This sudden disappearance of their beloved Lord, and at such a moment, stamped with the seal of Heaven itself the Divine lesson, which the disciples had now received. It fully confirmed the Divinity of him, who could thus command their senses, as well as enlighten their minds, and while it unanswerably demonstrated the truth of his resurrection, and all the important consequences to mankind, depending on on that truth, it banished every vain and delusive hope of a temporal Messiah, and fixed the spiritual but solid basis of the Redeemer's kingdom. They could never more entertain a doubt of his power to protect them, or of the truth of his promise, to be ever present with those that rightly call upon his name. He had already convinced them that his blood was shed for the salvation of the world-that this was the copious, the precious, the inexhaustible source of pardon for the sins of mankind, and he closed the whole by that gracious and expressive action, in which he reminded them of the blessed sacramental institution which was evermore to be a special means of grace and spiritual life to all true penitents, all sincere believers in his Word, his Cross, his Resurrection and his Glory. Not satisfied with giving them the light of truth, he administered

While the Sun of Righteousness was thus gradually diffusing his heavenly light over the minds of the two disciples, and shedding the reviving comforts of his gracious spirit upon their hearts, the bright luminary of this lower world was rapidly sinking towards the west, and it was evening when they reached the village. Their unknown companion might now have disclosed himself, or suddenly vanished from their view-but in either case he would have left a less imperfect impression on their minds, and a less instructive incident for our direction. Observe then the consummate wisdom and the finished delicacy of our blessed Lord's conduct on this occasion. He had joined them on the way, uninvited. He had asked the subject of their conversation, and the cause of their apparent sorrow, and, when they told him, he commenced his reply and his applications of Scripture, with a reproof eminently calculated to rouse their attention, and to excite them to the closest scrutiny of his subsequent communication. He was himself fully aware of the effect produced internally on his hearers, and, with that exquisite knowledge of the human heart which he ever displayed, he did not impair that effect, by any apparent neglect of the nice and delicate rules of social manners. "He made as

though he would have goce further.” He ¿d not chervde himself upon their place of retirement or repose he did not force himself on their hour of bodily refreshment, nor seek to know the private object of their journey to this village-to share in their society any longer was not for him to demand, but for them to offer; and accordingly he did not enter, until they shewed the earnest sincerity of their wish to retain him—and thus, while they constrained him to abide with them, they cultivated still more in their own hearts, the admiration and love which his presence, and language, and manner, had raised within them. Jesus now sat down at meat with them, and when he had eaten, and thus proved the reality of that human body which he had that morning raised from the dead, and which had been the object of their senses on the way, "He took bread and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them, and their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight." It would require no less than the language of inspiration itself, to convey any adequate idea of the impression now made upon the disciples. Conceive yourselves so circumstanced, and you will feel at once that it was an impression which time could not efface, and which at this moment perhaps, is

remembered with lively energy and joy in Paradise, by the souls of Cleopas and his happy companion in this ever memorable journey. By this wonderful termination of his intercourse with these two disciples, he completed in the fullest manner the Divine process of instruction with which he so eminently favoured them. After removing the veil of prejudice which had concealed the true scripture characters of the Redeemer from their eyes—after he had worked upon their hearts and kind affections, by displaying the mercy and goodness of God in the gracious dispensation of his beloved Son, when he had convinced them that Christ ought to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory, He then prepared to shew them that he had entered into his glory, and all that he had hitherto taught them was as sure as the Almighty Word of God himself. They saw him eat, and most probably had laid their hands on him, when, with an affectionate intreaty they constrained him to abide with them. They had no doubt that their Instructor had a body like themselves-but their eyes were not opened to know him, until he had blessed the bread and broken it, and given it to them. It was then, and not till then, that he vanished out of their sight.

finisher of your salvation. Approach his holy table, therefore, with sincere contrition for the past, and firm resolutions for the future. Be well grounded and stedfast in your faith, and let your consciences be free from all malice or ill will towards any of your fellow-creatures, and you may offer yourselves at that table where your Saviour has promised that he will be specially present. Examine, then, your lives, your favourite passions, your secret motives, your feelings towards all your neighbours; search them deeply and throughly, or presume not to approach that table where the searcher of hearts shall meet you, and when his inspired Apostle has warned you, that they who receive unworthily, eat and drink their own condemnation, or judgment, not discerning the Lord's body. If your self-examination be conducted as it ought, as becomes a sinner supplicating for pardon through the merits of a Saviour's Cross, the grace of God will enable you to feel the depths of your own sinfulness and infirmity, and the high and inestimable value of that Cross. You will discover the plague of your own hearts, the true source of every unhappy, unkind, ungenerous, and unchristian feeling, and you will be led with humility and contrition to that all-powerful Saviour, who is mighty to pardon, and