as be went up to his Father. The
scension as seen from heaven was lncon-
eivabIy grand. Because heaven was now
o be the place of the special manifestation
# the glory of the Goldman. But when
Christ comes back the second time Without
in unto salvation, this earth will be the
tand point from which to see his retinue.
For then he comes to reign on earth. And
o it comes to pass that when the Apostles
peak of his return to this earth, they are
iery desert ptive and full. Then he shall
,ome with shout, and the voice of the
Archangel, and the trump of God. He
hall be revealed from Heaven In flaming
re, &c, 65c. Now they tell US that his
etIirn shall be, "in IKE manner" to his
eparture from earth to heaven: The de.
cription of the attendants with Christ,
hen he comes back, must be taken also
,r description of the attendants, who
yaited on him when he went back to His
'ather's house. =,
int of the grandeur Of his ascension.
peaking of his death and resurrection
ON the dead, he says. Sand having
ooiled PriDcipalities and powers he MADE
show of them, openly triumphing over
lem. Il
He:led captivity captive and In his ascen-
on made a show openly of the great enc
lies he had conquered. Then he had IN