in this life, from whatever source, is no ground for happiness in the life to come.

But say you, "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith"? Yes, doubtless he has ; but not all the poor! Many of the poor are rich in wickedness, and ripe for hell. God hath chosen the greater part of his people from among those who are poor in this world's goods; and those he hath chosen are chosen to be "rich in faith ;" and that is the test whereby we may each know whether or not God hath chosen us, whether or not we have a mansion prepared in glory, and a crown of glory laid up which the Lord the righteous Judge will give to us in that day.

If we have not the evidence within ourselves that God hath chosen us—that is, if we are not "rich in faith," if we are not rich in good works, which are the fruits of faith-it is no matter whether we are poor or rich. If we live and die destitute of faith, and destitute of the fruit of faith, we are sure to be damned ! God may have chosen the greater part of his people from among the poor; but if he has not chosen us individually, it is no matter to us whom he may have chosen. And this consideration should lead us each to self-examination, that we may cry mightily to God while the day of grace lasts. If, indeed, we find that we have no good and certain evidence of change having been effected within us, and if upon examination we find reason to judge that a good work is begun in our hearts, then should we cry mightily to the God of all grace, that he would give unto us more grace; that he would keep us watchful and wary against sin; that he would enable us to persevere to the end, that we may be finally saved: for "many are called, but few are chosen."

There appears to be great encouragement to those

who are poor to seek the Lord; for who knows how many, or who, God may have chosen to be rich in faith. The doctrine of election is a very consolatory doctrine; it presents no barrier to any one coming to Jesus; and we know that all who do come with heartearnestness shall be saved, and will thereby prove that their names are enrolled in the Lamb's book of life.

We learn that the helps that a poor man hath are greater than those of the rich, inasmuch as the circumstances of the rich are against them, whereas the circumstances of the poor are in their favour. The possessions of the rich entice their affections, and steal away their hearts from God; but this is not the case with the poor. The poor, wanting a solace to the troubles of life, have an inducement to seek it in a better country; the poor having the gospel preached unto them are not liable to have the word choked with the thorns of this world; therefore the poor, having greater helps than the rich, if they avail themselves not of their advantages, theirs is the greater sin.

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A HAPPY RESURRECTION.

THE doctrine of the resurrection is peculiar to the gospel dispensation; and to the believer in Jesus it is a doctrine abounding in the most consolatory and joyful anticipations. Its infallible certainty may be argued from the resurrection of Christ, than which no mathematical problem was ever more clearly demonstrated; and this was the ground of argument on which the apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, built his incontrovertible reasoning for a general resurrection. "Now, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is not Christ risen ; and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." And then, after carrying on this reasoning in the verses that follow, the apostle returns to his proposition: "but now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept."

I would remark that, as to the certainty of the resurrection of Christ, it is a well-known fact that the Jews, being forewarned of the event, took every advantage that that knowledge gave them; for they went to Pilate, and said, "Sir, we remember that that de

ceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days, I will rise again. Command, therefore, that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away. So they made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch." Thus the very enemies of Jesus and his disciples did all that they could do to certify, as the result proved, the resurrection of Christ. Had the Jews omitted to have adopted these precautions, the enemies of the gospel in every succeeding age might have raised this objection, that "the disciples came by night and stole him away.”

Another argument for the certainty of the resurrection of Christ may be drawn from the severe discipline of the Roman soldiers. It was death for a man to sleep at his post. Knowing this, the chief priests undertook to explain to the governor the facts of the case, to secure the guard from mischief, while they largely bribed the soldiers to circulate a fabrication which in itself was most improbable; for no one would credit that the whole band of soldiers fell asleep at their post of duty, whatever one or two might do; nor is it at all likely that such a timid flock as were the disciples would be lurking about to take advantage of so improbable an event.

It may be argued, that when the disciples asserted that Jesus was risen, had that assertion been a fabrication, the Jews would have been glad openly to have refuted it by producing the dead body which was in their custody, and which they had taken so much pains to secure by sealing the stone and setting a watch; but this they never attempted to do. And had they really believed that the disciples had stolen the body while the guard slept, they would most zealously have searched for it; the guard of soldiers would also readily

have seconded the Jews in this search, as their honour was at stake. But how can it be supposed for a moment that a few timid disciples could have concealed the body from a whole city up in arms, with the high priests and elders at their head ? Had they believed the story that they circulated, they would have seized and imprisoned the disciples; they would have tortured them to the death until they discovered where the body was hidden, that they might have produced and exposed it to view for the purpose of contradicting this most important doctrine, and which, as it was, the disciples were left at liberty publicly to promulgate.

But at the time that the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, living witnesses were ready to give testimony to the resurrection of Christ, who had seen and conversed with him before his ascension; and that not one or two only, but after that he had appeared to the twelve," he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once," of whom the greater part were then alive.

Now it is impossible that so many persons could have been deceived, for it was not a solitary appearance that the Saviour made; but the Jewish writers agree in relating that Christ appeared eleven times in different places and at different hours, and that on those occasions his disciples not only saw him, but touched him, conversed with him, sat at table and ate with him; and to suppose that they were all impostors would be most ridiculous; for their unblameable lives, their uniform consistency, testified to the contrary; the doctrines they taught, preaching faith and holiness, which no impostor ever did, testified to the contrary. It is therefore infallibly certain that Christ rose from the dead, and became the first fruits of them that slept. On this doctrine is built our faith in the promises that he has given of glory and immortality and eternal life: