CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH.

ST. JOHN, CHAP. XX.

EFORE we enter upon the chapter

BEF

now before us, I fhall beg leave, as I have done upon fome other occafions, to call the attention of my readers to the importance of the fubject on which it treats — namely, the refurrection of our bleffed Lord; in our firm belief of which all our hopes of happiness through him must depend; for without this most glorious proof of his divinity, our faith in him would be useless: thus, St. Paul tells us, in the fifteenth chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians: "If Christ be

66

not risen, then is our preaching vain;

" and

and your faith is alfo vain ;" and, again, in the feventeenth verfe of the fame chapter, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith "is vain; ye are yet in your fins."

The church, fully fenfible of the neceffity of impreffing this faith in our hearts, has appointed an annual commemoration of this and the other great and memorable events which attended our Lord's miffion, at the particular seasons when they took place; by which we become, as it were, fpectators of them, and, with the eye of faith, fee the bleffed babe-the crucified Saviour-and the Lord of glory, after having burst asunder the bands of death, risen triumphantly from the grave, having led captivity captive, and become conqueror over death and hell, ascend again to those glorious manfions from whence he came, there to receive all honor, power, dominion,worshipand glory, world without end. When we are affembled to commemorate these great and wonderful events, can we fail to feel our hearts deeply interefted in them, and to offer the tribute of

our

our most grateful acknowledgments to God for fuch unmerited favors? Stanhope speaks thus of Eafter-day: "This is that

day peculiar to Chriftians, which dif"tinguishes us from all the world. Be"fides the day of our Lord's nativity,

66.

'Jews and Gentiles will confefs that of "his paffion. All the adversaries of our religion boast of fuppofing they had "foiled this champion of fouls: but this day of his refurrection none but we can

66

celebrate, because none but we acknow. ledge that he came off with conqueft, " and defeated all that malice which en"deavored his deftruction." If fuch is the importance of this faith, let us seriously and attentively reflect what are the advantages it brings, and what the particular duties it imposes on us. The advantages of fuch a faith are the firm affurance and conviction that, as our Lord and Master was raised from the grave and afcended into Heaven, in like manner fhall the bodies of all thofe who are his true and faithful fervants arife, and become partakers

takers with him of everlasting happiness in his kingdom. Of this we can have no doubt; fince the word of God, which is truth itself, has declared it. The duties imposed on us by this faith are, to love, honor, and rejoice in God, and to devote ourfelves entirely to his fervice, more particularly upon that day which he has dedicated to himself. On Chriftians there is a double tie to keep this day holy: not only as it is their fabbath, but alfo as it was changed to the first day of the week from the seventh (which was the Jewish fabbath) in honor of their Lord and Master, and in perpetual remembrance of the infinite advantages enfured to them by his refurrection:-on that glorious day our furety was fet at liberty, and all thofe dismal bonds cancelled which by fin we had contracted.

Notwithstanding I have treated, upon a former occafion, pretty much at large upon the due obfervation of the Lord's day, yet so much am I convinced that the greatest part of the wickedness we daily

fee

fee practifed is owing to the neglect of this duty, that I cannot help once more reminding my readers of the great importance of it. I would alfo wifh to warn them against an opinion which, I fear, is too general amongst all ranks of people, that, provided they pass a part of the day in the service of the church, they are at liberty to spend the remainder of it in any way that either fancy, pleasure, or interest, may incite them to. This becomes ftill more dangerous when practifed by people of fuperior rank, or in the heads of families, by the example it holds out to their children and dependants; who will be very apt, if they fee their elders and fuperiors confider any part of the Lord's day as lefs facred than the reft, to lofe their reverence for it altogether. Surely, the few hours which the Lord has dedicated to himself, ought not to be thought too much by creatures who owe every thing, even their very existence, to him; more especially when we confider, that this duty is required of us for our own

intereft,