With Palestine
as their centre and starting-point, the vast World was to be their
circumference. The Gospel was to be preached "as a witness to all
nations." The Great Mission-Angel was to "fly through the midst of
Heaven," having its everlasting truths to "preach to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people."

Are _we_ faithfully fulfilling our Lord's farewell Apostolic Commission?
As members of the Church of God, component parts of the Royal
Priesthood, are we doing what lies in our power, that His name, and
doctrine, and salvation, be proclaimed to the uttermost parts of the
earth? Or is it so, that we are looking coldly, suspiciously,
indifferently on the Church's efforts in the cause of Missions,
suffering her funds to fail, and her schemes to languish, and her
devoted servants to sink in discouragement? Or rather, are we prepared
to incur the responsibility of heathen souls, through our neglect,
passing hour by hour into eternity, with a Saviour's name unheard of,
and a Saviour's love unknown? Go to the Rocky ridge above BETHANY, and
listen to the parting injunction of our Great Master. His last words,
ere the cloud received Him to glory, were _Missionary_ words, a
_Missionary_ appeal, a pleading for the Gospel being sent to heathen
shores. Ah! _our own Britain_ was then among the number! If the
Apostolic Company had in these days, like many among ourselves, refused,
on the ground of the _home-heathen_ in Judea, to send any of their band
abroad, where would _we_ have been at this hour? With our Druids'
altars, our bloody sacrifices, our cruel rites! But their best and
noblest were commissioned to speed from port to port in the
Mediterranean and the Isles of the Gentiles, with the Gospel errand on
their lips, and the blessing of God on their labours! All honour to
these leal-hearted men, who, in spite of national and hereditary
prejudices, implicitly followed the will of their Lord and Master, who
had given to them, as He has given to us, a great Missionary motto--"THE
FIELD IS THE WORLD!"

* * * * *

And now His themes of instruction and comfort are over--He is about to
Ascend! The symbolic cloud--(invariable emblem of Deity)--comes down to
conduct Him to His throne. What a moment was that! Glory in view--the
hallelujahs of angels floating in His ear--the air thronged with
celestial hosts waiting as His retinue to bear Him upwards;--all heaven
in eager expectancy for her