issue, like Christ's, in a life of endless happiness and glory.

The last use of his Resurrection which I propose to mention, is, that we should make it the ground of our hope. Our salvation is most generally ascribed to the death of Christ; but sometimes also to his Resurrection: and when St. Paul mentions them as joint grounds of our hope, he seems to lay the greater stress upon his Resurrection; "Who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again." Nor is this without reason; for, by means of his Resurrection, he is enabled to execute his priestly office. The High Priest under the law was not only to slay the sacrifice, but to carry its blood within the vail, to sprinkle it before the mercy-seat, and to cover the mercy-seat with a cloud of incense: and this, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews informs us, Jesus is now doing: he has offered himself a sacrifice for our sins, and now he is entered into the highest heavens with his own blood, and ever liveth to make intercession for us. By his Resurrection also, we are assured, that God has accepted his sacrifice on our behalf: for if it had not been accepted in this view, Christ must have deceived his followers, and God must have countenanced that deception, by giving the author of it such a signal testimony of his approbation: and as God would not have done this, we may look to him now with confidence as a reconciled Father: and we are fully warranted to do so, because St. Peter has said, that "God raised up Jesus from the dead, and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God." We are further assured by the Resurrection of Christ, that he has all power committed to him in heaven and in earth, and is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him: and therefore St. Peter says again, that "we are begotten to a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." But that particular consideration, which above all renders the Resurrection of Christ a ground of hope, is, that he rose, as he died, not in a private capacity, but as the Head and Representative of all his

people; on which account we are said to be" risen in him," and to be now "sitting with him in heavenly places." However therefore the members of his mystical body upon earth may be still contending with the enemies of their salvation, they may rejoice in an assured expectation of victory through Christ their Head: they may already triumph in the thought, that the guilt of their sin is expiated; that God is reconciled; that the hosts of hell are vanquished; that heaven is opened; that grace is promised; and that glory is reserved for them at their departure hence. Who then would not hope in this exalted Saviour, especially when we are so expressly told that he rose again for our justification?

Seeing then that his Resurrection enables him to execute his priestly office; seeing it assures us that his sacrifice is accepted for us; seeing it is the means of his being invested with almighty power; and seeing that by means of it his whole mystical body is risen and exalted with him, happy shall we be, if He be our hope and our confidence: but if He be not, we must be entirely hopeless and undone for ever; for there neither is nor can be any other ground of hope: we may have the faith of Abraham, the repentance of David, the self-denial of John the Baptist, the knowledge of the Apostles, and the fidelity of Stephen; yet all in vain; if Christ be not risen, all this will profit us nothing; we must inevitably perish notwithstanding all; for thus says the Apostle, in a fore-cited passage, "If Christ be not risen, ye are yet in your sins; then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ are perished:" so that Abraham, David, John the Baptist, the first martyr, Stephen, yea and all the Apostles, are perished, if Christ be not risen. If then these words of St. Paul be true, we see the pernicious tendency of their doctrines who would persuade us to renounce our dependence upon Christ, and to rely on our own works as the ground of our hope. What! are we better than those saints of old? Or would it avail us any thing if we were? No: we might be possessed of every virtue that ever adorned a human being, and

in the highest degree that it ever appeared in a fallen creature, and perish at last, if we made any thing but Christ the ground of our hope. Let us look then to this exalted Saviour: let us regard his Resurrection as the pledge of our resurrection, the pattern of our life, and the ground of our hope; and then we may adopt the triumphant language of the Apostle; "Who is he that shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? it is God that justifieth: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again.”

MDXCII.

THE GOSPEL TO BE FIRST PREACHED AT JERUSALEM.

Luke xxiv. 46, 47. Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

THE Apostles were to be Christ's chosen witnesses respecting all that he had said, and done, and suffered in the world. To qualify them for this office, he gave them all needful instruction, not only whilst he sojourned openly among men, but in the interval between his resurrection and ascension. He opened to them more particularly the principal types and prophecies that related to him, and " then opened their understandings also that they might understand them :" and thus, by exhibiting the Gospel more fully to their view, and strengthening their organs of vision to behold them, he prepared them for the ministry which they were now speedily to undertake.

