assurance; it is your honor, and your duty to make known the Saviour's love to others.

While we have a blessed expectation of meeting Christ, and seeing him in glory, it is our comfort also to know, that we shall meet again, in his presence, all those friends and relatives in Christ who have gone before us. Let us be animated by this consideration to be "followers of them who through faith and patience now inherit the promises." Let us follow their steps as they followed Christ. And while we have such a Brother in the heavenly courts, who will not forget us, let us not forget our brethren on earth. Let it be our aim to do them, as members of the same family, all the good we can. While it is our high privilege to build upon this relationship between Christ and his people, let us be encouraged to bring every difficulty, every peculiarity of our case to him," who ever liveth to make intercession for us ;" and who has said, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

CHRIST APPEARING TO HIS DISCIPLES AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.-JOHN xx. 19, 20. [Uncertain.]

THE death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ form the true foundation of the peace and joy of a sin

ner.

"Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation." Behold, I lay in Zion this stone: it is a sure foundation.

When our Lord appeared to the disciples at even, and showed his hands, his feet, and his side, he seemed to do more than offer proofs. Here was a sentiment. Here was a doctrine. It was as though he had said, Behold, my hands, my feet, my side-the signs of my sufferings are the signals of your peace.

This peace, and joy of heart, can be obtained only in that way in which God has promised to communicate it. The scene described in the text presents to us a picture of Christianity-a picture of the true Church in the midst of a wicked world. It is surrounded by enemies, but Jesus is in the midst of it, saying, "Peace be unto you."

We must add to our faith virtue. A mere historical faith will profit us nothing. The incredulity subsequently displayed by Thomas may have been the consequence of his absence on this occasion; ver. 24. Faith is produced, and invigorated, by frequenting the places where the Lord promises his presence, and where his disciples meet. The promises of God are not only to the diligent seeker, but to the patient waiter. They who forsake the assembling of themselves together in the name of Christ, are not entitled to expect his visits. The promises are to those who pray, and watch, and labor. The husbandman ploughs, and sows, and weeds his land; and watches every favorable opportunity for promoting the object which he has in view. He cannot indeed command the warmth of the sun, and the refreshing showers: but having done his part, he waits with patience, hope, and confidence, until his fields are covered with the harvest. In like

manner, we should employ the means of grace-watch, pray, and wait. We may then look forward to the assured hope of glory. "Faith cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of God." Rom. x. 17.

Incredulity, as to Divine truth, has its root in pride, and self-sufficiency. It presumes to understand every thing that is proposed to it. The incredulous man calls for demonstration. He has no idea of honoring a Divine testimony. He would have things made out as plain as that "two and two make four." The true believer receives the truths of the Bible as he receives the kingdom of heaven-with the simplicity of a child.

In examining the records of our Lord's discourses, we may remark this peculiarity, We never find him reproving any of his followers as placing too much confidence in him: but, on the contrary, we find him rebuking men for distrusting his power, and discrediting his declarations. Unbelief annihilates the whole of the record God has given of his Son. But though to them who believe not, the record may appear null and void, its authority remains still unimpaired; its provisions are beneficent; and all its denunciations will be eventually fulfilled. "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar: because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son." 1 John v. 10.

COMMUNION WITH AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR.

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, tho gh now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. — 1 PETER, i. 8, 9. [Uncertain.]

THIS text expresses the state of mind which every one should pray for, who proposes to approach the table of the Lord, and hold communion with Christ in the elements of bread and wine. Take away Christ out of the world, and there is no hope for sinners: nothing left for the sons of men but vanity and vexation here, and misery hereafter.

I propose to consider,

I. THE COMMUNION WHICH A CHRISTIAN HAS WITH AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR.

II. THE SATISFACTION, AMOUNTING TO JOY, WHICH

BELONGS TO THIS STATE OF COMMUNION.

III. THE LEGITIMATE EXPECTATION OF TRUE FAITH CONNECTED WITH IT;-THE SALVATION OF THE SOUL.

I. THE COMMUNION WHICH A CHRISTIAN HAS WITH AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR. This is by faith: "Whom having not seen, ye love." There is probably nothing that will really convey love, but a sense of love: it must be reciprocal. There is a love, stronger than death, which Christ has to his Church. The subjects of it, instead of having any claim to such love, are represented as "poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked." But the Spirit of God has taken of the things of Christ, and showed them savingly to them; and given them a sense of the obligations which they owe to such a Friend.

The vision of faith differs from the vision of glory: it is the eye of the new creature fixing on invisible realities. Wherever this revelation has been made, our Lord declares, that "flesh and blood has not revealed it" to us; if we have any fellowship by faith with Jesus Christ, it is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. Many saw Christ in the flesh, who loved him not: The Jews saw him, who cried out, "Let him be crucified!" While his very murderers, under the sermon preached by Peter, and sent home by the Holy Spirit to their hearts, received the word gladly, were baptized in the name of Christ, and became joyful members of the true Church.

Beauty, and propriety, are said to be the cause of love: we must have some interest in that which we love. Faith enables the believer to behold both these in the person of Christ. His character appears beautiful, and his person precious; and by taking hold of the promise, we become interested in him. The language of all such is, "Whom having not seen, we love." Every true convert is a "partaker of Christ," Heb. iii. 14: he sees, that his being bruised, spit upon, nailed to a tree, were so many expressions of his love; and this fills him with "joy unspeakable and full of glory:" it was this sense of the love of Christ, which made the primitive Christians willing to lay down their lives for his sake and though some may say, "What is thy beloved more than another beloved?" at least we see this beauty in him, that his love was "stronger than death"-that it caused him to bear our sins and sorrows, and to free us from eternal death. "We love him, because he first loved us." The whole humiliation and passion of Christ was one continual expression of his love to sinners: and when this is made known to the heart, it has a constraining influence. "The love of Christ constraineth us," saith the Apostle, "because