"Lord of every land and nation, Sounded throng the wide creation, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, amen. To such praising souls I am sure the next thought must be, ever will be, sweet. II. THE RISEN LORD.-The Lord is risen, said the heart-delighted disciples, as they found the eleven gathered together in Jerusalem." And, in telling the same tale after 1800 years have rolled away, we feel that it is calculated to give the same thrill of joy to each heaven-born soul now as then, The Lord is risen. In the sad forebodings of the two disciples to Emmaus, we see a true picture of our own sad state, had we not a risen Lord to proclaim. We might tell of sin and its dreadful consequences; but could tell of no hope for the sinner. Our preaching, our writing, would be in vain. Man, poor man, yet in his sins. now," says the apostle, Is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept," and on this solid foundation rests all our hopes, and out of it springs all our rejoicings; without it a darkness reigns, which might be felt, but with it a light which scatters all night, and brings to the believer eternal day. 66 "But The most enlarged desire of the soul, the most sanguine expectations enkindled in the breast of the Christian, through the perusal of the Divine revelation, receives all its strength and confirmation of hope on this solid ground-The Lord is risen. Eternity, with all its untold realities, and heaven with all its unutterable grandeur, rises into one vast and unclouded scene of heavenly glory, by the great doctrine of a risen Lord. Whatever might have been the darkness which would have covered the people without so sweet a truth, in this sacred gem we can see the very fulfilment of all prophecy, and the free payment of all promises in reference to Christ, the Saviour of men, as well as the more glorious path of the "Ancient of days." As the lover of the Saviour looks on the sad scene of the object of his love as he walked through the dark path of sorrow below he could but sigh and cry because of his sins, and his Saviour's sufferings; but as he gazes on the path trodden, the suffering endured, the sacrifice complete, the work of Redemption done, he takes his harp, and tunes each string, and strikes the chord in notes of praise to which his very soul joins in singing, "Praise the Redeemer, Almighty to save, Immanuel has triumph'd o'er Death and the grave; The captive came forth at the dawn of the day, Praise to the Conqueror; O, tell of his love, Who shall for the tyrant his prison. The sceptre lies broken that fell from his hand; His dominion is ended; the Lord is arisen; The helpless shall soon be released from their bonds. Little did the disciples think, when travelling to Emmaus, and communing one with the other so sadly of their departed friend that the stranger walking with them was indeed their risen Lord; and has not the resurrection of Christ brought him very near to every believer? Is not his precious name "Immanuel," now most sweetly realized in our own experience, "God with us?" Does not our Jesus draw near to us, come in the midst of our little companies, open up the Scriptures to us, and will he not be with us always? Yes, in trouble; yes, in sickness; ues, in death; yes, in glory, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. III. The Lord is risen indeed. I shall give one thought more on this precious Bible truth calculated to strengthen our weak faith. There are some points just referred to in the Word of God, but not repeated; this glorious truth is not one of those points, but one which occupies a high place in the Book of books. The Holy Spirit gives much prominence to the Resurrection of Christ, and sets it forth in many ways. He has seen fit to confirm our faith on this special doctrine, and O, how we should prize it! This The prophets foretold of it. How sweetly does the Psalmist speak of it in the 16 chap. 10 ver., "For thou wilt not leave my my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." remarkable portion is quoted both by Peter and Paul. Christ also spake of his resurrection both before and after his death, by which he not only prepared the minds of his disciples for the fact that he should die, be buried, and rise again, but also gave them infallible proofs of all its fulfilment in his person, words, and marks, showed to them whereby every doubt might be banished from their minds as to the great fact. This word indeed was so manifest in every point which directed the thoughts to the Resurrection of Christ. Then look at the glorious combination of evidence which surrounded the rising of the Conqueror from that grave which could only hold its prisoner for the appointed time given in the eternal councils. This, indeed, was the grandest spring-time earth ever witnessed, and earth and heaven manifested their deep interest in it at the appointed moment, for there are no delays in heavenly transactions. Angels descended from the celestial world, regardless of those watches, man's security, or the seal of authority, and rolled back the stone from the door. The earth shook with the keepers of the sepulchre at the movement of its mighty Prince, about to prove the truth of his words, "I have power to take it again." The angelic testimony to those who came to the sepulchre is a precious one also, by Luke xxiv. 6, 8, " He is not here, but is risen; remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered unto the hands of sinful man, and be crucified, and the third day rise again; and they remembered his words." 