62. The Devout Christian rejoices in the Resurrection of Christ

EXHORTATION.

"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Rev. i. 18.

The holy season of Easter is a time of joy to all the children of God, who heartily rejoice in the resurrection of their Lord. 1. They rejoice in the perfection of their salvation; God is reconciled; he has accepted the death of his son in the place of our death, and has given us life for his sake. 2. The faithful rejoice in the glorious evidences of the resurrection of Jesus. Is it not a glorious sign that he was seen ten times after he rose from the grave, that he appeared to five hundred of the brethren at a time, 1 Cor. xv. 16; that he even spoke and ate with his disciples, Acts, x. 41; and permitted them to touch him, John. xx. 25, 1 John, i. 1? Testimony which must dispel all doubt at once. 3. They rejoice that the forgiveness of sins is sealed, and ensured to them, as well as peace with God. That in the faith of Christ they may fearlessly come nigh to God, knowing that he will also come nigh to them. THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN REJOICES IN

4. They are assured that the resurrection of Christ will refresh them, even in the agonies of death. In dying, Jesus has sweetened their deaths, and sanctified their graves; they, too, shall arise to eternal life. 5. Therefore they spend the days of Easter, like other festivals, in devotion, prayer, singing, and contemplation of the benefits of God. 6. They endeavor to rise every day in spirit from their grave of sin, from their evil habits, faults, and sins, and to spend the rest of their lives to the honor of the Lord in faith and sanctification. There are joyful songs of victory in the tabernacles of the blessed; the right hand of the Lord is lifted up; the right hand of the Lord has overcome. Resurgent Jesus, mighty prince of victory, vanquisher of death! Thy resurrection fills my heart with joy, I celebrate this festival by thy gracious permission, and exclaim on bended knees, and with folded hands, "God be praised, who has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Jesus has risen from the dead, such is our glorious gospel; the hostage is released from the prison of the tomb, wherefore sin must be wiped away, God reconciled, and the debt discharged. Who will condemn us? THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

Christ is here who died for us, yea, who rose again, who sitteth at the right hand of God, and pleads for us. Jesus has taken away the power of death, and brought to light life and indestructible essence. Jesus, dearest friend! Thy resurrection affords me threefold consolation. It is my victory; sin can no longer condemn me now. Death cannot harm me, because Christ has overcome death, and made my death a gentle sleep, yea, a passing to the father. Satan is a defeated foe; though he roar, yet he cannot devour. Hell disturbs me not, for Christ has rescued me from hell; whoso believes in him shall not be lost, but have eternal life. A glorious day, a day of rejoicing! My delivery is assured, and my salvation confirmed. Jesus lives, and I also shall live here united with him in faith, and there in glory everlasting. The resurrection of Jesus is my own resurrection. If the head has risen again, the members cannot remain in the tomb. Not only shall I rise again on the day of judgment, like all mankind, but I shall rise as a child of God, as a co-heir of Jesus Christ, by the power of his merit and atonement. Therefore I do not fear the grave, but regard it as a chamber of rest, as the mother's womb, where my Saviour will let me sleep until he shall say, "Arise, ye dead, and come to judgment." O, the glory which my Saviour has THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN REJOICES IN acquired! Uprisen Jesus, how can I sufficiently praise and extol thy grace and mercy? Now all is made good that was ruined by Adam's fall. O, my Saviour, thy resurrection shall be a strong comfort in my sufferings, Thou wert locked in the grave, but didst gloriously issue forth; so will the night of my sufferings pass away, and the sun of thy joy, grace, help, and comfort shine again. Three days wert thou buried; so the period of my tribulation is fixed and determined, the weary years of life shall yield to the joyful year of release. Thou didst arise with a transfigured body; thy wounds and the marks of the nails upon thy hands and feet were no longer bleeding, but resplendent as the sun. Thus shall my body be transfigured and glorified, when thou shalt wake me from the dust. I shall receive my pristine body, and be shrouded in my skin; the body and the members which have served thee, and been hallowed unto thee shall also partake of the splendor of heaven. Because thou livest, O, Jesus, I have in thee a true and constant friend to provide for me in life. Keep me in distress, comfort me in sadness, refresh me in death, preserve me in the grave, and thereafter bring me to glory, and place the crown upon my head. If Christ lives, why do I grieve? I know that he loves me tenderly, though I die to all the world. He nourishes, proTHE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

tects, and comforts me; when I die, he will take me to himself; where now he is, there I shall be, because I am a member of his body. Amer 1. Jesus lives, the jaws of death

Burst, unable to contain him;

From the grave he rose again,

For its fastenings could not chain him.

Like a mighty hero, he

Set himself from durance free.

2. Jesus lives, he is not dead,

Howsoe'er the fiend may bluster;

He is free from doubt or dread,

He has foiled the foeman's muster.

Toil and danger now are done,

For the eager strife is won.

3. All my sin and deadly guilt,

Now is quenched in his endurance.

Of the Lord's eternal grace,

Now I have the full assurance.

Every fault and every vice

In his grave forgotten lies.

4. All my dread of death is gone,

Of the grave I am not fearful;

I shall rise again in time,

And I rest content and cheerful.

Thickly cover me with earth,

'Tis a sweet and easy berth.

38*

1. Jesus lives! The word shall give

Courage to my soul in dying,

Sweeten every grief and pain,

On this word I die relying.

After death I shall arise,

And rejoin him in the skies.

