A Golden Chain

The second point is, that Christ went apart from his disciples, and ascended upward toward heaven in their sight. For the right understanding of this, sundry special points must be observed. The first, that the lifting up of his body was principally by the mighty power of his godhead, and partly by the supernatural property of a glorified body, which is to move as well upward as downward, without constraint or violence. The second, that Christ did go from earth to heaven really and actually, and not in appearance only. The third, that he went visibly in the sight of his disciples. The fourth, that he went locally, by changing his place and going from earth to heaven, so as he is no more on earth bodily,¹ as we are now on earth. It may be objected, that Christ made a promise that he would be with his Church to the end ⟨p. 398⟩of the world. Answ. That promise is to be understood of the presence of his spirit, or godhead, not of the presence of his manhood. Again it may further be alleged, that if the godhead be on earth, then must the manhood be there also, because they are both united together. Answ. It is not true, that of two things conjoined, where the one is, there must the other be also. For the sun it self, and the sun-beams are both joined together, yet they are not both in all places together. For the body of the sun is only in the heavens, but the sun-beams are also upon the earth. The argument therefore follows not: Christs manhood subsists in that person which is every where: ergo his manhood is every where.² And the reason is, because the Son of God subsists not only in his divine nature, but also by it: whereas he doth not subsist at all by the manhood, but only in it: for he subsisted before all eternity, when the manhood was not. Nay rather because the manhood doth subsist by the person of the Son, therefore the person extends it self further then the manhood which is assumed and sustained by it; and hath his existing thence. For that very thing whereby any other thing either essentially or accidentally is, extends it self further then the thing whereby it is. As the humane nature whereby Peter is a man, extends it self further then to Peter, namely to all other men: and the whiteness whereby the snow is white, extends it self further then to that snow which a man holds in his hand.