Not, as here, with the voice of expiring weakness, but with a voice of might-"a loud voice as when a lion roareth," a sound as of the peal of "seven thunders!" the voice of that "mighty Angel" seen in the Apocalyptic vision (Rev. x. 1 and seq.) to "come down from Heaven clothed with a cloud and 66 a rainbow upon his head, and his face as it were "the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire;" who "set "his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the "earth and sware by Him that liveth "for ever and ever, who created Heaven and the 66 things that therein are, and the earth and the "things that therein are, and the sea and the things "which are therein, That there should be time

(there should be delay)—no longer: but in the "days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he "shall begin to sound, THE MYSTERY OF GOD SHOULD 66 BE FINISHED, as He hath declared to His servants "the prophets:" when that which is now redeemed by ransom shall be redeemed by power, as we learn from the Event-the sounding of this "seventh Angel" in the following chapter ver. 15: "And "the seventh Angel sounded, and there were great "voices in heaven, saying, The Kingdoms of this "world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and "of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and "ever." Then-when also the seventh and last of

"the vials" shall have been poured out "in which is filled up the wrath of God"-then is heard "a great "voice out of the temple of heaven from the throne, "saying, IT IS DONE," (xvi. 17): the voice, being "from the throne," of the Lord Himself, as further stated chap. xxi. 5,-"And He that sat upon the throne "said, Behold I make all things new. And "He said unto me, Write; for these words are true “and faithful. And He said unto me, IT IS DONE. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the "end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the "fountain of the water of life freely. He that over"cometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his "God, and he shall be my son."

For this we wait: for, our inheritance, though purchased, is not yet redeemed; though ransomed, is not yet recovered out of the hand of the usurper; as the Apostle saith, speaking of "the Holy Spirit of promise," Ephes. i. 14, "Which is the earnest of "our inheritance until the redemption of the pur"chased possession unto the praise of His glory."

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And with this earnest we have also the assurance of our hope in this last word of the Redeemer on the cross- IT IS FINISHED:" for He who then perfected our Title will in due time put in possession: when, as at His first coming He " was once offered to bear "the sins of many, unto them that look for Him

"He shall appear the second time without sin unto "Salvation"-salvation in enjoyment, salvation in effect, salvation final and eternal! and when every Promise or Prophecy of "glory" shall be as literally fulfilled, without one word falling to the ground, as were the Prophecies of the "sufferings" by which it has been obtained.

THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

XVIII. HIS BURIAL AND DESCENT INTO HELL.

PSALM XVI. 9, 10.

"Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoiceth;

"For Thou wilt not leave My soul in Hell;

"Neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption."

THIS passage is remarkable as being the most explicit Prophecy of our Lord's Resurrection in the Old Testament Scriptures, and accordingly that one specially dwelt on by the Apostles in their reasonings with the Jews; for example, by St. Peter in his first Discourse, Acts ii. 25-28; and by St. Paul, chap. xiii. 35-37.

But it is not less remarkable as a most distinct revelation of another Truth inseparably connected with His Death and Resurrection, and ranking with them among the daily repeated articles of our Creed as a fact equally certain and undoubted—a link in the chain of events whereby our Redemption was

accomplished, and therefore a fundamental article of faith-though confessed by many (it is to be feared) without attaching any definite meaning to it; namely, The Descent of Christ into Hell. For which reason it is selected for our consideration on this Day,* when we commemorate His Burial and lying in the Grave; as it also comes next in order in the Series which in the Season just past has engaged our

attention.

Confining ourselves then, on the present occasion, to this the first statement of the Text,-"Thou wilt not leave My soul in Hell"—there are two inquiries which it embraces: First, As to the Place to which Christ descended; and Secondly, As to the Object of His Descent thither.

I. And First-It should be premised that the word "Hell" does not mean, either in the Creed or in the Text, the place of torment, as it is now commonly applied; but the place of departed spirits in general; in the Original of the New Testament called "Hades," a word which merely denotes the Invisible world; which indeed is also the original meaning of the English word "Hell.”+

*Easter Even.

In the Hebrew "She-ol," the place of those sought for and not found-the departed.