and for once only, of private converfation with his difciples. No, this was a leading, a commanding object, prefented continually to view, placed in the strongest light, announced with equal fairnefs and fimplicity to friends and to enemies." And Jefus going up to Jerufalem, took the twelve difciples apart in the way, and faid unto them, behold, we go up to Jerufalem; and the Son of man fhall be betray ed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they fhall condemn him to death, and fhall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to fcourge, and to crucify him; and the third day he fhall rife again." He de clares the fame truth thus openly in the court of the temple, He repeats it in the prefence and hearing of the multitude, "when the people were gathered thick together, then certain of the fcribes and of the pharifees anfwered, faying, Mafter, we. would fee a fign from thee. But he answered and faid unto, them, an evil and adulterous generation feeketh after a fign; and there fhall no fign be given to it, but the fign of the proph-. et Jonas. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the. whale's belly, fo fhall the Son of man be three days and three. nights in the heart of the earth." The Sadducees, opponents fill more virulent than the Pharifees, perfectly understood him as meaning on the basis of his own, to establish the belief of a refurrection of the body; for they argue with him on the fubject, and frame a cafe which they fuppofed would reduce the. author of the doctrine to an abfurdity. This afforded our Lord an opportunity of fhewing that the doctrine in difpute was actually an article in their own creed, as being the difciples of Mofes. Thus it runs through the whole of divine Revelation. The fathers beyond the flood lived and died in this faith. The duft of Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob thus refted and refts in hope. It is indeed more clearly ftated under the Gospel dispensation, and the ground of it is more fully demonftrated, that is, the dawning light of the morning gradually brightened into the. perfect day.

In three days I will raife it up." This is an explicit declaration of his own inherent Deity, for God alone has the right and the power over life and death, An angel may be the delegated inftrument in executing the fentence of divine justice, by taking away life; as in the case of the firstborn of Egypt, of thofe who fell by the peftilence, to the number of feventy thoufand, for the offence of David in numbering the people, and of the hundred, fourfcore and five thousand fmitten in one night, in the camp of the Affyrians. But we no where find the pow er of quickening the dead delegated to a created being. Man has the desperate power of deftroying his own body, but there

it ends, and the difembodied fpirit ceafes from all power to repair the awful violence which it has committed. Man cannot by a mere act of his will even lay down his life, any more than he can reanimate the breathlefs clay. It is the incommunicable prerogative of him who has life in himself, to dispose of it at pleasure. This prerogative Jefus Chrift claims and exercifes. "For as the Father raifeth up the dead, and quicken. eth them; even fo the Son quickeneth whom he will." la the cafe of his own death, it was an act of fovereign, almighty power. "Jefus faid, It is finifhed: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoft," while as yet the principle of natural life was ftrong within him, thus demonftrating that his affertion concerning himfelf was founded in truth: "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myfelf I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." And on this power over his own life, he founds his right of difpenfing life and death to others. And this is the Father's will which hath fent me, that of all which he hath given me I fhould lofe nothing, but hould raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that fent me, that every one which feeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlafting life and I will raile him up at the laft day." Whether therefore it is faid that "Chrift was raifed up frrom the dead by the glory of the Father," or that he himfell raifed up the temple of his body, one. and the fame fource of life, one controling, irrefiftible will, and one fupreme, efficient power are displayed.

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"Then faid the Jews, Forty and fix years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?" It has been already fhewn that this was a wilful mifapprehenfion : and it exhibits a humiliating view of the power of prejudice. Something may be made of a ftupid child, if he be difpofed to exert the poor faculties which he poffeffes, but obftinacy fets difcipline at defiance, It is poffible to affift weak eyes, but what can be done for the man who wilfully fhuts them, or who. madly plucks them out? To enter, with commentators, into difcuffion refpecting the period of the temple's rebuilding, is foreign to our purpose. What is it to us how long time was employed in the work, by what prince or princes it was carried on, and what was its comparative magnificence, with relation to the firft temple, and to oher ftructures of a fimilar kind? But it is of high importance to know, that the prediction of Christ concerning it, already quoted, was exactly fulfilled, about forty years afterward; when Jerufalem was befieged and taken by the Emperor Titus, was, pillaged and burnt,

the temple completely destroyed, upwards of one million and one hundred thoufand of the Jews deftroyed by famine and the fword, ninety-feven thousand taken prisoners, the whole nation expatriated and difperfed; and that the ftate of the temple from the year of Christ 70 down to the prefent 802, and of this fcattered, degraded, yet providentially fupported and diftinguished people, at this day, are a standing evidence of the truth and certainty of the things wherein we have been inftru&ted. He is faithful and true who promifes and who threatens. "When ye hall fee Jerufalem compaffed with armies, then know that the defolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea fiee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For thefe be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. And they fhall fall by the edge of the fword, and thall be led away captive into all nations and Jerufalem fhall be trodden do vn of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there fhall be figns in the fun, and in the moon, and in the ftars; and upon the earth diftrefs of nations, with perplexity; the fea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thofe things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven fhall be fhaken. Verily Ifay unto you, this generation fhall not pals away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth fhall pafs away; but my words fhall not pass away."

