the very testimonies given by Jesus, when living amongst men, who forewarned the Jews of the judicial blindness, and wrath, which was coming upon them, and by which despisers should be left to perish without further testimony from Him, John vii. 34. That the resurrection and ascension of Christ were sufficiently public, to vindicate the fact from all appearance of obscurity or doubt, is also to be proved. We are not to imagine that the assembly on Olivet consisted only of the twelve: St. Paul declares that Jesus was seen of above five hundred brethren at once, 1 Cor. xv. 5-8, probably at the time of the ascension; for there seems to be no other period, between the resurrection and ascension, in which the general assembly of believers was so numerous. Had it been the inclination of other men to join the company, and thus to satisfy their minds, there was nothing to prevent them; and, in fact, it does appear that some of the company were unbelievers, who, notwithstanding what they beheld, continued to doubt. Matt. xxviii. 16, 17. The descent of the Holy Ghost, however, who came upon the apostles according to the promise of the Saviour, the publicity of this circumstance, the miraculous powers which were immediately imparted, the conviction entering into the consciences of men, the conversion of thousands at that period, and the subsequent ingathering of souls to the faith of a crucified Redeemer, with all the wonderful

accomplishments of prophecy upon the Jews, the gentiles, the gods of the nations, and the hearts of men, give us decided manifestation of the justification of Jesus, our risen Head, in the character of the great Messiah and ascended High Priest; and on this Article of faith believers may rest with unshaken, and joyful trust, knowing whom they have believed, and persuaded that He has accomplished all that He promised when He dwelt with men.

That it was the real body of Jesus, that very human form which had been nailed to the tree, that arose from the dead, must also be believed." He took again His body with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature." This was declared by Himself to the apostle Thomas, when he was invited to realize his resolve, John xx. 27: so, likewise, when He rebuked the terror expressed by His disciples. Luke xxiv. 38-40. This body, however, was now a spiritual body, and in the person of Jesus was presented to the sight of men, through an act of divine mercy, in order to establish them in the faith of the gospel, During the time of His ministration upon earth, the divine nature was veiled, and the human nature was most conspicuous. It is the opinion of Bishop Horsley, that after His resurrection, the divine nature was to be the most manifest, and the human subordinate: that as before His death He interposed, on one occasion, the power

of His divinity, by miracle rendering His human nature invisible, that so now it required a miracle to render the body visible, His being a spiritual body, and therefore not otherwise to be seen by the natural eye; so it is said in Acts, "God shewed Him openly," that is, made Him to be visible, and that whenever the Saviour thus condescended to hold converse with His followers, after the resurrection, no doubt this miraculous power was put forth; though probably, Jesus was invisibly with them, during the whole of the forty days that intervened, from His leaving the tomb, until, by His ascension to glory, He showed them that henceforth they would have no more personal visits from their risen Lord, until He should, as this Article states, return to judgment.

How is it that we can prove from the Scriptures, that Christ's resurrection is an evidence of His glorious Person as the Son of God? Rom. i. 4. Acts xiii. 33. Heb. i. 4, 5.

Can we equally prove that salvation by Christ is not established independently of the resurrection of Christ? 1 Cor. xv. 17.

And is salvation by Christ as certainly established through His resurrection? Rom. iv. 24, 25. 1 Pet. i. 3.

And shall He triumphantly apply the merit of His justified work for men, to every one that believes in His name, and trusts in His salvation? John vi. 39, 40. 1 Cor. xv. 55-57.

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There are rich benefits secured to the believer through this precious doctrine, into which we shall be led more largely as we advance through the succeeding Articles, particularly that upon justification. Here, however, we should bid the soul rejoice in the evidence of Jesu's glory, seeing that therein the dearest interests of the heart are involved. Miserable indeed must have been the condition of every ruined sinner, had not the dying love of Jesus been thus accepted, and justified, as sufficient to the end of redemption and wretched are our souls, indeed, if not acquainted with the great deliverance purchased by the merit of our risen Lord. Here, then, let us meditate upon the liberty obtained for us by Him, who is gone into heaven to plead our cause in virtue of His own discharge of our debt; and labour to appropriate, with lively faith, all the mercies that are treasured up, in this Head of the body, for every member. In this life, we have a source of unfailing consolation, when we rest upon Jesus risen, and look to the victory of His conflict with hell and death: for us He triumphed, and to us He will apply the wondrous salvation of that triumph. In this confidence we may encounter every affliction, temptation, and conflict, that remaineth for us in our passage home, being assured that He will save, and that "nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus." When we lay on our death bed, this doctrine will cheer us under

every pain: the struggle of the dying body is short, and shall end in peace: Jesus has sanctified death to His children, and He having extracted the sting, it comes not only a harmless messenger, but a welcome instrument to take down the prison of clay, and let out the liberated soul into eternal day. This last enemy, death itself, which is permitted to exercise a temporary power over the mortal body, shall not always maintain an empire; and ere long our bodies shall rejoice in the resurrection, and the life, that is in Christ; we may meet the sentence, therefore, with full assurance that it cannot harm us, if sent in Jesus' name; and may quit this body in confidence of a re-union, when it shall be raised, in conformity to Christ, a spiritual} body, endowed with spiritual powers suitable to the high and eternal employments of heaven, and divested of all that is gross, fleshly, and depressing to the life of glory! This forms one of the clearest parts of revelation. 1 Cor. XV. 42-49. Phil. iii. 21. 1 John iii. 1, 2. Let us then be reminded to take up the song of triumph, even here; and looking unto Jesus, fear not the valley of the shadow of death. Let us endeavour to exhibit, more and more, the transforming power of his spirit in the soul,-that there we may manifest likeness to Him, and thus be in our turn witnesses of the resurrection, by showing forth its effects, proving that He who rose from the dead is the Prince of Life, of Peace, and Holiness; Rom. vi. 4, 5.