and making them drunk in his fury, but to save and to succour that which was lost. He came by perfect obedience to atone for our rebellions; he came to overturn the kingdom of Satan, by suffering and yet withstanding all his temptations. Every fresh mark of contumely, then, which he underwent without repining, was but the forerunner of final success. But let us pro

ceed, and follow the sacred body of our Lord from the cross to the sepulchre in the garden. It was known in Jerusalem, that he had predicted his resurrection on the third day; and the Jews, therefore, in order, as they imagined, to prevent his disciples from stealing the body away, procured the stone which closed the mouth of the tomb to be sealed, and guarded by a band of Roman soldiers. So far all seemed well; every chance of imposture had been removed, and they waited but for the morrow, to produce the lifeless form, and triumph in the exposure.

But what is man's wisdom, when set to controvert the purposes of the Almighty? The sabbath sun went down; his last rays flashed upon the spears of the warriors, who kept watch around this hallowed spot. Nor were the hours of night unblessed by the light of heaven. The paschal moon arose, and shed her beams of brightness upon the bed of her Creator's rest. That night indeed was a blessed and a solemn time; it has

but one counterpart in the annals of the worldthe night when the birth of the Messiah was announced to the shepherds in the fields. The hours past on, and yet no change was seen, no signs announced the Redeemer's return to life. And was the gracious Master, the kind and compassionate friend so soon forgotten? Did no one visit his grave, no one come to see the place where the Lord lay? Two women came, my brethren—came in their faith and undying affection-came to weep over the remains of the being they so deeply loved. The light of another morning, aye, the dawn of the first Christian Sabbath, beamed upon the world. "'Twas ushered in by God's own hand, and the terrors of his power. The earth shook to her centre; it was the signal of the Redeemer's triumph: the conqueror had returned from Edom, and had trod the wine press in Bozrah. And where are the watchmen of the foe, where are the boasted guards that were to preserve the tomb from molestation? They are fled; those perhaps who had never fled, had never feared before, fled now and trembled as they fled. But the door of the sepulchre is guarded still, though the stone is rolled away. A fair and glorious sentinel is stationed there. The angel of Jehovah had withered with his glance the proud array of the warriors of earth, and unbarred the gates of the grave. The light

ning of his countenance, the radiance of his robes of snow, had sent a death-like fear into the hearts of all who gazed upon his brightness. No, not all; the two daughters of Jerusalem, who had come to mourn-had come to embalm with the tears of affection the tomb where their Lord reposed-were cheered and soothed by this herald of life and immortality. "Fear not ye," he exclaimed, "for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place

where the Lord lay."

you,

And now again I ask you, was not this wonderful prophecy as wonderfully fulfilled? Was not the reality as glorious as the image by which it was foretold? For me little remains, but to exhort you not to suffer the reflections which, by God's blessing, may have been excited within to die away and be forgotten. Let them fill your hearts with gratitude and praise; and whilst the remembrance of your own sins and your own frailties, presses heavily upon your souls; forget not that the staff upon which you lean was plucked from the tree of life; that the Redeemer in whom you trust, is a Redeemer who speaks in righteousness, and is mighty to save.

SERMON XXII.

DEUTERONOMY VI, 6, 7, 8, 9.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

It is impossible for any serious reader to peruse the book of Deuteronomy, without being forcibly struck by the impressive solemnity, with which the Jewish lawgiver enforces upon his countrymen the necessity of obedience to the divine commands. The most consoling promises are held out to those who should keep them in sincerity and truth; and the most fearful judgments are denounced against all who should neglect or despise them. Moses doubtless was anxious to

spend his last hours in endeavouring to strengthen the Israelites in their knowledge and love of the truth; and he deemed that words uttered then would be held more sacred than any of his former injunctions and admonitions. For he was drawing near the close of his long and eventful life; and though "his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated," he was preparing to go down to the grave, and leave the superintendence of his beloved, yet still rebellious countrymen, to other hands. His exhortations, therefore, so delivered, would have the effect of a warning from the death-bed; and his voice in them, might continue to rebuke and encourage his people, long after the lips from which it issued had mouldered into dust. The last lessons of a man so eminently endowed, so divinely inspired, as Moses was, must be replete with matter of the most interesting and edifying kind. He addressed indeed a people differently situated from ourselves; and therefore, in some parts of his admonitions, perhaps, his precepts may not be altogether so applicable to our own circumstances. But this will seldom be the

case.

We shall find rather, that his solemn injunctions, his most impressive advice, will be as suitable to the Christian worshipper, as they were to the Jewish; and that when he enforces, by sanctions the most holy, the observance of the law upon the descendants of Abraham, he inculcates