Sin is busy still; it allures and tempts us to array us against God and to worry our conscience. Alas, often we are weak and suffer ourselves to be deceived and belied by sin, as it happened to David, the good and great man, who fell into two abominable sins. It is true, he did not continue therein, nor did he suffer death as punishment; for he believed in Christ, the coming Saviour of the world, and earnestly repented of his sins, so that they were forgiven him. Thus did sin not only lose its power over David, but it even became the occasion of making him more earnest in faith and prayer. If sin with its distressing consequences had not overwhelmed him, he would never have composed that beautiful Psalm of earnest supplication for pardon, the Miserere. (Psalm 51.)

Death also is still active; he delights in showing us his fangs and in threatening to devour us; and it is but natural for us to be frightened at his approach. But we ask; How is it that death does not accomplish what he desires, to slay the Christians? The answer is: Death is after all vanquished; his power is not unlimited; he is a captive, restrained by the hand of his Conqueror, Christ. With all his raving and most dreadful threatenings against the Christians, he accomplishes but this, that they will cling so much the more firmly to the Word of God, learning and keeping its precepts with greater diligence, to their great comfort and joy. Otherwise, if death did not threaten, they would not cherish the Word of God so dearly and faithfully.

These terrors and dangers, indeed, afflict the Christians to a good purpose; but they are by no

means harmless. On the contrary, in their nature. they are very baneful, as is manifest in their effects upon the world. But here we see and experience the importance and benefits of the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an assurance unto us that these fearful enemies have all been subdued and that they can no more perpetrate upon Christians their wicked designs. Yea, if these were not conquered foes we would be accused and cursed by the law, condemned by sin, slain by death, and thrust into the lowest region of hell by the devil. Now however we fear them not, though they are bitter against us. The ascension of Christ is therefore a most glorious and blissful occurrence; it assures us of the defeat and subjugation of the mighty enemies, the law, sin, death and the devil. Christ has led them captive and redeemed us from their grasp; and He ascended on high, and sits at the right hand of God, for the very purpose of defending His Christians against the assaults of these foes.

But this is not all. The Psalm continues: "Thou hast received gifts for men," that is, gifts for the benefit of men. What gifts are these? We read of them, Joel 2: "After those days I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh," and St. John 16: “But if I depart, I will send the Comforter unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment." Similar are the words of St. Peter, Acts 2: "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He has shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."

The office of the Holy Ghost is twofold. He

brings us, in the first place, through the Gospel to a knowledge of Christ, so that we believe the forgiveness of sins in His name. In the second place, He causes us to lead a holier life, to resist and subdue sin, and to practice an implicit obedience toward God. Thus will our body and soul, our heart and all that we arc, become sanctified and righteous. Though on earth we will never be entirely free from sin, on account of our depraved human nature, yet if we have faith in Christ we shall not be condemned for the infirmity which still cleaves to us, nor will our sin be counted against us. Thus does the Holy Ghost exert His influence in us.

And He does still more. He employs us also to bring others to this same grace and knowledge by means of the Word and the office of preaching. In this sense does the Apostle St. Paul in Eph. 4. quote this 68. Psalm, where he says that as a result of the ascension of Christ "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God." Nor are we ignorant of the fact that the devil is hostile to the Word, especially in our time, when he urges on the infidels and the Pope, with their numerous hosts, to crush the Word and to root out the Christians. But in spite of the raging fury of the unbelievers and the Pope, the Word continues upon its course of victory; they are unable to overthrow the power of the Word and Sacraments. Here we perceive again the effi

cacy of the ascension of our Lord. He ascended on high to send down the Holy Spirit for the establishing and increase of His kingdom on earth.

Another gift is this: God governs and protects His Church at all times; He comforts her in tribulation; He rescues her from persecution; guides her into all truth over against falsehood, and gives her an earnest spirit of prayer, as we heard His words last Sunday: "On that day ye shall ask in my name," which cannot be done except by the assistance of the Holy Ghost. In short, all that we have and enjoy are free gifts of Christ, the fruit of His glorious ascension. He ascended on high to promote His kingdom, that through the Word and the Holy Ghost His Church might be established and preserved.

St. Luke in his Gospel points to this fact in these words: "While He blessed them, He was parted from them, and was carried up into heaven." This blessing was not a mere expression of good will, a parting wish, such as we employ when bidding each other farewell. He wished them success and joy in the holy office which He had intrusted unto them, of preaching the Gospel unto all creatures throughout the world. This preaching was not ordained in behalf of trees, stones, birds or fishes, out in behalf of mankind, as is clearly evident from what follows: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Stone and wood cannot believe, nor did Christ give a command to baptize them. As therefore faith and baptism pertain alone to men, so does also the preaching of the Gospel. When Christ uses the expression: "Preach the Gospel unto every creature," He means that no

calling or position in life shall be excluded from hearing the Gospel; that emperors and kings, be they ever so mighty, must hear, accept and believe this Gospel or else be damned. To such preaching Christ ordains His apostles; when He lifts up His hands He blesses them. He thus not only wishes them success, but helps them and grants them prosperity, and bestows His blessing in the administration of their office.

This benediction of our Lord Jesus Christ still continues, and is efficacious wherever the holy Gospel is preached in its purity, so that this preaching is not in vain. This blessing bestowed upon the disciples by the Lord, at the very time of His ascension on high, is full of consolation for us. He thereby invites us to keep in mind His going to the Father, and to rest assured under all tribulation that the blessing of His ascension is with us, and that He will employ its glorious effects for our benefit. If His purpose were otherwise, if He were angry with us and would not use us in His kingdom, He would certainly not have departed on high with these tokens of love towards us. The fact of His raising His hands in blessing over His disciples, thereby promising them all prosperity and success in their holy office, to which He had called them, is an assurance unto us that the Lord is our faithful, true Friend, whose blessing is ever upon us as long as the Gospel is preached.

These considerations teach us, my beloved, what a happy and comfortable day this festival of Christ's ascension is unto us, and what manifold blessings flow from it. Henceforth the Son of God, who assumed our flesh and blood and overcame the law,