the promise of life, and thou shalt see life; believe in him, and thou shalt see him one day. Blessed are they who believe in him, are they who walk by faith, for one Strive to believe in his word, and earth shall perish, ere thou wantest

and yet see him not. Blessed day they shall walk by sight. look on him, and heaven and that sight of him one day. Yet I may not pass by the words of John; I see in him a wonderful plainness and singleness of heart. Which of us will be contented that another register our faults, that any other might read them, " this man sinned this way and that way?" Then, who will write up his own faults with his own hands, as he does? He says, he was ignorant. So, then, if there were none other argument to tell us that this book is dited by the Spirit of God, and that it is the Word of God, this singleness of writing their own faults without affection or self-love, which ever would entice us to honour ourselves, tells us sufficiently.

rance.

But, naturally, rather than thou hadst thy parents or thy kinsfolk ashamed, thou wouldst rather have God's glory and justice smothered and defaced. But see if Moses spared to register the faults of Levi, of whom he was descended; see if he spared Aaron; see if he spared himself. No, he tells his own fault, he tells his own infidelity. And, again, see if David spares himself; sets he not down his own adultery and murder? John registrates his own ignoLet God be glorified, and all creatures ashamed, for to that end were we created; for except he had respected his own glory, we should never have been made. Should we not then seek his glory, although it were with our own shame? John learns us here another good lesson, how often soever we fail through ignorance. Alas! we fail often through ignorance and misbelief, and ignorance brings on infidelity. And, therefore, whensoever we fail through ignorance, lay not the blame of thy blindness upon the Scripture. In pain of thy life, say not, "I am ignorant, because the Scripture is obscure and dark," as the Pope and his shavelings blasphemously allege; but I affirm, that it is so perfect, that all things appertaining to thy salvation are contained therein. And I say, in despite of the Pope, thou who sayest it is obscure, one day

thou shalt not be challenged so much for thine ignorance, as for thy blasphemy against God, when thou wilt stand up and say, "The Scripture of God is not perfect, but obscure and wanting." I tell you, one day these blasphemers, for all their out-crying, shall have their mouths sewed up, and they shall make an offer to speak, and to say, "The Scripture of God was not perfect," but the conscience of them shall so strike them with fear and terror, that they shall not be able to answer one word. Woe to them that impair the authority of the Scripture! We may pingle with them a while here, but we remit them to that great day that the Judge appear, and then they shall receive their reward for their blasphemy. But to leave them, what are these Scriptures that preach Christ's resurrection from the dead? In what part is his resurrection foretold? In the xiii. of the Acts, verse 34, Paul, preaching of Christ, he confirms it by the Old Scriptures. The first Scripture is out of the lv. of Isaiah, verse 3,' where he says, "He will make an everlasting covenant with you, of the sure mercies of David;" then he concludes, "Therefore, it behoved the Lord to rise from death." Mark the consequent; no, there is not such. a thing as that ever mercy had continued, if Christ had not risen. The apostle says, in the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, the first chapter, and the twentieth verse," In him are all the promises of God yea and amen." No, thou or I should never have had faith, nor any spiritual grace, if Christ had not risen; so, so oft as ever thou feelest a spunk or motion of that spiritual life within thee, thou mayest say, "I am sure that Jesus is risen from the death;" for this is sure, all grace and life flow from the life of Jesus. So, if he had not risen, thou shouldst have had no life. He hath another Scripture out of the sixteenth Psalm, at the tenth verse, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in the grave, neither wilt suffer

1 There is here an instance of the manner in which typographical errors may be perpetuated. The Commentary, after mentioning Acts xiii., quotes Ex Esaia Iv. 3, 34, &c. The 34 had dropped in the printing from Acts xiii. 34. But the Lectures improve on the blunder, and give first, "In the xiii. of the Actes," and then" lv. of Esay, verse 3, 24." 2 i. e. Paul, Acts xiii. 35.

thine Holy One to see corruption." Then he concludes, "therefore he is risen." How follows this? It follows well enough, for if he had not risen, his body behoved to rot, and to be corrupted, as ours rot. And Peter, in the second chapter of the Acts, and verse thirty-first, uses the same testimony. Likewise in the liii. chapter of Isaiah, and the eighth verse, where he prophesies of Christ, he says, "And who is able to count his generation ?"-for all1 his death, he is that everlasting essence; meaning, that albeit he died, he shall rise to life without end.

There is another Scripture, "Then they should have believed without sight." But, alas! who is careful to get this knowledge of this resurrection? And if we had a care to seek Christ, we would turn over these Old Scriptures to see the prophecies of Christ to come, and then we would come to the New Testament to see these things accomplished, and so would meditate in the Scriptures night and day to confirm our faith, and to get our hearts set and stablished on the Lord; for it is a matter of great difficulty to get the heart stablished with grace, and if thine heart be not established and filled with that word, thou wilt never see Christ, nor get any grace in him. So, to end this, I beseech you, as ever ye would see Christ, be diligent to seek the Scriptures, that ye may settle your hearts here upon him and believe in nim, that hereafter ye may see him to your comfort and consolation at his second coming, when he shall appear in the clouds with the millions of angels. To him be glory for ever.

1 i. e. In despite of.

Amen.

" I presume the reference is to John xx. 29.

THE THIRTY-THIRD LECTURE.

OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

MARK, CHAP. XVI.

9. And when Jesus was risen again, early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he cast seven devils.

JOHN, CHAP. XX.

11. But Mary stood without at the sepulchre, weeping; and as she wept, she bowed herself into the sepulchre,

12. And saw two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13. And they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She said unto them, They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14. When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She supposing that he had been the gardener, said unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.1

1 The Commentary takes up Mark xvi. 9-11, with John xx. 14-18.

WE have heard, brethren, before, first of the outcoming of the first company of women to the grave of the Lord, and of their returning home again. Secondly, we heard of the outcoming of the second company of women, and their returning home again. Thirdly, and last of all, we heard how Peter and John, being wakened with the tidings which the women told them of his resurrection, came out to the grave to see if it was so as the women had reported. They ran, and in running, they strive who shall be first. John outruns Peter, (whether it was because he was younger, and more able in his person, or whether he had greater joy in his mind, I leave that to any man to judge,) and comes first to the grave, and looks in, and goes back again. Peter comes after him, and looks better about him, and seeing the winding-sheet in one part of the grave, and the linen cloth, wherewith the Lord's head was wrapped, to be in another part, he wonders at it, and thereafter goes into the grave. Then came John again, who before only looked in, and now the second time enters in, and when he saw, he believed, and went his way. Thus far we heard the last day.

Now, in this text, ye will see Mary Magdalene, of whom ye heard before, who came to the grave of the Lord, with the first company, and drawing near to the grave, saw that great stone removed; who hastily ran home, thinking, verily, that the body of the Lord had been stolen away, and wist not where it was laid. This same Mary, as appears, hath followed after Peter and John, suppose she ran not with them, yet she came soon after; but before she came, they had gotten the sight of the grave, and went away; she coming to it, goes not in, but stands without, at the grave weeping. So this day we return to the history of Mary Magdalene; and, first, we shall speak of her mourning; and, secondly, we shall speak of these things which she saw in the grave, and about the grave, and how she met with the Lord for whom she mourned; and, lastly, we shall speak of the effect that followed upon these sights, as God shall give the grace, and as the time shall permit.