drops, falling down to the ground,-cries out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?"

(2.) Meanwhile he that has the power of death (Heb. ii. 14.) advances against him, Satan sets upon him in the wilderness with most grievous temptations, Matt. iv. Being beat back, he returns, and renews the assault: Luke iv. 13," And when the devil had ended all the temptations, he departed from him for a season." At length the hour and power of darkness comes, and then the bands of hell exert their utmost vigour against him, storms from hell blow hard upon him, the fountains of the great deep are opened on him: John xiv. 30, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." Col. ii. 15, " And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

(3.) The congregation of men dead in trespasses and sins stir up themselves against him: Isa. liii. 3, "He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Judas betrays him, the Jews gape on him like a lion, crying, Crucify him; Pilate condemns him; he is scourged, crowned with thorns, smitten on the crowned head, his body racked till it was all out of joint, nailed to the cross, hangs there mocked, and pierced with a spear.

(4.) Death comes with its sting upon him, and pierces him to the heart, and casts him down dead: 1 Cor. xv. 56, "The sting of death is sin" this gives it the power of hurting any. The guilt of all the sins of the elect lay upon him, which could not but make the sting of death inexpressibly sharp and piercing. Thus a thousand deaths in one met together on him, for the Lord made the iniquities of us all to meet on him; and all the arrows that should have pierced all the elect for ever, have entered into his bowels; and, having fallen under death, he was carried prisoner to the grave.

II. Let us consider the victory Christ obtained. He tells us he has fought and overcome: Rev. iii. 21, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Yea, he has triumphed over his enemies in his glorious ascension into heaven. Consider,

I. How this victory over death was obtained. It was obtained, (1.) By his death. This was the decisive stroke: Heb. ii. 14, "That through death he might destroy death, and him that had the power of death." It was such a victory as Samson's last victory over the Philistines, when he pulled down the house, and

died himself with the Philistines in the fall of it; and therefore he cried upon the cross, "It is finished." Death has done its utmost and can do no more; by his death he satisfied the law in all it had to demand of him as the elect's Surety; he paid the debt, and removed the guilt. Sin being removed, and the law satisfied, death has no more that strength or sting wherewith to set upon him at first; and so it fell with him.

(2.) By his resurrection. Thereby he got up above death, which had lost its power, and could hold him no longer, Acts ii. 24, "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." He stood a conqueror in the grave, death's own quarters; he broke asunder its iron bars, and brought away its keys; behold they hang at his girdle, Rev. i. 18, " And have the keys of hell and of death." So death's dominion over those that are his, got an irrecoverable stroke, and he that had the power of death as to the elect, namely, as an executioner, viz. the devil, was also destroyed.-I next inquire, 2. What sort of a victory it is Jesus hath obtained over death ?— It is,

(1.) A dear-bought victory, it cost the glorious Conqueror his precious life; he suffered the bruising of his heel, before the serpent's head could be got bruised. He suffered in his body, and also in his soul, to such a degree, that the holy human nature could not have borne up under it, had it not been supported by his divine nature.

(2.) A complete victory in respect of himself, though not yet complete in respect of his members: Rom. vi. 9, "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him." Now he is beyond the reach of death and all his enemies, sitting at the Lord's right hand until he make his enemies his footstool, Psalm cx. 1.

(3.) A glorious victory, saints and angels singing the triumphant song. Hear the acclamations of joy and wonder with which he was met at his return from the battle, Isa. lxiii. 1, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with died garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save." What a glorious victory was it which he obtained over the king of terrors, who subdues the most potent armies, overcomes the conquerors of the earth; but behold the great spoiler spoiled, the conqueror conquered by the King of glory.

(4.) An everlasting victory. Now death's power is irrecoverably broke; the serpent is wounded in the head, which is a deadly

wound, it shall never be able to rally its broken forces against him any more; it went out into the world full, but the King of saints has met it, and spoiled it, so that it in some sort is now empty.

As a practical improvement of what has been said, I would on this occasion earnestly call upon you,

1. As mortals, dying men and women, to come over this day to the conqueror's side. Our Lord has obtained the victory over death, come ye and surrender yourselves to him, break your covenant with death and hell, enter into his covenant, and honestly enlist yourselves under his victorious banners, abide no longer among his enemies. To prevail with you, I would lay before you the following motives.

(1.) If ye are out of Christ, ye live in death's territories; yea, ye are dead; while ye live, death hath dominion over you, Eph. v. 14, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light." Ye are spiritually dead, the threatenings of the law, as the bands of death, gird you about; the divers lusts ye serve are as the chains of death unto you. O! awake, ere ye be cast out of this world, and buried out of his sight.

