an officer.

Now, is he the debtor to the officer, and must the money be paid, personally, to him; or, is the money due to the law which has been violated, and which awards the money to him who holds the claim against the prisoner? Surely, to the latter. It would seem, then, that satisfaction should be made to the violated law, and by the law, given to him against whom the offense has been committed. Thus, the objection connected with Satan, whose existence the objectors deny, amounts to nothing.

Once more, and I shall have done. An objection, first suggested, if my memory serve, by Mr. Paine, and often urged since his time, is founded upon the light of modern science, which has made us acquainted with the existence of unnumbered worlds. It supposes that the other planets in our system are inhabited by rational beings; that the fixed stars are suns, having planets revolving around them, similar to our own, and, also, inhabited; and that, consequently, it would be unreasonable to believe that God would make such special provision for the welfare of the inhabitants of so limited a portion of his dominions. In answer to this objection, I can but remark, that it is a little strange that men who boast of enlarged capacities, and claim to be almost the only correct reasoners, should have shown such manifest ignorance of the first principles of just argumentation. Before this objection can be of any weight, it must be proved that all these planets are inhabited by rational and accountable inhabitants; that these inhabitants have fallen; that they are under judicial condemnation-exposed to future wrath; and, therefore, need, and are the subjects of redemption. But have any of these been proved? Has it been attempted to prove any of them? Are any of them capable of proof? But all this must be done, before the objection can have any foundation. But these mighty men of science should be excused. They do not admire facts, evidence, and common sense.

These

are left for minds not capable of enlarged views. But let this go. This boasted objection, is nothing but a foolish sophism, taking for granted, what ought to have been proved, that the planets are inhabited; that the inhabitants have fallen, and, therefore, were proper subjects of redemption. Until these are proved, we shall still continue to persist in the faith that is able to build up and strengthen us unto eternal life.

A remark upon the nature of Job's knowledge. It was a knowledge that united to Christ, and gave a personal apprehension of his merits, and a power, in the most perilous circumstances, to confide in him. This leads us, as was proposed, to notice,

II. The consolation and encouragement which Job's knowledge gave him in the most gloomy circumstances. Having detained you so long upon our first position, a few remarks must close. The condition of Job was one, humanly speaking, of wretchedness in the extreme. "Though after my skin, worms destroy this body." Some think, that Job's affliction was some kind of burning, ulcerous sore, produced by worms, which had undermined and destroyed his skin; and so completely had they accomplished this, that it is said, "He scraped himself with a potsherd." The word rendered scraped, is said to mean, peeling the loose bark from a tree. How expressive! to scrape or peel with a potsherd, his skin from his flesh. They carry forward the idea, "after my skin," which is already gone, "worms," perfecting the work of destruction, "destroy this body." Add to all this, his children killed; his breath estranged from his wife; his friends reviling him as a hypocrite; life fast ebbing out; despair drawing her black mantle around every earthly prospect. In this condition, he exclaims, "Have pity on me, O, ye, my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me." But at the very time we expect only despair, his sunken, dimmed eye lights up

with the joyful emotion of hope, and he adds, "Yet in my flesh shall I see God, and mine eye shall behold him.” Such is the prospect that hope lights up before the afflicted, forsaken patriarch. Faith, here, changes the whole scene, and, grasping fast the hope of immortality, triumphs and rejoices.

I am conscious of having detained you too long; and yet I cannot persuade myself to dismiss this subject without two remarks. 1. Job differed widely from the modern Freethinker and metaphysical Atheist, who persuade themselves to believe that they lie down in death, like the beasts that perish, and court annihilation, as a covert from the punishment of their sins. No; this good man looks forward to an inheritance where Satan will tempt and afflict no more; where children will no longer cause anxiety lest they should sin; where their death will no longer wring the heart with anguish, and cause to be shed over their grave the parting paternal tear; where friends will no longer prove cruel and unfaithful. No; there I shall suffer no more; I shall sigh no more;

"There from the river of his grace,

Drink endless pleasures in."

I have a desire to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. In fine,

2. "Mine eye shall behold him, and not another." Eternal life, with all that eternal life shall embrace, shall be enjoyed by each individual, as though there was no other one to enjoy it; and yet each shall have it as a possession— perfect to each, yet common to all. The privilege and enjoyment of one shall not conflict with those of the other; but together, in harmonious strains, all shall join and sing, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

SERMON XVI.

BY REV. HIRAM M. SHAFFER.

BETRAYAL OF CHRIST.

Verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me," Matt. xxvi, 21.

NEARLY Six thousand years ago, the Almighty determined to create our globe, and people it with intelligent beings. At his command, from chaos arose this mundane system, with all its primitive loveliness and Eden glories. After this, he said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness;" and, by the word of his power, man awoke from the earth into conscious existence, in the image of his Creator.

Since that period, the earth has produced many illustrious individuals, who have distinguished themselves by their intellectual and moral excellence; but one, alone, among all the great, in ancient and modern times, who made his appearance nearly two thousand years ago in the city of Bethlehem, shines forth with untarnished brilliancy. His birth was thus announced by an angel of the Lord to the shepherds, whilst watching their flocks by night, on the plains of the city: "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men."

This remarkable personage grew in favor with God and man; and when he arrived at the age of thirty, on the banks of Jordan, at his baptism by John, he regularly entered into orders in the Jewish Church, according to the law of Moses, which made the following requisitions:

"And this is the thing that thou shalt do unto them to hallow them, to minister unto me in the priest's office;" "And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregration, and shalt wash them with water;" "Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle water of purifying upon them." Thus, John, by baptizing, or sprinkling the Savior, fully consecrated him to the work of his great mission.

He immediately associated with himself twelve persons, whom he called his apostles. These journeyed with him. wheresoever he went. His ministry was principally confined to the Jews, among whom he went about doing goodhealing all manner of diseases, casting out devils, raising the dead, and preaching the Gospel unto the poor. About three years and six months after his public ministry commenced, he went up to Jerusalem, with his apostles, to celebrate the annual festival of the passover; and while at supper, he communicated the humiliating intelligence, that one of their own number should betray him.

Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, covenanted with the Jews, for thirty pieces of silver, to be their guide, and to discover unto them where Christ might be found at a certain hour of the night, so that they could take him privately; for they feared lest the people would rescue him, should they attempt to seize him in open day. So, then, after Judas had eaten of the passover, and had partaken, with the rest of the disciples, of the eucharist, he, deliberately, went and conducted the Jews to the place, in the garden of Gethsemane, where the Savior was; "And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail Master, and kissed him;" and thus the Savior of the world was betrayed into the hands of sinners. "But woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed."