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valley of humiliation than on the mount. Probably in his secret devotions, he abounded more in confession than praise. And yet there were times, when his views were remarkably clear, and he had great joy and peace in believing. Well do I remember, that in one of my last visits, a little before his death, he alluded, with peculiar animation and tenderness, to the exercises of his mind, during a great part of the preceding night. O, said he, I cannot tell you what views I had of the plan of redemption, as laid in eternity and unfolded in the gospel. Christ never appeared to me so glorious, as the foundation of the church, so lovely in his character, so perfectly suited to the wants of a sinner. It was a solemn, sweet serenity of soul which I cannot describe.'

As the complication of disorders, with which he was afflicted, gained upon his constitution, his mind was at times overcast, and his friends had fewer opportunities of witnessing the brightness of his hope, and the strength of his faith, than if his intellect had been unclouded. But there were times, when the sun broke out, and then his evidences were clear and satisfactory. Thus he lingered, till the 25th day of February 1833, when he calmly breathed his last, in the 74th year of his age.

His work is done. That tongue upon which the law of kindness dwelt is silent. That hand which was opened so often and so wide, is palsied. We shall see that mild and friendly face no more. It only remains, that we commit the 'dust to the dust as it was.'

But let us not forget the bereaved widow, whose feebleness does not permit her to be present at these solemnities. Let her share richly in our prayers and our sympathies; and let all the relatives be commended to

God and the word of his grace. Let us retire in deep and solemn meditation. My turn will soon come, let each one say, 'and am I ready?' Is my peace made with God? Has my soul been washed in the blood of Christ? When the summons of death shall be sent, will it bring along with it that glorious benediction,— 'Well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord?' Pause, my dying friends, and think, and think again! Death is certainly near. The rewards of the righteous are unspeakable, and the blackness of darkness-who can fathom its depths, or measure its duration?

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Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.-John xviii, 36.

WHEN Our Lord was arraigned as a state criminal before the Roman Governor of Judea, the count in the indictment on which his enemies chiefly relied, was, that he aspired to regal authority over the province; and that he had carried his treasonable design so far, already, as actually to assume the title of king. They knew perfectly well, that this accusation was, in its spirit, utterly false, and that so far from aiming at the purple, he had steadily resisted the most urgent solicitations, of the people on that very point. But guilty, or not guilty, the prisoner must be convicted: and of course, the main question with his prosecutors was, 'Will the charge prevail?' not, 'Is it true?'

Utterly false, as it was, however, it derived a degree of plausibility. from the manner in which our Lord had often spoken of himself, and of the ultimate objects of his divine mission. As the Son of God, he claimed to be higher than the highest; and he made no secret of intending to set up a more glorious kingdom than the world

* Preached before the Annual Convention of the Congregational Ministers of Massachusetts, in Boston, May 29, 1830.

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But while in this solemn

had ever seen ;-but it was to be a spiritual, not a temporal kingdom. He intended to reign in the hearts of men by an invisible and transforming influence, and not to place himself as a temporal prince upon the throne of David. This he had abundantly proved, by the whole tenor of his life, and of his preaching; but being now questioned by Pilate, as to the claim on which he stood indicted at the bar, he thought fit explicitly to disavow it, in the words of my text. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world.' and public disclamer, our Lord fully asserted his innocence, he did not attempt to conceal the grand design of his mission. On the contrary, he meant to have it distinctly understood, that he was the long predicted Messiah, whose kingdom should be an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion from generation to generation.' Pilate, in all likelihood, regarded him as a decided fanatic, but was convinced of his innocence, and sought to release him. With the Jews, however, there were no relentings. They overawed the judge by their menaces, and Jesus was delivered to their will. He went to the cross under their infuriate mockery, and through its agonies to the tomb. But the tomb could not hold the royal captive. He stripped himself of its habiliments, on the third day, reviving the expiring hopes of his followers, and in their sight was afterwards received up by a cloud into heaven. In that hour, he ascended the mediatorial throne, and being made head over all things to the church,' he manages the affairs of his kingdom with infinite wisdom and benevolence.

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Here, did the time permit, we might test our own loyalty to Christ, by a hundred prophetical descriptions of his majesty and glory, extracted from both parts of the inspired volume. But we can only glance at two or

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