blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John i. 13.)

And let me beg that you would take, with this observation, another intimately connected with it, before you enter upon the subject; namely, that as we are altogether passive in the first receiving of the newbirth or spiritual life; so are we in all the after-stages for the preservation of that life. He, that is the resurrection to quicken, is the source also to keep alive. Hence, our most glorious Christ is divinely suited for saint and sinner; for the sinner to quicken, and for the saint, which in time past hath been quickened, to keep alive. Christ himself is the resurrection anp the life of both. And it is by his Holy Word, and by his Holy Spirit, the souls of the redeemed are spiritually fed and nourished, day by day. "Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matt. iv. 4.) The Lord grant, if it be his holy will, that the precious doctrine of the resurrection may this day be realized, and become a living principle in the souls of many; that all the persons in the GODHEAD being here to confirm the Lord's word; what Jesus hath said may be fulfilled to our joy and his glory: "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out: for I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." (John vi. 37-39.)

I begin as I proposed, namely, in calling your attention to the contemplation of the Almighty Speaker, who proclaims himself and his divine person under those sublime characters, "the resurrection and the life."

I shall not, upon the present occasion, think it necessary to dwell upon that part of the subject which connects in one and the same view, the whole three persons in the GODHEAD; for, more or less, you know that these glorious fundamental truths of our most holy faith form a part of every sermon I preach to you. And indeed I should consider myself miserably deficient, whenever these leading points of all pure doctrine were overlooked or omitted. For while it is this holy One, the Lord our righteousness, who is the executor and administrator of the whole purposes counsel, will, and pleasure of Jehovah, in his trinity of persons towards the church; it is the delight of the church to know, and what opens a continual source of thanksgiving from the church to each and to all to enjoy; that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost take equal part, and are equally included in this gracious administration.

What I have to call to your attention at this time, is, the personal glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, as "the resurrection and the life." In which is included the personal dignity of our Lord. He was, and is one of the Holy Three which bear record in heaven. (1 John v. 7.) Hence he possessed in himself, and underived from another, all divine attributes and perfections; and though distinct in person from the Father and the Holy Ghost, yet in common with the Father and the Holy Ghost, being substantially one, in all that constitutes the GODHEAD. Keeping this apprehension of our most glorious Christ in view, as we prosecute the subject, we shall discover, (if under divine teaching,) as we go along, how competent and suited our most glorious Christ is, to make proclamation of himself in this exalted manner.

I am the Lord saith: by which is expressed his everlasting being, his eternity, and sameness of nature and essence, possessing in himself at one and the

same time, (call that time by whatsoever name you may,) past, present, and future. As if the Lord had said, Iam, what I am now; and I am, what I have always been; and I am, what I shall always be; yesterday, before all worlds; to-day, during the whole time-state of all worlds; and for ever, when there are no worlds. There is a similar passage which we meet with in the inspired writings of the prophet, (Isaiah lvii. 15.) "Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy." These words are expressive of the infinity of Jehovah, and are equally applicable to each and to all the persons in the GODHEAD. And the inhabitation of eternity is a phrase peculiarly descriptive of the divine essence, as distinguished from all creatures. It doth not simply mean dwelling but inhabiting eternity; that is, being eternity in himself: and the application of it to our most glorious Christ is very fully proclaimed in that Scripture where he is called, "the strength of Israel," (1 Sam. xv. 29.) or as the word is rendered in the margin of the Bible, "the eternity, or victory of Israel; " in allusion to his victory over death, hell, and the grave: all which are included in the comprehension of the words of the text: "the resurrection and the life."

And from the first dawn of revelation in the several manifestations the Lord was pleased to make of himself, he assumed to himself the same distinction of character: thus to Abram, (Gen. xv. 1.) "Fear not Abram, L am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." I am all these; I myself am: not in gifts, not in graces, but personally so. In like manner to the same Abraham in the mount: "By myself have I sworn saith the Lord." Himself the swearer; and to himself the oath. Compare Gen. xxii. 15, &c. all which tend to confirm the infinite greatness of him who styles himself, I am. And if we pass on from Abra

ham to the days of Moses, we find the same ascription of character which the Lord there made to himself at the bush. (Exod. iii. 14.) "I am that I am." Here, as in the text, the Lord grounds all that he promiseth on the eternity of his nature. And it is somewhat remarkable in the Lord's adding to the glorious name, I am, "that I am;" as if in allusion to the fulness of time, when he would openly tabernacle among us; concerning which the angel to Mary named him, That Holy Thing. (Luke i. 35.) And his servant John so named him, "That." (1 John i. 1.)

I will beg to make a short observation on this first branch of the discourse before I go on to the second : which is to say, what a firmness of assurance such views give to our faith, in that, He that thus speaks, and promiseth such blessed things to his people, confirms the certainty of them by such testimonies of his own Almighty power to accomplish them. We have another delightful Scripture to the same purport, in one of the prophets. "Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of Hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah xliv. 6.) It is easy to conceive how the Lord may be said to be the first; for the Lord had being in himself before all worlds. But how the Lord may be said to be the last; when the church hath eternal life given to her in Christ; and (as he saith himself) "because I live, ye shall live also:" (John xiv. 19.) will not that eternal life be commensurate to eternity? But here is the blessedness of the expression. He is both the first, and the last, by his inhabitation of eternity, which is (as I before observed,) a similar phrase for Himself. Hence therefore our eternal life derived from Him, and being in Him, proves Him to be both the first, and the last ; for he claspeth in his Almighty arms, (if the expression be warrantable,) eternity with all its appendages; and

thus the whole church is folded within his embraces; and, consequently, he is both first and last.

I proceed now, as was proposed, to the second branch of our subject, namely, to look into the divine operations of this high character of our Lord, whether we know him in the same, as our resurrection, and life; in that we ourselves are the subjects and objects of this great privilege.

In the prosecution of this part of our subject I desire you to notice the occasion upon which the Lord so graciously expressed himself. It appears that upon the death of Lazarus (as the history records) Martha, the sorrowful sister of Lazarus, seeing Jesus, said unto him "Lord! if thou hadst been here my brother had not died. But I know that even now whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee." Upon which, the Lord Jesus said; "Thy brother shall rise again." Yes! said Martha, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." It should seem, that Martha had a notion in common with others at that time of what was supposed, but not openly revealed, of a resurrection: but not the most distant idea how this resurrection was to be accomplished; much less that the Lord Jesus was himself the sole cause of that glorious event, and indeed himself the resurrection. Jesus then made that blessed proclamation of himself in the text, and said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"

Now in order that we may enter into the clear, spiritual, and scriptural sense of this most precious doctrine, under the divine teaching; and having, (as I hope) laid down the sure foundation for the cordial belief of the same under the former branch of discourse; by shewing Christ's eternal power and GOD