the narrow way; a way strewed as it were with afflictions; attended with difficulties and distress—“ All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" in one shape or another. They must expect tribulation in it-Christ foretold it-none have been without. This is a path all walk in to heaven. "We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." He is a safe and sure way; none ever perished, or ever will perish, in this way. Though Satan goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, yet he cannot destroy any that are walking in Christ the way. Though they may be disturbed in their outward peace, yet they cannot be deprived of their spiritual comforts, nor of their future happiness. The righteous, though they are scarcely saved, yet are certainly saved at last. Thus we have seen that the rending of the vail signified the removal of the ceremonial law, and the bringing in of the new and living way. So also it may point to the removal of sin, which like the vail, separates us from God, by the atoning sacrifice of Christ-"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree." It is our sins that separated God from us"But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you." It is only a gracious soul that knows this by painful experience; that it is sin which separates him from the manifestive presence and sweet enjoyment of God's holy and lovely countenance. He only understands the language of David, when backslidden or convinced of sin by the Spirit of God-" Deep calleth unto deep." Sin brings a depth of affliction upon the soul. Sin is compared to a cloud-“I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins." And this cloud which sin has gathered pours down waters of affliction; and this brings sin to remembrance, as was the case with Joseph's brethren-" And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear, therefore is this distress come upon us." Thus we see the depth of their distress, bringing their sins to remembrance. Deep sin on the conscience of a living soul calls for deep searchings of heart. Am I possessor of divine grace? Have I true faith? a good hope through grace, and love to God? Sin brings darkness upon the soul, that we cannot see our interest clear. Am I loved of God? Have I an interest in Christ? Am I taught by the Spirit of God? These deep searchings of heart, under the Spirit of God, lead them to a throne of grace; there they pour out their deep sorrows in prayer and in supplications, sighing deeply for pardon of their sins. It a makes them search deeply the word of God, for divine, consolation for their desponding souls. They go to the house of God, attending on the means. Thus did David when in trouble" When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end." It calls for deep sighs and groans for deliverance; and deliverance only comes through Christ crucified, through his body torn; his blood shed for the remission of sins, which the apostle calls the rending of the vail. Christ crucified, and the shedding of his blood, must be revealed and applied by the Spirit of God; otherwise no deliverance can be realized thereby. Deep deliverance calleth for deep gratitude and thankfulness unto a covenant God-" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies." Gracious souls will be brought into depths of affliction for sin; and that flows from paternal love, not from vindictive wrath. None loved God as David- -none was loved of God more than he; yet to this very day do we hear his cries of broken bones, depths, waves, diseases, wrath, and sorrow of hell. Ignorance, which is a vail upon the heart of a sinner, is also rent by virtue of Christ crucified. It is by virtue of that, that the Spirit comes, removes the vail from the heart, illuminates our minds, opens the eyes of our understandings, instructs us into the mysteries of the gospel, gives us faith, and by this faith He enables us to look unto Him whom we have pierced, reveals Christ crucified unto our souls, and applies the benefits thereof unto us. The starry heavens, like the vail of the temple that intercepts our sight from beholding Christ with our bodily eyes, will be rent by his second coming; when every eye shall behold Him, and they also which pierced Him. The saints shall behold Him with admiration, for He will come to fetch them home, to give them the kingdom prepared for them; and the ungodly shall behold Him with dread and terror to receive their final sentence. Our sinful bodies is another vail which hinders the living soul from the vision of God. So long as we are in the body, we are absent from Christ; but at death this vail is rent, and the soul is immediately with Christ—“ Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." And our being present with the Lord is also through Christ crucified, for by it He 66 has done the will of his Father, opened the way to heaven, removed every obstruction that was in the way, sat down at his Father's right hand, to receive all the redeemed. What is this life to a living soul? it is an earth polluted by the sin of man, wherein we every day hear the name of God blasphemed, and our souls vexed with the filthy talk of the wicked. But Christ by his death has provided a better place than this, yea, a place more glorious than Adam's paradise; a place not only built by God, but cemented