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LECTURE XV.

LUKE, X. 17-22.

BEFORE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE LORD'S
SUPPER.

And the feventy returned again with joy, faying, Lord even the devils are fubject unto us through thy name. And he laid unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven. Ben hold, I give unto you power to tread on jerpents and fcorpiens, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing fhall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not that the fpirits are fubject unto you; but rather rejoice, becaufe your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jefus rejoiced in fpirit, and faid, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and haft revealed them unto babes even fo, Father; for fo it seemed good in thy fight. All things are delivered to me of my father and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

WISE and good men have attempted to prefent an artificial

arrangement of the feveral events recorded in the hiftory of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, or what they call a Harmony of the Gospels. It is both a pleafing and an useful amusement to ascertain the dates and to fetile the order of events; and labours of this kind merit high commendation. But the native majefty and fimplicity of Scripture, fland in no need of artificial arrangement. The whole fpiritual building is auguft and venerable, and each particular part has its pecul iar beauty and excellency. To be affured that fuch things were done, is of infinitely higher importance than to determine the exact feries of fucceffion. Every line of the hiftory of Christ is a radiant difplay of divine perfection; every ftep he takes leaves an imprefs of benignity behind it. It was predicted concerning him, that he fhould be "a man of forrows and acquainted with grief." But it was likewife predicted, that he

should

Thould "fee of the travail of his foul and be fatisfied." The words which have been read contain the accomplishment of this laft prophecy. In all our affliction he was afflicted; let us weep with him and when he " rejoices in fpirit," let us alfo "rejoice with joy unfpeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of our faith, even the falvation of our fouls."

The followers of Chrift had now increased to a great multitude. And need we wonder, if fuch doftrine, fupported by fuch purity and dignity of character, and by fuch mighty works, had the power of attracting attention and refpect where ver he went?"There followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerufalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan." Out of thofe multitudes he felected firft twelve, with the peculiar defignanation of difciples and apoftles, to whom he imparted a portion of his fpirit and power: "He gave them authority over all devils, and to cure difeafes, to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the fick." Afterwards" he appointed other Seventy, and fent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself would come." It was on occafion of the return of thofe feventy,, after having fulfilled their miffion, and upon the report which they made of their Tuccefs, that Jefus broke out into this holy rapture: "In that hour Jefus rejoiced in fpirit, and faid, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou haft hid these things from the wife and prudent, and häft revealed them unto babes: even fo, Father; for fo it feemed good in thy fight." Let us trace the process.

The Evangelift records, at full length, the commiffion granted to thofe feventy, but gives us no particulars respecting their progrefs. Thefe must be collected from the account which they themselves give of it. The Seventy returned again with joy. Every thinking mani enters on a difficult or a hazardous enterprife with very mixed emotions. He feels the confequence attached to an arduous and important ftation; he feels the preffure of refponfibility, and the folicitude of general expectation pointed towards him. The animating ftimulus of hope is repreffed by the dread of mifcarriage. It is a terrible thing to return foiled, disappointed, difcomfited. The eve of a battle is a feafon of folicitude. But when the conflict is over, when fuccefs is no longer doubtful, the foul enters into a state of perfect compofure. Mournful is the reflection, "I have laBoured in vain, I have spent my ftrength for nought, and in vain; but how complete is the triumph of an apostle reviewing a fuccefstul ministry, and looking forward to the glorious recompenfe

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the nations, leading them “ captive at his will, meafure of their joy.

or to prevail againit the great adversary who had fo long modely disclaim all perfonal merit. They humbly afcribe the glory of all this wonderful' fuccefs to the potent name of their

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Jefus himfelt exercifes underived power over "What a word is this!" exclaimed the al

tomhed multitudes," for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean fpirits, and they come out ciples have power, and prevail only through virtue communi

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but the dif them. "Without me," fays he,," ye can do nothng and then is the believer moff ftrong, when he refts on imparted ftrength. Now thofe difciples were fpeedily to be fcattered abroad upon the face of the earth, carrying, with them doctrine and the name, that is the wonderworking power of their Mafter. Wherever, therefore, virtue accompanied that name, there was Chrift himself prefent; and of whom but of Deity can it be affirmed that he is in more than one place, in many places, in all space at once? God challenges omniprefence as his own: Am I a God at hand, faith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hidin fecret places that I'fhall not fee, him? faith the Lord: do not I fill heaven and earth? faith the Lord." "Though they dig into hell, thence fhall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down and though they hide themfelyes in the top of Carmel, I will fearch and take them out thence; and though they be hid from my, fight in the bottom of the fea, thence will I command the ferpent, and he fhall bite them." The great Author and Fimfher of our faith afferts to himself the fame divine attribute, and connects with it perpetuity of duration, in the charge which he gave to his difciples before he afcended up into heaven. Go ye and teach all nations;

