Another gracious design of our blessed Lord and Saviour, in commanding the Gospel to be first preached in Jerusalem, was—

II. That the truth of Christianity might be confirmed.

Christianity is a system of facts, and Jerusalem was the scene of the great and glorious events upon which those important facts are founded. What the apostles, however, declared to be facts, the chief priests and rulers affirmed to be falsehoods. In order, therefore, to the success of the Gospel, it was absolutely necessary that in the place where the lie was affirmed, the lie should be refuted. Had Christ, when He commissioned His disciples to preach the Gospel, charged them not to say a single word about His resurrection in or near Jerusalem, but to go far away among the Gentiles, and tell them that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified at Jerusalem as an impostor, rose from the dead on the third day,—would not such a charge to His disciples. have been regarded by the Gentiles as a strong argument against the truth of Christ's resurrection? They would have said to the apostles, Go and preach to the men of Jerusalem what you preach to us. It was there that Christ was crucified, and therefore they are best able to judge of the truth or falsity of what you affirm. Set before them the evidence which you have set before us; and if they accept it, we will accept it.' Had the disciples replied—'Ah, no! The Master charged us not to say a single word about His resurrection to the men of Jerusalem,’ -then, the Gentiles would have been fully warranted in affirming, that such a charge, given by Christ to his disciples, was a strong proof that the resurrection of Christ was not a fact, but a falsehood,-a" cunningly devised fable." You thus see, that in order to the confirmation of the truth of Christianity, it was necessary that it should be first preached at Jerusalem, so that the declaration of the apostles in regard to the resurrection of Christ might be subjected to the most searching scrutiny. Christianity, as I have already remarked, is a system of facts, and there are many of the facts of Christianity which have never been questioned, and which cannot be questioned. No one, for example, denies, that, eighteen hundred years ago, there lived in the land of Judea a man called Jesus of Nazareth. We have the fact recorded in Roman history and in Jewish history, as well as in the Sacred Scriptures. All admit that the man called Jesus of Nazareth did many wonderful works and preached many wonderful discourses; that "He spake as never man spake." All ad

mit that He claimed to be no mere man, but to be God as well as man, Divine as well as human. All admit that His assertion that He was God as well as man was regarded by the Jews as horrid blasphemy; that, on a charge of blasphemy, He was summoned before Herod's judgment-seat; and that, on a charge of treason, he was arraigned before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor; that He was sentenced to an ignominious death-sentenced to be crucified, and was crucified-and that He was buried, that His grave was guarded by a band of soldiers, and that, on the third day after his burial, his grave was found empty. These are facts which never have been questioned. Now, what became of Christ's body? Either his body must have been taken away, or He must have risen from the dead. If His body was taken away,-then Christianity is an impious lie: if He rose from the dead, then Christianity is "the truth of God most sure." You thus observe that the resurrection of Christ is the one event upon which the whole truth or falsity of Christianity hinges.

The priests and rulers of the Jews affirmed that Jesus of Nazareth did not rise from the dead, but that His disciples came by night and stole His body, whilst the guard were asleep. Surely such a story is incredible! For, as St Augustine remarks, "If the soldiers were asleep, how did they know that His body was stolen? and by whom it was stolen? and if they were not asleep, why did they permit it to be stolen ?" I ask, is there the slightest probability that the guard were asleep, seeing that it was a capital crime for a soldier to be asleep at his post? Further, is there the slightest probability in the story, that the disciples came by night and stole Christ's body? We are told that when Christ was apprehended, “all the disciples forsook Him and fled." Not one of them had the moral courage-the manliness-to witness on His behalf, either at Herod's judgment-seat or Pilate's bar; and is there, therefore, the slightest probability that any of these cowardly disciples would have hazarded such an experiment, as to attempt to steal the dead body of their Master from a tomb guarded by a band of Roman soldiers, and sealed with the governor's seal? We cannot, therefore, accept as credible the theory that Christ's sepulchre was found empty because His body was stolen by His disciples.

And now let us hear the testimony of the disciples. They do not seem to have had the slightest anticipation of Christ's rising from the dead. With Christ's death, all their hopes and expec

tations in regard to His being the Messiah seem to have perished. When Peter and John were told by the women who "were early to the sepulchre" that Jesus was risen from the dead, "they were slow of heart to believe" their testimony-they regarded their words "as idle tales, and believed them not." Christ, however, appeared to His disciples again and again; He talked with them, ate and drank in their presence; and, that they might not have the shadow of a doubt in regard to His personal identity, He graciously condescended to show them the prints of the nails in His hands and feet,—He even showed them the mark of the spear-wound in His side. Now, observe the command which Christ gave to His disciples-'Go to Jerusalem, and tell the men who crucified Me, that I am risen from the dead; set before them the evidences of my resurrection with which I have furnished you.' They did as Jesus commanded,—and with what result? Was the testimony of the Apostles scouted and rejected? No! Hundreds of Christ's sworn foes unhesitatingly accepted the testimony of the disciples, admitted the truth of Christ's resurrection, bewailed their sin in having rejected and crucified him, and openly owned their faith in Christ as the promised Messiah. They who thus acknowledged the truth of Christ's resurrection were not the mere ignorant rabble! No! many of them were men of learning, and of high social position; many even of the priests and rulers became "obedient to the faith."

