great and difficult work of purchasing redemption, and received God's testimony that it was finished. The death of Christ was the greatest and most wonderful of events, but has in it a great deal that is sorrowful. But by the resurrection of Christ, that sorrow is turned into joy. The Head of the church, in that great event, enters on the possession of eternal life; and the whole church is, as it were, “begotten again to a lively hope." 1 Pet. 1: 3. Weeping had continued for a night, but now joy cometh in the morning. This is the day of his reigning as the head of the church, and all the church reigns with him. This day was worthy to be commemorated with the greatest joy. Psal. 118: 24. "This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." And therefore this, above all other days, is appointed to the end of the world, to be weekly sanctified as a day of holy rest and joy, that the church therein may rest and rejoice with her head. And as the third chapter of Genesis is the most sorrowful chapter in the Bible, so those chapters in the evangelists that give an account of the resurrection of Christ, may be looked upon as the most joyful. These give an account of the finishing of the purchase of redemption, and the beginning of the glory of the Head of the church, as the greatest seal and earnest of the eternal glory of all the members.

It is further to be observed, that the day of the Gospel most properly begins with the resurrection of Christ. Till Christ rose from the dead, the Old Testament dispensation remained: but now it ceases, all being fulfilled that was shadowed forth in the typical ordinances of that dispensation. Here most

properly is the end of the Old Testament night; and Christ's rising from the grave with joy and glory, was like the sun rising after a long night of darkness, appearing in joyful light to enlighten the world. Now that joyful dispensation begins, that glorious dispensation of which the prophets testified so much. Now the gospel-sun is risen in glory, and 'with healing in his wings," that those who fear God's name may "go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."

II. Christ's ascension into heaven. In this I would include his sitting at the right hand of God. For Christ's ascension was nothing else but ascending to God's right hand in glory. A deliverer of a people as their king, in order that he may be under the best capacity for it, is first installed in his throne. We are told that Christ was exalted for this end, that he might accomplish the success of his redemption. Acts, 5:31. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand, for to give repentance unto Israel, and the remission of sins."

Christ's ascension into heaven was, as it were, his solemn coronation, when the Father set him upon the throne, and invested him with the glory of the kingdom he had purchased for himself, that he might thereby obtain the success of his redemption in conquering all his enemies. Psalm 110: 1. Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Christ entered into heaven in order to obtain the success of his purchase, as the high priest of old, after he had offered sacrifice, entered into the holy of holies with the blood of the sacrifice, in order to obtain the success of the sacrifice which he had offered. Heb. 9: 12. He entered into

heaven, there to make intercession for his people, to plead the sacrifice which he had made in order to the success of it. Heb. 7:25. And as he ascended into heaven, God the Father in a visible manner set him on the throne as King of the universe. He then put the angels all under him, and subjected to him heaven and earth, that he might govern them for the good of the people for whom he died. Eph. 1: 20-22. And as Christ rose from the dead, so he ascended into heaven, as the head of the body, and forerunner of all the church; and they, as it were, ascend with him; so that we are both raised up together, and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ. Eph. 2: 6.

The day of Christ's ascension was doubtless a joyful, glorious day in heaven. And as heaven received Christ, God-man, as its king, doubtless it received a great accession of glory and happiness. So that the times in both parts of the church, that part which is in heaven, and that which is on earth, are become more glorious since Christ's humiliation than before. This may suffice in respect to the things whereby Christ was put into the best capacity for obtaining the success of redemption.

III. Established Means of Success.

I would now consider those dispensations of Providence by which the means of this success were established after Christ's resurrection.

I. The abolishing of the Jewish dispensation. This indeed was gradually done, but it began from the time of Christ's resurrection, in which the abo lition of it is founded. For the Jewish dispensation

was not fitted for the practice of the world in general, or for a church of God dwelling in all parts of the earth. It would have been impossible for men living in all parts of the world to go to Jerusalem three times a year, as was prescribed in that constitution. When therefore God had a design of enlarging his church, as he did after Christ's resurrection, it was necessary that this dispensation should be abolished. If it had been continued, it would have been a great hinderance to the enlargement of the church. Besides, their ceremonial law, by reason of its burdensomeness and the great peculiarity of some of its rites, was a wall of partition between the Jews and Gentiles, and would have kept the Gentiles from complying with the true religion. This wall therefore was broken down to make way for the more extensive success of the Gospel. Eph. 2 14, 15.

II. The next thing in order of time seems to be the appointment of the Christian Sabbath. For though this was gradually established in the christian church, yet those things by which the revelation of God's mind and will was made, began on the day of Christ's resurrection, by his appearing then to his disciples. John, 20: 19. And this appointment was afterwards confirmed, by his appearing from time to time on that day rather than any other, John, 20: 26; by his sending down the Holy Spirit so remarkably on that day, Acts, 2: 1; and afterwards by directing that the public worship of Christians should be on that day, which may be concluded from Acts, 20: 7. 1 Cor. 16: 1, 2. and Rev. 1: 10. And so the day of the week on which Christ rose from the dead, that joyful day, is appointed to be the day of

the church's holy rejoicing to the end of the world, and the day of their stated public worship. And this is a very great and principal means of the success which the Gospel has had in the world.

III. The next thing was Christ's appointment of the gospel ministry, by commissioning and sending forth his apostles to teach and baptize all nations. Matt. 28: 19, 20. "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." There were three things done by this one commission of Christ to his apostles:

1. The appointment of the office of the gospelministry. For this commission which Christ gives to his apostles, in the most essential parts of it, belongs to all ministers; and the apostles, by virtue of it, were ministers or elders of the church.

2. Something peculiar in this commission to go forth from one nation to another, preaching the Gospel in all the world. The apostles had something above what belonged to their ordinary character as ministers; they had an extraordinary power of teaching and ruling, which extended to all the churches; and not only all the churches that then were, but all that should be to the end of the world by their ministry. And so the apostles were, in subordination to Christ, made foundations of the Christian church. See Eph. 2 20, and Rev.

21: 14.

3. Here is an appointment of Christian baptism. This ordinance indeed had a beginning before. Both