porated with the trunk-that of members. connected with the head. Where the head is, there also shall the members be: if ye die with him, ye shall also live with him.

But as a prelude to your rising in hope and peace at the last day, satisfied with his likeness—seek now, in heart and mind, thither to ascend, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God in majesty and glory. "If ye be risen with Christ set your affections on things above, not on things which be on the earth." Let the power of your Lord's resurrection be exhibited in the subjugation of your passions-your wayward desires-your ambitious aspirations. And rest not satisfied with any thing short of taking up, in sincerity of heart, the language of the Apostle, and saying, "God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world." Thus dying unto sin and living unto righteousness, you shall have your fruit unto holiness, and your end everlasting life.

28

LECTURE II.

ACTS i. 3-5.

To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs: being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.

WHAT effect death will produce in the believer's spiritual condition, or what changes will be wrought in his entire being, at the period of the resurrection, are questions which we naturally and earnestly ask. But whence may we expect

a satisfactory reply? To what source of information shall we look? The Christian instinctively replies, "to the word of God." There, and there alone, do we meet with any tidings of the invisible world on which we can dare to repose our confidence. The speculations of philosophers may amuse, but can never satisfy an inquiring mind. The dreams and fancies of a heated imagination are little better than the classic fables of olden times, in which the poets of Greece and Rome were wont to indulge. It is only by the inspiration of the Almighty that any human being can announce to his fellows the things which he hath neither heard nor seen, and which it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive. Nor is it enough to claim the high privilege of inspiration: the claim must be proved and established on evidence which cannot be gainsayed, else the insane rhapsodies of any visionary fanatic might justify the credence of his deluded followers. Blessed be God for the measure

of information which it hath pleased him to grant us by his servants the Prophets ! They spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, and to their sure, their most sure word, we shall do well to "take heed, as to a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in our hearts."

'But we long for something more explicit than even the inspired declarations of prophets'-may be the secret language of our hearts. We want to hear the testimony of one who has himself passed through the gate of death, and who has himself experienced the mighty power of the resurrection upon his earthly tabernacle. Or, if this be too much to expect, we ask for the testimony of those who have seen such an individual, who knew him before he expired, and could identify him after his resurrection-and who being certified of the facts both of his death and resurrection, had also the privilege of conversing with him on topics connected with futurity.'

This desire, brethren, our heavenly Father has graciously anticipated-this additional and most important testimony he has condescendingly given.

In the

person of his only begotten Son, our blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ, he has vouchsafed to us the evidence we require. By him "life and immortality have been brought visibly into light." Not only did he prove himself to have actually risen, (which he might have done by the mere fulfilment of some prediction, or by the execution of some signal judgment upon his murderers,) but he exhibited himself to the public as well as private view of all his disciples. Nor was he merely seen by them-he conversed with them, and that, not once nor twice, but many times, during a period of no less than forty days.

This is a most important thing to be remembered in connection with the "many infallible proofs" of our Lord's resurrection, to which your attention was directed in the preceding Lecture. "Forty days,”