Other days on which we commemorate our Lord's history, have all of them, more or less, a mixture of sadness; even Christmas Day-the day of the Nativity, is not wholly free from painful associations. The Lord is shewn to us on that day a helpless Infant, in circumstances of poverty, lying in a manger. Again, soon after Christmas, the first day of the year, the Lord is shewn to us beginning His earthly life of obedience, with the painful rite of Circumcision. And as the year goes on, on the first Sunday of Lent, He is presented to us, “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, exposed to sore temptations, while on Good Friday we behold Him crucified; but now, on the Easter Day, we see Jesus, who by suffering of death, had been reduced to a level below that of God and Angels, we see this Jesus crowned with glory and honour.

He is shewn to us, no longer in humiliation, a very scorn of men, no longer subject to insult, no longer enduring great suffering wrongfully, but shewn to us, as a Mighty Conqueror, who hath put down His foe, like the sun in his strength, when he puts to flight the power of darkness, and rises with light and healing on the world.

To-day we may take up the great words of the Ancient Patriarch, and give a reason for the faith. that is in us. "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that I shall stand at the latter day upon the

earth, and though, after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." Yes! joy, gladness, are ours of right to-day, joy and gladness at the sight of the Lord's victory. If it belong to man to rejoice when some great Captain has fought his country's enemies,, and beaten them, and led their chiefs captives; if on such occasions our bells ring, and our cities are decked with garlands, and flags wave, and there are feastings and banquetings,

"And the tumult of their acclaim is rolled
Through the open gates of the city afar,

To the shepherd who watcheth the evening star,"

-if, as I say, a nation joys in the return of the triumphant general, and hearts are warmed all through the length and breadth of the land at the news, as by electric sympathy, and all agree to make holiday, because now the yoke of the invader has been broken, and they feel themselves free-and hearth, and home, and wife, and child, and all that they hold dear is rescued out of peril, and the possession secured to them-how much more surely ought the Christian to be glad and rejoice on each recurrence of Easter? For it is the anniversary of the Lord's Victory. He comes to us as the Captain of our Salvation, comes amongst us fresh from combat, "with dyed garments from Bozrah," "treading in the greatness of His strength,' He comes, leading the Invader a prisoner, leading captivity captive. He comes to proclaim the victory.

He has gained it alone, "with His own right hand, and with His holy arm." All the praise and all the glory is His. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord? Who is like unto Thee, "Glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders!'

Yes, we may indeed rejoice-we cannot rejoice too heartily in the victory, won as on this day by our great Captain, Jesus Christ-the victory over sin and death. "The Kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers took counsel together against the Lord and against His Christ." But all their plotting has been in vain: "He that dwelleth in Heaven has laughed them to scorn: the Lord has had them in derision."" He has broken their bonds asunder: and cast away their cords from Him." Though He was crucified, dead, and buried, the sepulchre in which He was laid made sure, the heavy stone that covered its mouth sealed with the High Priest's seal, a guard of Pilate's soldiers watching beside it, all was to no purpose. He was not holden: it was impossible that He should be holden long a prisoner by death. On this happy morning, when the weeping friends came to the sepulchre, they found the stone rolled away: the grave clothes lying there: and "the napkin that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself." The Body of the Lord they found not. He had quitted the place! He was risen-risen as He

had said, "Destroy this Temple" (the Temple of His body) "and in three days I will raise it up." He was risen-risen, not again to succumb to death. "Death hath no more dominion over Him: for in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God."

That is why we rejoice to-day. First at the triumph of that Just One, at the defeat of Satan, at the victory won by Jesus Christ over the oppressor.

"He is risen-He is risen,

Tell it with a joyful voice;

He hath burst His three days' prison,
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

Death is conquered, man is free,
Christ hath won the victory."

Mark these words:

"Let the whole wide earth rejoice."

The joy that a Christian feels to-day, it is a wide-spread joy: it is not only that the Holy and Innocent Jesus has shown Himself the Conqueror, but it is because the benefit of His victory reaches far and wide-reaches to all the race which He came to save. The enemy which Christ subdued is our enemy. The crown which He has won, the crown of life, is a crown that we too may hope to wear.

That grave in the garden outside the gate of Jerusalem, that tomb of Joseph from out of the rock, in which the body of our Lord has been laid, (to-day found empty,) is but the first of many tombs, which,

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if there be truth in God's word, will yield up in His time their occupants, and yield them up alive: "the hour is coming when all who are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth." "Christ the first fruits afterward they that are Christ's at His coming." "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." "Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead." Yes! the resurrection of the dead, that is assured to us by what happened to-day; that is our blessed hope, which the Lord Jesus Christ, by bursting the bonds of death, has given us for an anchor of the soul, safe, sure and steadfast. Sad and incessant are the inroads of death, mighty in power; still a great severer of dear ties, a separator of chief friends, but his power is broken. It will not last for long, the living Jesus (doubt it not) will upset his sway, He will say to this tyrant, O Death, I will be thy plague, O Grave, I will be thy destruction.

Then, brethren, am I not right in bidding you be of good cheer to-day. "This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." I have shown you what cause we have to be glad. To us and to our children the assurance is given that death is not the end of life, that we shall live though we die, that God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us. These are good tidings for all, but they