must be fulfilled, and that for this very end he | brance of works that deserve death, that we came into the world. might serve the living God, in holiness and righteousness, without slavish fear. Let us learn, my brethren, from this example of Christ, a like quiet resignation to the will of God, under all those sufferings which the wisdom of God appoints in our lot in a present world, which to us is a state of probation and trial. And let us rest assured of it, that "God afflicts not willingly, nor hath pleasure in grieving the children of men," but has merciful designs, even in the severest dispensations of his providence; and what we know not now, we shall be able to comprehend more fully hereafter. 2. The sufferings and death of Christ on earth answered all those valuable ends and purposes, which had formerly been typified and darkly shadowed out, by the slaying of lambs in sacrifice to God. And this may, perhaps, be the principal reason why our glorious Redeemer, in his exalted state, retains the name and character of a lamb that had been slain. It is worthy of our attention, that from the very days of Adam, down to the coming of our Saviour in the flesh, mankind were directed to seek to appease the Deity, by the slaying of lambs in sacrifice to God. Thus Abel, the son of Adam, brought very early the firstlings of his flock an offering to the Lord, and God had respect to him and to his offering, while he rejected that of Cain, which consisted only of the fruits of the ground. Now, the original design of offering slain lambs in sacrifice to God, from this early period of the world, was to make a typical atonement for the sins of men, to redeem the forfeited lives of guilty sinners, and to encourage humble penitents to return to God, with humble hope of acceptance and forgiveness. But the death and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ fully answered all these valuable ends and purposes, of which the other sacrifices were only dark types and figures. Thus, my brethren, for our comfort and encouragement, our glorious Redeemer, in his exalted state, retains the name and character of a Lamb that had been slain; and all the redeemed company around his throne in heaven are represented in the context as praising and adoring him in that delightful character: "Thou wast slain," say they, "and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." But I must proceed to the second division of this subject, namely, to consider, II. What may be the further ends and designs of Christ's appearing in heaven, under this emblematical character of a Lamb that had been slain. 1. This may be intended as a standing memorial of the guilt of sin. Nothing could tend more, nor indeed so much, to convince the world of the evil of sin, than the dreadful sufferings which the Son of God endured in his human nature on earth to make atonement and reconciliation for iniquity. Now the same wise design may be still carrying on, by his appearing in heaven with the marks of his sufferings, as a Lamb that had been slain. By this it is declared, in the most awful manner, and a continual remembrance is made of it, "That without shedding of blood there could be no remission," no pardon for guilty offenders, no deliverance for any sinner from the wrath of a holy and sin-hating God, without such a valuable compensation and atonement. And thus provision is made for securing the obedience of the divine laws, not only among men, but also among angels, principalities, and powers, among all the created inhabitants of both worlds. He suffered as a sacrifice of infinite value, to They are taught what a dangerous thing it is to satisfy the offended justice of God, and thus to make bold with their duty and offend their Creator, make a real atonement for sin, in behalf of all when, at the very same time that they behold who come unto God by him. He died to redeem God's mercy wonderfully displayed in the redempus from eternal death and misery; he died to tion of mankind, they have also set before them a make peace, by the blood of his cross, for all re-lasting monument of his awful divine severity penting sinners, for all true believers, and thus to encourage us, through faith in his blood, to draw near to God in every holy duty, as to a God reconciled in the virtue of his atonement. All the other sacrifices of expiation and atonement were imperfect and insufficient as to this grand design. For as they could not make a proper atonement for sin, so they could not deliver the consciences of men from a fearful remembrance of guilt before God. Christ, by his death, was the only true sacrifice, which made an end of sin in its condemning power, and brought in an everlasting righteousness. In him we have redemption, through faith in his blood, even the forgiveness of all sins that are past; and through the Eternal Spirit he ofered up himself to God in his death, as a lamb wthout spot, to purge our consciences from dead werks, that is, from a terrifying remem against sin, in his beloved Son appearing as a Lamb that had been slain, to make atonement and expiation for the sins of his people. 