hood. For his true human nature, which he took upon him for our sakes, is carried and taken up out of this world into the invisible honour and glory, into the highest incomprehensible, and into the perfect fruition of the Godhead.

In this honour and glory Christ dwelleth and reigneth; and yet amongst those that are his doth he finish and perform all things by his Spirit, having governance in the hearts of the faithful through belief, through love, through patience, and innocency of life.

To the intent now that this kingdom might be erected in the hearts of men, it was necessary that he should give his disciples commission to publish the same, and to prepare men's minds thereunto through the preaching of the gospel. But first he made the minds of his disciples ready and apt to receive the Holy Ghost, whom he afterwards poured into others by them; and therefore he commanded them, until the Spirit appear and open the work, to wait still at Hierusalem; from the which place the kingdom of Christ was afterwards planted in all the world. Of the promise of the Spirit read Isai. xliv. Jere. xxxi. Ezek. xxxvi. Joel ii. John xiv. xvi.

Considering that the mystery of Christ's ascension is great and excellent, and that there is notable power contained therein to those that be faithful believers; the evangelists do therefore describe very perfectly the time, the place, the persons, with all circumstances and assured testimonies thereof. He ascendeth up before his disciples, that they might openly and evidently see it with their eyes: there did appear angels, as messengers and witnesses from heaven, even two of them, that in the mouth of two all truth might be established. The white apparel signifieth the evident glory, into the which Christ is taken up, as a noble, royal, and mighty King and Conqueror, entering into his heavenly kingdom.

Thus the high and glorious King, clothed with our nature, is entered into our royal palace, as one that mindeth faithfully to despatch our matters. He is our own mediator and advocate in the presence of the Father; notwithstanding our sins committed, we have a free entrance unto God by him. Our flesh hath he in himself carried up, and exalted our nature unto the right hand of God the Father. Wherefore

we that are bones of his bones, and flesh of his flesh, do justly conceive a comfortable and assured hope, that our mortal bodies shall also be taken up, and have immortal and eternal joy.

The earnest-penny of his Spirit hath he given and left behind him unto us, and contrariwise he hath of us taken an earnest-penny and pledge, namely, our sinful and wicked flesh, which he in himself hath carried up into the kingdom of heaven. Now where the parcel is, there shall also be the whole sum.

By this we that are flesh and blood have a comfortable and assured trust, that in Christ we shall have the possession and inheritance of heaven. Our sins in him are recompensed, heaven in him is opened, in him is the hope of immortal life sealed and made sure unto us; Christ, the victorious and glorious conqueror, is able to defend his church so that from henceforth no man shall have power to condemn his elect and faithful believers. Rom. viii. Heb. v. vii. viii. x.

That his flesh is withdrawn from us, and taken into heaven, it is our great profit; to the intent that all our devotion and God's service may be directed upwards in the spirit, and that the minds of faithful believers may be drawn from earthly unto heavenly things, even unto the place where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God the Father.

When the disciples saw that their schoolmaster was taken away from them into heaven, they perceived and considered the thing that they knew not before, although Christ had told it them, John vi.; namely, that by the ascension they should receive understanding. Therefore they worshipped Jesus Christ, and according unto his commandment they returned to Hierusalem, where they kept themselves until the time that the Spirit came: neither were they idle, but continued in the holy fellowship and godly exercises, with prayer and devotion, preparing and making themselves ready unto the coming of the Spirit.

By occasion hereof (all niceness, curiosity, and contentious questions, all pride, vain-glory, and fond affections and desires set apart) we ought with upright minds, and with the eyes of faith, to be alway taken up into heaven, and there to have our dwelling, where Christ our head sitteth at the right hand

of God, King and Lord of all things, our faithful advocate and mediator. Then shall true godliness increase, then shall virtue blessedly grow and bring forth fruit in us, if we with stedfast faith do consider, that our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sakes, rose again from death, and is exalted at the right hand of God, reigning mightily above all things in heaven, and finishing our salvation, if we in spirit and in the truth worship and honour him as the eternal God; confessing with a true faith, that all power is given unto him of God the Father, that he careth for us, and that for our health's sake he ruleth and shall reign, until all things be brought under his feet. In the meantime he daily in his church purifieth all his members by his Spirit, cleansing them still more and more from all their sins. And when he shall have rooted out all sin in his elect, overcoming death the last enemy, so that God shall be all in all; then shall Christ also give up his kingdom unto God the Father, namely, the mediation for our sins, the purging of the same, defence against the devil, and deliverance from death. For then shall there be no more sin in the elect; so that he shall not need to be mediator for them, to purge from sin, to defend against the devil, or to deliver from death.

O merciful Father, grant us perfectly to know the' blessed and glorious kingdom of Christ thy Son: draw up our hearts in such sort, that we with all obedience may yield ourselves into this kingdom, seeing and regarding only those things that are above, and wholly applying ourselves unto this end, that the same heavenly kingdom may be far spread abroad and known unto all men; to the intent, that as for all worldly things, wherein many foolish people set all their salvation, but in vain, men may utterly refuse them, and heartily with body and soul, and with their whole life, may give over themselves perfectly unto the only Lord Jesus Christ, the true God. For thy good pleasure it was, O God, that in him all perfectness should dwell, and that by him all things towards thee should be reconciled and pacified through his blood, whether they be in heaven or in earth. Grant us, O God, unity and brotherly love in thy holy church; kindle our hearts to fervent and devout prayer; make us diligently to watch, and circumspectly to wait for [1 Old edition, thy.]

[COVERDALE.]

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the coming of thy beloved Son, that we neither be drunken in excess and bodily lust, nor entangled with the snares of this world; but that we, having always the eyes of our heart open, and praying with upright minds, may cheerfully meet our Redeemer, and joy with him for ever. To him be eternal praise and honour. Amen.

[CHAPTER V.]

THE SENDING OF THE HOLY GHOST.

[Acts ii. 1-4.]

WHEN the fifty days were come to an end, they were all with one accord together in one place; and suddenly there Acts ii. came a sound from heaven, as it had been the coming of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they sat. `And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as they had been of fire, and it sat upon each one of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, even as the same Spirit gave them utterance.

DOCTRINE AND FRUIT.

HERE the evangelist Luke describeth, how that after Christ entered into his glory, the gospel, even the heavenly doctrine and grace, was opened unto the world down from heaven by a glorious and great miracle. For though the law, which is the will of God, and also the gospel, that is his grace, hath from the beginning been always in the world, namely, in the hearts of God's elect children; yet was each one of them at several times gloriously uttered unto the world by manifest and apparent miracle. And like as the Holy Ghost was in the hearts of the faithful believers, (for after the resurrection he gave the Spirit unto the disciples;) even so here he giveth them the Spirit with an open miracle, and with a more perfect working and power. For the Spirit which Christ gave them after his resurrection, when he breathed upon them, was given this day with more perfection; that is to say, his operation and strength declared itself more evi