way, and opened to them the scriptures. But still their eyes were held, that they should not know him, before they were prepared for the overwhelming favour. And it was not until he sat at meat with them, that their eyes were opened, and they knew him in the breaking of bread. Happy those, who, like them, constrain an unknown Jesus by mighty prayers to tarry with them, until the veil is taken away from their hearts, and they know in whom they have believed.

Frequent were the manifestations of Jesus to his disciples be fore his ascension. An angel appeared to two of the holy mourners, and said to them, "Fear not; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is risen from the dead. As they Pan with fear and great joy to tell his disciples, Jesus met them saying, All hail! and they came, held him by the feet, and worshipped him." The same day in the evening when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst. They were terrified, but with his wonted goodness he said, "Peace be unto you! He shewed them his hands and his feet; ate with them as he had done of old with Abraham! and, to testify au inward manifest tation of the Holy Spirit, which he imparted to them, as his Spirit breathed upon their minds! and thus he opened their understandings, that they might understand the scriptures. Out of condescension to Thomas he shewed himself to them a second time, in the like manner; and a third time at the sea of Tiberas; and afterwards he was seen of above five hundred brethren at

once.

You will perhaps say, Sir, that these manifestations ceased, when Christ was ascended into heaven. This is true with respect of the manifestation of a body of such gross flesh and blood, as may be touched with material hands. In this sense believers know Christ after the flesh no more. Our Lord, by his gentle reproof to Thomas, discountenanced our looking for carnal manifestations of his person, and I have declared again and again, that they are not what I contend for.

But, that spiritual manifestations of Christ ceased at his ascension is what I must deny, if I receive the scripture. On the contrary they became more frequent. Three thousand were pierced to the heart on the day of Pentecost, and felt their need of a visit from the heavenly Physician. He then came revealed in the power of his Spirit, with whom he is one.

They received the gift of the Holy Ghost, whose office it is to manifest the Son. For the promise was unto them and their children; witness the last words of Christ in St. Matthew's gospel, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Time would fail me to tell of the five thousand converted some days after, of Cornelius and his household, Lydia and her household; in a word, of all who were truly brought to Christ in the first age of Christianity. "The Lord opened their hearts. The Holy Ghost fell upon them; and they walked in his comforts. Christ was evidently set forth crucified before their spiritual eyes. He dwelt in their hearts by faith: they lived not, but Christ lived in them." They agreed in saying, with St. Paul; If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, by whom he is savingly known, he is none of his.

Stephen's experience is alone sufficient to decide the point When brought before the council, they all saw his face, as it had been the face of an angel. Being full of the Holy Spirit, he wrought no miracle, he spake no new tongue; but looking steadfastly up into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." This manifestation was calculated only for the private encouragement and comfort of the pious deacon. It answered no other end, but to enrage the Jews and make them account him a greater blasphemer and a wilder enthusiast, than they did before. Accordingly they cried aloud, stopped their ears, ran upon him, cast him out of the city, and stoned him; while Stephen, under the powerful influence of the manifestation, kneeled down, called upon God, saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit, and lay not this sin to their charge. Hence we learn, first, that nothing appears so absurd and wicked to Pharisees and formalists, as the doctrine I maintain. They lose all patience, when they hear that Christ really manifests himself to his servants. No blasphemy like this, in the account of those who are wise, learned, and prudent, in their own eyes. Secondly, that the most exalted saints need a fresh manifestation of the glory, love and presence of Christ, that they may depart this life in the triumph of faith.

If you object, that Stephen was thus favoured, because he was about to suffer for Christ, and, that it would be great presumption to expect the like support, I reply, in the five following observations. (1) We are called to suffer for Christ, as well as Stephen, though perhaps not in the same manner and degree. (2) We often need as much support from Christ, to stand against the children of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongues a sharp sword; and to quench the fiery darts of the devil, as the martyr did to stand a shower of stones. (3) It is perhaps as hard to be racked with the gout, or to burn several days in a fever on a sick bed, as you or I may be forced to do, as to be for a few minutes with Shadrach and his companions in a burning furnace, or to feel for a fleeting

moment the anguish of bruised flesh and a fractured skull, with our triumphant martyr. No one knows, what pangs of body and agonies of soul may accompany him through the valley of the shadow of death. If our Lord himself was not above being strengthened by an angel that appeared to him from heaven, surely it is no enthusiasm to say, that such feeble creatures as we are, stand in need of a divine manifestation, to enable us to fight our last battle manfully, and to come off more than conquerors. (4) We betray unbelief, if we suppose, that Christ cannot do for us what he did for Stephen; and we betray our presumption, if we say, we want not the assistance, which this bold champion stood in need of. (5) The language of our church is far different: "Grant," says she, in her collect for that Saint's day, "O Lord, that in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may steadfastly look up to heaven, and, by faith, behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors, by the example of thy first martyr, St. Stephen, who prayed for his murderers."