2. This appearance of Christ as a Lamb that had been slain, may also be designed as a lasting evidence of the acceptance of his divine atonement and satisfaction. As in this manifestation of our Saviour in heaven, God's righteous displeasure against sin is displayed in the most striking manner; so, on the other hand, in this blessed vision there is the strongest proof that sin is expiated, justice satisfied, and a sure foundation laid for the pardon and remission of every penitent believer in Christ's meritorious death and sacrifice. Our Redeemer appears in heaven as an innocent Lamb that offered up himself to God, without blemish and without spot. He suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, when he was put to death in the flesh And when he stands in the midst of the throne of God, he appears there with the marks of sufferings he endured on earth, not for his own sins, but for the sins of his people, that he might finish transgression, make an end of sin in its condemning power, and bring in an everlasting righteousness. Now, when he appears in heaven in this character, this abundantly speaks forth the acceptance of his sacrifice, the efficacy of his sufferings, and the power of his death for our redemption and remission. 3. This appearance of Christ in heaven as a Lamb that had been slain, may be designed as a continual intercession for his people. We are told expressly, that "Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him, because he ever liveth to make intercession for them;" but then it is nowhere revealed that Christ's intercession is performed by an actual voice or language. It seems rather, by his simple appearance in our nature in heaven; in that human nature in which he suffered and died a sacrifice on earth. By this appearance he presents in the sanctuary above a constant memorial of his expiatory sacrifice, even as Aaron presented the blood of the atonement in the Jewish sanctuary before the Lord; and by this very appearance he pleads most powerfully that the virtue of his death may be applied to all his people, for all the happy purposes for which it was designed. In short, our Saviour's perpetual appearance in heaven in his human nature, with the marks of his sufferings as a Lamb that had been slain, has such a forcible language of intercession as this in behalf of all his people: Behold me, oh my Father, behold me now in a form very different from that in which I was originally,-behold me now dwelling in the nature of man. Remember for what end this human body was assumed, and how it was treated on earth, in obedience to thy will and pleasure; when thou saidst, sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, then said I, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." I delighted to do thy will, and still I take delight to recollect that I fulfilled thy pleasure in every point. I have performed my part of the covenant of redemption, and now I put in my righteous claim for the performance of thy promised part of it also, in behalf of all for whom I descended to earth and died. "Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am, to behold my glory." I will, that in consequence of what I have done and suffered upon earth, all true Christians, all sincere penitents, all humble believers, may have their sins pardoned, their natures sanctified, that they may have all needful supplies of divine aid proportioned to their various trials and infirmities, and that nothing may be wanting to begin, carry on, or complete their salvation, and that, at length, they may all be brought where I myself now am, to be happy for ever in my presence and enjoyment. Thus silently, but powerfully, does our Saviour plead in behalf of all his people, by appearing in heaven with his human body, in the midst of the throne, as a Lamb that had been slain; and thus we have a constant advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the Righteous, who also was the propitiation for our sins; and his blood has a voice ascribed to it in Scripture, and is said to speak better things than the blood of Abel. COMMUNION SERVICES. BY THE REV. PATRICK BOOTH, A. M., Assistant Minister of Innerleithen. No. IV. BEFORE COMMUNION. Ir is related of a certain victim of severe persecution, that he devoted a great part of his time during a tedious imprisonment to studying the works of the most celebrated philosophers; "but which of them," he asked, "could say, Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest?"" He found in the simple and unadorned doctrines of our Lord, a consolation which the ingenious speculations of human wisdom could not impart, the cheering light of the Gospel brightened even the gloom of his dungeon, and the prospects which it opened up to him nothing in this world could either give or take away. It is the distinguishing excellence of our holy religion, that whilst other blessings lent us by the Lord are ever apt to fail us, and are at best better calculated to enliven our prosperity than to comfort our adversity, its hallowed influences, whilst they impart a relish and security to our happiest days, exhibit their full power only when other joys forsake us. Never is the hope of the Christian more stedfast than when the worldly minded can not see on what his hopes are built. The mists of time cannot dim the eye of faith; nor can earthly enemies, nor even the king of terrors, stand between the believer and the Almighty Friend, who hath said, "Come unte me and I will give you rest.' "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conthat neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded ties, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Lo he is with the faithful always, even to the end of the world, and is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God through him. Wherefore let us lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees. Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King; and whilst we partake of the memorials of our Saviour's broken body and shed blood, let us present the offering of a grateful heart to Him who exchanged the joys of heaven for the sorrows of the earth, that he might bind up the broken hearted. proclaim liberty to the captive, and the open” prison to them that were bound. AFTER COMMUNION. No mere verbal assurances, in however strong l guage they might have been expressed, could have possibly conveyed to our mind and heart a degree of trust in our Saviour, equal to that which arises from his having passed through life like one of ourselves, and from our having in our hands an authentic record of many of the instances in which, in the likeness of man, he assisted, consoled, and protected his followers, and gained their confidence and affection To one such example permit me to direct your attention, before you leave the table at which you have now commemorated his atoning death. After he had performed the miracle of feeding five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes, he retired to a mountain to pray, and sent his disciples across the sea of Tiberias. The night proved dark and tempestuous, and notwithstanding their utmost exertions they had made but little progress, when Jesus, about the fourth watch, drew near the ship, walking upon the waves. The danger of their situation, and their utter helplessness amidst the solitude of the waters and the gloom of the storm, had unhinged their minds; and when they saw the indistinct form of a human being approaching them, they "supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out.' But Jesus said unto them, "It is I; be not afraid." They immediately recognised the Companion of all their dangers, the Master who had never injured, the Friend who had never deserted them, under whose protection they had ever felt themselves secure; and as the child hears the voice of the mother, and all its alarms disappear, so their fears subsided-the tempest lost its terrors, and they joyfully received their Saviour into the ship. Who is it, my brethren, when the Christian friend whom we have esteemed and loved is gone-gone for ever-who penetrates the retirements of grief, and infuses into the dejected heart that consolation which the world can neither give nor take away? "It is I," replies our Saviour. "It is I, who wept at the tomb of Lazarus, who still sympathises with every virtuous emotion of the human breast, in whose bosom your departed friend serenely reposes, who am the connecting link between the friend on earth and the friend in heaven.” And who is it, my brethren, when we are about to follow, when our eyes are closing on this world for ever, when earthly friends, however willing, can do but little for us, when the king of terrors seems to call us his own, when we are about to enter the dark and unknown valley of the shadow of death, who is it that proves the superiority of his friendship, by being able to assist us even then? "It is I," replies our Saviour, "be not afraid. It is I, who have trodden the same dreary path myself, who have smoothed the once terrific way, who to the righteous have stripped death of its terrors, and rendered it the entrance to an inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled, and which And, my brethren, do unexpected storms never overtake us? Is the sea of life always unruffled? Are its waters never troubled? Are its waves less overpower-fadeth not away." ing than those of Tiberias? And, is there no one who takes an interest in our condition? Does no friend secretly follow us? Are we left alone in our dangers and distress? The east wind of adversity rages, the waves of affliction arise, the bark of humanity is ready to perish amidst the storm. Who is this whom the gloom of the tempest half conceals from our view? Is there no friend able and willing to assist us? "It is 1," replies our Saviour, "be not afraid; it is I, who can sympathise with your sorrows, because I have felt them; it is I, who, although restored to that glory which I had with the Father before the world began, still look down with a kindly interest on that earth which was once my habitation-who, although I dwell in heaven, yet rule upon earth—who, although seated at the right hand of the Father, am not far from every one of you-who, although, for your sakes, I in mercy permit many storms to surround you, yet will assuredly stay my rough wind in the day of the east wind." Who is it, my brethren, when poverty