and prepared by the blood of Christ. By the law against sin, our bodies were to return to dust, and our souls lie under the sentence of the wrath of God; but through the merits of a crucified Saviour our bodies are to be redeemed by a glorious resurrection, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. viii. 23), and our souls are secured in a place of bliss. As Adam brought in death, so Christ hath brought in eternal life—“ For if by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ." Christ hath not merited for us a paradisaical life, or restored us to the mutable state wherein Adam was created; but He hath merited for us an eternal life, and prepared for us eternal mansions. Not only to have the company of the spirits of just men made perfect, or the society of the blessed angels; but to be blessed with the vision of God, to reside in the same place where Christ is glorified, and adored by men and angels. To live with Him a life wherein our understanding shall be freed from clouds, our wills from spots, and our affections from disorder. We lost a paradise by sin, and we have gained a heaven by the cross. The grave is another vail which hinders the body of believers from enjoying glory. This vail also will be actually destroyed in the first resurrection-" Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power: but they shall be priests of God, and of Christ, and they shall reign with Him a thousand years." And this victory over the grave is through the cross of Christ. As by his death He vanquished the power of death, so in his resurrection He has opened the grave for his dear redeemed-"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." "Hark! the voice of love and mercy, Hear the dying Saviour cry! "Finished all the types and shadows Finished all that God had promised, Saints, from hence your comforts draw. "Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs, Glory to the bleeding Lamb.” CHAPTER XXX. THE RENDING OF THE ROCKS AN EMBLEM OF THE ROCKY HEART. We have seen the triumph of Christ as God-man, displayed in the removal of the ceremonial law and the bringing in of the everlasting gospel, signified by the rending of the vail, and in his public declaration on the cross, "It is finished." We will now speak, the Lord helping us, on the earthquake, and the rending of the rocks, which took place when Christ as our High Priest expired on the cross. Christ's power as God-man was exhibited over inanimate things, that they are at his disposal; He can rend rocks and earth at his pleasure. It was Christ that divided the Red Sea for the Israelites to pass through. It was He that cleft the rock in the wilderness. He was the Angel of the Lord's presence, who went before them before whose presence "The everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow. The mountains saw thee and they trembled, the overflowing of the water passed; the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high;" as it were, trembling before his presence. This infinite Being when expiring on the cross, caused these creatures to tremble before their Maker, and as it were, rending their garments at his death, and also reproving the stupidity of the Jews, who were not moved at their heinous crimes. The rending of the rocks was an emblem of the future conversion of sinners, through the powerful preaching of Christ, and Him crucified; when hearts as hard as rocks were rent to pieces, stony hearts taken away, and hearts of flesh given: of which the three thousand being pricked to the heart under Peter's sermon were an instance. The hearts of graceless souls are compared in the word of God to stones—“I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh." If there were no such thing, it could not be taken away. It is compared to an adamant-" Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former prophets- Because I know that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass.” What a picture of a natural man! What a deplorable state is he in. 6.6 1st. Why the hard heart of a man is compared to a stone. There is a five-fold resemblance. 1st. Insensibility. 2nd. Inflexibleness. 3rd. Resistance. 4th. Heaviness. 5th. Unfruitfulness. 1st. It is insensible. What sense of feeling is there in a stone. Hence a sinner is said to be past feeling" Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto, lasciviousness" (Eph. iv. 19). Though he may have as many sins upon his soul, as would make the very creation groan, yet he neither complains, nor feels; he goes on in his sin, drinks up iniquity as water, and says, What evil have I done? Though the anger of the Lord is upon him, encompassed with his wrath, yet he lays it not to heart. Like Ephraim, strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, grey hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.' Such is the insensibility of a graceless heart. 2nd Inflexibleness. We may bend wood and iron, melt brass -not so a stone. We may break it to pieces, it still remains stone, it will not bend or yield. This is the natural man; he will not hearken nor obey: he will not receive instruction, advice, or counsel. God speaks in his word, thunders threatenings in his law, holds forth a free salvation in his gospel, and his ministers preach; yet the heart still remains the same until the word is applied by |