now his work is done, and it is meet that he enter on his full reward,-expedient, too, for his people, that the Comforter may come to them, who cannot come till he, seated on his throne, send him. So, on a day never to be forgotten on earth or in heaven, having discoursed to the disciples, whom having loved in the world he loved to the end, of the fulfillment in him of all things written in the law of Moses and in the Prophets concerning him, and having opened their understandings to understand the Scriptures, and commanded them to preach repentance and remission of sins in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and promised to send them the promise of the Father, and enjoined them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high,-" he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them; and it came to pass, that while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." While the disciples, awe-struck, were worshipping their ascending Lord, a cloud received him out of their sight; and two angels, like men in white apparel, recalled them to the real circumstances of their situation by saying, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye here gazing up to heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Of what took place within the veil, beyond these visible heavens, in the heaven of heavens, we cannot not now speak particularly. No doubt the whole celestial city was moved at his coming, and a meet reception was given by the King, the Lord of hosts, and all his loyal subjects, to him who is the King, and the King's Son, returning more than a conqueror from his fearful conflict with sin, and death, and hell. A name is given him above every name. sits down on his Father's throne, at his right hand; "angels, and authorities, and powers, are made subject to him;" and most gladly is the command obeyed, "Let all the angels of God worship him."

He

Thus has the Son of man gone from the cross to the crown— from the grave to the throne; thus has he, through suffering and degradation, entered into glory and happiness; thus has he gone to the Father.

4. He went to heaven, as it is written.

And in thus going, he went "as it is written,"-" as it was determined." For these are the recorded oracles of God, which are but revelations of his eternal decrees:-"Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corrup tion. Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." "God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet: Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises.' "Thou hast ascended on high; thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts for men." "The King shall joy

in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. For thou preventest him with the blessings of thy goodness: thou hast set a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. His glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid on him. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance." "I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before Him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away; and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Such is the prediction-such the decree of God; and thus does it appear, that in the second, as well as in the first, stage of his journey, "the Son of man goeth as it is written,"" goeth as it was determined."

Brethren, the Son of man, who came from heaven to earth, and is gone from earth to heaven, will once again come from heaven to earth. When he comes, he comes not to continue on earth, but to gather together all his elect ones, and take them with him, soul and body, to the heaven of heavens, to live and reign with him for ever and ever. Such is the blessed hope he has con nected with his glorious appearance. Cherish this hope, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,-cherish this hope, and live under its influence. He is gone, and you must go. You would not wish, surely, to stay always in a world from which he has departed. When you go, whomsoever-whatsoever you go from, you go to him; and is not "to depart," when it is "to be with Christ, far better"? Live habitually under the influence of the hope of going to be with him in spirit when you die,going to be with him in body and spirit when you rise again. He has prepared a place for you, he is preparing you for that place; and he will come again and take you to himself, that where he is, there ye may be also. "Whither ye go ye know, and the way ye know."

Wonder not if some part of the way should be dark and dreary, rugged and thorny. Think of the way in which he went; and humbly, hopefully, tread in his footsteps, even when they are marked with blood. He will not leave your redeemed souls in the separate state,--he will not permit your sanctified bodies for ever to be the prey of corruption. "He that should come, will come," and take all his people home to his Father's house,-presenting them, every one of them, the whole of every one of them -soul, body, and spirit,-to Him, "a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." He will by and by show you, as his Father showed him, "the path of life," and "in his light you shall see light clearly."

Oh, while we look for such things, what manner of persons should we be in all holy conversation and godliness! Surely, we should be "stedfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, inasmuch as we know our labor shall not be in vain in the Lord." And "now, may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."

Christian brethren: The words which follow those on which we have been discoursing and meditating are interesting ones. Have you observed them? "Wo to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed." It was strange that any man should betray the Son of man, the best friend of the race; stranger still, that the traitor should be one of his chosen attendants. Yet so it was. Judas, a peculiarly trusted disciple, was the author of the foul treachery. Under the guise of an act of friendship, he betrayed his Master into the hands of his enemies, who mocked, and scourged, and crucified him. The traitor's crime was the foulest the sun had ever witnessed, and his plagues were wonderful. He became "MAGOR-MISSABIB," a terror to himself and to all around him. "Wo," wo was "to that man, by whom the Son of man was betrayed." Oh! who can tell the anguish which rent the heart of the miserable man, when, casting down the wages of iniquity, he exclaimed, "I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood," and met with the cold taunt from his accomplices in the murder of the Son of man, "What is that to us? see thou to it." Oh! who can imagine the horror of thick darkness which enveloped his desolate soul, when, in the dead of night, he violated nature's first law, fearing that his sin could not be forgiven, feeling that his punishment could not be borne! His body lies at the foot of the precipice in mangled fragments. His soul is gone to its own place. "Good had it been for that man that he had never been born."

