profeffion of his name, and refuse to take a feat at his table? Shall we, when his enemies reproach him, fit filent, and never fpeak a word in his favor? Shall we be content to live and die, without giving the world to know, whether we believe in him or not? Whether we own him as our king, or reject him as a ufurper?

How many are there, who treat Chrift with lefs refpect than did this heathen governor ? He declared Jefus to be innocent; to be a righteous perfon; to be a king. And though he gave him up to death, yet he bare teftimony that he did not deferve it. How many are there, who never acknowledge him at all; who make no profeffion of his religion; who give no testimony of regard to him? And of thofe, who in words profefs to know him, how many in works deny him? If we call him a king, let us fhew ourselves to be his fubjects by obedience to his laws, attendance on his ordinances, and reliance on his promifes. And as fellow fubjects of the fame prince, let us love one another, and be fellow workers unto his kingdom.

5. Pilate, as we have feen, was ftedfaft in his de claration. Let us hold faft the profeffion of our faith without wavering.

When the governor had publickly teftified, that Jesus was a king, no importunity could move him to retract, or in the leaft to alter his teftimony. "What I have written, I have written." Let us have the fame refolution. Have we made a profeffion of faith in, and obedience to Chrift? Let us maintain it, and live in conformity to it. If any would feduce us from it, let us anfwer them, "We have believed, and therefore we have spoken; and what we have spoken, we have spoken. We have fworn and we will perform it, that we will walk as becomes the gofpel. Jefus is always

the fame. He cannot deny himself; we will not deny him. We will pay him our vows. If it feem evil to you to ferve him, choose ye this day whom ye will serve. As for us we will serve him whom we have owned as our Lord. To whom elfe can we go? He has the words of eternal life." This is the language in which we should anfwer gainfayers. We are to confider well what we en. gage, to fit down and count the coft. And when we have deliberately and rationally formed our refolution, in that we should abide. It does not become a Chriftian to use lightnefs; to follow every wind of doctrine; his profeffion should not be yea, and nay; but, like the promises of Christ, yea and amen. It is a good thing, that the heart be established with grace. Let us choose the religion of Chrift; and abide in it without change.

6. We fee how inclined men are to caft the blame of their fins upon other people.

Pilate, in compliance with the demand of the Jews, delivered Jefus to be crucified; and that the fault might appear to be theirs, rather than his, he wrote on thecrofs, This is the King of the Jews. They are crucifying their king. So he had faid juft before; "I am innocent of the blood of this juft man fee ye to it."

Guilt is a heavy burden to the confcience; and every man chooses to transfer it from himself to fome other. Adam, after his tranfgreffion endeavored to exculpate himself by imputing the fault to the woman; and fhe palliated her crime by afcribing it to the guileful temptation of the ferpent. It is better, however, for every one honeftly to fee, and ingenuously to confefs his own faults, and, instead of pacifying his confcience by vain excufes, to remove his guilt by` real repentance.

Jefus has borne our fins in his own body on the crofs. Let us by faith repair to him, who has been made a fin-offering for us, that we may be made the righteoufnefs of God in him. "There is no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Chrift Jefus has made them free from the law of fin and death."

Under a fenfe of our guilt, let us apply to the blood of Chrift, for "this will cleanfe us from all fin." "If we say, we have no fin, we deceive ourfelves. If we confefs our fins, God is faithful · and juft to forgive them."

Let us fit down at the table of our Lord, with hearts relying on him, who on the cross made himself an offering for our guilt; and with refolutions of obedience to him, who on the cross was proclaimed our king. It is not eating at his table, but doing his will, that entitles us to his approbation. "Not every one," fays he, "that calls me his Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father

SERMON XIV.

The Difciples gazing after their afcending Lord.

A Communion Sermon.

ACTS ǹ. 10, 11.

And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he went up; behold, twomen stood by them in white apparel, which alfo faid, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing up into heaven? This fame Jefus, which is taken up from you into heaven, fhall fo come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

AFTER

FTER our Lord had rifen from the dead, he tarried on earth about the fpace of forty days; during which time he had feveral interviews with his difciples, converfed with them familiarly on things relating to his kingdom; gave them fuch inftructions and encouragements, as were neceffary to guide and animate them in their future work; and, on a day prefixed, he led them out to Bethany, a village nigh to Jerufalem, where, in confequence of previous notice a large number of believers had affembled to be witnesses of his afcenfion. When he was come to the place, he ftood-he lifted up his hands and bleffed his chof

en difciples-he fervently implored the divine bleffing to attend them, and renewed the gracious promifes which had before been made to them: and while he was bleffing them, praying for them, and commending them to God; and while their eyes were intently fixed upon him," he was parted from them;" he rofe into the air, afcended toward heaven," and a cloud received him out of their fight." Here they stood with their eyes fixed on that spot in the sky, where they loft the fight of him; and here they would longer have ftood, had not the voice of an angel fummoned them away. "While they looked ftedfaftly toward heaven, as Jefus went up two men,"-men in form, but by the fplendor of their appearance known to be angels, "ftood by them, and faid, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye here gazing into heaven? This fame Jefus, who is now taken 'from you into heaven, shall fo come, as ye have feen him go into heaven." On this advice they returned to Jerusalem; and there affembling with other devout perfons, they spent their time in fuch religious exercifes, as were adapted to comfort them in present trials, and to prepare them for future labours.

In the words, which have been read, there are two things to be remarked.

Firft; The posture in which the difciples ftood, after they had loft fight of their afcending Lord. And, Secondly, The expoftulation of the angels with them on this occafion.

Firft; The posture, in which the difciples ftood, after the afcending Saviour had disappeared from their eyes, is worthy to be remarked.

"They

looked ftedfaftly toward heaven, as he went up; and in this attitude they feem to have continued, after the cloud had received him out of their fight. In this fixed and gazing posture we might