manner; to slay the righteous with the wicked. So far the Jews reasoned well: they rejected him, for they considered him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. And so he was: but "he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our ini quities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Exclude this, and with what can we meet the conscience burdened with guilt? With what can we answer the inquiry, How shall I come before the Lord? With what can we wipe the tear of godly grief? But we have boldness to enter into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus. Surely he hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrow. His death was an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. The all-sufficiency, and the acceptableness, were evinced, by his discharge from the grave, and his being received up into glory. There, within the veil, our hope finds anchorage "Jesus, my great High Priest, No sacrifice beside: His powerful blood did once atone, And now it pleads before the throne." Yet even this is not all the design. Christ died for us, not only to reconcile us, but to renovate; not only to justify us, but to sanctify. The one is ast necessary to our recovery as the other. And both equally flow from the Cross. For he gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity; and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. "Oh! the sweet wonders of that Cross, Where God, my Saviour, groan'd and died! Her noblest life my spirit draws From his dear wounds and bleeding side." APRIL 3.-MORNING. "He was buried." 1 COR. XV. 4. could not THE resurrection of our Saviour necessarily presupposes his death, but not his burial. His burial was an additional thing: and, as his flesh see corruption, seemed an unnecessary one. worthy of our notice. But it is It was Who begged his body for interment? Joseph and Nicodemus. And here we cannot help remarking these petitioners themselves. Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but these men were of distinguished rank and condition in life. A few of these there have been in every age of the Church; sufficient to show, not that the cause of God depends upon them, but to redeem religion from the prejudice, that it suits the vulgar only; and also to prove the power of divine grace, in counteracting temptation. Yet, down to this period, Joseph and Nicodeinus had not been persons of much promise; so far from it, they were ashamed and afraid to have their regard to our Lord known, when his disciples were professing their resolution to follow him to prison and to death. Behold the change! The latter, in the hour of trial, forsake him, and flee the former come, and openly acknow ledge him. Let us all seek after more grace; but let none trust in themselves, or despise others. "The strong may be as tow;" and "the feeble may be as David." The man of whom we now think nothing, may acquire confidence and zeal; and not only pass us in the road, but leave us very far behind in attainments and usefulness. "Who hath despised the day of small things? A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory." "The women also, -Who attended as mourners? which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.” With us, some days elapse before interment; but here, only two hours were allowed between his execution and his burial. If, indeed, his body had not been implored by Joseph and Nicodemus, it would have been interred at Golgotha-thrown into a hole dug under the cross. Who carried the sacred corpse, we know not; but they had not far to bear it; "for the sepulchre was nigh at hand." This was not a grave of earth, but of stone; hewn out of a rock. Thus there was only one avenue leading to it: no one, therefore, could approach it from the sides or behind; and the entrance was watched, guarded, and sealed. It was also a new tomb, in which never man was laid. And here, again, we see the hand of God; for had there been other bodies, some would have pretended collusion, and the evidence would not have been so simple and complete as it now was, when the body lay alone there. Finally; it was not his own. His followers are mad after the honours and riches of the world; but, living and dying, he had not where to lay his head. He was born in another man's house, and buried in another man's grave. -But why was he buried at all? First. His burial was an additional confirmation of his death, upon which every thing depended. An examination was made while he was upon the cross; and finding him dead already, they brake not his legs; but a soldier pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water-But now his mouth, and nostrils, and ears, were filled with the odours and spices-and who can question a man's death when he is buried? Secondly. It was the completion of his humiliation. "They have brought me into the dust of death." Now that he ascended, what is it but that he descended first into the lowest parts of the earth? Thirdly. By this he sanctified the grave, and prepared it for his people. They would have been afraid to go in, but he entered it before them. They can lie in his bed, after him. He has freed it from every horror. He has softened it and made it easy for them. "And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre." Let us sit by them and contemplate. There lies in that rock, He who made it. There are sealed up the lips which said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." There are closed, the eyes which always beamed compassion, and wept for human woe. There, cold, are the hands which were laid on little children, to bless them, and that delivered the widow's son to his mother. There lies the life of the world; and the hope of Israel. He was fairer than the children of men. He was the image of the invisible God. He went about doing good. He was rich, and, for our sakes, became poor "Come, saints, and drop a tear or two, A thousand drops of richer blood." On the tombs of mortals, however illustrious, the humbling sentence is inscribed, "Here he lies." But I hear the angel saying, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay." He was dead, but he is alive again; and because he lives, we shall live also. "Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell How high your great Deliv'rer reigns; APRIL 3.-EVENING. "After that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep." 1 Cor. XV. 6 As the resurrection of the Lord and Saviour is of such unspeakable importance, it cannot be too clearly and fully ascertained. Now the way to prove a fact is to call in evidence: and if, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word shall be establishedwhat shall we say, when we meet with such a cloud of witnesses as the Apostle here brings forward?— witnesses the most competent, eye-witnesses; earwitnesses; witnesses who even handled the Word of Life-men, not of hasty credence, but slow of heart to believe; men, whose despondence was only to be removed by proof the most undeniable, and upon which |