that ruin, and regain the happiness which was forfeited by the first transgression. If, then, we believe him to be God as well as man, we must acknowledge that this union of Deity with humanity gave infinite value to the person of him in whom these two natures were combined. The blood of Christ was not the blood of a mere man, but of the man united to the Godhead. It was therefore a sufficient ransom for the whole of that race with whom he condescended to identify himself. By this union of his nature with ours, gathering us all, as it were, into one body, he made himself responsible for all. He consented to take upon himself the guilt of all. As the husband becomes answerable for the debts of her to whom he is espoused, so did Christ become answerable for the debts of his spouse the Church, and by his obedience and sufferings he completely discharged them. RECONCILIATION WITH GOD THROUGH CHRIST'S DEATH: A Sermon, For Good Friday, BY THE REV. JOHN HALL, B.D. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh." 66 THE wonderful transaction of redeeming love, which we this day commemorate, should ever fill us with the deepest self-abasement before God, and admiration of the gracious provision made by Divine mercy for the restoration of fallen man to his favour, as well as with the utmost gratitude and praise. When we contemplate it, we may well break forth in the devout language of the Psalmist, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me praise his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." That the God of heaven should have given up his only-begotten, his dearly beloved Son, to suffer, bleed, and die, "for us men, and for our salvation;" that Christ should have appeared in the end of the world, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. ix. 26); and that the Spirit should bear testimony concerning the sufferings of Christ, and the blessedness to be derived from them by his believing people, are matters which may well excite our astonishment, our wonder, love, and praise. But, O, with what awe should we meditate upon the wonderful subject of the sufferings of Christ; and with what mourning over sin, with what hatred and aversion to that which occasioned the crucifixion of the Lord of glory! What an evil must that be, which made it necessary that the Son of God, in human nature, should shed his most precious blood for its expiation! that when no man could "by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him" (Ps. xlix. 7), the Lord Jesus Christ should humble himself to be "sacri | ficed for us, as our passover" (1 Cor. v. 7); that his blood being sprinkled upon us by faith, we might be delivered from the destroying angel, and freed from suffering the dreadful penalty of sin in eternity. Let us unite in the song of the redeemed: "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. i. 5). The text sets before us the sufferings of Christ; the completion of them; the cause of them; and the benefit derived from them. Let us consider these topics, with prayer that the Holy Spirit would be pleased to apply to our hearts the word of the truth of the Gospel, the testimony concerning Jesus, that we may earnestly seek to enjoy the benefit here set before us, and may partake of it, to the glory of God, and the consolation and salvation of our souls. 66 1st. The sufferings of Christ, and the completion of them, are stated in the text: "Christ suffered, being put to death in the flesh." In our Litany we plead with him, in reference to this great and wonderful subject, By thine agony and bloody sweat, by thy cross and passion, by thy precious death and burial, good Lord, deliver us." Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered agony and pain, the most intense and severe, when the wrath of God lay hard upon him. The accounts of his suffering, given by the evangelists, are most distressing for a feeling mind to contemplate. It was in the garden of Gethsemane that "he began to be sore amazed, and very heavy," insomuch that he complained to his disciples, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death;" and begged them not to leave him by himself in the time of his affliction. But, notwithstanding, he went away from them to a little distance, that he might pour out his heart to his heavenly Father; and there he not only kneeled down, but fell on the ground on his face, and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. He said, "Abba, Father; all things are possible unto thee; if it be possible, and if thou be willing, remove this cup from me;" but, O how meekly did he add! "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." Such, however, was the distress of his mind, that he went back to his disciples, as if it were to obtain the comfort of their presence to soothe him; but he found them sleeping for sorrow, because they had seen their Master in such deep affliction. Having gently chid them, and kindly excused them for not watching with him in his distress, saying, " The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak," he went away again, and prayed the same words. Afterwards, return ing to them, he found them asleep again, and roused them in the same manner, so that they were ashamed of their conduct, and knew not what to answer him. But he departed and prayed the third time, saying the same words; when, it is said, "There appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him; and, being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood, falling down to the ground." What anguish of mind must that have been, which caused the blood to rush through the pores of his sacred body, and in great drops to fall upon the ground! Some persons have thought this description too dreadful to be true. But the agony of a wounded spirit, under which our most adorable Redeemer then suffered for sin, under a sense of the Divine displeasure against sin, was such as cannot be conceived by any human being. The wise man asks, "A wounded spirit who can bear?" (Prov. xviii. 