The necessity of the death and resurrection of Christ we have before considered. We now fix our attention on the direction which he gave them, I. To preach the Gospel to all nations—

The Gospel comprehends two points, " repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ"

a See Disc. on Luke xxiv. 26.

[Repentance is unknown to the law: that says, ' Do this, and live; and in the event of transgression, denounces a curse against us. Whatever there was of repentance enjoined by Moses and the Prophets, it was altogether from a respect to that sacrifice which was in due time to be offered for the sins of men. That it is an evangelical duty, appears from its comprehending the substance of John's preaching, and of Christ himself, and of the Apostles also, both at, and after, the day of Pentecoste and to bring men to it, was the end for which Christ died and rose again. This therefore must be preached as an essential part of the Gospel.

"Remission of sins" also is a distinguishing feature of the Gospel of Christ: it is indeed the glory of the Gospel, that it makes provision for our attainment of that blessing. Not that the remission of sins is bestowed on account of our repentance repentance prepares the mind for a due reception of it; but it is for the sake of Christ only that it is bestowed: and therefore in our preaching we must particularly mark, that this mercy is the purchase of his blood, and the gift of his grace.] These are to be preached to all nations—

[The blessings of the Mosaic dispensation were confined to the House of Israel; but those of the Gospel are to be extended to all mankind. They are equally necessary for all, free for all, effectual for all: there is not a human being that does not need to repent and seek remission of sins in the name of Christ; for "there is no name but his, whereby any man can be saved." Nor is any person excluded from these mercies, if he do not himself thrust them away from him; for "the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." Nor shall any have reason to complain that they are not sufficient for him; for "all that believe are justified for all things.' Hence the offer of them must be made to all; 66 we must go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature."] Our Lord however enjoined his Apostles

II. To begin their ministration of it at Jerusalem—

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It had been foretold that "the law should go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But there were also important reasons in our Lord's mind, why his Gospel should in the first instance be published there. It would be eminently useful,

1. To confirm his truth

b Gal. iii. 10.

d Matt. iv. 17.

c Matt. iii. 2.

e Acts ii. 38. and iii. 19. and xvii. 30.

[If the Apostles had left Jerusalem, and gone at once to the heathen, it would have appeared as if they had despaired of succeeding where their testimony might be inquired into, and were practising an imposition on those who were unable to contradict them. Thus the Gospel would have been universally regarded as "a cunningly-devised fable." But by beginning at the very place where their Master was crucified, and bearing their testimony respecting his resurrection, in the very place where he had been put to death, and before the people who were most interested in controverting their statements; and being enabled too to confirm their word with signs and miracles; being successful also in convincing hundreds and thousands that Christ was indeed risen, and was the only Saviour of the world; all this carried such conviction along with it, that even to this hour the enemies of Christianity are confounded by it, nor can find any reasonable plea for doubting what is so firmly and incontrovertibly established- - -]

2. To magnify his mercy

[When we reflect on all the miracles that Christ had wrought in support of his assertions, and what indignities had been offered to him by all ranks and orders of people at Jerusalem; and at last what a cruel death they had inflicted on him; we might well expect that he should exclude that murderous city from any share of his mercy. He might well have said to his Disciples, Go and "preach repentance and remission of sins to all nations;" but come not near Jerusalem, that wicked city, that has filled up the measure of its iniquities in the murder of its Messiah. But instead of laying any such injunction on them, he commands them to be peculiarly mindful of that city, and to begin their ministrations there: so that, if they should have access to the priests, who demanded sentence against him, or to any of the people, who, in the various ways, by mockings, by scourgings, by nailing him to the cross, by piercing him with the spear, executed it upon him, they might declare to them his readiness to forgive all their trespasses, and, by the blood he had shed, to cleanse them from the guilt of shedding it. What wonderful mercy was here! James and John, upon a small provocation that was offered him, would have called down fire from heaven to consume a whole village but their Lord, after having sustained the utmost injuries that ingenious cruelty could inflict, was anxious only for the salvation of the persons that had inflicted them. Here was mercy, such as none but God could exercise.]

3. To encourage sinners to the end of time-

f Hos. xi. 8, 9.