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very great, in consequence of the strength of his former doubts, and the duration of his suspense. That which strengthens faith, exhilarates the heart. Believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." And there is sometimes a tumult of joy which needs to be allayed, and causes a conflict with faith, like opposing tides in a frith. "They believed not for joy: Then he said to them again, Peace be unto you!" Compose yourselves, as if he had said, and listen to the commission and instructions which I have to give you.

6. It is expressive of homage and adoration. This is implied in the name which the disciples gave to him commonly, The Lord; but it is more decidedly expressed in the appellations in our text, "My Lord, and my God." It is said of the women to whom he first appeared, that "they held him by the feet and worshipped him." We are not told that this was the posture in which Thomas made his confession, but we can scarcely doubt that it was. At any rate, no bodily attitude could express adoration so strongly as the exclamation which burst from his lips, as soon as the scales of unbelief fell from his eyes.

It is not by an act of subjection or allegiance to Christ as a King, that a sinner is justified: faith in him as a priest is the justifying act; but if the first gracious act is believing, the second is an act of obeisance and dedication, and both may be expressed by the same words, and these the first words which proceed from the opened lips of a converted sinner, or a recovered saint. “I am the Lord's." Truly, Lord, I am thy

servant."

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7. It is expressive of an appropriating claim. I mention this last, because it is interwoven with, and runs through all the feelings we have been describing. What would it have availed our disciple to be persuaded that Jesus had risen, had he not looked on him as his Redeemer? Conceive for a moment, the horror which Judas, if he had been alive, must have felt at the sight of the print of the nails and the scar! It was the relation in which Thomas stood to him that deepened his shame, as it did that of Ezra: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God." This imparted an unction to

all the new discoveries which he had obtained of the glory of Christ" the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord." This was at once the cause and the token of his love to Christ. He loved him because he was his Lord, and he called him his Lord because he loved him. There is the my of love, as well as of faith, and this accented both his joy and his adoration. My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

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The inferences that might be drawn from this subject are many; let the following suffice :

1. See a proof of the divinity of Christ. The indirect proofs of this doctrine, incidentally occurring in Scripture, are not of the least convincing and satisfying nature, and of these the one before us is not the least striking. It is but a poor evasion of the enemies of this doctrine, to say that our text is the language of ecstasy, and not to be understood in a strict sense. Christ surely was calm and composed, but instead of correcting and guarding the language, he sanctioned it. "Thomas, because thou hast seen, thou hast believed"—and thou hast done well, though tardily-" blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed." Believed what? Just what Thomas had confessed him to be-his God.

2. The subject furnishes a proof of the divine authority of the gospel. The doctrine of Christ's resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith, whether it be considered in relation to the truth of Christianity, or to the reality and perfection of the atonement. "If Christ be not risen," says the apostle," then we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ;" yea, Christ himself would have been a deceiver or deceived, for he gave this out as the sign of his being the Messiah, that he should rise on the third day. And, in like manner, if Christ is not risen, preaching is vain, and your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." On both these accounts the Scripture is full and explicit in its statements of the evidence on which this truth rests. Of the external and direct evidences, the apostle gives a summary in 1 Cor. xv. 5-8. But there are certain circumstances, specified in the evangelical records, tending strongly

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our

to corroborate the testimony of the witnesses of the resurrection, one of the chief of which is their backwardness and aversion to believe the fact; showing that they were neither impostors, nor of that disposition of mind which would have exposed them to be the dupes of deception, by listening to idle reports, or mistaking a phantom for the reality. Of this we have, besides other instances in this chapter, a striking illustration in the case of Thomas. And in all this we see the manifold wisdom of God, in bringing good out of evil, and overruling the infirmities and faults of good men, for the illustration of his own glory, and the strengthening of the faith of his people.

3. Let us see the great value and use of faith. It is the mainspring of Christian activity. It sets the whole soul in motion toward Christ and God. Until faith is produced, or revived, all the affections are locked up, or lie dormant.

It

enlarges the understanding, it melts the heart into godly sorrow, warms it into love, and elevates it into joy and adoration. Without faith it is impossible to please God, to improve Christ, to enjoy ordinances, or discharge aright any duty. To the incredulous disciple, every molehill is a mountain. All things are possible and easy to him that believeth.—Precious faith! Some think that we dwell too much on this grace in our discourses; and when we appeal to the Scriptures as the pattern which we follow, they feel disposed to bring the same charge against the writings of the evangelists and apostles. They do not reflect that faith is the eye of the soul, which takes in all the glories of the spiritual world, and sheds their influence over the mind. Talk to a man born blind of the ravishment which you derive by looking on a beautiful landscape, he can form no idea how a simple movement of those eyeballs, which never imparted to him a single pleasurable emotion, can produce such effects; but let his eyes be opened, all will be light and life without and within. Thomas believes and recognises God his Saviour, and rejoices in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

4. The subject affords matter of reproof. We are astonished at the incredulity of this disciple; in reading the account

of his behaviour we feel offended; we redden with indignation. at his infidel avowal, and are apt to think that there was a waste of condescension on the part of our Lord in acceding to the presumptuous demand with which it was accompanied. But are we better than he? Are we among the blessed ones, who have not seen and yet have believed? Have we not reason to blush for ourselves when we reflect how slow of heart to believe we have been? Are we even yet prepared to join in the believing exclamation of the recovered disciple, now when our Lord is giving us, in the ordinance of the supper, confirmations to our faith similar to that with which Thomas was favoured; and when he is saying to us, “Behold my hands and my side-the emblems of my death, and the evidences of my resurrection-and be not faithless, but believing "—are we ready to say with this disciple, "My Lord, and my God?"

In fine, my brethren, let us see what it is that renders ordinances effectual-the presence of Christ in them, and the manifestation which he makes of himself through them. The disciples could do nothing towards casting the evil spirit of unbelief out of their brother. It was when Christ was present in the assembly, to speak and to present the symbol, that the cure was effected. O be earnest for this! We have his own promise to plead, "Lo I am with you alway!' And if this day our unbelief is cured, our distressing doubts dissipated, our darkness removed, our heart enlarged, and our mouth opened to make the confession of Thomas, it will be a proof that Christ's presence has been with us-it will afford good evidence of our being benefited by his ordinances-and it will furnish matter for the delightful reflection in future," O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord and my God."

SERMON VII.

LOVE TO CHRIST.

JOHN, XXI. 17.

"PETER WAS GRIEVED BECAUSE HE SAID UNTO HIM THE THIRD TIME, LOVEST THOU ME? AND HE SAID UNTO HIM, lord, thOU KNOWEST ALL THINGS; THOU KNOWEST THAT I LOVE THEE."

THE explanation between two friends after a variance, is always an interesting scene, and often throws great light on the character both of the offended and offending party. When a person of a generous mind has offended a friend for whom he feels sincere affection and respect, he will look forward with extreme anxiety to his first meeting with him, and though he may be assured that he has been forgiven, he will not be completely at ease until he has heard this from his own mouth, and until mutual explanations and assurances shall have buried the difference. The parting scene between Jesus and Peter was a very distressing one. Just as the disciple had finished his denial of his suffering Master, Jesus cast upon him a look which awakened in his breast a train of unutterable emotions. "The Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, and Peter went out and wept bitterly." What his state of mind was during the time that Jesus hung upon the cross and lay in the grave, it is easier to conceive than to describe. All that we know is, that though distressed he was not in despair; for the words which he remembered were a source of comfort, as well as of contrition : "I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." The special message which the angel sent to him by the women from the

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