14.) Our blessed Saviour then found the burden of sin to be intolerable, in such a degree as no human being ever experienced in this world. He had no sooner acquiesced in the will of God, than his heavy wrath fell upon him, the poison whereof drank up his spirit; the terrors of God set themselves in array against him, and caused him all this agony and woe. As soon as Divine strength had been communicated to him, to enable him to sustain the heavy burden which pressed upon him, he returned to his disciples, and told them to sleep on, for his conflict was over. But immediately his pursuers were at hand to apprehend him, and take him before the chief-priests and rulers, headed by one of his disciples, who betrayed him, but who then treacherously addressed him, "Hail, Master," and kissed him; thus betraying him under a profession of the greatest attachment and regard. He then underwent other sufferings from wicked men, who were instigated by the powers of darkness. The officers of the Jews bound him to carry him before the high-priest. Peter, however, at that time valiantly drew his sword to defend his Master, and actually cut off the right ear of the high-priest's servant. But Jesus healed the man by a touch; and commanded Peter to sheathe his sword, and said, "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" and informed him that more than twelve legions of angels were at his command, if he should think fit to call for their attendance; but then the end of his coming into the world would not be accomplished. When he was brought before the highpriest, instead of having justice done to him, he was condemned for declaring himself to be the Son of God, and at the same time solemnly assuring them that hereafter they should see him "sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." And then they mocked him, and smote him, and spit in his face, and blindfolded him, and buffeted him, and struck him on the face, and said to him, contemptuously, "Prophesy, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee?" and blasphemously spake many other things against him. After this they took him before Pilate the Roman governor, and accused him of stirring up the people to revolt, and forbidding them to pay tribute; accusations which the governor himself saw to be false, and made only on account of the envy which the chiefpriests felt towards him. To these accusations "he answered nothing." "As a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth" (Is. liii.). Pilate sent him to Herod, who, having set him at nought and mocked him, sent him back again, as he also answered him nothing. Pilate then declared him not to be guilty of the charges which had been brought against him, and proposed to release him. But the chief-priests persuaded the people to clamour for his crucifixion, and to demand the release of a robber and a murderer in his stead; which the governor at length consented to do, notwithstanding his contrary determination in his own mind, and the remonstrances of his wife on the subject. Pilate therefore commanded him to be scourged; and then the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and mocked him, saying, mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and spit upon him, and smote him on the head. Pilate, however, thought to excite the compassion of the people on his behalf, after he had been treated in this cruel manner, and therefore again brought him forth before them, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. But, instead of being moved with pity at his sufferings, they cried out the more vehemently, Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate again remonstrated with them, and took water and washed his hands before the multitude, declaring himself to be innocent of the blood of this just person, and laying the charge of his death at their door. To which all the people impiously replied, "His blood be on us, and on our children;" or, we are willing to bear the blame of it, and to answer for it before God. An imprecation under the weight of which the Jewish nation lies unto this day. 66 II. He was then led away to be crucified. The cross was rudely put upon his shoulder; but when it was found that he was unable to bear its weight, a countryman was laid hold of, and compelled to carry it after him out of the city to the hill of Calvary, "where they crucified him, and two others with him; on either side one, and Jesus in the midst," as though he had been the greatest criminal of the three. "And the Scripture was fulfilled which said, And he was numbered with the transgressors." But though he was treated in this cruel and unjust manner, yet no sooner was he lifted up on the cross, than he prayed for his murderers, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' But how different was the spirit and conduct of his enemies towards