was.

coming reward, to inherit the joy of our Lord. | these. Great indeed was the joy and wonder This will be said to every faithful servant, in heaven when our Lord condescended to Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' And visit this world in human form—yes, so great the joy of thy Lord,' this crown of glory that that his holy angels followed him to earth fadeth not, is the same joy that was set before him, the glory of the Father, the very and sang hyms of glory at his coming: they glory which he had with him before the world filled Bethlehem's plains with celestial light, Into this glory, by a full participation and with heavenly music sung "Glory to therein, shall every believer in Jesus be exalted. God in the highest; and on earth peace, Up to the full heights of eternal felicity shall he good-will towards men." But vain were his be carried; so that whatsoever fulness of de- coming in the likeness of sinful flesh-vain lights dwelled in and between the triune Jehovah from eternity, up to that height shall be not risen from the dead. The resurrection were his mission to earth at all if he had carried, and with that perfection of blessedness shall he be filled. It doth not yet appear what of Jesus is the chief corner-stone upon which we shall be; but we know that, when he shall the whole fabric of our faith is built. It is appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see the pillar which supports the entire struchim as he is. The head is exalted to ensure the ture of our holy religion-it is one of the future exaltation of the body. The Substitute most important links of that chain which of his people has taken his place at the right binds together the mysterious system of hand of the Father, to ensure the future recep- Christianity. If Jesus Christ had not risen tion of all his seed into the same blessedness. from the dead, we could never have salvaThey must all, at last, be one with him. They tion by faith in him-if Jesus Christ had must also be taken up into glory as he has been; and into the glory of the Father shall they be not risen from the dead, woe is unto us, bereceived. It is not created glory. It flows cause of our transgressions, we are yet in forth of no fountain. It dwells not and never our sins. To tell a believer in Jesus that dwelt in any creature. It is no reflected light, his Lord did not rise from the dead is to no borrowed lustre. It is glory from the foun- destroy all his dearest hopes, to plunge him tain, light from the Sun of eternity. It is life into unfathomable grief, to make vain his fresh flowing from the source of all life. It is trembling faith, to render the glorious man taken up into tho glory of his Maker. In the language of the prophet, it is my God thy gospel of no effect; yea, to assure him that glory.' This is the hope that is set before the all beyond the grave is blackness and darkbeliever: this is the end of his faith. Is this uess of chaotic night; that all his loved thy hope, O reader? Dost thou live as if it ones who he thought died in the Lord are were? Art thou indeed risen with Christ? perished-annihilated. O! this would be and are thy heart and affections at God's right to hurry him into despair. If Jesus did not hand, where he is? Hast thou proved to thy-rise from the dead, Satan's empire is still self till thou art satisfied that thy heart has reigning triumphant, and we are still liable hold of this treasure, by thy faith and hope and to the thunders of Sinai's broken law, love for it? Having such a hope in him, dost thou purify thyself? He also is pure. Impurity cannot inherit this glory. Flesh and blood cannot inherit this kingdom that passeth not away" (Rev. Thomas Alexander).

H. S.

THE PLACE WHERE THE LORD LAY:
A Sermon

(for Easter),

BY THE REV. HENRY WHITEHEAD,

Curate of Linton, Yorkshire.

MATT. xxviii. 6, 7.

"He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead."

NEVER was a message of more importance to mankind than this contained in the words of our text: never did even the angels of God convey tidings to men more blessed than

and

have no cleft in the rock in which to be hidden. For, though Jesus did die for our sins, yet are we no wise benefited unless he had risen again also for our justification.

But we need not doubt the resurrection of our crucified Lord, nor need we trace the consequences of that doubt; for the resur rection of Jesus is attested by the strongest evidence that could possibly be produced in favour of any ancient fact. No, "blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," "he did not leave his soul in hell; he did not suffer his Holy One to see corruption." God hath fulfilled his word. The types and prophecies concerning Christ were all fulfilled the scripture was not broken the scribes and Pharisees, because which were read every sabbath-day, fulthey knew not the voices of the prophets filled them in condemning him; and God in his mysterious providence so arranged everything that even the enemies of Jesus

:

enemies so bitter that they not only pursued him unto death, but even strove to take away his character after death-these