It is a fearful history, but full of warning and instruction; full of warning and instruction to us, to all, who by profession are the disciples of Christ; full of peculiarly appropriate instruction to us in the circumstances in which we are at present placed. Think you, christian friends, that Jesus Christ ever sees so large a company of professed disciples sitting at his table, as he now sees for he is indeed in the midst of us,-without thinking, "Some of these will betray me"? "The hand of him that betrayeth me is on the table." Is not that what he is thinking now? And should not the thought that he so thinks, lead us to say, each for himself, "Lord, is it I?" When what he always thinks when many observe the Lord's Supper, was said by him

? This discourse was originally delivered previously to the administration of the Lord's Supper, and the paragraphs which follow formed the concluding exhor. tation.

when a few were met to observe the passover, as good men are not suspicious of others, but jealous of themselves, none of the disciples thought of his brother. Every one feared for himself, -all but the traitor, whom the consciousness of guilt kept for a season silent, till the fear of suspicion drew from his reluctant and trembling lips, what had already burst spontaneously from the hearts of his fellows, "Lord, is it I?" I suspect none of you. You, I dare say, suspect not one another; but let every man suspect himself, for there is a traitor to Christ in every heart.

We cannot, though we wished it, imitate to the letter the conduct of Judas. Jesus is gone to the Father, and, in the embraces of Almighty love, is safe for ever from all the craft and power of all his enemies. False friend, open foe, can never hurt him more. He can never again be betrayed into the hands of his enemies but though his person cannot, his cause may; and it is in that form that we are in danger of becoming traitors to our Lord and King. He betrays Christ who, after professing Christianity, abandons its profession; and he betrays him too, who assumes that profession, and, without abandoning it, disgraces it by acting inconsistently with it. The apostate is a traitor. He delivers up the cause of Christ, so far as it is in his hand, into the hands of sinners, to be mocked, and spit upon, and crucified. He says, like Judas, This is it, take, hold it fast. I have made a trial of it, and found it wanting. Jesus is an impostor, and let him be treated accordingly.' Open apostasy proclaims this; silent apostasy implies it. This is "trampling under foot the Son of God, and counting the blood of the covenant, by which alone there is sanctification, itself an unholy thing." Wo, wo to the man who thus betrays the Son of man! There is no other sacrifice for sin; and for him who puts it away from him, there is nothing in the coming eternity "but a certain fearful looking for of judgment to devour the adversaries."

But the apostate is not the only traitor. His crime comes nearer that of Judas, who, continuing to profess to regard Christianity as divine, corrupts its doctrines and disregards its laws. The practical antinomian, the worldly, inconsistent, wicked, professor of Christianity, hands over Christ's cause to his enemies, to be misrepresented and abused. Instead of adorning the doctrine of their Divine Saviour-God their Saviour,-they give oceasion to blaspheme both Him and it. Wo, wo to him who thus betrays the Son of man-"betrays him with a kiss!" Even now the Lord indignantly asks him, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, while ye do not the things I say to you?" And oh! how gladly would he at last hide himself, under the rocks and mountains, from the withering look with which these words will be pronounced from the throne of universal judgment," Depart from me, I never knew thee, thou worker of iniquity!" God forbid that these woes should lie on you, or on me, my brethren! I doubt not that at present, with minds irradiated with the

light of saving truth, and hearts warmed with the love of the Saviour, many of you feel as if it were utterly impossible that you should, in either of these ways, deny the Lord who bought you, that you should even act Peter's part, far less Judas's. You cannot shrink too sensitively from the slightest approach to either; but one of the best preventives is a deep-seated conviction, a habitual feeling, that in you dwelleth no good thing; and that, apart from Christ, left to yourself, treachery to your Lord is not only possible, but certain. Keep close to him, and you are safe; not otherwise. Beware of tampering with temptation; beware of self-confidence,

"Beware of Peter's word,

Nor confidently say—
I never will deny my Lord;
But grant I never may."

"Watch and be sober," "watch unto prayer;' ." "Satan desires to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." The world in which you live is full of snares, and your most dangerous enemy is within, "the evil heart of unbelief." "Keep the heart with all diligence," and "watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." Trust in the Saviour's faithful promise, "I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them me, is greater than all; and none can pluck them out of my Father's hand." Expect the fulfilment of this promise; but expect it only in hearing his voice, and following him as the good Shepherd. "Hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at his revelation;" yet "fear lest such a promise of entering into his rest being left, any of you should seem to come short of it." Think, on the one hand, how many have seemed to run well, and yet have turned aside after Satan, gone back to perdition! Think, on the other, how many, weak as you, have, strong in the strength that is in Christ Jesus, persevered in running the race set before them, till, reaching the goal, they obtained the prize of their high and holy calling, and are now casting at the feet of their Leader and Rewarder the unwithering garlands with which he has crowned them! Contemplate those who have made shipwreck of faith and hope, of happiness and heaven; and those who, with full spread sail, a rising tide, and favorable gale, have entered the fair, the safe haven. Let the open apostasies or secret withdrawals of false disciples awaken holy jealousy of yourselves, and produce more entire reliance on, more devoted obedience to, your Lord. Let their lukewarmness but increase your ardor, and their treachery confirm your allegiance, and make the reflections and the determinations of the christian poet your own:—

"When any turn from Zion's way

Alas! what numbers do!

Methinks I hear my Saviour say,

Wilt thou forsake me too l'