him. They that passed by railed on and reviled him, and shook their heads at him in contempt and derision. The chiefpriests and scribes mocked him. The rulers derided him. The soldiers insulted him. The thieves which were crucified with him reviled him. One of them, however, stopped the railing of the other, and besought the Lord Jesus for himself,-" Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom;" when Jesus answered him, "Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Thus compassion and kindness beamed on his countenance in the midst of his sufferings. And, seeing his widowed mother weeping at the foot of his cross, and the disciple standing by whom he loved, he commended her to the care of his disciple, who then took her to his own home, and doubtless provided for her during the remainder of her life. After this, at midday, a horror of great darkness fell upon Him, and covered the whole land. The sun was darkened for three hours in the middle of the day; when, with an exceeding great and bitter cry, Jesus cried with a loud voice, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" What must have been the agony of his mind to produce such a heart-piercing cry! The sun hid its face from "his visage," which "was marred more than any man's, and his form more than the sons of men" (Is. lii.); so that the mocking crowds were unable to behold the depth of his distress. When, however, the darkness had passed off, he cried again, "I thirst." A sponge, dipped in vinegar, was then put to his mouth; and when his parched lips had been moistened with it, he cried again with a loud voice, with a shout of triumph, "It is finished!" or, All the purposes of God are accomplished in the redemption of mankind by the promised Seed of the woman and then he meekly said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit," and bowed his head and died. And, behold, immediately the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, to shew that the way to the holiest was now laid open by the death of the Redeemer of mankind; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, and the graves were opened: which, when the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw, they feared greatly, and said, "Truly this was the Son of God." 66 Such were the wonderful transactions which we this day commemorate. And, when we meditate upon them, we may well say, "By thy cross and passion, by thy precious death, good Lord, deliver us." Thou didst endure the cross for our sakes, despising the shame; thou didst undergo unparalleled sufferings, when thou didst bear our sins in thine own body on the tree; thou didst pour out thy soul unto death in our stead: good Lord, grant that all the benefits, which thou didst thus humble thyself to procure for us sinners, may be bestowed upon us; that, being reconciled to God by the death of his Son," we may be delivered from all those evils which sin has brought into the world, and which, as sinners, we deserve to suffer; and, being reinstated in the favour of God, we may be made partakers of the gift of the Holy Ghost, that we may live, henceforth, the children of God in this world, and may partake, hereafter, of the glory to be revealed at the appearing of Jesus Christ, "when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day;" and, consequently, may be delivered from the wrath to come. But as III. The next point to which the text directs our attention is, the cause of the sufferings of Christ. It states that "Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust." The cause of his sufferings was "for sins," the sins of the " unjust" not his own sins; for he was "the Just One," a righteous man, who had "done nothing amiss." the prophet Isaiah declared (liii. 5, 6), "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, 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 upon him the iniquity of us all." So the apostle Peter also affirms (1 Pet. ii. 24), He "his ownself bare our sins in his own body on the tree." And St. John the Baptist called him (John, i. 29), "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." He made reconciliation for the sins of the people, the children whom God had given him to redeem; he gave himself a ransom for all, that he might put away sin by the sacrifice of himself; that in him we might have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins by believing in his name. But the cause of the suffering of Christ was for sins. He suffered the penalty due to the sins of mankind in his own sacred person; he endured the curse of the law, the wrath of God, that he might deliver us from the wrath to come. In the sufferings of Christ the evil of sin is displayed in the most striking and forcible manner. When we consider sin as the cause of his agony and bloody sweat, his cross and passion, his intense, his unparalleled sufferings in soul and body, the cause of his having been forsaken of his Father in the time of his extremity, and of his having poured out his soul unto death,—we may well hate, and abhor, and detest it, as a cursed thing, which brought such misery and woe upon our ever-blessed Redeemer, and caused his precious death. Sin was the cause of all his known and unknown sufferings. Not his own sin, but our sins; the sins of the unjust which were laid upon him the Just One; the iniquity of us all, who had not continued in all things written in the book of the law to do them. Our