this awful event was tranfacting; when the great hour of facrifice was folemnizing, aftonishment feized the world. All nature laboured in expectation, when the eternal life of her children was procuring. An earthquake rent afunder the rocks, and fhook the earth from its foundations. The fun, beyond the course of nature, fuffered eclipfe in the heavens ; unusual darkness, at noon, overfpread the nations; the invifible world, through all its manfions, felt that tremendous hour. The dead arofe from the grave. With aftonishment the hoft of heaven looked down. Man alone, for whom thefe wonders were wrought, man alone was an unconcerned spectator of the event.-Yes, O Chriftian! the ranfom was paid. Behold the victim led to the facrifice, patient, uncomplaining, marking the way with his own blood. Who is it they drag like a murderer to Mount Calvary? Who is it they are stretching on a cross, and nailing to the accurfed tree? Prince of life! Lord of glory! Saviour of men! Great High Prieft of the world! we cannot call upon thee to come down from the crofs, for thou art now purchafing eternal life for us !-Yes, O Chriftian! the ranfom was paid. The facrifice which was offered up, was accepted by God. Jefus, before he bowed upon the cross, cried out, "It is finished." As a full confirmation that the merit of his facrifice was available to purchase everlasting life, he rofe from the dead on the third day, and is now afcended up on high, to take poffeffion of thofe heavens he hath purchased for his people, and is now preparing a place for them in those manfions, which are in his Father's house.

In the third place, as the King of the world, he fets before us the path that leads to life eternal.

Having, as a Prophet, opened up a future world to mortal view; having, as a Prieft, purchafed life eternal in that future world, as a King he marks out the way by which we may afcend to take poffeffion of that eternal life which he hath purchased for us. The gate of heaven is fet open, by his blood; but they alone who walk in the path which he hath appointed shall enter in. You come to these tables, not only to receive inftruction from Jefus as a Prophet, not only to profefs your faith in him as a Priest, but alfo to recognife his authority as a Legiflator, and to vow obedience to him as a King.

One of his first appearances on earth was in his legiflative capacity. One of the first acts of his minif try was to publish a fyftem of laws for regulating the life of his difciples. Mofes is celebrated for having been faithful in his houfe, and for having ordered every thing in his tabernacle, according to the pattern fhowed him in the mount. No lefs faithful in his house was the Prophet like unto Mofes, the Minister of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man. He hath given us the purest and most effective precepts, for the regulation of our life. He hath pointed out our duty in every inftance with fuch clearness, that he that runneth may read. The King of that future world which he hath purchased by his death, hath made the path that leads to it, not only plain but luminous.

It fhall come to pass in those days, faith the Prophet Ifaiah, (defcribing the times of the Meffiah), that

the "eyes of the blind fhall be opened, the ears of "the deaf fhall be unftopped; the lame fhall leap

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as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb fhall fing. "For in the wilderness fhall waters break out, and "ftreams in the defert.-And a highway fhall be "there, and it fhall be called the way of holiness; "the unclean fhall not pafs over it; but the redeem"ed fhall walk there, and wayfaring men, though "fools, fhall not err therein." Such is the perfection of the Christian law; fuch the purity of those morals which Jefus delivered; fuch the beauty of the Gospel, as a rule of life, as to have gained the love and admiration of many who have difbelieved its doctrines. But he gave them a still higher luftre by his example. The perfection of the Chriftian law, the purity of those morals which Jefus delivered, the beauty of the Gospel, as a rule of life, appear no where to fuch advantage, as in the life of our Lord. There you contemplate holinefs, not as a dead letter, but as a living form; substantial, present, speaking to the world. He trode before you the path that leads to heaven. It is pointed out by his precepts; it is marked by his example; it is confecrated by his blood.

Would you learn what virtue is, would you be in 'love with virtue, would you practise virtue, contemplate the life of Jefus ; ftudy the life of Jefus; imitate the life of Jefus. He to whom the Jews preferred a robber and a murderer, was fairer in his life than the fons of men, and purer in his heart than the angels of God. That head which they crowned with thorns, was ever intent on benevolent deeds, and at that very moment of time meditated their good. Еве

Those feet which they bound to the crofs, went about on errands of mercy. Thofe hands which they nailed to the accurfed tree, were lifted up in devotion to God, or stretched out in beneficence to men. Jefus, through his whole life, marked out the path which leads to the heavens. Walk in that path, Christians! You shall arrive at heaven; and be of that happy number, who are to inhabit the mansions prepared for you, by Him who is "the refurrection "and the life."

LECTURE I*.

PSALM i.

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counfel of the ungodly, mor Alandeth in the way of finners, nor fitteth in the feat of the fcornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his feafon; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatfoever he doth shall profper.

4 The ungodly are not fo: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not fland in the judgment, nor finners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly fhall perish.

CHRISTIANS and Brethren! The

most critical period of human life is when we set out into the world. Frequently the first step is decifive. The young adventurer, fet free from the authority of parents and of guardians, becomes his own master, and follows his own inclination. It is then that he

* A LECTURE is a stated part in the MORNING SERVICE of the Church of Scotland, and follows immediately after the first prayer. The minifter reads fome paffage of Scripture, consisting for the most part of a confiderable number of verses; these he fucceffively explains, and, where neceffary, illuftrates them, not only from the context, but both from facred and profane history. Befides making obfervations upon each verfe, he generally, upon concluding, draws moral inferences from the whole.

It is obvious, that the practice of LECTURING muft, on those accounts, not only give scope to the learning of the preacher, and to his talent for bringing many particulars into one or a few points of view; but must tend, at the fame time, to make the people more acquainted with the Sacred Scriptures, and to derive, from the experience of past times, very useful inftructions with regard to life.