glory for which they were created. Are you securing your own happiness, by complying with the desires of a dying Christ?

But not only is it predicted that He should see His spiritual offspring. When His soul had been made the offering for sin-He was to prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in His hands. How did He prolong His days? He was cut off from the land of the living in the time when the strength of the body is greatest; and within forty days after He visibly ascended into heaven. The answer is granted in the pages of prophecy-Thou gavest Him a long life, even for ever and ever 18. He ever liveth to make intercession 19. Death could not bind Him. The grave could not detain Him. Earth was not fit to receive Him, when His new life began after His resurrectionwhen the very human nature, the nature in which He lived, and taught, and suffered, and died, openly and publicly ascended through the blue air into another state, from which He had formerly descended to prove to us, that as He died, and rose, and went up, so shall all the race of man die, and rise again. A multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, shall ascend up with their Lord and Master, to the same place; though some, like the Jews who denied Him, shall be banished, by their continued, and unchanging sin. Such was the reward

18 Psalm xxi. 4.

19 Heb. vii. 25.

which the system of redemption has granted to the Redeemer, who was now about to suffer. And this reward was with Him, before He bowed His neck to the yoke as a good man, even now, who has placed His hope of immortality upon the solid foundation of the religion of the New Testament, may still look forward with peace, and humility, with hope and joy, to the fulfilment of the promises of the Scriptures in a state of happiness hereafter. Is it further said the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand? What is the pleasure of the Lord? It is what I have told you, the salvation, and the happiness of man.-I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord God, but rather that a man should turn from his way, and live 20—— this is the will, or the pleasure of God, even your sanctification. And much of the pleasure of the Lord has already been accomplished. From the hour of the death of Christ to the present day—the Gospel of truth has been going. on, conquering and to conquer. Goodness, and wisdom, and holiness, have been established among mankind to a greater extent than they had be-, fore been though the day of His greater triumph has not yet come, when the dominion of Christ shall be extended over all nations; and all the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ. Even this period, however, to the remotest ages, was present to our suffering

20 Ezek. xviii. 23.

Lord for the day was shewn in prophecy both to St. Paul, and to St. John, and much more was it shewn to Christ-the day when all things shall be subdued under His feet, sin, and death, and the tempter which hath the power of death, and when all the rational creation shall unite in one chorus of praise and joy-Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive glory, and honour, and wisdom, and power 21.

The statement which I have thus submitted to you, must demonstrate this one solemn, and unchangeable truth-that if God so earnestly desires the happiness, and salvation of man, that He gave His only Son to die for us-if the Son of God so earnestly desired the happiness and salvation of man, that He condescended to suffer, and to atone for us-and if the only reward which the Son of God can receive, is the beholding this future salvation of the sons of men-then the future, as well as the present misery of man must proceed from himself. Men must be obstinately, and perseveringly wicked, before they can be rejected of the Almighty. When the God in whom we believe looks down from heaven upon the sons of men, and sees the hearts, the motives, and the conduct, of you who are here present-does He behold you among the children of the covenant which He has made with the suffering Redeemer ?-Does He behold you among the subjects of that everlasting dominion, for which His days as the Mediator of

21 Rev. v. 12.

the Church are prolonged? Does the pleasure of the Lord prosper in your hands, or do your own will and pleasure guide your thoughts, and direct your actions? Does He see of the travail of His soul in you, and can He be satisfied with your faith, and hope? Remember that there is but one atonement: and if you reject it, or despise it, there remaineth no other sacrifice, no other hope! Remember the warning which was read to you in the services of the day. As it is appointed unto all men, once to die, and after death, the judgment, so has Christ been only once offered to bear the sins of many, and to them only who look for Him, shall He appear the second time unto salvation 21. You are now in your state of trial, in your state of hopeyou are members of the outward and visible Church -it remains with you to receive the grace of God, and to become members of the Church above. Now is your accepted time-now is your day of salvation.

22 Heb. ix. 28.

SERMON XXIII.

THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK.

[Preached at Northallerton, on Thursday in Passion week, 1828.]

MATTHEW Xxvi. 17, 18. 20.

On the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto Him, Where wilt Thou that we prepare for Thee to eat the passover? And He said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.-Now when the even was come, He sat down with the twelve.

THOUGH I might have selected a passage from the New Testament, which has a more direct reference to the subject which I design on this occasion to bring before you, namely, the painful sufferings of our blessed Lord, I have rather chosen that which I have now read to you, in pursuance of the plan which I have hitherto followed in these addresses. I have been anxious to lay before you on each successive day of this solemn week, the events by