The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-15

lee; he showed himself to an assembly OF
his friends In Galilee numbering more than
five hundred he afterwards had an inter
view with James. He uniformly mani
tested himself to those who were in spirit
desiring him; always to his disciples or
friends, in no case to those who hated him.
All these appearings Luke passes over,
that he may bring his Gospel to climax
by directing attention to the eleventh and
final appearing of Christ to his disciples
in Jerusalem.
Somewhere in Jerusalem the eleven were
assembled. The conjecture that it was in
the room where he had in his risen form
met them twice before, has much to sup
port it; and the further supposition that it
was the same room where he had sat with
his disciples at the Last Supper, is not i'm
probable.
The central meaning of this final assem-
bly, of his disciples is in his promise of the
Spirit. Luke records the event in the re-
port of his words: rs tie Father hath sent
me, even SO I send you. lind qOAen lie
had said this, lie 6reathed on them, and
saith unto them, Rseeive ye the Holy
Spirit. John further records, as the fact
implied in their commission to preach the
true righteousness, that they were to be
endued with the wisdom to always detect
the radical good and the radical evil in
human nature: W,h0sssosvey sins ye for-
eive, they are to,givsn unto them, and
aOhosssoe0ey ye retain, they are retained
Such were the breathings of the Spirit the
Master gave to his own in that final inter-
view. They were mysteriously renewed,
and were yet to be more richly endowed
with the promise of the Father. He fore
saw the pentecostal outpouring when he
said: Tayyy ye in the city until ye be
clothed aOitl bo70ey from on high.
3. The AscensiOn,-vs. 5o-s3.
Luke's narrative of the final parting of
Jesus from his disciples, at the conclusion
of his Gospel, and in the first chapter of
Acts, furnishes the only account of the oc-
currence in the records.
at is remarkable" says DIR. Paige, shat
neither Matthew nor John mentions the
ascension, and Mark omits all the particu-
lars concerning it." 1t is to be also noted
that the mention ascribed to Mark occurs
in the portions of his Gospel not now be-
lieved by scholars to be genuine.
The story however is in its essential
features probable. There must have been
final separation Of Jesus from his disci-
Piles. "a second DEATH" says Dr. Hase,
seven had it been ever so soft, would have
taken away the whole significance of his
resurrection"
Luke's account has been strained by ex-
IRENE interpretations. His story, in brief,
is, that Jesus led his disciples to the CEN
trail crown of the Mount of Olives, over
against Bethany, and while in the act of
blessing them, was parted from them.
The additional clause in the Gospel, and
aVas carried nb into Aeaven, is omitted by
certain of the ancient authorities; it cam
not with certainty be ascribed to Luke.
The account in Acts tells us, rs they aOers
looking, he aOas taken n6, and a cloud re-
cetved him. The narrative here adds,
And zvAile they acre steadfastly looking
into hsaven as he 7Oent, 6thold fz0o mes
stood by them TN zVltte appa,el, 70Aich also
said, Ye men of Gali2ee aVity stand ye
looking ap into heaven? this Jesus aOAich
aOas yeeei0ed mb from yOa into Asaven,
shall so come tn like manner as .ye behold
him going into heaven. From this record
the stupendous conclusion is still drawn
that it is tenable Christian doctrine that
Jesus is to come again to the earth and
fulfil ministry, in material body, similar
to that which he declared finished" when
he surrendered his spirit on the cross.
But the record does not justify such an
inference.
That Jesus became invisible to his dis
ciples, that cloud received and obscured
him, that he was taken up, is all the ac-
count declares. The men in white, who
ever they may have been (and it is special
strain of the record to call them angels),
simply declared to the Galilean disciples
that Jesus would come in like manner as
they had beheld him go into heaven
What they meant would seem to be that
this is not the last farewell of Jesus, but
that the disciples will yet be favored with
more personal interviews. To predicate
of this isolated record the doctrine that
Jesus is yet to come to the earth in mortal
form, is to build wildly on an exceedingly
doubtful foundation. 1t is well, for rea-
sonable faith, that the fact is left IN its
present obscurity. 1t does not localize
and materialize Christian faith.
That there was, however, not only sep
aration, but aparting scene, between Jesus
and his disciples, is required by the cir
cumstances. His spiritual religion could
not have been emancipated from its Jewish
bonds, while Jesus was believed to be in
bodily form still among the scenes OF his
earthly ministry In some way, surely, his
religion was lifted out of its local limits.
1t was, as the Master foretold, expedient
for his disciples that he should go away.
He went, never to return in material form ;
but in the Spirit of Truth he is with his
own, and will be to the consummation of
the ages.
TEACHING POINTS.
ny " "a The dtscinles needed a long