VII. given them such instructions as he thought good, CHAP. he led them forth to mount Olivet, as far as to Bethany. Here he lift up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass while he blessed them, and they beheld, he was parted from them, taken up and carried into heaven, a cloud receiving him out of their sight. And while they looked up stedfastly towards heaven, as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, who said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same JESUS, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. The Apostles having heard this, adored JESUS; and forthwith returned from mount Olivet to Jerusalem, with great joy, that they had been ocular witnesses of his ascension up into heaven, as he had long since promised them they one day should. Mr. Maundrell says, that the place now-a-days shewn for the place of our Lord's ascension, is at the top of an hill on the mount Olivet; where was anciently a large church, built in honour of that glorious triumph. But all that now remains of it, is only an octagonal (or eight-angled) cupola, about eight yards in diameter, standing, as they say, over the very place where were set the last footsteps of the Son of God here on earth. Within the cupola there is seen, in a hard stone, as they tell you, the print of one of his feet. Here was also the print of the other foot some time since; but it has been removed hence by the Turks into the great mosque on mount Moriah. The chapel of the Ascension the Turks have the custody of, and use it for a mosque. About two furlongs from this place northward is the highest part of mount Olivet, and upon that was anciently erected an high tower, in memory of the two angels that appeared to the Apostles immediately upon our Lord's ascension, saying, Men of Galilee, &c. Acts i. 10, 11. from which the tower itself had the name given it of Men of Gali PART I. lee! This ancient monument remained till about two years since, when it was demolished by a Turk, who had bought the ground in which it stood. But nevertheless you have still, from the natural height of the place, a large prospect of Jerusalem and the adjacent country. And thus I have gone through the description of the several places honoured with our Saviour's presence here on earth, and of all the other places or countries mentioned or referred to in the four Gospels. A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE PASSAGES OF OUR SAVIOUR'S LIFE, RECORDED IN THE FOUR GOSPELS: Which serves to shew the Time of our Saviour's Journeyings, or in what Year of his Life they were performed. A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. True Years Years of of Christ's Common Account. Life. REMARKABLE PASSAGES. Our Lord being born December 25. was circumcised The Wise Men come to Bethlehem. Our Lord is presented in the Temple, and carried into The massacre of the infants in and about Bethlehem Herod dies about the middle of March, and is suc- Joseph and the blessed Virgin return with the child Archelaus is accused to Augustus the Roman Emperor, by the Jews and Samaritans. In the beginning of this year Archelaus is deprived by Augustus of his dominions for misgovernment, and banished to Vienne in France. Quirinus, called, Luke ii. 2. Cyrenius, was now sent into Syria by Augustus to levy a tax there, according to the valuation of estates formerly made. Judas of Galilee, now in the days of taxing, drew much people after him, Acts v. 37. Our Lord goes up to the passover with his parents, &c. Luke ii. 42-ult. Augustus the Roman Emperor dies on the 19th of |