their place the punishment of an accursed transgressor; doing this, as we hear,

for no other purpose than to resume them afterwards. Here is another mystery, for is it not strange that Jesus should quit an existence of blessedness for no other reason than to enter upon it again after a short and bloody intermission? At first sight nothing could appear more extraordinary; but who will venture to attribute an action without an object to the Lord of heaven? No, it was to save us that our Redeemer resolved upon divesting himself of his life and glory: he gave them away, in order to reassume them after enduring the cross, but in a different manner from that in which they belonged to him before; formerly they had been for himself alone, now he gave them to his people also. He left his glory for a time, in order to obtain the right of imparting it to others, and of making the righteousness of the Son of God the general property of those that believe in his

name.

The glory which we behold Jesus receiving as he ascends from the tomb is certainly that which he has long possessed, but at the same time is that which now belongs to us; for he does not now possess it in consequence of his birth and existence in the Father, but as our pledge and representative. And this, my brethren, is the great fountain of consolation and peace presented to us by the Easter miracle. When I hear the announcement, "Christ is risen!" not only do I think of Christ, but it seems to me as though I also were risen. When I view him as the Holy and Righteous One, triumphing over sin, the world, and hell,-as the

taste.

Conqueror who has slain death, bound and vanquished Satan, won himself a throne in the heavens, and now enjoys the divine love and approbation,-I need not then say, "How glorious thou art !" On the contrary, I must appropriate to myself all his glory, crown myself with his victorious garland, make his consciousness of innocence my own; and all that I see in him great and desirable, I must regard as a treasure which I am not merely to receive in future, but which through him I already possess, though it may be only as a fore"The words, 'Christ is risen from the dead,"" says Luther, "should be inscribed in such large letters that we should be unable to see any thing else, not even heaven and earth. Christ's resurrection and victory over sin, death, and hell, however great we may imagine them, are still greater; and a thousand hells, and a hundred thousand deaths, would be but as a spark and a drop compared to his resurrection, victory, and triumph. Christ, however, has given away his resurrection, victory, and triumph, to all who believe on him. If we, therefore, believe upon him, it follows, that though sin, death, and hell, were leagued against us, we should have no cause of alarm, for they could not hurt us. In Christ we are holy by means of faith, although we are still sinners; and we know that however deficient we may be, yet Jesus our Lord and Head has risen from the dead; he has no sin, and there is no more death in him; and so in him we have no longer either sin or death. God has called Jesus from the grave, restored him to life, and raised him up to heaven, in order that he may henceforward reign

over all. Where now is sin? He has trampled it under foot and I need no longer be timid and fearful, for through Christ I have a clear conscience, and am without sin. I may now bid defiance to death and the devil, sin and hell, for they can do me no injury, Death! where is thy sting? Sin, where is thy power? Christ has taken away sin from those that believe, so that they are now spotless, like himself, and through him have overcome death, the devil, and hell. If we believe, then may we say that we have both lived and died; for faith teaches us that Christ did not rise from the dead in his own person merely, but that we also rose along with him, and along with him shall enjoy eternal life. Paul says, in Ephesians ii. 6. that God hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places ir Christ Jesus.' This, however, is still concealed, and not yet made manifest. Nevertheless, ye must regard this doctrine, and keep it so constantly in your view, as to see nothing else in heaven and earth. Even though a Christian die, and the dead corpse is buried, and the picture and the sounds of death greet both your eyes and ears; yet through faith ye must behold and hear things very different, ye must be as though ye did not perceive the grave and the corpse, but as if ye perceived life in the midst of a blooming garden, or a green meadow filled with living and happy beings."

These are Luther's words, and this was the opinion of the great reformer of our church with regard to the resurrection, in which he coincides exactly with that of all the holy apostles. In contemplating the Easter

miracle, they never for a moment lost sight of the important doctrine of Christ being our representative. Their first and most earnest inquiry always was, What made the Lord Jesus be so peculiarly exalted and glorified on the third day by his heavenly Father? Then were they told that Jesus our great Pledge did not reIceive this honour as the Word which had been with the Father from the beginning; but as the representative of man, in whose name he had fulfilled those conditions with which God had indissolubly connected the promise of his grace and of eternal life; and that in the most wonderful manner he had ceased for a time (if I may so speak) to be the Apostle and immaculate Son of God, and had, on the contrary, become a sinner in the eyes of his Father. For this reason, they were told, he received from Jehovah, in the garden of Joseph, the actual and visible testimony, that nothing more could be required from him; and this was done by his glorious resurrection, in which he was declared worthy of a throne in the heavens: this declaration not concerning him alone, but those sinners also in whose place he stood. Spiritually speaking, their heads were there also, while garlands and crowns were showered down upon their Pledge; they might appropriate to themselves the glory of the resurrection, and believe that they heard the words of the Father pronounced over them, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased!" Therefore they may cry, rejoicing, ("God) hath quickened us together with Christ; and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Therefore they

may consider themselves as already sitting in heaven, and as if they beheld sin and the grave, death and hell, lying under their feet; for they no longer know themselves except as in their glorified Pledge, and they regard all his treasures, his glory and his victory, as their own. Is it to be wondered at, that, being clad in such an armour of faith, they should regard their adversaries with indifference? No threatening on the part of the world can terrify them, no attack of the powers of evil alarm them; even the conviction of their own frailty and imperfection does not decrease their joyfulness; and the dark grave, instead of casting a shadow before them, sends forth the light of hope to cheer their daily pilgrimage. They have overcome all in the person of their Redeemer; and no longer as combatants, but as victors, they occupy the field.

Alas! my brethren, the blessed efficacy of the gospel is seen but little among us, and it is a sad, oppressed, and melancholy Christendom which surrounds us. We know too little the springs of strength and joy which lie around us, and with the most blessed portions of the New Testament we are shamefully unacquainted; hence the inefficiency of our measures, hence the despondency in the midst of us. We have a glory in Christ Jesus which surpasses all understanding; as yet it is not manifest; but what will it be when it is declared to us? Then, heaven and earth will be too narrow; all must become new, and all must be changed, to keep pace with the glory of the saints, and to be a suitable scene and habitation for the royal priesthood of the chosen ones. A hasty and transient