7.P.30.31

IS

on the Cap. I. Law of Chrift; and are accordingly fo expounded in the New Teftament: Which is fufficient for our prefent purpose.

(2). These facred Chriftian Laws or Conftitutions, were deliver'd at Jerufalem, and in Mount Sion, by our Saviour, to the Eleven Apofties, there affembled, after his Refurrection. This is fo plain in Antiquity, that the very Memorial of this Place was preferv'd for many Centuries afterward. The Place where the Apoftles met, and abode, and officiated at Ferufalem as Chriftians; (for their going fometimes to the Temple Vid. Pearf. was as Jews;) is call'd an or, canacuLect. in lum, or upper Room, fuch as were ufually then 48. §.6. fet apart for facred ufes among the Jews: Mar. 14. Probably the very fame large upper Room furnifhed, ανδγιον μέγα ἐρωμίον where the Paftover was Eaten. Here the Apostles Abode, and here immediately after the laft Afcenfion did they continue in Prayer and Supplication: And here the Holy Ghoft defcended upon them foon afterward. So that we have no Imaginable Reafon to fuppofe our Lords Converfation with them at this Time, to have been any where elfe. Now that this upper Room was in Mount Sion, we have fufficient Evidence; nay fome that our Lord defcended there from Heaven; which must have been for the delivery of thefe Constitutions to the Apostles there affembled. Hear the Antient Testimonies hereto relating. Epi

A&. 1.13.

pha

ego ponder.

phanius's Account of Adrian's coming to ferufalem fo early as about Anno Domini 120. and his finding all in Ruins but this very Church upon Mount Sion, is in thefe Words: ἔρχει) εἰς * παλαισίν, ἢ καὶ ἴεδα αν κινεμλύ- Demenfur. ων, καὶ ἔτη μζ' τ ἱεροσολύμων ἐρημώσεως, . . καὶ άνεισιν ότι τα ἱεροσόλυμα, * είπυςον πόλιν 170. καὶ ὀνομασήν, ἣν κατέςρεψε τίτος εεππασια πως τῷ δεύτερῳ ἔτει ἢ αυτό βασιλείας, και ευρε τω πόλιν πας ἠδαφισμένων, καὶ τὸ ἱερὸν τὸ Θεο καταπεπατημλύον, παρεκτὸς ὀλίγων οικημάτων, κ + τὸ Θεῖ ἐκκλησίας, μικρᾶς ἔσης, ἔνθα του τρέψαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ὅτε ὁ ζωτὴρ ανελήφθη Στα τῇ ἐλαιῶνΘ. ανέβη εἰς τὸ ὑπερῷον· ἐκεῖ γὰ οἰκοδόμητο, τετέςιν ἐν τῷ μέρει σιών, ἥτις ἀπὸ Η ερημώσεως τελείφθη, και μέρη οἰκήσεων πει αυτω * σιών, καὶ ἐπία (ωαγωγοί, οἱ ἐν τῇ σιών μόναι ετήκει. Cyril of ferufalem exprelly mentions this defcent of our Saviour Mount Sion in thefe Words. Οίδαμ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ λαλῆς ἐν προφήτους, καὶ ἐν Catechif τῇ πεντεκοςῇ κατελθὸν ὅτι τὸς ἀποςόλες τον είδε 16. 5. 2. p. πυρίνων γλωσσών, ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῇ ἱεροσοχήμ, ἐν τῇ ἀνωτέρα της Σποςόλων ἐκκλησίᾳ. πάντων 28 παρ' ἡμῖν ἔτι τα αξιώματα, ἐνταῦθα Χρι τὸς ἐξ ερανών κατῆλθε. ναῦθα το πνεύμα το ἅγιον ἐξ ἐρανων κατῆλθεν. And if we want to know for what purpose our Saviour def cended from Heaven, after his first Ascenfion, we may partly guels by the Teftimony of Chryfoftom, that it was to bring down fome Sacred and Divine Doctrines

C 3

upon

con

225.

contain'd in the Apoftolical Conftitutions, as we shall obferve hereafter. The Cop-. tick Records are alfo remarkable as to the. Apoftles affembling afterwards in the fame place, to write down the fame ConftituLudolph. tions. Dum effent [Apoftoli] congregati in Comment. coenaculo Sionis.- Ifi funt Canones. in Hift. Ethiopic. quos conftituerunt Apoftoli Sancti & DifciL. 11. c. 6. puli puri qui vocantur Tituli, fuper quibus L. III. c. 4. congregati fuerunt Apoftoli, & ordinaven. 30. Be- runt eos ope fpiritus fan&ti in cœnaculo Siodic. de Ca- nis: quos collegit [vel compilavit] Clemens, non. §. 5.difcipulus Petri Apoftoli. Hear alfo an ocp. 429. cafional account of Jerom concerning Paula. Epitaph. Paul. ad Unde egrediens afcendit Sion, que in arcem Euftoch. P. vel Speculam vertitur. Hanc urbem quon

n. 29.