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very enemies were so overruled in their rage, as to become the most certain evidences of his rising again. Had the scribes and Pharisees known that it was their part to aid in the fulfilment of scripture concerning the resurrection of Jesus, they could not have made use of better means to accomplish the proof of it than they did. "We remember," say they to Pilate, we remember that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.' And so they determined he should not. Now that he is dead and secure, he shall remain so: there shall be no more deceptions concerning him; we will seal the stone; we will set a watch; we will make it as secure as we can. And then we will see what will become of his kingdom; then we will see what is the power of him who saved others, but could not save himself; and we will see what will be the consequence of his calling together a few ignorant fishermen and attempting to teach us; his body shall remain in our hands; and then his disciples cannot come by night and steal him away, and say unto the people that he is risen from the dead. Such was the determination of man -such was the counsel of humanity; but God disappointed the devices of the crafty, so that their hands could not perform their enterprize.

ignominious death could they trust to him any longer?

:

Such were the determinations of the rulers, the scribes and Pharisees, and such were the blighted hopes, the disheartening disappointments, and trembling fears of the disciples, while the crucified Redeemer lay in silence in the tomb. But the hour was at hand when the Roman soldiers would not be the only guards at the sepulchre : the hosts of the Lord were moved, the armies of heaven were arrayed, to protect the sacred treasure. Twice the sun had gone down upon the earth; and all was yet still at the sepulchre, save the tramp of the Roman soldiery who sentinelled the grave: death, the wages of sin, still triumphed over the Son of God. Still and silent the hours passed on; the guards still kept their watch, while the rays of the midnight moon gleamed on their helmets and on their spears: the enemies of Jesus were still exulting in their success: the hearts of his friends were still sunk in despondency and in sorrow. At length the morning star, with silver ray, arising in the east, heralds the approach of day. The third day begins to dawn upon the world, when lo! the earth trembles to its centre, and the powers of heaven are shaken. An angel of God is seen at the tomb the guards shrink back from But we have just heard that the Jews the terror of his presence: his countenance feared lest the disciples of Jesus should is like lightning, and his raiment white as come by night and steal him away; and it snow: he rolls away the stone from the is most certainly true that their affection door of the sepulchre and sits upon it. for their Lord and Master was very great. Now, who is this that cometh forth from But then they had trusted that this was he that tomb with dyed garments from the who should have redeemed Israel; they had bed of death? whose is that pierced and hoped that this was he who should have bloody form, who comes forth with garfreed them from the Roman power; but ments rolled in blood ? It is he that is now he was laid in the cold silent tomb. glorious in his appearance, walking in the They had trusted that they would sit one greatness of his strength. Believer, it is on his right hand and the other on his left thy Redeemer. Though he hath trodden in his kingdom; but now all their hopes the wine-press alone, though he hath stained were vanished. They were trembling with his raiment with blood, yet he arises a conastonishment at what had happened, and queror from the grave. Death, he hath were hiding all together in an upper cham- destroyed thy sting. Grave, he hath taken ber from fear of the Jews. Yea, were they away thy victory. He has passed thy gate, not repenting that they had left all and fol- O grave, and now returns with salvation to lowed him who was now no more? Had the sons of men. Never did the returning not the two disciples who were going to sun issue on a day so glorious. Then the Emmaus given up all hope of ever seeing morning stars sang together: then all the him again? does not their conversation sons of God shouted for joy: then the with our Lord sound as if they were en-Father of mercies looked down from his tirely disappointed? That they never expected he would rise again is evident from their embalming his body. What object, then, could they have in stealing his body, and, more, to make use of it for deception? Their hopes and fears with regard to him were all built on earthly glory; and now that he had suffered an

throne in heaven, and with satisfaction beheld his work restored; he saw of the travail of his Son's soul, and was satisfied; he saw the entire work was finished, and was very good. Yes, he is risen, and the empty tomb proclaims his conquering arm: he is risen, and worthy is the Lamb that was slain; he is risen to receive power and

Yes; "Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead." And how shall we apply these things to "Go unto my brethren-my brethren still- ourselves? Shall we not accept his free though they forsook me and fled: go, tell pardon for the past, and strive to serve him them that I am risen from the dead." And, more faithfully for the future? Shall we as we read in St. Mark: "Go your ways; not begin to-day to rise more determinedly tell his disciples, and Peter (or, as the ori- from the death of sin unto the life of ginal will admit, especially Peter). Go righteousness? Shall we not this Eastershow my compassion to all my disciples, day begin to live less to sin and more to and especially to Peter, Peter who followed him that loved us and gave himself for us? me afar off, after all his protestations, after O come nearer to your risen Saviour this

day. Again, he promises pardon to the repentant. Do you feel that you are not worthy of such a Saviour? that you are not deserving of such mercy? that through your sin and wickedness you are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before you? Well, then, Jesus died for you, Jesus rose again for you. And O! by the power of his resurrection, may he enable you to believe in him more firmly, to love him more truly, to obey him more faithfully, and to confess him more boldly. And may "the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for over and ever. Amen."