The devout Christian contemplates the Ascension of Jesus Christ.

EXHORTATION.

"I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."—John xx. 17.

The contemplation of the ascension of our Saviour cannot but be consoling and grateful to a believing heart.

1. It reminds us of the certainty of our redemption. In returning to the heaven whence he came, the prince of victory finished the work on which he was sent, to obtain for mankind the forgiveness of sins, justification, and salvation. 2. It reminds the believer that he has no abiding place on earth, but must seek that which is to come. If men have no abiding place upon the earth, they send their hearts where they wish to be eternally. THE ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST.

3. Whenever they see their houses, their habiliments, their goods, or their friends, they remember that all these they must leave behind. 4. Being desirous of finding a place prepared for them in glory, when the hour of their release from the trouble of the world arrives, they diligently strive after a spiritual ascension; they wean their thoughts from earth, and fix them upon the things of heaven; they withdraw their love for the world, and cling to Jesus in faith. They forsake the world with their lives, living not after the custom of the world, but after the will of God. 5. Therefore, in looking up to heaven, they say to themselves, "There is my country, and my eternal home."

God mounts upward with rejoicing; and the Lord ascends with the sound of trumpets. Praise God, extol our King. Thus I sing, great Jesus, of thy ascension. After accomplishing the redemption of mankind, thou didst return to thy glory. All our foes, the devil, the world, sin, and death, are under thy feet; thou hast delivered us from them all. After thou didst wash away our sins by thyself, thou didst seat thyself in heaven, at the right hand of the majesty of God. All this, my Jesus, is a consolation unto me, and I rejoice thereat from the bottom of my soul. Thou sittest at the right hand of God, and pleadest for us; therefore, when I pray, I pray not alone, thy spirit prays in me, and thou prayest for me; therefore, my poor feeble prayer will be graciously heard for thy sake. I rejoice in thinking of thy Word, "I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there ye may be also." This refreshes my spirit, for I know that thou hast prepared a place for me, so that when I die, I shall find a place wherein I may dwell forever. Thou art crowned with honor and glory, and thou hast laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which thou, as a just judge, wilt give those who love thy coming. Thou hast come into thy kingdom to rule over heaven and earth, in nature, in grace, and in glory; in time, thou wilt say to me and to all the faithful, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Thou didst receive gifts for men according to thy human nature, to distribute among thy brethren and the faithful. O Jesus, give me a double gift, for I need double power and comfort. Give me thy holy spirit, piety, chastity, meekness, humility, righteousness, the childhood of God, life, peace, and eternal happiness. Because thou, the head, art lifted up, thou THE ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST.

wilt draw me, thy member, after thee. Because thy spirit impels me, I shall be with thee forever. O what joy, what comfort, what glory in the thought! My Saviour has promised his faithful followers, that where he is, there shall they be also. Let me be where thou art, draw me to thee, bring me to the host of the angels and the elect, let me see the glory prepared for thy faithful. Although thou hast withdrawn thy visible presence from me, still thou art with me invisibly, for thou hast promised to be with me always, even unto the end of the world.

Therefore, I am of good cheer, whatever betide.

I know that thou art with me in trouble, thou dost deliver me from danger, thou dost refresh me in sorrow, thou dost comfort me in sadness, and protect me in all adversity. Though I see thee not, I love thee, and know that once I shall see thee, and be filled with unspeakable joy at thy sight. I shall see thee when my soul makes its ascension after death; and I shall see thee with my bodily eyes on the last day, when I shall rise from the dead. For this purpose I will daily strive after a spiritual ascension, and contemplate my future dwelling and anticipated crown with the eyes of faith; I will withdraw my heart and my life from the world, flee the world with its vanities, ways, and sins, which obstruct this ascension. Thus, while I live, I

THE SPIRITUAL ASCENSION live to the Lord, and when I die, I die to the

Lord;

For then I go to Jesus Christ,

Stretch out my arms in wonder;

I go to rest and sink to sleep,

None shall disturb me yonder;

For Jesus Christ, thrice glorified,

The gates of heaven will open wide,

And lead me in to glory. Amen.

The Spiritual Ascension.

1. Jesus upward soars to heaven,

And forsakes this vale of tears,

And I strive to follow Jesus

Through these long and dreary years

Though the body still must tarry,

Till the trump my grave does harry,

Yet the heart will not have nay,

But be with him day for day.

2. Though upon the earth I linger,

Yet from earth I do depart;

No enjoyment and no comfort

Is so weighty to my heart,

As to wait upon the presence

Of my Lord in heavenly pleasance,

And in spirit to repair

To the home he does prepare.

THE SPIRITUAL ASCENSION.

3. With my love I make ascension;

Earth, I care for thee no more;

Jesus is my occupation,

And his love my only lore.

Vanities of earth, and pleasures,

Pride of life, and hoarded treasures,

All are nothing now to me,

Jesus all alone I see.

4. Dost thou ask where my reflections

Rest? In heaven is their discourse.

Worldly things no more attract them,

They are drawn with higher force.

They regard the crown of glory

On the bright depository,

And the robe of driven snow

Ready for me ere I go.

5. Therefore, O my soul, be joyful,

Lift above thy drooping wings;

This obstruction is a cavern,

Which but little gladness brings.

Wing thy flight, with steady pinion,

To the starry bright dominion,

Where the crown of glory waits

For thee at the golden gates.