XIII. disquieting the man of guilty conscience, SERMON pass by him unheeded. His witness is in heaven; and his record is on high. Innocence and uprightness form a tenfold shield, against which the darts of the world are aimed in vain. Of neither God as his Judge, nor of men as his companions, is such a man afraid. With no unquiet nor terrifying slumbers will his couch be haunted. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for the Lord maketh me dwell in safety. LET those considerations which have been now briefly suggested, contribute to render the character in the Text, of a conscience void of offence towards God and man, amiable and estimable in our eyes. If in its fullest extent we cannot attain to it, let us at least endeavour to approach to it, and herein with the great Apostle exercise ourselves. We may rest assured, that the more we partake of this character, the happier and more honourable shall our life be on earth, and the nearer shall it bring us to Heaven. Conscious of our innumerable frailties, let it be our daily prayer to God, that SERMON that by his powerful spirit he would rectify XIII. what is corrupted in our nature; would guard us by his grace against the temptations that surround us; keep us from the path of the destroyer, and lead us in his way everlasting. SERMON XIV. On the Ascension of Christ. [Preached in the Evening after the Celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.] LUKE, Xxiv. 50, 51. And he led them out as far as to Bethany; and he lift up his bands and blessed them: And it came to pass while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into Heaven. THE us a complete rule of life, but give weight Of XIV. SERMON Of those facts one of the most illustrious XIV. is the ascension of our Saviour to Heaven, after having completed the work of our redemption. This is a subject on which it is at all times pleasing to a Christian to meditate; but especially after the celebration of that solemn ordinance in which we were this day engaged. We there renewed the memorial of our Saviour suffering and dying in the cause of mankind. Let us now take part in his succeeding triumphs. Let us with pleasure behold him rising from the grave, as the conqueror of death and hell, and ascending into Heaven, there to reign in glory, and to act as the protector and guardian of his people, to the end of time. It will be proper to begin with taking a particular view of all the circumstances that attended this memorable event in the history of our Saviour's life; as they are related in the text, compared with the accounts of other evangelists. The circumstances . will all be found to be both beautiful and sublime in themselves, and instructive to us. We XIV, We are informed*, that it was not until SERMON forty days after his resurrection from the grave, that this event took place. During this space he had shown himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being often seen by his disciples, and conversing with them of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. All being now concluded which he had to do on earth; the guilt of mankind having been expiated by his death, and his Apostles fully instructed in the part they were henceforth to act, and the character they were to assume; one day, we are told, he led them out of the city as far as to Bethany. With the utmost propriety was this place selected for the scene of his ascension. Near Bethany was the mount of Olives, to which our Lord was wont so often to retire for the exercise of private devotion; and there also was the garden of Gethsemane, where his sufferings commenced with that agony in which his soul was exceeding sorrowful even sorrowful even unto death. At the spot where his generous sufferings on our account began, there also was his glory to commence; and those fields which * Acts, i. 3. |