which our blessed Saviour concluded his life on the cross. It contains,

1. A calm resignation of his soul into his Father's hands.

2. A joyful confidence and assurance of his subse quent exaltation.

1. The calm resignation of his soul into his Father's hands is expressed in these words: Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' Our blessed Lord had the power of laying down his life, or soul, (1 John x. 18.) But he knew of no better and safer place to deposit it than in the hands of his dear Father, i. e. under his gracious and Almighty protection, who has a tender care for all his children, and particularly for his only begotten Son. To the care and protection of his Father he recommends his harrassed spirit, which hitherto had laboured and conflicted for the salvation of mankind. This is a jewel of inestimable worth, he deposits in the hands of God, in the certain hope of receiving it again on the third day, and re-uniting it with his glorified body.

But our dying Saviour, according to the text in the Psalm, subjoins the motives, which induces him to deliver up his soul into the faithful hands of his Father; and these are derived partly from God, and partly from our Redeemer himself.

The motive, on God's side, was his faithfulness, which Jesus had so richly experienced during his whole life. Hence he says,Thou hast redeemed me,' [from all distress which ever befel me in my whole life, and hast promised to raise me from death and glorify me.] O Lord, thou God of truth!' Thou wilt infallibly fulfil thy promise; for thou hast said, 'When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed; he shall prolong his days; and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul unto death: And he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors,' (Isaiah liii. 10, 11, 12.)

The motive derived from our Redeemer himself, for giving up his soul into the hands of God, was his good conscience. For he was sensible that in his heart he had never departed from God, never sided with his enemies; but, as a true servant of God, and an obedient Son, had performed the whole will of his heavenly Father. Hence he says in the text, I hate them that regard lying vanities; but I trust in the Lord.' This was literally true: For the Lord Jesus, especially in his ministerial office, sufficiently evidenced his abhorrence of the lying vanities, the erro neous doctrines, the false glosses, the traditions, and all the corruption and superstition of the Jewish doctors at that time. Nay, he was so far from countenancing them, that, about four days before his death, (Matt. xxiii.) he had publicly reprimanded and denounced several woes against them for their hypocrisy, &c. On the other hand, he had trusted in the Lord; he had always faithfully espoused his cause, and performed all his will. Hence he could justly say, 'The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him,' (John viii. 29.) Therefore, now in the hour of death, he, without any apprehension or fear, recommends his soul to his pa ternal care and almighty protection.

2. The joyful confidence and assurance which our Saviour had of his resurrection and exaltation is thus expressed in the text: 'I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy; for thou hast considered my trouble, &c.' From these words we may learn in general, that the soul of Jesus Christ was, after the afflictive interval of darkness and desertion, again irradiated, comforted, gladened, and perfectly assured of his heavenly

Father's love, even before its departure from the body. He therefore rejoices in the goodness and affection of his heavenly Father, of which he adduces the following proofs:

1. Thou hast considered my trouble,' namely, with paternal compassion, and readiness to help me. 2. Thou hast known my soul in adversities:' Or thou knowest me under the distress and anguish of my soul; and though I hang naked and wounded on the cross as a wretched worm, yet art thou not ashamed of me, but ownest me for thy Son, and already art making preparations to glorify me.

3. And hast not shut me up in the hand of the enemy.' And though thou hast given me up into the hands of men, yet thou hast not left me shut up in them, but hast taken me again out of their hands into thine own; and thus, at my death, thou hast neither given up my body to the rage of mine enemies, nor my soul to the prince of darkness.

4. Thou hast set my feet in a large room.' Thou hast delivered me from oppression and anguish, and by the resurrection hast placed me in a state of consolation and joy, which is here termed a large room.

In all these proofs of the Divine goodness the soul of Christ as it were rejoices, just before its departure, from an absolute assurance that his heavenly Father would shew himself tender and affectionate to him, even in his death. Hence he says in another Psalm, (Psalm xvi. 9. 10.) Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.' For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

This is the account of our blessed Saviour's last hours, and certainly the worth of it is inestimable. For therein are made known to us the most secret thoughts that passed in the heart of our dying Mediator; of which little mention is made in the Evangelical history of the passion, but they are fully displayed in the passion Psalms. For in these Psalms,

the Holy Ghost, as it were, opens the heart of our IMMANUEL, and gives us a lively representation of the most secret thoughts and motions which passed in it during his sufferings. What a delightful sight! When in this sacred heart, now near breaking, nothing is seen but a filial confidence, and sure trust in his heavenly Father. All his agonies end in a calm resignation; he closes his life with an affectionate recommendation of his soul into his Father's hands, and a joyful assurance of a glorious resurrection. This is not the exit of a malefactor, or blasphemer; this is dying like our true Redeemer, who is able to comfort others with the consolation, wherewith he was comforted in his last hours; who knows by experience what it is to die; who presents to God the petitions of his dying brethren; who can have compassion on the agonies of their minds; who has prepared mansions for them in his Father's house, whither he before sent his own departed spirit; and lastly, who has even acquired for them an assurance, that through death they shall pass into life, and go to his Father, who will deliver them from every pain and every

sorrow.

Thus has our blessed Saviour, in the last hours of his life, borne witness of himself; thus has he by his irreproachable behaviour sanctified the last hours of believers; thus has he, by his last prayers, procured a hearing for their last prayers and broken sighs; and, in a word, he has thus acquired for them every thing appertaining to a serene and joyful departure from this world to the heavenly mansions. Therefore, ye who have received grace to believe, imitate your Saviour; make yourselves betimes acquainted with this mighty conqueror of the fears of death, that you, with the like resignation and trust in God, may enter. the valley of the shadow of death, and deliver up your souls into your heavenly Father's hands. But as for you who are still so unhappy as to be strangers to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ, be persuaded

betimes to give yourselves up soul and body to his reasonable service; and ye shall find rest in your souls,' (Matt. xi. 29.) behold, how willingly and cheerfully he entered on the most painful death, out of love to your lost souls; that he might acquire for you the Divine mercy, eternal life, and ever-during happiness. Therefore enter into his blessed fellowship; follow him as your leader in his God-like life, that, in your last hours, he may likewise be your great example.

II. From the example given us by our blessed Lord, we are now to shew how a dying Christian is to behave in his last hours, and more carefully prepare himself for his approaching death.

Let it be carefully observed, in the first place, that we do not here intend to shew at large, how one whom God has suddenly laid on a death bed in the midst of his sins, and in a state of impenitence, shall prepare himself for death. For such a wretched sinner, the example of the penitent malefactor would be more suitable, than that of our dying Saviour, which we are at present considering. However, we shall briefly consider the case of such an unhappy person.

Such a wretched man standing on the brink of eternity, and having the sentence of death in his conscience; who is just closing his eyes in death, and does not find himself at all prepared to die; whose heart is entirely set upon this world, and yet must immediately leave it, and pass into a world utterly unknown to him; who has drawn God's displeasure on himself by innumerable sins, and is now to stand before his awful tribunal, and hear sentence passed on him: Such a wretched sinner, I say, cannot better employ the last hours of his life, than in endeavouring after a reconciliation with his Creator. In order to this, he is, as far as the violence of his pains, the nature of his distemper,and the dread of death, will permit, to collect all the powers of his mind; to take a retrospect of his whole life, and compare it with the unerring