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awaits them also at their departure hence. Who can conceive what happiness they will feel in the vision and fruition of their God? Well may they long "to depart, that they may be with Christ;" and account all their afflictions light and momentary, in the view of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, with which they will be crowned in the day of the Lord Jesus.]

INFER

1. What rich sources of consolation does faith open to believers under all their troubles!

[Faith beholds God always present, always active, to succour his people: it looks forward also to the future state both of body and soul, enabling us to weigh the concerns of time and eternity in the scale together, and thereby to see the vanity of the one in comparison of the other. To be happy therefore, we must live by faith.]

2. How certain is the salvation of those who believe in Christ!

[If Jesus be the Messiah, and have in himself a sufficiency for the salvation of his people, then have we nothing to do but to believe in him. But St. Peter, quoting the entire text, infers from it the certainty of his Messiahship; and St. Paul, referring to the same, infers his sufficiency to save his people. Let us then make him our refuge, our foundation, and our ALL.]

2

d Rev. xxi. 3, 4, 21, 22. Acts ii. 25-28, and 36.

e

2 Cor. iv. 17, 18.

Acts xiii. 35-37, and 38, 39.

CXCIX.

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST GLAD TIDINGS. Acts xiii. 32, 33. We declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

THE resurrection of Christ was the foundation, whereon the whole edifice of our religion was built. To that Jesus himself directed his disciples to look forward as the evidence of his Messiahship; and, after he had risen, he appeared to them repeatedly for the space of forty days, that they might be enabled to testify of it with the fullest assurance. A select number were chosen by him for the very purpose of bearing witness to this wonderful

wonderful event: and because St. Paul had not enjoyed the same advantage as the other apostles, he was favoured with a vision of his Lord long after his removal from the sight of all other mortals, in order that he, as well as the others, might be able to testify of it from ocular demonstration.

In the words before us he speaks of Christ's resur

rection

I. As an accomplishment of prophecy

The passage quoted by the apostle is very properly applied to this subject

[The Psalms were in the apostle's days arranged in the same order as they now are. And the scope of the second Psalm is to declare the triumph of Jesus over all his enemies. by means of his resurrection from the grave, and of his consequent exaltation to the right hand of God. And he might well be said to be "begotten" in the day of his resurrection, because he was then formed anew, as it were, from the earth.]

It is confirmed also by many other passages that predict the same truth

[As it was foreordained by God, so it was foretold in a variety of ways. Sometimes it was exhibited in types, and sometimes in prophecies. In one scripture, not quoted indeed in this place, but cited no less than six times in the New Testament, this marvellous event was predicted in terms soplain that none could misunderstand it, who did not obstinately shut their eyes against the truth.]

We must not however suppose this to be an uninteresting fact for the apostle further speaks of it

II. As

a Isaac being put to death, as it were, by his own father, was received again from the dead in a figure, Heb. xi. 19. Jonah was raised again on the third day from the belly of a fish, Matt. xii. 39, 40. The living bird that was let loose after having been dipped in the blood of the bird that had been slain, represented Jesus as ascending to heaven with his own blood, Lev. xiv. 51, 53. with Heb. ix. 12.

b Ver. 34, 35. with Isai. lv. 3. which certainly must include the resurrection of him that was to be "the leader and commander;" and Ps. xvi. 10. which is so largely commented upon by St. Peter, Acts ii. 26-31.

Ps. cxviii. 22. with Luke xx. 17.

II. As glad tidings to the soul.

To the disconsolate disciples the tidings of Christ's resurrection were doubtless exceeding joyful. But they ought to be no less so to us, since that event ascertains

1. The virtue of his sacrifice

[Had he not risen, his death had been in vain. We could have had no evidence that our debt was discharged, if our surety had not been liberated from the prison of the grave. But his resurrection clearly proved that he had satisfied the demands of law and justice, and it thereby affords us a ground of assured hope, and triumphant exultation.]

