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such sorrowful occasions, our "grief becomes us, and our tears are just." Religion neither annihilates, nor hardens the delicately tender feelings of nature; but it gives to our virtuous sensibility a keener edge. It requires us, not entirely to refrain from sorrow, but to moderate our grief. To this purpose, it not only speaks with the commanding voice of supreme authority, but it condescends to assign suitable reasons. It affords good hope, and so administers strong consolation.

When standing by the dying bed of a Christian, to whom we are closely united by the ties of nature, or of friendship, we behold, for the last time, his much loved countenance; when we see his face livid, his lips quiver, his eyes rolling in death, and his whole frame convulsed; when we hear his faltering voice, labouring to utter an affectionate farewell; when we witness the final struggle, and perceive that the pulse of life has ceased to beat, that he breathes no more; when we see him, a cold corpse, stretched on the bed of death, or lying in a coffin, covered with a shroud; when we follow his precious remains to the grave, and behold them committed to the dust, to worms, to corruption; we shall, we may, we must, be sorrowful: but we should not indulge sorrow as those who have no hope" for we have hope-hope that the immortal spirit is with the Lord, in the unseen world; hope that the body will be delivered from the dishonours of the grave; hope of a joyful meeting at the last day. This hope rests on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Finally; in prospect of our own dissolution, the belief of this fact will support and animate our minds. Death, in itself, is terrible. Justly is it styled "the king of terrors," Job xviii. 14. Death

is terrible in the view of nature. The afflictions which generally precede it, the sorrowful circumstances with which it is oftentimes attended, the stroke itself, and the humiliating events that follow it, render death terrible. But in the apprehension of conscience, it is still more terrible, on account of the judgment to which it leads. The thought of this, were there no hope, would fill the soul with horror. When we realize our mortality, when we lie on our dying pillow, when the spirit hovers over eternity, we need, for our support, better instructions than Socrates, or Plato, or any modern philosophers, unacquainted with the gospel, are able to administer. Blessed be God, the resurrection of Christ furnishes us with all we want. Does nature tremble at the apprehension of falling into naught? The resurrection of Christ, by bringing life and immortality to light, dissipates the fear of annihilation. Does a deep sense of guilt cause us to fear lest, in consequence of sin, immortality should be to us a curse? The resurrection of the Son of God proves that sin is expiated, and thus begets us to a lively hope of "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,' 1 Pet. i. 3, 4.

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Thus the resurrection of Jesus dispels the gloomy horrors of the tomb. In the tomb I see a dark night, through which I cannot penetrate; in his resurrection I see the light of life. In the grave I behold the punishment of sin; in his resurrection I behold sin expiated. In the tomb the sad destination of Adam, and of his miserable posterity, presents itself to view; in his resurrection the scene appears reversed, for death is swallowed up in victory.

In this subject all men are deeply interested; for, as we travel through the wilderness of life, we

drop, one after another, like leaves in autumn. With what pleasure, therefore, should we listen to the voice which says, "I am the resurrection and the life?" John xi. 25. At the sound of this voice, the Christian takes courage; and he goes down to the grave, not as if he were afraid of falling over a precipice to rise no more, but he descends the valley of the shadow of death with a firm, steady, and unhesitating step. He knows whither he is going, and the way he knows. He is willing to die; for he dies in hope of being restored to eternal life. Hence, when death and the grave are full in view, his faith enables him to exclaim, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. xv. 55, 57. His resurrection from the dead is the light of our darkest days, the sweet solace of the heart in times of trouble, the prop of declining age, and the firm support of the dying believer. In the hour of expiring he may, with rapture, thus address his soul:

nature,

"The stars shall fade away, the sun himself
Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years;
But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth,
Unhurt amidst the war of elements,

The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds.'

Such, and infinitely more than our feeble conceptions can reach, is the power of Christ's resurrection. The power which it possesses, is the support of religion; it is the support of those grand doctrines which constitute the object of Christian faith, and it is the support of religion in the soul; for personal religion, in its rise, in its progress, and in its consummation, depends upon this momentous fact.

CONCLUSION.

FROM the resurrection of Christ, we may infer the propriety of a remark, the importance of a command, and the reasonableness of a requisition, with which we meet in the apostolic writings.

The remark, to which we allude, is in Paul's epistle to the Romans, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved," Rom. x. 9. The belief of this fact, and its import, as illustrated in the New Testament, is the criterion of a Christian. He is distinguished, by faith in the fact, from a Jew, a Heathen, and a Mohammedan; by the belief of its import, from a man who receives the testimony of the witnesses as to the fact itself, simply considered, but not as to the important inferences which they deduce from it; and by an experience of its influence, which is the effect of faith, from all those whose minds speculate, but whose consciences and hearts do not feel.

The command, to which we advert, is in Paul's first epistle to Timothy; "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead," 2 Tim. ii. 8. For the devout remembrance of this fact, and of what, according to the apostolic representations, it certainly implies, the first day of the week was set apart by the ambassadors of Christ. The custom of assembling for social worship on this day, may be traced up to the age of those divinely inspired men; and the resurrection of Jesus will naturally account for its origin.

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Finally; the requisition, of which we spoke, is in the first epistle general of Peter; "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you," 1 Pet. iii. 15. If we know the power of Christ's resurrection, we can render the most substantial reason; for this furnishes us with the answer of a good conscience," 1 Pet. iii. 21. Do any ask, What is the ultimate object of our hope? We reply, Eternal life. Do they inquire, How we know there is eternal life? We answer," Christ hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel," 2 Tim. i. 10. Do they further interrogate us, as to the manner in which we ascertain the truth of what Christ taught on this article? We inform them, that Jesus, by his own resurrection, at once established and exemplified the important doctrine of a future state. Do they ask, How we, who deserve to perish, can expect eternal life? With joy we say, It is "the gift of God," Rom. vi. 23. If any object that God is just as well as merciful, we cheerfully add, that in the bestowment of this gift, "grace reigns through righteousness, by Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. v.21; "who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification," Rom. iv. 25. Blessed," then, "be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away," 1 Pet. i. 3, 4.

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THE END.

London: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Stamford street.

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