"When therefore he was rifen from the dead, his difciples remembered that he had faid this unto them." Words as they are spoken, and events as they pafs, frequently make a flight impreffion, but when recalled and fixed by fome ftriking correfpondent circumftance, they rush on the mind like a torrent, and we wonder at our own preceding careleffnefs and inattention. Had the difciples been men quick of apprehenfion, and of easy belief, the fabrication of a cunningly devifed fable might have been fufpected: but they were perfons of a fimplicity of character that fometimes bordered on ftupidity; they were "flow of heart to believe;" they often mifunderstood their mafter; they were of all mankind the most unfit to plan and to fupport impofture. When Jefus fpake of destroying and of railing up again the temple of his body, the Jews wilfully perverted his meaning, and his difciples feem hardly to have marked his words. The greateft of miracles must be perform. ed to fubdue the incredulity of the one, and to roufe the attention of the other. In both we contemplate the wrath and the weaknefs of man miniftring to the glory of God. It was meet

that

that the mouth of malignity fhould be flopped, and that the truth as it is in Jefus fhould be taught to the world by men whofe own ignorance had been inftructed, whofe doubts had been removed, whofe faith had been established. We ftill have this treasure in earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

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The refurrection of Chrift from the dead, therefore, fo clearly predicted, and fo exactly accomplished, fupplies the Chrif tran world, in every age, with the firmeft bafis of faith, and with the pureft fource of hope and joy. The apostle of the Gentiles, once the most violent opposer of the fact, and of the doctrine founded upon it, thus collects the evidence: "For I delivered unto you firft of all that which I alfo received, how that Chrift died for our fins, according to the feriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, accord. ing to the fcriptures; and that he was feen of Cephas, then of the twelve after that he was feen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this prefent, but fome are fallen afleep. After that he was feen of James; then of all the apoftles. And laft of all he was feen of me alfo, as of one born out of due time." Paul's reasoning upon the fubject is conclufive and fatisfactory; it meets the human heart in all its defires and expectations. We refign outfelves to the ftroke of death with compofure. We bury" our dead out of our fight, without bidding them a final farewel, because the flesh alfo fhall reft in hope." "For if we believe that Jefus died, and rose again, even so them also which Bleep in Jefus will God bring with him." "This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal muft put on immortality. So when this corruptible fhall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory."

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The importance of this doctrine, in the fcale of Christianity, will warrant our following up the article of our Lord's history which we have been reviewing, to its more remote effects and eonfequences. This will accordingly form the fubftance of the following Lecture.

This paffover afforded occafion of working various other pub lic miracles, which are not enumerated in the facred record but which attracted attention, and produced conviction in the minds of many who faw and heard him. He was now at the metropolis of the country, and at the feafon of univerfal refort to Jerufalem. Of the multitudes who flocked thither to celebrate the feaft of paffover, very many must have been in the habit of fearching

fearching the Scriptures. and were, with Simeon, "waiting for the confolation of Ifrael," and with Anna the prophétefs, “look ing for redemption in Jerufalem." Perfons of this description muft have been forcibly impreffed with the perfonal appearance of Jefus Chrift, with the fingularity of his manner and addrefs, with the gravity and dignity of his deportment, with the authority which he exercifed in teaching and reproving. Hist zeal in the purgation of the temple, and the fign which he propofed as the evidence of his miffion, muft have been noticed and felt. When thefe proofs of an extraordinary character were accompanied and fupported by a display, of miraculous powers, the effect must have been what the Evangelift relates: "When he was in Jerufalem at the paffover, in the feaft-day, many believed in his name when they faw the miracles which he did." Nor was this impreffion confired to vulgar minds, for we presently find a man high in rank and office bearing teftimony to Chrift's prophetic character, and to the foundation on which it refted. "Nicodemus, a pharifee and ruler of the Jews, came to Jefus by night, and faid unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that thou doeft, except God be with him." But the facred hiftorian fubjoins a reflection most humiliating. to human nature; for it implies that the understanding may be enlightened, and the confcience perfectly convinced, and yet the heart remain corrupted and malignant. "Many be lieved in his name, when they faw the miracles which he did.” But the fearcher of hearts difcerned under a found belief, a dangerous, an uníubdued perverfity of difpofition in which he could not confide. But Jefus did not commit himself unto them." In this Chrift acted as a pattern to his difciples, and conformed himself to the doctrine which he taught them.

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Beware of men be ye wife as ferpents, and harmless as doves." There is an excefs of caution unworthy of a noble and generous mind, which damps exertion and poifons fociety. But there is also an excess of confidence which puts the candid and fincere in the power of the crafty and defigning. True wifdom fafely conducts its poffeffor through the channel which divides them. "A prudent man," says Solomon, “forefeeth the evil, and hideth himfelf: but the fimple pafs on, and are punished."

"The chapter concludes with an afcription to Christ of one' of the incommunicable attributes of Deity, the knowledge of the thoughts of men: "He knew all men, and needed not that any fhould teftity of man: for he knew what was in man." Of this he had given an illustrious inftance in the cafe of Na

thanael,