2. His sufficiency for our help

[If he were still dead, it would be in vain to look to him for help. But, when he has raised up himselff, and spoiled all the principalities and powers of hell, and been exalted on purpose that he might be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins, what may we not expect at his hands? Surely he is declared thereby to be the Son of God with power, and to be able to save us to the uttermost *. Let us only seek to know him in the power of his resurrection1; and nothing shall be impossible unto us".] 3. The certainty of our own resurrection

[Our resurrection depended altogether upon his: if he had not risen, neither should we have risen: but because he rose, we shall rise also. Christ is the first-fruits, which, while it sanctified, assured also the whole harvest". He is our forerunner, who is gone to heaven to prepare places for us, and will come again to raise us to the possession of them. We therefore may consider death and the grave as vanquished for us, and look forward to the complete triumph which we ourselves shall have over them in the last day P. Because he liveth, we may be sure that we shall live also .]

As a further IMPROVEMENT of this passage, permit me to observe

1 Cor. xv. 14, 17, 18.

f John x. 17, 18.

h Acts v. 31.

k Heb. vii. 25.

m Mark ix. 23.

• Heb. vi. 20. John xiv. 2, 3.
9 John xiv. 19.

1. How

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1. How deeply are we interested in the writings of the Old Testament!

[In them are promises of which we receive the accomplishment. The word of God is not of private interpretation", as though it belonged only to this or that individual. Many parts doubtless had a peculiar reference to those to whom they were spoken; but none an exclusive reference. Let us then embrace the promises as spoken to ourselves, and expect the fulfilment of them to our own souls.]

2. What enemies are they to themselves who despise the ministry of the gospel!

[Many, when the gospel is preached to them, are ready to say like the devils, We beseech thee, torment us not. Yes, they look on faithful ministers as the troublers of Israel ". But the scope of our ministry is to " declare glad tidings," even to proclaim a crucified, and an exalted Saviour. Let any one contemplate the foregoing subject, and see whether it do not afford matter for rejoicing. Let men only forsake their sins, and we have not a word to utter which will not administer to them an occasion of joy.]

3. What a near relation subsists between believers in all ages!

[They are our fathers, and we their children. We are all of one family, all united to one head, and all heirs of the same glory. Let us enjoy this thought, and look forward to the time when we shall sit down with all the patriarchs and prophets in the kingdom of our God.]

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CC. THE END OF CHRIST'S ASCENSION.

Ps. lxviii. 18. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell among them.

WHILE some give an unbounded scope to their fancies, and view Christ in almost every passage of the Scriptures, others run into a contrary extreine, and scarcely behold him even in the most express prophecies. But there certainly are many parts of the prophetic writings,

EE 4

writings, and particularly of the Psalms, which, to (200.) whomsoever they relate in a literal sense, have a spiritual or mystical reference to Christ: nor can we err in interpreting them of him, while we take the inspired apostles for our guides.

David, having vanquished all his enemies, determined to provide a fixed residence for the ark of God, that God might dwell in the midst of his people at Jerusalem, And he penned this Psalm to be used on that occasion. But St. Paul informs us, that there was a further reference in it to the ascension of Christ; who being the true ark whereon the glory rested, went, after having triumphed over all his enemies, to his fixed abode in heaven; and, having received gifts as the fruits of his victories, gave them unto men, and provided that God should have a stated residence in his church.

With this inspired comment, we may proceed with confidence to consider

I. The manner of Christ's ascension

Christ, having submitted to the deepest humiliation, was now to receive a proportionable advancement, which, having already been begun in his resurrection, was now perfected in his ascension. This was

1. Glorious

[In verse 17, the glory of it is described, and it is compared with the descent of Jehovah on Mount Sinai. While he was in the very act of blessing his disciples, he was taken up by a cloud, as Elijah was in his fiery chariot, to heaven. Instantly myriads of the heavenly host surrounded him with their acclamations and hosannas. They had surveyed him with astonishment from the first moment that he came into the world. When he yet lay in the manger, they sang, Glory to God in the highest. But, when they beheld him agonizing in the garden, and expiring on the cross, we may almost conceive their songs of joy to have been turned into weeping and lamentation. We doubt not, however, but at this time their joy exceeded all that they had ever felt from their first

creation.

a It is thought that ver. 1-6. was sung when the ark was taken up by the Levites; ver. 7-14.while they were in their way to the hill, till they came in sight of it; ver. 15-17. while they were ascending it; and ver. 18-23. when the ark was deposited. • Luke xxiv. 51.

Eph. iv. 8.

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