in the highest degree that it ever appeared in a fallen creature, and perish at last, if we made any thing but Christ the ground of our hope. Let us look then to this exalted Saviour : let us regard his Resurrection as the pledge of our resurrection, the pattern of our life, and the ground of our hope; and then we may adopt the triumphant language of the Apostle ; " Who is he that shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ? it is God that justifieth : Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again."
Luke xxiv. 46, 47. Thus it is ivritten, and thus it behoved. Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
THE Apostles were to be Christ's chosen witnesses respecting all that he had said, and done, and suf- fered in the world. To qualify them for this office, he gave them all needful instruction, not only whilst he sojourned openly among men, but in the interval between his resurrection and ascension. He opened to them more particularly the principal types and prophecies that related to him, and " then opened their understandings also that they might understand them :" and thus, by exhibiting the Gospel more fully to their view, and strengthening their organs of vision to behold them, he prepared them for the ministry which they were now speedily to undertake.
The necessity of the death and resurrection of Christ we have before considered3. We now fix our attention on the direction which he gave them,
I. To preach the Gospel to all nations —
The Gospel comprehends two points, " repentance towards God, and faith in our. Lord Jesus Christ" —
a See Disc, on Lnke xxiv. 26.