(2.) The conqueror is ready to receive you, and give you the privileges of the subjects of his kingdom, Zech. ix. 11, 12, "As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water; turn ye to the stronghold ye prisoners of hope, even to-day do I declare that I will render double unto thee." Christ is coming this day in the word to your graves, and saying to you, as to Lazarus, Come forth, bestir yourselves, O prisoners of hope! and come away, when the Redeemer and deliverer, who has overcome death, is calling you! Abide not under the dominion of the foiled enemy, but come away to the victorious Lord of life.

(3.) Behold how he loved the children of men, John xiv. 13, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Why did he fight this battle with death, but to rescue sinners to himself, as a prey out of the mouth of the devouring lion? Shall not his dying love win you, his dying groans awake you, out of your sleep in sin? Does not every wound he received call you to cast away your sins which lay so heavy on him? will ye love death, and slight the Redeemer, Prov. viii. 26, "All they that hate me love death."

(4.) How will you grapple with death, if ye come not out of your sins to Jesus Christ? Man, remember thou must die; the day is coming these eyes will be closed, the breath that is now going out and in will go, to return no more till the last pulse beat. How

wilt thou be able to grapple with the king of terrors alone? Death cast down the man Christ; if it did so to the green tree, what will become of thee, a withered, dead branch? Thou shalt find death lively as to thee, armed with its sting against thee, since thou art not in Christ, his victory belongs not to thee, but the first death will turn thee over into the hands of the second death; and so thou shalt be eternally dying, but never die.

(5.) Come to Christ and thou shalt have the benefit of his victory over death: John viii. 51, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death," never feel the sting of death, its nature shall be quite altered to thee. O! are ye not thinking what way ye shall get through that ford on that Red Sea, which ye know not how soon ye may come to? Come to Christ, lay hold on the conqueror by faith, in the way of his covenant; the sealed covenant will be your pass for safe conduct to the other side; it has carried all through that took their passage with it hitherto, and so will it you.-I exhort you,

2. To prepare yourselves for celebrating the triumph of this victory. The saints above are celebrating it at the upper table, ye are called to celebrate it at the lower table: "This do ye in remembrance of me." Let not Satan get advantage of such as look for the benefit of this victory, to slight the memorial of it, lest they vex the Spirit of God, and pour contempt on Christ's institution, and give their souls such a throw as they will not easily recover, while their fig-leaf covers of excuses will avail them nothing. Let none, however, venture rashly on such an ordinance. Take heed to your state, see that ye be not the King's enemies, but his friends, by your coming honestly into his covenant, and putting a divorce into the hands of all your idols. In the midst of the triumphal throng, he will notice the man that wants the wedding-garment: Matth. xxii. 11, "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment." Sinners dead in trespasses and sins are not fit to celebrate the memorial of Christ's victory over death. Off with the grave clothes of your lusts, then, that you may be fit guests for the Lord of life on such an occasion.Take heed to your frame; a dead frame is not fit for such an occasion. Alas! for the deadness on the spirits of professors at this day. O! labour to get a lively frame of spirit, wherewith to celebrate the memorial of Christ's victory; get faith, love, repentance, desires, thankfulness, &c., in exercise; and for this end, I recommend to you this night, to meditate on, and take a believing view of this battle. Consider,

1. It was a set battle; not an accidental rencounter, but deter

mined from eternity: Gal. iv. 4, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." Zechariah in his time proclaims the war: Zech. xiii. 7, "Awake, O sword! against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts." Nay, it was proclaimed in paradise: Gen. iii. 15, "And I will put enmity between the woman and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." The ceremonial law, by which so much blood was shed, plainly predicted that a bloody day was coming.— It was,

2. A hot battle. Heavy were the strokes given here: Psalm xxii. 14, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death." It was a bloody battle, Isa. ix. 5, "For every battle of the warriors is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning, and fuel of fire." A dreadful noise was here, the law, men and devils, crying against the Son of God, death roaring for its prey, and the Mediator himself crying with strong cries and tears. What garments rolled in blood were here on every side!-rolled in the most precious blood of the Son of God: Isa. Ixiii. 2, "Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-fat?" A bloody spouse have we been to him. -It was,

3. A solitary battle on Christ's part. His enemies were many, but he was alone: Psalm xxii. 12, "Many bulls have compassed me."-Isa. lxiii. 3, "I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the people there was none with me." All were against him, none were with him to take a share; so thick did the arrows of death fily, that neither man nor angel durst set out their head, or venture into the battle on his side. It was,

4. A longsome battle. He fought all along, from the cradle to the grave, from his birth to his burial: Isa. liii. 3, "He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;" though it came to a height at the latter end.

Lastly, There were no quarters for him in this battle: Rom. viii. 32,"He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to the death." He was made to drink a cup of pure unmixed wrath. He met with no sparing, that so, the arrows of death being all spent on him, his people might get free.