threatens us, or when we feel its smart-when our difficulties become so complicated, that we can discover no thread to the labyrinth-when the world, which we falsely imagine so delightful to others, becomes to us a desolate cheerless waste--who is it that is beside us to cheer and support us? "It is I," replies our Saviour, "be not afraid. It is I who had not where to lay my head, who have assigned no path to you which I did not tread myself, who will lay upon you no unnecessary burden, who know that disappointment alone can, in your case, be the way to heaven, who have purchased treasures, and laid them up for you, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal." may see no more. Is the exile left without a friend? His earthly home is distant. He is driven, by necessity, to lands unkne vil He is afil et 1, but no ties of affection bring those around him to his consolation and relief. The dunrest associations are torn asunder, perhaps for ever. Those with who he would have spent his days, he Is he then left alone in the world? Is there no one who is a friend afar off, as well as a friend at hand? Yes, my brethren, there is. Who, then, is such a one? It is I," replies our Saviour, "be not afraid. It is I who, the year of my birth, was forced into exile to save my life-who, in the last melancholy hours of my earthly existence, was deserted in the hands of my deadly enemies by those whom I had chosen as my associates, and on whom I had heaped my choicestfavours." Such, my brethren, are the consolations which true Christians-but, remember, they only-derive in the most distressing situations of life, from the assurance, that He who knew, from personal experience, almost every evil to which humanity is liable, is ever near them to afford a proper measure of assistance and supe port, to sanctify all their sorrows, and keep them within such limits as they shall be able to bear. Our Saviour is now indeed, notwithstanding the reality of his presence, concealed from mortal eyes; but a time awaits every one of us, when we shall see him face to face, when we shall be surprised by his appearance no less than his disciples on the lake of Tiberias, when the circumstances of his coming shall be infinitely more appalling than the dangers and darkness of the storm. The last trumpet has sounded, the sun is turned into darkness, the moon has ceased to give her light, the stars have fallen from their places, the earth is convulsed, the powers of heaven are shaken, and high and low, rich and poor, wise and ignorant, stand trembling amidst the wreck of the works of Omnipotence, to receive their doom for eternity. Who is this great and mighty Judge, who cometh with ten thousand of his saints, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, to execute judgment upon all; whose voice even they that are in their graves do hear, and come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation? Who is this unresisted Potentate, on whose decree my state for eternity depends? anxiously inquires the righteous soul, sensible of its many imperfections, and having its faith and firmness, during the awful moment, shaken by the vastness and the terrors of the scene:-"It is I," replies our Saviour, "be not afraid. It is I, who have given you ample proofs of the sincerity of my friendship, who have purchased your redemption at the price of my blood." They shall not have more satisfaction in hearing his voice, than He will in extending it towards them. Thejr joy is his joy; their salvation is his crown. The trials of life are now ended; the judgment is past. They are gone together from the scene of terror, to dwell for ever beyond the reach of woe. All sorrow is banished from their breasts, all tears from their eyes, all aspersions from their name. There are no more melancholy bereavements, no more sad separations; friends there are friends for ever; death is swallowed up in victory; faith has become sight; hope, possession; and care, and sorrow, and sighing, and sickness, shall be known no more for ever. Amen, Reflections on seeing Mount Ararat." On descending into the plain of Nackshau," says the Rev. Henry Martyn, "my attention was seized by the appearance of a hoary mountain, in front at the other end, rising so high above the rest, that they sunk into nothing. It was truly sublime, and the interest it excited was not less, when, on inquiring its name, I was told it was Agri, or Ararat. At four in the afternoon we set out for Shurror. The evening was pleasant; the ground over which we passed was full of rich cultivation and verdure, watered by many a stream, and containing forty villages, most of them with the usual appendage of gardens. To add to the scene, the great Ararat was on our left. On the peak of that hill the whole church was contained: it was now spread far and wide, to the ends of the earth, but the ancient vicinity of it knows it no more. fancied many a spot where Noah perhaps offered his sacrifices; and the promise of God, that seed-time and harvest should not cease,' appeared to me more anxiously fulfilled in the agreeable plain where it was spoken than elsewhere, as I had not seen such fertility in any part of