A well-known and popular historian and essayist, in one of his essays, makes the following statement,—or rather, I should say, throws out the following impious insinuation against the truth of this fundamental doctrine of our holy religion. He says:"Were the question, did Jesus of Nazareth rise from the dead, submitted to a jury of twelve men, men of ordinary intelligence and unprejudiced minds, the evidence in support of the resurrection is so meagre, that the jury could return only one verdict-the verdict not proven." Not proven! I appeal, not merely to "men of ordinary intelligence and unprejudiced minds,” but even to men of extraordinary intelligence and prejudiced minds, and I ask, Do not the facts that the resurrection of Christ was first preached in Jerusalem, in the place where Christ was crucified, and also, that many of Christ's murderers accepted the testimony of the apostles, acknowledged their sin in having despised and rejected, condemned and crucified Christ, and gladly and gratefully accepted Him as their Lord,-do not these facts, I

ask, afford us the strongest confirmation of this fundamental doctrine of our holy religion? Yes, brethren! we have thus the clearest evidence that Christianity is a system of religion Divine in its origin, that its doctrines are not fables, but facts-" the truth of God most sure." Well might Peter affirm, in writing to "the strangers who were scattered abroad,"-"We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Christ commanded His disciples to begin at Jerusalem—

III. That the fulness of His mercy might be proclaimed. Christ's death was an atonement for sin; He died "the just for the unjust,"-died that He might deliver us from the guilt, the power, and pollution of sin, and exalt us to, and secure us in, the passession of "honour, glory, and immortality." Christ's atonement proves not only His power to save, but also his willingness to save, to save to the uttermost, to save from the lowest depths of guilt and depravity,-" to save sinners, even the chief." Now, I think it cannot be questioned, that the men of Jerusalem were "the chief of sinners." The inhabitants of Jerusalem were (under the old economy) the most highly privileged people on the face of the earth. God, in His mercy, sent them prophet after prophet, to tell them that "His thoughts towards them were thoughts of good and not of evil," and that it was His gracious purpose to send forth His Son in "the fulness of the time," "made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them who were under the law, that they might receive the adoption of sons." How did the men of Jerusalem treat these messengers of mercy, these ambassadors of reconciliation? Many of them they seized, and with wicked hands slew them. Some of them they put to death in a most cruel and diabolical manner. It is said that they put Isaiah, the evangelical prophet, to death, by sawing his body asunder. Time would fail me to tell of all the prophets who were cruelly murdered in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, as has been remarked, "was a perfect slaughter-house of God's prophets." We find our blessed Saviour making reference, again and again, to the wickedness of the men of Jerusalem in slaying so many of God's holy prophets. "O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thee, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not. Therefore your house is left unto you desolate." When "the time of the promise" drew near, God sent

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them a prophet like unto Elias. Him also they seized and slew. After John, the Son of God Himself appeared-“ the beloved of the Father." In Jerusalem He performed many and notable miracles: He healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, strength to the paralyzed, and life to the dead. Those wondrous works which he wrought were the credentials of His Sonship and Messiahship, and clearly proved Him to be no mere man, but to be Divine as well as human, "God manifest in the flesh." Christ also preached in Jerusalem many wonderful sermons-sermons so full of power and pathos, that even his enemies were forced to acknowledge, 'never man spake like this man." But, instead of receiving Him gladly and gratefully, they wickedly despised and rejected Him. They denounced Him as a blasphemer and impostor. On a charge of blasphemy, they dragged Him to Herod's judgmentseat, and, on a charge of high treason, they arraigned Him before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, and bore witness against Him. Pilate, after hearing their evidence, declared that they had utterly failed in proving their charge, and that he would therefore set the prisoner free. The announcement so roused the wrath of the people, that they cried out, "Crucify Him! crucify him!" Pilate, instead of adhering to his decision, wickedly and cowardly consented to pronounce upon Jesus-despite His declared innocence—a sentence of death. But before doing so, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see ye to it." He thus charged the guilt of Christ's death upon the men of Jerusalem, and they unanimously accepted it; for all the people said, "His blood be on us, and on our children."

Surely it is impossible to conceive of men more awfully criminal! And yet, to manifest His willingness to embrace these monsters and murderers, in the arms of His mercy and love, Christ gave His disciples the special command "to preach repentance and remission of sins in His name, to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Could we have been surprised if Christ had commanded His disciples to pass by Jerusalem,-to offer no mercy to that city of murderers? Or could we have wondered, had He commissioned His disciples to go through the streets of Jerusalem, and proclaim, -like Jonah in Nineveh,-"Yet forty days, and Jerusalem shall be destroyed?" It had been great mercy, had Christ said to His disciples-Go and preach repentance and remission of sins, first