sins will also bring upon each of us, individually, the death of the body. We must die, because we are sinners. But if our sins are forgiven us for Christ's sake, we need not fear the death of the body; for in that case death will be to us the gate of life, an entrance into never-ending felicity and blessedness. For the text makes known to us, Lastly, The benefit derived from the sufferings of Christ by those who put their trust in his atonement. He suffered," that he might bring us to God;" or, that we might be reconciled to God by the death of his Son, through faith in his name. To bring us to God, is to introduce us into the presence of our heavenly Father, as those who are at peace with him, in order that, we may walk humbly with him as his obedient children; that, being pardoned, we may be accepted with him, and may take his word henceforward as a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path, to guide us into the way of peace and salvation. This is the high privilege of the humble believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who relies on the sufferings and death of his Redeemer for the pardon of his sins. "We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," who " is the propitiation for our sins." He has put away sin by the sacrifice of himself; and therefore his blood cleanseth from all sin, in the sight of God, those who plead the merit of his cross and passion for their pardon and acceptance with God. When we are brought nigh to God, it is in order that we may live as in his presence, as seeing Him who is invisible; that we may make him our refuge, and may look to him for protection from the power of the enemies of our souls; and, above all, that we may implore and be made partakers of the gift of his Holy Spirit, to influence our hearts and minds, to guide us into all truth, and to sanctify us wholly, that our whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the greatest blessing of which the children of men can be made partakers in this life; to have the Spirit of God for our teacher and guide, our comforter and sanctifier; that, under the influence of his grace, we may walk so as to please God, and therein may abound more and more; that, being guided by his counsel, we may be kept from walking in the paths of the destroyer, in a way that is not good, after our own thoughts; and may have all our concerns both for body and soul, both for this life and for that which is to come, directed by infinite wisdom, as shall be most for the glory of God, and the promotion of our own happiness and our everlasting salvation. It was also to "bring us to God" hereafter, when we shall have done with all things here below, that "Christ suffered for us." It was to preserve sinners from everlasting perdition, from the destruction of body and soul in hell, that he died "for sins." If, then, we would be eternally saved, we must earnestly seek for the pardon of our sins through faith in his bloodshedding death; we must be reconciled to God in this world by the death of his Son, by putting our trust in his death and passion, as our only hope for pardon and salvation. For the word of God plainly declares that there is no salvation in any other; that there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. But, trusting in him, we may be assured of both reconciliation with God and everlasting salvation; we may be assured that he will accept us as his children, and will be a Father unto us in this world; that he will be our protector from all evil; that he will give us his good Spirit to be our guide and our instructor through this life; and that when it shall please him to call us hence, he will take us to himself, to the enjoyment of his blissful presenee, and to rejoice in his great salvation for evermore. Let us, then, cling to the cross of Christ as our only hope. Let him be all our salvation, and all our desire. Let us walk humbly with our God, being made accepted in his beloved Son. Let us make him our refuge, and pour out our hearts before him at all times, in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving making known our requests unto God through Christ Jesus. And we may be assured that his blessing will be vouchsafed to us, that he will not fail us nor forsake us; but will bless us with every blessing that we need, will preserve us from all evil, from every thing that might be hurtful, from every evil way, and from the power of the evil one, will guide us continually with his counsel, will satisfy us with his goodness, will refresh us with his grace, will comfort our hearts, and establish us in every good word and work, and will bring us at length to his everlasting kingdom, to rejoice in his salvation for evermore. That this blessedness may be indeed our portion, may God of his infinite mercy grant, for Christ's sake. To whom, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be glory, honour, and praise, world without end. Amen. AN EASTERN DESERT.* "A land of deserts and pits. ... a land of drought, and of the shadow of death."