against God and his Christ, they would learn that solemn lesson, which divine dealing has been inculcating upon a lost world, through its whole history, that Jehovah "hath made all things for Himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." Pharoah may magnify himself against the God of Israel; and think that he asserts the dignity of his throne, the majesty of his empire, and the interest of his people, while he rebelliously refuses to let the heritage of the Most High go out of Egypt. But what is the real case in which he stands? How dreadful is the condition in which his obduracy shews him to be placed, with relation to that God whom he so daringly insulted and defied." "In very deed," saith God Himself, "for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout the earth." If any man be thus sinning against God, as it were with a high and clenched hand; by

opposing the Saviour and the salvation provided in his love, and is pleasing himself in delusive dreams of an intellectual religion, and of superiority to the despised mystery of Christ crucified-then, however great, however inveterate, however unquenchable, may be his enmity, it will and it can have only two results, if continued, his eternal misery, and God's eternal glory in the condemnation of one who put away salvation from him, and judged himself unworthy of eternal life."

Important however, as this consideration may be, and rarely, as I fear it is realized, in the experience of those who magnify themselves against the Lord and against his Anointed, I shall not now pursue it; but in the prosecution of my design for this week's service, shall dwell upon the history of which the text forms a part; with reference to the third blessed and memorable saying of the Lord Jesus, when, in the fulness of time He paid upon Calvary, that debt of stupendous ransom, for

which He had become the bond-man and the surety in the counsels of heaven. The verses now read, exhibit a beautiful picture of that mutual interest which exists between the Saviour and every member of his body, the Church. The malefactor turns to Christ, as sovereign mercy inclined his heart; and Christ turns to him, in boundless love. He asks; Jesus promises. He begs for heaven; and the dying Redeemer grants it. The mighty power and work of Divine grace appear in his conversion; and the nature, the wonderful nature of Divine grace is manifest in the blessing which our Emmanuel gave him there. His request, as happy a prayer, as ever man made; and our Saviour's return, as happy an answer, as man could desire."'

The subject then, as God the Holy Ghost may enable me to place it before you, will include,

I. THE PETITION OF THE MALEFACTOR.

1 Bp. Hall.

II. THE MANNER IN WHICH IT WAS RECEIVED BY OUR LORD.

I. While the chief priests mocked their innocent victim, in his last agony, and said, with the scribes and elders, “He saved others, Himself He cannot save : if He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of God," the thieves also, as St. Matthew relates, "cast the same in his teeth." St. Luke, however observes, that only one of the two malefactors who were hanged with Him, railed on Him. Perhaps both were at first equally hostile, equally inveterate; but God, having touched the heart of one of them with a godly sorrow, which, probably, the other never felt; that happy penitent, not merely ceased from his wicked reproaches, but reproved his obdurate companion, when

the seasonable time arrived. I observe,

then,

(1.) The amazing simplicity and strength of this man's faith. At the moment of the Lord's crucifixion, now under review, what was there beyond weakness, pain, ignominy, torture, death, and perhaps guilt, to the eye of mere carnal observation, in Him, who, "being found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross?" His enemies seemed to have prevailed against Him; his hope in God to have perished. They who nailed Him to the cross were making merry over their work of darkness and blood. "All they that saw Him, laughed Him to scorn, they thrust out the lip and shook their heads," in the very sport of satiated cruelty. He was forsaken by those who were most dear to his earthly love; for there stood by Him only the Maries, and St. John, of all to whom He had taught the words of eternal life. None