You see, Sir, that I have the suffrage of the church of England; and yours too, if you do not renounce our excellent liturgy, so that, if I am an enthusiast for expecting to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and by faith to behold the glory that shall be revealed, as well as St. Stephen, I am countenanced by a multitude of the best and greatest men in the world.

But suppose you reject the testimony of St. Stephen, and of all our clergy (when in the desk) touching the reality and the necessity too of our Lord's manifesting himself on earth, after his ascension into heaven, receive at least that of St. Luke and St. Paul. They both inform us, that" as Saul of Tarsus went to Damascus, the Lord even Jesus, appeared to him in the way. Suddenly there shone a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, so that he fell to the earth, and herd a voice, saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest." So powerful was the effect of this manifestation of Christ, that the sinner was turned into a saint, and the fierce, blaspheming persecutor, into a weeping, praying apostle.

Methinks I hear you say, True, into an apostle; but are we called to be apostles? No, Sir, but we are called to be Christians;-to be converted from sin to holiness, and from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God's dear Son. St. Paul's call to the apostleship is nothing to his being made a child of God. Judas was a Christian by profession, an aposde by call, and a devil by possession. And what is Judas in his

own place to the meanest of God's children?-to poor Lazarus in Abraham's bosom? All who go to heaven, are first turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. This turning sometimes begins by a manifestation of Christ; witness the authentic account of colonel Gardener's conversion, published by his judicious friend Dr. Doddridge; and the more authentic one of our apostle's conversion recorded three times by St. Luke. And I dare advance upon the authority of one greater than St. Luke, that no one's conversion ever was completed without the revelation of the Son of God to his heart. "I am the way and the door, says Jesus, no man cometh to the Father but me." "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Our looking to him for salvation would be to as little purpose, was he not to manifest himself to us, as our looking towards the east for light, if the sun were not to rise

upon us.

The revelation of Christ, productive of St. Paul's conversion, was not the only one with which the Apostle was favoured. "At Corinth the Lord encouraged and spake to him in the night by a vision. Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace; for I am with thee, and no man shall hurt thee." On another occasion, to wean him more from earth, Christ favoured him with the nearest views of heaven. "I knew a man in Christ, says he, whether in the body or out of the body, I can not tell, who was caught up into the third heaven and into pa radise, and heard words, which it is not possible for man to atter. When he had been brought before the Sanhedrim for preaching the gospel, St. Luke informs us, that "the night following, the Lord stood by him, and said, be of good cheer Paul for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." The ship in which he sailed, being endangered by a storm, There stood by him "the angel of God, whose he was, and whom he served, saying, Fear not, Paul, &c."

to whom Christ manifested Ananias of Damascus, was

St. Paul was not the only one, himself in this familiar manner. neither an apostle, nor a deacon; nevertheless, to him "said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold I am here, Lord; and the Lord said, Arise, and go into the street, which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus; for behold he prayeth." In like manner Philip was directed to go near and join himself to the Eunuch's chariot. And St. Peter being informed, that three men sought him, Arise, said the Lord, and go with them, doubts ing nothing, for I have sent them.

Whether we place these manifestations in the class of the extraordinary, or of the mixt ones, we equally learn from them, (1st) That the Lord Jesus revealed himself as much after his ascension as he did before. (2dly) That if he does it to send his servants with a gospel message to particular persons, he will do it much more to make that message effectual, and to bring salvation to those who wait for him.

As for the revelations of Christ to St. John, they were so many, that the last book of the New Testament is called the Revelation, as containing chiefly an account of them. "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, says the apostle; and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the first and the last. I turned to see the voice, that spake with me, and I saw one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt with a golden girdle." One of the things which our Lord commanded John to write, is a most glorious promise, that he stands at the door of the human heart, ready to manifest himself, even to poor lukewarm Laodiceans; and that, if any man hear his voice and open-if they are made conscious of their need of him, so as to open their hearts by the prayer of faith, he will come in, and feast them with his gracious presence, and the delicious fruits of his blessed Spirit. Therefore the most extraordinary of all the revelations, that of St. John in Patmos, not only shews, that the manifestations of Christ run parallel to the canon of scripture, but also gives a peculiar sanction to the ordinary revelations of him, for which I contend.

Having thus led you from Genesis to Revelation, I conclude by two inferences, which appear to me undeniable. The first that it is evident, our Lord, before his incarnation, during his stay on earth, and after his ascension into heaven, has been pleased, in a variety of manners, to manifest himself to the children of men, both for the benefit of the church in general, and for the conversion of sinners, and the establishment of saints in particular. Secondly, that the doctrine I maintain, is as old as Adam, as modern as St. John, the last of the inspired writers, and as scriptural as the Old and New Testament, which is what I wanted to demonstrate.

An account of deceased persons being found under the earth wha were embalmed and some remarks on the wonderful art.

As to the art of Embalming, it appears from a mummy not long since dug up in France, that this was more completely un