the Shah's dominions. Here the blessed Saint landed in a new world: so may I safe in Christ outride the storms of life, and land at last on one of the everlasting hills." I But The Bible is free to all." Many careless, godless, worldly creatures," Mr Whyte remarks, in his work entitled The Heritage of God's people,' "attach no importance to this precious privilege; and hence it is that there are so many houses wherein the Bible lies unopened and neglected, and so little Bible-knowledge and Bible-practice can be discovered there. they who are better acquainted with the riches which are treasured up in this divine repository, value it more highly, and love it more dearly. The pious man, whom Mrs Hannah More has celebrated in her beautiful tract- The Shepherd of Salisbury Plains' thus expressed himself to Dr Stenhouse: I believe there is no day, for the last thirty years, that I have not looked into my Bible. If we cannot find time to read a chapter, I defy any man to say he cannot find time to read a verse; and a single text well followed, and put in practice every day, would make no bad figure at the year's end; three hundred and sixty-five texts, without the loss of a moment's time, would make a pretty stock, a little golden treasury, as one may say, from new-year's day to newyear's day; and if children were brought up to it, they would come to look for their text, as naturally as they do for their breakfast. I can say the greatest part of the Bible by heart. I have led but a lonely life, and have often had but little to eat; but my Bible has been meat, drink, and company to me; and when want and trouble have come upon me, I don't know what I should have done, indeed, if I had not had the promises of this book for my stay and support.' But it is not to the humble and poor in this world's things alone, that the Bible is precious. The most exalted and the most learned have also seen its value and felt its power. A certain Sicilian king is reported to have said. The holy books are dearer to me than my kingdom--and were I under any necessity of quitting one, it would be my diadem. The words of the illustrious philosopher, Boyle, have a similar import- I prefer a sprig of the tree of life to a whole wood of bay.' The distinguished scholar, Salmasius, was of the same opinion when, on his death-bed, he thus spoke,-I have lost a world of time. If one year more were added to my life, it would be spent in reading David's Psalms and Paul's Epistles.' The vast importance which Locke, too, the most eminent of English philosophers, attached to this heavenly gift, is evident from these often-quoted and well-known words of his— Study the Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament: therein are contained the words of eternal life. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.' To all this, they who truly love God, give a willing assent, from a feeling of the benefits which they themselves derive from it." Eastern Funerals. In the East, the grave is universally situated beyond the precincts of the city; and the rural spot, where the "forefathers of the hamlet" repose, is generally marked by the presence of a small clump of trees, which give a picturesque beauty to the hallowed quiet that reigns there. The funeral, which takes place commonly within twenty-four hours of the death, is attended by the friends and relations; and if the deceased has either borne a public character, or himself and family been held in estimation, his fellowcitizens pay the last tribute to his memory by a voluntary attendance, in great numbers, on his remains. The corpse is carried by these attendants in turn, on a bier or open board, over which a shroud is cast, the only covering that conceals the dead body from the spectators; and the raising of which from the face, which is done ever and anon by some one or other of the group of mourners, is the signal for all, and especially the women, to renew their shouts of lamentation. Corresponding to this description was a funeral procession, which Carne describes as seen by him in Egypt. First walked three or four men abreast at a slow pace, singing in a mournful voice. The corpse was borne after them on the shoulders of six bearers on an open bier, completely covered, and followed by a number of wowho uttered loud cries at intervals, to show their sorrow. Henderson gives a similar description of a funeral company which he attended in Tartary. "The body had not been laid in a coffin, according to the manner of burials conferred even on the poorest in Europe, but was simply wrapped round with a white cloth, laid upon a bier or board, and borne by four men to the grave. This mode of performing the funeral obsequies," he continues, "obtains equally among the Jews, Mohammedans, and Christians of the East, and traces its origin to a remote antiquity." There can be no difficulty, then, in understanding the narrative in the Gospel history. The procession without the walls, the simple preparations for the funeral, the attendance of a great multitude of strangers, and the dismal shrieks and weeping of the women, are all circumstances that are witnessed at Eastern funerals in the present day. men, |