A heavenly conference between Christ and Mary after His resurrection. Wherein the intimate familiarity,…

I ascend.

I ascend to the Father, and to my Father, and your Father too; now I ¹have quitted my self of death and sin, imputed to me as a surety, & I am going to Heaven to make an end of all there. I ascend to God, to my God, and to your God. We have all one common ⟨p. 87⟩Father, and one common God▪

1. 1Sin imputed to Christ as our surety.

First, for his ascension, he did not yet ascend. Why then doth he speak for the present. I ascend, ¹that is, I am shortly so to do. And it was in his mind, it was certainly so to be; and therefore he speaks of it in present. It is the phrase of faith, to speak of things to come, as if they were present, faith makes them so to the soul; for it looketh on the word, and all things, as they are in that word, who will make good whatsoever he saith. And therefore it is the evidence of things that are not yet, yet they be evident to a faithful soul. If we could learn this aright to make things to come present, what kind of people should we be? could we think of our Resurrection and ascension, and glory to come, as present, they would be present to our faith: the things present, or sense, could not withdraw us. If we could set Hell before us, could the pleasures of Hell bewitch us? if the time to come were present, could any thing in the world withdraw us? it could ⟨p. 88⟩