Passover, "Ye shall not break a bone," therefore referred to that death in which bones were broken. Zechariah foretells it in chap. xi. 10, and David in Psalm xxii. 17. Pilate delivered him to be crucified. The unbelief of Thomas, recorded in John xx. 25, "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails," &c. is a striking confirmation of the manner of the death he was pleased to undergo, by which the curse was to be taken off, Deut. xxvii. 26, Gal. iii. 10, Coloss. ii. 14, as the same kind of death which Christ works in us spiritually, Romans vi. 5, 6, Galatians v. 24, vi. 14. Faith in the death of Christ is needful to assure us of our deliverance from the bitter pains of eternal death. "It is Christ that died." Do we believe it? It is needful to work in us a death unto sin, by the consideration that he died for our sins. The death of sin in us is the only sure evidence that Christ died for us; for he died for all, "that they which live should no longer live to themselves, but to him that died for them." SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS. "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord," Isaiah xi. 2. How strikingly this verse describes Jesus as one with us, an elder brother of the very same family, in subjection to his Father as we are, living in the fear of the Lord by faith on him as we do. Oh, how does it endear his humanity! It pleased him to be made in all things like unto his brethren through his Christian pilgrimage, and even up to his last conflict. And here we find that his human nature was tenacious of life as ours is. Although he freely offered himself in the greatness and fulness of his love, yet when the hour came "he was sore amazed, and very heavy:" his love made him thirst to suffer, but he was straitened till it was accomplished. How fully in every point can he sympathize with us! He was also the subject of fear; we then may open all our fears and sorrows to him, and pour them into his kind bosom; for he has a heart of love, and pity, and tenderness. Let us not fear the sharpest hour of temptation, Jesus has passed it before us, he has vanquished the powers of darkness. "And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve," Isaiah xiv. 3. THERE is no state in which we can possibly be, but the eye of the Lord is upon us, watching our steps, watching the movements of our minds. And what he says of the Church collectively, he says of the Church individually, "Mine eyes and mine heart are there perpetually." All our times are in his most gracious hand, our very sorrow, fear, and hard bondage to the power of Satan, are all to answer great and wonderful purposes of grace. There is a sweet satisfaction arising therefrom; and it shews us the true state of believers-that they are a poor and an afflicted people, trusting in the name of the Lord. Now we do not trust for that which we have in possession, if we were full of spiritual blessings and needed nothing we should not trust, but we have to look forward in the confidence of hope to a brighter day. SKETCHES OF CHURCH HISTORY. 3. The enemies of the rising Church were not only the serpent who seduced them in Paradise, but also his seed afterwards, especially Cain and his offspring. His separation from the Church after his brother's murder, (which is placed in the year of the birth of Seth, and was the year of the world 130,) he first began, with those whom he had drawn after him, (who we may easily suppose in that space of time amounted to a considerable number,) to build a city called, from the name of his son, Enoch ;' that he might be secure from the violence of those whom he greatly feared, and might institute sacred rites for himself in private. It is clear that the study of various arts of their invention flourished among them. Their number was much increased by the intercourse of the sons of God, or Sethites, with the daughters of men, or descendants of Cain. It appears that this generation fell not merely into the denial of true justification, and by degrees into impiety and atheism, but even perhaps into idolatry. How wicked a life that generation led the profane Lamech, the polygamist, may teach us. 6. On account then of the great impiety of men God sent the deluge, (which had been in vain foretold for one hundred and twenty years,) over the whole world; which, lasting for five whole months, only Noal with his family were saved as it were from a general shipwreck, in an ark curiously put together, on the mountains of Ararat, which are commonly supposed to be situated in Armenia. The report of this has spread amongst the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the Grecians, and the Romans; and is supposed to have come even to the Brazilians and Peruvians; and indeed very many traces of the events of this age may be found in the fabulous histories of the heathen. CHAPTER II. 1. Four hundred and twenty seven years passed away from the deluge to the call of Abraham, aẻ cording to the calculation of the Hebrew text; and thus we arrange the time of this interval, from the deluge to the nativity. 2. The Church at this time consisted of the family of Noah, who replenished the whole world, not according to Noah's division, but according to the leading of Divine Providence; and, giving name and origin to very many celebrated nations, was reduced by degrees to still smaller limits. For it was not so much increased by Ham as by Japhet, and more especially by Shem and his posterity; among whom Heber was eminent, from whom the whole race of Hebrews is supposed to have derived its name. 3. God established it by making his covenant with Noah and his seed, in which he promised that the world should not again be destroyed by a deluge, and added the seal of the rainbow. He restored also the dominion of Noah over the creation, and granted him the right of eating the bodies of animals, but prohibited the eating of blood, and murder. 4. Soon, however, the seeds of corrupt principles which, together with his curse he entailed on his son Canaan, were manifested in the impiety of Ham thé scorner; principles which shewed themselves in their full strength when he began to build the tower of Babel contrary to the command of God. For when the efforts of the sons of Noah were rendered vain by their dispersion, Asshur laid the foundation of the Assyrian, and Nimrod of the Babylonian Monarchy. Without doubt a kingdom was soon erected in Egypt by Mitzraim, whom some think to be Menes, others with more probability Mestrous, the father of the demi-gods of Egypt. And it seems that some one of the most |