vereg. Ju

372.

dam expugnavit & readificavit David. De expugnata fcribitur, va tibi civitas Ariel, id eft Leo Dei, & quondam fortiffima, quam expugnavit David. De ea qua adificata eft dictum eft, Fundamenta ejus in montibus fanElis. Diligit Dominus Portas Sion Super omnia tabernacula Jacob. Non eas portas quas bodie cernimus in favillam & cinerem diffolutas; fed portas quibus non prævalebit. infernus, & per quas credentium ad Chriftum ingreditur multitudo. Oftendebatur illi columna, ecclefia porticum fuftinens, infecta cruore Domini, ad quam vinctus dicitur & flagellatus. Monftrabatur locus ubi fuper 120 credentium animas fpiritus fan&ius defcendiffet, ut Foelis vaticinium compleretur. So

that

that this very place, Mount Sion it felf fo diftinctly foretold by the Prophets, appears to have been as diftinctly obfer'd by our Saviour; and the defcent of Chrift from Heaven, there to deliver these his facred Laws and Conftitutions to the Eleven to have been directly known by the Antients; nay, the very place to have been denominated from the Apoftles affembling there, The Upper Church of the Apoftles. And how facred it was therefore accounred, and how carefully rebuilt in the Days of Conftantine, let Nicephorus be witness, in his Hiftory of Conftantine's Mother Heleκα. Πάλιν ἢ πρὸς τὸ ἁγίαν ὑποτρέψασι πόλιν, Νερ ἐν τῇ σιων, μέγιςον εἰς μήκος και πλάτος ἐκτρέ- L. VIII. χρντα οἶκον ανέςη. ε ενα μαρ τοῖς ἔπαθεν μέρεσις. 30 τὸ οἴκημα διέκλεισεν ἔνθα ἦσαν Cηγμένοι θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων δε τω ιεδαίων φόβον οἱ δια μαθηταί ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὁ θεῖα δείπνα ἐγχύετο, ό, τε ZÃO vinnig, & i to ajis monale naded Q..

ལ

(3) Thefe facred Laws and Conftitutions were given there in the famous Forty Days fpace after our Lord's Refurrection and first Afcenfions, before his final leaving the World at his famous Afcenfion in the Clouds to Heaven. This is plain from the words of Matthew, Luke, and the Conftitutions theme felves, all giving light to one another concerning this matter.

с

>Callift.

Καὶ προσελθών ὁ Ἰησᾶς ἐλάλησεν αυτοῖς λέω Matth. 16. των, ἐδόθη μοι πάσα ἐξεσία ἐν ἐρανῷ καὶ ἔπι18, 19:20

C 4

LV.c.7.

p. 309

48,

γῆς πορευθέντες των μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη βαπτίζοντες αυτὲς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τὸ πατρὸς, καὶ τὰ ψε, καὶ τὸ ἁγε πνεύματα διδάσκοντες αὐτὲς τηρῶν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμίω ὑμῖν. καὶ ἰδὲ ἐγὼ μεθ' υμας είμι πάσαι τοὺς ἡμέρας, έως π λείας τὸ αἰῶνα. άμώ.

Οἷς καὶ θρέτησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα, μα' τὸ παθεῖν αυτὸν, ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις, δὲ ἡμερῶν παρά κοντα, όπουόμμΘ. αυτοῖς, καὶ λέγων το πε βασιλείας το Θε.

Κι εδραςραφέντες αυτω ἡμέρας τεσσαράκον Confitur. τους με * ἔγερσιν αὐτόν, καὶ λαβόντες ἐντολίω παρ' αυτό κηρύξαι τὸ οιαδγέλιον εἰς ὅλον * κόσμον, κα μαθητεύσαι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ βαλλίσαι εἰς το αυτό θάνατον· ὅτὶ αὐθεντίᾳ τὰ θεῖ ὅλων, ὃς ἔξιν αυτό πατέρα και θρτυρία πνεύματα, ὃς ότι α κλητος διδάσκομαι ὑμᾶς ταῦτα πάντα, ο δια ταξάμυο, ἡμῖν ἀνελήφθη ἐφ' ὅψω ἡμερα νόν, πρός τ αποςείλαντα αὐτόν.

c. 19. p. Κὶ πάλιν ἑορτάσατε * ἑορτίω

324

αναλή

ψεως το κυρίω, καθ ̓ ἣν πληρώσεις πασιν οίκονομίαν ἢ πάταξιν ἀνῆλθε προς * Σποςείλονται αυξόν.

(4) This folemn Delivery of the Chriftian Law or Conftitutions during that 40 Days before our Lord's final Afcenfion, which was fo eminent a Completion of the ancient Prophecies, was originally commemorated by a Faft, or rather half Fast of Five Days, but fild τσαραnos, quadragefima, or a Faft for 4o Days in all the moft antient Ages of the Church. This Faft is

attefted