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40 re is a claim of univerfal power and prefence; and he adds: gracious allurance; and lo, I am with you alway, even.

he end of the world." Here are omniprefence and endchanging existence united. When the viper dropped inletsly from the apostle's hand, in the island of Melita, gere was the name, the prefence and the power of Chrift. When, Philip, in the defert of Gaza, "preached Jefus" to the Ethiopian eunuch, and converted him to the Chriftian faith, therewas the name, the prefence and the power of Chrift. When John, in the isle that is called Patmos, "heard a great voice, faying, I am Alpha and Omega," there was the name, the prefence and the power of Chrift. That prefence, my brethren, we hope and truft, is in the midst of this worshipping af fembly, and prefiding over it; is to confecrate that table and thofe elements of bread and wine; is to fanctify and ennoble our communion and fellowthip. But it is not confined to this place. It is at this moment diffufing light, and life, and joy over myriads of worshippers in the eaft in the weft, in the fouth, in the north. It is the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are atar off upon the fea :" "in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and blefs thee." " Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.'

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This fubjection of the devils to the difciples, through the name of Chrift, Jefus in his reply contemplates as the beginning of Satan's complete and final overthrow, as a ftep toward the total fubversion of his kingdom. "He faid unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven :" "when I fent you forth armed with my commiflion, and turnifhed you with pow er to execute it, I faw fwift deftruction overtaking the deftroyer. You have begun a conqueft which I am proceeding to accomplish. You have fubjected nis mifchievous agents. I fhall bruife Satan himfelf under your feer fhortly." "His ufurped dominion, as" the God of this world," as" the prince of the power of the air," as the ruler of the darkness of this world," is haftening "to expire. Rooted, eftablifhed as it may feem to be, it shall vanish in a moment, rapid as a flash of lightning, which difappears before it is well feen." The expreffion is in ufe with both the facred and profane authors. The downfall of the king of Babylon is, by the prophet, reprefented under this bold imagery: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, fon of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground!" The Roman orator fays of Anthony, thou haft dragged down thy colleague from heaven;" and when Pompey the Great was hurled from his proud pre

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eminence, Cicero reprefents him as having" fallen from the ftars." The time to favour a darkened, enflaved world was now come, and Jefus triumphs in the near profpect of the converfion of the gentile nations" from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God."

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The former miffion of the Seventy was limited to "the cities and places, whither he himself would come;" now their Iphere is enlarged, and with an extended commiffion fresh affurances are given of divine protection wherever they "Behold I give unto you power to tread on ferpents and fcorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and rothing fhall by any means hurt you." After the refurrection from the dead, an unbounded career is fet before them, the vaft globe is fpread out as the fcene of action, the whole human race, through all ages and generations is the grand object of the gospel miniftry, and powers adequate to the undertaking are granted. Go ye into all the world, and preach the golpel to every creature"-" and thefe figns fhall follow them that believe; in my name fhall they caft out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they fhall take up ferpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it fhall not hurt them: they fhall lay hands on the fick, and they fhall recover." Here every obftruction is removed, all oppofition dies, every enemy is fubdued, and the fcriptures are fulfilled, which fay: "Every valley fhall be exalted, and every mountain and hill fhall be made low and the crooked fhall be made ftraight, and the rough places plain :" "Thou fhalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the peftilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the deftruction that wafteth at noon-day." "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon fhalt thou trample under feet." Thus was the ferpent's head bruifed, and the triumph of the Redeemer completed. Compare fpiritual things with fpiritual, the commiffion of the great Head of the Church with the execution of it, the promiled fupport of the apostles with what they were enabled actually to atchieve, as the facts ftand recorded in the book of their acts.

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But Jefus points out to his difciples a purer fource of joy than even a grant of miraculous powers could beftow. It was highly honourable and unfpeakably grateful to be învested with authority to control evil fpirits, to cure inveterate diftemper and quicken the dead, and to enjoy perfect perfonal fecurity amidst Inares, and dangers and the fhadow of death, to speak with tongues and inftruct the ignorant. But thefe and other choice gifts of God have been conferred on the unworthy. Great

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