earts. He was always near them they felt; with them to the end of the
world, whether in sight or out of sight. And when they saw Him ascend
into heaven, it seemed to them no separation, no calamity, no change in
His relation to them. He was gone to heaven. Surely He had been in
heaven during those forty days, whenever they had not seen Him. He had
gone to the Father. Might He not have been with the Father during those
forty days, whenever they had not seen Him? Nay; was He not always in
heaven? Was not heaven very near them? Did not Christ bring heaven with
Him whithersoever He went? Was He not always with the Father, the Father
who fills all things, in whom all created things live, and move, and have
their being? How could they have thought otherwise about our Lord, when
almost His last words to them were not, Lo, I leave you alone, but, "Lo,
I am with you alway, even to the end of the world."

My friends, these may seem deep words to some--doubtless they are, for
they are the words of the Bible--so deep that plain, unlearned people can
make no use of them, and draw no lesson from them. I do not think so. I
think it is of endless use and endless importance to you how you think
about Christ; and, therefore, how you think about these forty days
between our Lord's resurrection and ascension. You may think of our Lord
in two ways. You may think of Him as having gone very far away, millions
of millions of miles into the sky, and not to return till the last day,--
and then, I do not say that you will weep and lament. There are not many
who have that notion about our Lord, and yet love Him enough to weep and
lament at the thought of His having gone away. But your religion, when
it wakes up in you, will be a melancholy and terrifying one. I say, when
it wakes up in you--for you will be tempted continually to let it go to
sleep. There will come over you the feeling--God forgive us, does it not
come over us all but too often?--Christ is far away. Does He see me?
Does He hear me? Will He find me out? Does it matter very much what I
say and do now, provided I make my peace with Him before I die? And so
will come over you not merely a carelessness about religious duties,
about prayer, reading, church-going, but worse still, a carelessness
about right and wrong. You will be in danger of caring little about
controlling your passions, about speaking the truth, about being just and