THE YEAR 1869: ITS PRIVILEGES AND ITS
DUTIES.

ap

sought in earnest importunate prayer; and there then is no presumption, there is only just confidence, in the hope that, being divinely obedience, we shall be privileged hereafter, enabled to glorify God here by an imperfect through the merits of his Son, to pay the richer tribute of unwearied praise and unbroken consecration. Ere the year close we may be required to tread the dark mountains. But our feet shall not stumble: we shall find them on the delectable mountains which hem round "the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Melvill).

READING, THE SOLACE OF TOIL.

Or all the amusements which can possibly be toil, or in its intervals, there is nothing like imagined for a hard-working man, after his daily reading an entertaining book, supposing him to have a taste for it, and supposing him to have the book to read. It calls for no bodily exertion, of which he has had enough, or too much. It relieves his home of its dulness and sameness, which, in nine cases out of ten, is what drives him out to the alehouse, to his own ruin lier and gayer and more diversified and interestand his family's. It transports him into a liveing scene; and, while he enjoys himself there, he may forget the evils of the present moment the great advantage of finding himself the next fully as much as if he were ever so drunk, with day with his money in his pocket, or at least

laid out in real necessaries and comforts for himself and his family, and without a headache. Nay, it accompanies him to his next day's work, and, if the book he has been reading be any thing above the very idlest and lightest, gives him something to think of besides the mere mochanical drudgery of his every-day occupation; something he can enjoy while absent, and look forward with pleasure to return to.

Ir may not be in vain that we have been spared to begin another year, though in strict justice we might long ago have been cut down as cumberers of the ground. It may not be in vain that we are still kept within the range of mercy that the spiritual husbandman is still permitted to dig about the vine which as yet hath yielded so little, if indeed any fruit. We are not yet on the dark mountains: it may be, we are proaching them. The old must be approaching them; the young may be approaching them. But if we seem to behold them on the horizon-the gloomy frowning masses-still the Sun of Righteousness hath not yet gone down on our firmament; still there needs nothing but the looking in faith unto Jesus, "delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification," tunate in the choice of his book, and to have But, supposing him to have been really forand the beams of that Sun shall edge, as with a line of gold, the dark and dreaded rampart, or alighted upon one really-good, and of a good rather throw a transparency into the stern bar-class, what a source of domestic enjoyment is rier, so that it shall seem to us to melt into the garden of hope, the land where the river of life is ever flowing, and the tree of life is ever waving. May God grant it!

I stand amongst you at the commencement of a new year, as amongst those who are all sealed for death, and I bear on my own forehead the same printed sentence. Already on those dark mountains, which we all have to pass, I seem to hear the chariot-wheels of the Judge. He comes. Great God, and is the day of probation at an end? Is all over? Is there no more time for repentance? Not so! not so! The night indeed "cometh, when no man can work;" but this is a reason not for the sitting still in despair, but for the labouring in hope. Therefore, "while it is called To-day," evil habits, let us seek to break free from them; passions, lusts, let us strive to withstand them; injurious friendships, let us be bold and dissolve them; the bible, let it be diligently searched; the aids of God's Spirit, let them be

laid open! what a bond of family union! He may read it aloud, or make his wife read it, or his eldest boy or girl, or pass it round from hand to hand. All have the benefit of it: all contribute to the gratification of the rest; and a feeling of common interest and pleasure is excited. Nothing unites people like companionship in intellectual enjoyment. It does more, it gives them mutual respect, and to each among them self-respect, that corner-stone of all virtue. It furnishes to each the master-key by which he may avail himself of his privilege as an intellectual being to

"Enter the sacred temple of his breast, And gaze and wonder there, a ravish'd guest, Wander through all the glories of his mind, Gaze upon all the treasures he shall find." And, while thus leading him to look within his own bosom for the ultimate sources of his happiness, it warns him, at the same time, to be cautious how he defiles and desecrates that inward and most glorious of temples.