The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

The third question is, When he ascended? and to that the answer is short, viz. forty days after his resurrection: why he stayed forty days before he ascended, was showed before, viz. that he might instruct his Disciples about his Kingdom; and withal, to show that the doctrine of the Gospel was not inferior to the doctrine of the Law, which Moses was in receiving from the mouth of God forty days in the Mount: and as he was forty days in the wilderness meditating of his work, before he began to preach, so is he forty days in preparing his Disciples, before he send them ⟨p. 481⟩forth about that great Work of the conversion of the Nations.

The third question is, When hee ascended? and to that the answer is short, viz. forty dayes after his resurrection: why hee staied forty daies before he ascended, was shewed before, viz. that hee might instruct his Disciples about his Kingdome; and withall, to shew that the doctrine of the Gospell was not inferiour to the doctrine of the Law, which Moses was in receiuing from the mouth of God forty daies in the Mount: and as he was forty daies in the wildernesse meditating of his worke, before he began to preach, so is hee forty daies in preparing his Disciples, before hee send them ⟨p. 481⟩forth about that great Worke of the conuersion of the Nations.

The fourth question is, From what place he ascended, and that is noted by the Evangelist S. Luk. Chap. 24. 50▪ Act. 1. 12. viz. that he went up into heaven from off some part of the mount of Olives, that was near the Town of Bethany. Now it is conjectured by Divines, that he chose this place of purpose; First, that in the same place he might show the proof of his Divinity and Glory, in which before he had showed the extreme proof of his frailty and infirmity, when in that place he sweat blood, struggling under the brunt of Gods fierce wrath; and in that place he began the declaration of his greatest glory, where not long before he had begun to feel & suffer his greatest ignominy and pain. Secondly, this mountainish place served somewhat to awake the affections of the godly, to teach them to get as high as they can above the world and worldly occasions, hasting after their blessed Saviour that is gone up to heaven before them. Thirdly, Bethany signifies the house of affliction; and so by his ascending to the glory of heaven from that place, he might leave us an assurance, that a passage may be had yea unto all the godly shall be prepared to attain unto the joys of heaven, even through many tribulations: we may ascend out of the house of sorrow, bed of sickness, vale of tears, the land of captivity, unto heaven, as well as from Jerusalem a place of peace: Yea, such afflicted ones may much comfort themselves in the hope that Christ will take them to heaven, out of these places of sorrow, in his due time.