-Jer. ii. 6. IT is difficult to form a correct idea of a desert without having been in one: it is an endless plain of sand and stones, sometimes intermixed with mountains of all sizes and heights, without roads or shelter, without any sort of produce for food. The few scattered trees and shrubs of thorns, that only appear when the rainy season leaves some moisture, barely serve to feed wild animals and a few birds. Every thing is left to nature; the wandering inhabitants do not care to cultivate even these few plants; and when there is no more of them in one place, they go to another. When these trees become old, and lose their vegetation, the sun, which constantly beams upon them, burns and reduces them to ashes. I have seen many of them entirely burnt. The other smaller plants have no sooner risen out of the earth than they are dried up, and all take the colour of straw, with the exception of the plant harack: this falls off before it is dry. Generally speaking, in a desert there are few springs of water; some of them at the distance of four, six, and eight days' journey from one another, and not all of sweet water: on the contrary, it is generally salt or bitter so that if the thirsty traveller drinks of it, it increases his thirst, and he suffers more than before. But when the calamity happens, that the next well, which is so anxiously sought for, is found dry, the misery of such a situation cannot be well described. The camels, which afford the only means of escape, are so thirsty that they cannot proceed to another well; and if the travellers kill them, to extract the little liquid which remains in their stomachs, they themselves cannot advance any farther. The situation must be dreadful, and admits of no resource. Many perish, victims of the most horrible thirst. It is then that the value of a cup of water is really felt. He that has a zenzabia of it is the richest of all. In such If the master has none, a case there is no distinction. the servant will not give it to him; for very few are the instances where a man will voluntarily lose his life to save that of another, particularly in a caravan in the desert, where people are strangers to each other. What a situation for a man, though a rich one, perhaps the owner of all the caravan ! He is dying for a cup of water-no one gives it to him; he offers all he possesses -no one hears him; they are all dying, • From Belzoni's Travels. - At though by walking a few hours farther they might be saved. If the camels are lying down, and cannot be made to rise, no one has strength to walk; only he that has a glass of that precious liquor lives to walk a mile farther, and perhaps dies too. If the voyages on seas are dangerous, so are those in the deserts. sea, the provisions very often fail; in the desert, it is worse: at sea, storms are met with; in the desert, there cannot be a greater storm than to find a dry well;-at sea, one meets with pirates-we escape-we surrender-we die; in the desert, they rob the traveller of all his property and water; they let him live perhaps but what a life! to die the most barbarous and agonising death. In short, to be thirsty in a desert without water, exposed to the burning sun without shelter, and no hopes of finding either, is the most terrible situation that a man can be placed in, and one of the greatest sufferings that a human being can sustain: the eyes grow inflamed; the tongue and lips swell; a hollow sound is heard in the ears, which brings on deafness; and the brains appear to grow thick and inflamed: all these feelings arise from the want of a little water. In the midst of all this misery, the deceitful morasses appear before the traveller at no great distance, something like a lake or river of clear fresh water. If, perchance, a traveller is not undeceived, he hastens his pace to reach it sooner: the more he advances towards it, the more it goes from him, till at last it vanishes entirely, and the deluded passenger often asks, Where is the water he saw at no great distance? He can scarcely believe that he was so deceived; he protests that he saw the waves running before the wind, and the reflection of the high rocks in the water. If, unfortunately, any one falls sick on the road, there is no alternative - he must endure the fatigue of travelling on a camel, which is troublesome even to healthy people; or he must be left behind on the sand without any assistance, and remain so till a slow death come to relieve him. What horror! What a brutal proceeding to an unfortunate sick man! No one remains with him, not even his old and faithful servant; no one will stay and die with him: all pity his fate; but no one will be his companion. LITURGICAL HINTS.-No. XVII. "Understandest thou what thou readest?"-Acts, viii. 30. SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE EASTER. THE COLLECT for this Sunday is a prayer that we may follow the example of Christ. It is one of that class which were retained from ancient Liturgies at the time of the Reformation. It is found in the Sacramentary of St. Gregory; but in the Liturgy of St. Ambrose it is appointed for Good Friday. The original Latin form stands thus: "Almighty, everlasting God, who hast caused our Saviour to take flesh and to endure the cross, that mankind might imitate the example of his patience; mercifully grant that we may both deserve to receive instruction from his patience, and a participation of his resurrection, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord." There are several parts or members in this prayer, each containing a scriptural truth. (1.) “ Almighty and everlasting God, who of thy tender love towards mankind hast sent thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ." The sentiments in this clause of the prayer are, that Christ was sent by the Father; and that this |