0, what words! Ever to be remembered with adoring gratitude and love. "Will he remember Calvary, Poor, doubting disciples, in thought we can follow them, and see in them a type of the disciples now, dark indeed, in feelings and prospects too, but this woeful darkness precedes the bright dawning of joy, and from that time they are to have their faith strengthened as through them to impart light, and peace, and comfort down to the end of time, from that same soul-cheering sentence. "The Lord is risen indeed." "Come, see the place where the Lord lay;" that is empty, but he who lay there lives for evermore, a risen Lord, and we, in him, behold a type of our joyful "Resurrection to everlasting life." The Sound of the Great Trumpet. EXTRACTS OF A SERMON PREACHED AT CLARE, LORD'S-DAY MORNING, MARCH 17TH, 1856, BY THE LATE MR. JOHN PELLS, OF SOHO, LONDON. 'And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the Holy Mount at Jerusalem, Isa. xxvii. 13. AND why is this called a great trumpet? Why, because there is none like it. And the Lord spoke unto Moses saying, "Make thee two trumpets of silver, of a whole piece shalt thou make them, Numb. xx. 1-10. You see there is no mixture here, for they are to be of a whole piece, here are also to be two trumpets used, and what use is one without the other? For, as I apprehend, it means the Gospel of truth and the prayer of faith. Now, it is said the great trumpet is to be blown, and it must also give a certain sound, for if it gives an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself for the battle; for if it sounds for them to go backward when it should sound for them to go forward, we know not what would be the consequence. But the Lord has chosen his trumpeters and makes use of whom and what means he pleases to accomplish his divine purpose; and it is only as he blows into them that they can blow out to the people. But when this great trumpet is set to the mouth of his servants and blown with the wisdom, power, and skill of the blessed Spirit of all truth; why, then it gives a certain sound, and which sound is heard afar off, proclaiming liberty to the captive and the poor, trembling, broken-down, sinner that is ready to think that he must be lost for ever, ready to think that there is no hope and no mercy, ready to think that he must presently sink into the pit of everlasting perdition, and feeling withal ready to perish, to such, this trumpet has a most glorious sound. And what does it say?" Deliver him from going down into the pit, for I have found a ransom for him.” The poor captive then, hearing this sound, is loosed from his bonds, and feeling sweet liberty and pardon through the blood of a crucified Redeemer, cannot help singing "Believing we rejoice, To see the curse remove, We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice, And sing his bleeding love.' Now, as I said, there are other sounds, and which mixes faith with works and works with grace, and grace with works and so on. When you hear such sounds as these, you may at once conclude that it is not the sound of the Gospel trumpet, it is a fleshy, mind-pleasing, sound because it lifts up the sinner and dethrones Jesus instead of enthroning him, and brings no glory to God's name, but says, Man, save thyself. And such is the manner of all those who run before they are sent. Now, those of the people of God who are accustomed to sit under such sounds as those which perhaps give a sound sometimes within a little certain; and then at another time quite uncertain; so that nothing can be heard distinctly, those I say who are accustomed to sit under such sounds as this, who are weak in faith and babes in grace, they get them into such a bewildered state sometimes, that they could not tell you for the life of them what their real position is, or where they are. Now, when the trumpet is blown by the might and power of the Spirit proclaiming the work, worth, merit, death, and resurrection, and intercession of Jesus as the great all and in all of the sinner's salvation; then there is a going forward in humble obedience in holy reliance, in sweet confidence, trusting only to the blood and righteousness of the oncecrucified, but now risen, and reigning Lord Jesus, confident that there is no other name given under heaven whereby we can be saved; and blessed be God, we want no other, being so truly satisfied with this. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish. Now, it does not say they may come, but they shall come. Ah, but have you read your text right, sir? Yes, it says they shall come. I love that little word SHALL. Ah, I love all God's "shalls" and "wills," for they are almighty shalls, and everlasting wills. He speaks the word, and it is done, and when he says they shall come, they come, and they must come. He never asks sinners if they would like to come, but he says they shall come there; he makes them willing in the day of his power, and then they are glad to come. I believe no poor sinner ever comes to Christ until he feels his lost state as miserable, helpless, and, as it were, houseless, and homeless, without a shelter, naked, and without clothing, and in this situation, feeling ready to perish, I say, they are ready to come. And to such as feel like this I would say, come, and he will in no wise cast you out. Ah, says the poor, guilty, trembling, fearful, soul that longs to feel nearness to Jesus, but trembles lest he should cast him out, do you think I may come? Do you think that he will receive me? Do you think that he will cast me away? No, he will never cast you away if you feel your need of him. No coming to him otherwise, that would be mockery. But if you feel to need his help to need his salvation, having no hope in yourself or anywhere else, and feeling that you must perish without him, I say you may come, and he will in no wise cast you out. And they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt; the " outcasts,' " and what are they? Ah, we are all outcasts, sin has cast us out of the presence of God nor can we ever come near him only through the blessed Mediator, the Daysman between God and poor guilty sinnerseven Jesus. Well those outcasts, they are to come too. And what are they to do when they come? It is said they shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem. Yes, they shall worship him, they must, after he has delivered them from that state of bondage and captivity, and has brought them savingly into communion and nearness with himself, then they must worship him, they cannot help it. Nor can any one hinder them; though enemies have tried their uttermost to do so, defaming their character, casting down and away their reputation, putting them into the dungeon, into the stocks, into the prisons, into the fires, and I don't know what all, and yet still they worshipped God and sang praises at midnight when other people were afraid to go to sleep. It is said they shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem; they shall worship him in the holy mount in the New Jerusalem above, and, as I have hinted, they must worship him upon the earth too. But oh, how much better shall they worship him in the glory-world above it doth not yet appear, and ascribe all the glory of their "souls' salvation " to his holy name who alone deserves it all. MY SOUL IS FULL OF Ps. LXXXVIII. 3. "The IN another Psalm it says, 66 My soul is full of troubles;" that is to say, there is no room for another; I have all that can fall to my share. This may, in a certain sense, be true, but such a declaration can hold good of no one so properly as of Christ Jesus; for none but He could say"Behold, and see, all ye that pass by, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger." The soul of our Lord Jesus Christ was full of troubles of all kinds. He knew all about our troubles in the height, length, depth, and breadth of them. He had law troubles, temporal troubles, Satanic troubles, and church troubles. He might well say, with his soul full of troubles-"My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." But let us for a minute or two consider the text as the language of Heman describing the exercises of his mind, and setting forth his experience. The writer of this psalm compares himself to a man that is dead, and without strength. Though a quickened soul, and a child of God, yet Heman felt himself to be lifeless in holy things without zeal, without love, and without the inward feeling of spiritual sanctification. No real child of God dare to look simply at his outward sanctification, and put his confidence in that; oh, no; he wants to feel himself inwardly sanctified by the indwelling of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit's own testimony. He deplores his barrenness and carnality, and cannot help saying "Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly dove, With all thy quickening powers, Kindle a flame of sacred love In these cold hearts of ours." Again, the believer feels as though he had no strength, no strength in prayer, no strength in reading God's word, no strength in hearing the Gospel preached, and no strength in spiritual conversation. I mean by all this, the Christian is sometimes in such a condition that he has no power to lay hold on holy things, and realise his own interest in them. He finds no unction, no sweetness, nor any consolation whatever. Another of Heman's troubles was, the fierce wrath of God lay heavy upon him. From this we learn that a child of God may be greatly terrified by the law, even after being delivered from it; he may again be troubled with his sins; the law may again thunder against him |