when Herod sent him back to Pilate, then Pilate sat down on the tribunal of justice, he declared, "I have found no fault in him.” "He washed his hands, and said, I am innocent of the blood of this just person." And yet he passed sentence on him that he should be crucified. Did Jesus cry, Unjust? Did he cry, I stand at Cæsar's judgment-seat, I appeal unto Cæsar? No. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."

Again, upon the cross he was oppressed and afflicted of man. The passers by wagged the head at him, and said: "Come down from the cross." The priests, too, mocked him, as an outcast from God. The very thieves cast the same in his teeth, for three dark hours. Did he complain? No. He felt it to be true that he was an outcast from his God. He answered not a word. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth,"

2. But Christ was silent before God under his sufferings. (1.) You remember him in the garden; you remember how he was bruised there, when "his sweat was as great drops of blood falling down to the ground." There God set down the cup of his wrath before him, to show him what he was going to drink. He might have said: This is no cup of mine; let them drink it that filled it by their sins. But no; he only cries that it may pass from him: "O my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me." Prayer is the cry of one who feels no right to demand. If he had seen it to be unjust to give him such a cup, he would have said: Righteous Father, this is not for me to drink. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? But no; he acknowledges it to be just, if the Father wills it. The second time he prays, he says: "If this cup may not pass from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." He acquiesces in the justice of God in giving him such a cup to drink. He is the Lamb of God. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."

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(2.) You remember him on the cross. There God hid his face from him. For three hours did the sun refuse to shine cross-darkness brooded over the land. But deeper was the darkness brooding over the Redeemer's soul. God's face refused to shine upon his Son. Yet did he say it was unjust? No. He said: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." He said: "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." At the ninth hour he cried: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani "-words not of murmuring, but of agony. Again he said: "I thirst." And again he cried: "It is finished. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." These are all the words that Jesus spake upon the cross. He did not cry: Why am I here I am the Lord of glory? Why should I hang between earth and heaven? Righteous Father, I never sinned-I was always holy, harmless, undefiled; why

should I suffer thus? But no; he was silent under his sufferings, both from God and man. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth."

II. Inquire the reasons why Christ was silent under his sufferings.

1. Because he knew his sufferings were all infinitely just. When a person is undergoing a trial; when he is accused, borne witness against, and condemned-if he be really guilty of the crimes laid to his charge, he is dumb, and says: I deserve it all. If he has any sense of justice left in his bosom, he will be convinced and conscience-stricken-he will answer not a word; he feels that his condemnation is just and righteous, and therefore he is dumb. Just so it was with Christ. Christ had an infinite sense of justice; therefore, both in his accusations by men and bruisings under the wrath of God, he answered not a word. He was a silent Lamb. Ques. How was it just that Christ should suffer, when he had not committed the things laid to his charge? Ans. True, he was holy. He was the Son of God-infinitely holy. When he became man, still he was a "holy thing;" through life he was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners; and in his death he was a Lamb without spot and blameless. But still he was a substitute in the room of sinners. "He who knew no sin was made sin for us." He that was the Son of the Blessed became a curse for us. The reproaches of them that reproached us fell upon him. He stood in the place of blasphemers, and gluttons, and wine-bibbers, and deceivers, and thieves, and murderers, and outcasts from God; therefore it was quite just that the sufferings due to these sinners should fall upon him; and so, when he was accused and condemned, he opened not his mouth: "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Have you joined yourself to Christ? Then there is strong consolation for you. If it was just that Christ should suffer, then it is not just that you should suffer. He was silent and opened not his mouth, when wrath was poured out upon him. But, ah! he will cry aloud if wrath should be poured upon you. You have been condemned already, and buffeted, and spit upon already. You have been bruised under the wrath of God already. You will never suffer any more. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth-who shall condemn? It is Christ that died."

2. Because he would keep his part of the covenant. Before the world was, he entered into covenant with his Father, that he would stand as a substitute for sinners; and therefore when he did come to suffer, his very righteousness sustained him, and he set his face like a flint. When a feeble man undertakes some hard piece of service, very often he is loud and boastful

before he begins; but when he comes up to the point, his courage dies, and he goes away back from his word. Not so the Son of God. He had sworn that he would bear the curse that was hanging over sinners. He had struck hands with the eternal Father, he would be their Jonah, to lie down under their sea of wrath: "Take me up," he said, "and cast me into that sea of wrath." And so, when the waves and billows went over him, he did not cry nor murmur. He set his face steadfastly. He had sworn once by his holiness, and he would not turn from it. He would not alter the thing that had gone out of his lips. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”

Speak to awakened. Trust in Christ as a Saviour. He is worthy of all your confidence. If I had told you that the Son of God had undertaken to suffer in the room of sinners, surely that ought to give you peace; for if he undertakes it, he will perform it. But we are sent to tell you that he has finished what he undertook. He is a faithful and covenant-keeping Saviour. Come and look upon that silent Lamb. See him led from the garden to Caiaphas, from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, from Herod to Pilate again, from Pilate to Calvary. See him carrying that heavy cross upon his shoulders; see him carrying the wrath of God upon his head; and yet he murmurs not. He does not say: Father, these sins are not mine. No; he keeps truth for "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." And how do you requite all this? You say, I dare not believe it. Ah! does he deserve this at your hand, that you should call him liar? He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar.

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3. Because of his love. It was love to perishing sinners that made the Son of God enter into covenant with his Father to bear wrath in their stead. It was the same love in his bosom that made him keep the covenant which he had made. Ah! it was love that tied his tongue. The cords with which the soldiers bound him were tight and strong; but, oh! his love bound him more firm than all. The nails that pierced his hands and feet held him firmly on the bloody cross; but, oh! his love was the strongest nail; it was stronger than death. When the Jews accused him, and he answered not a word, it was love to sinners which made him hold his peace. When Herod questioned him, and Pilate condemned him, his trembling humanity said: I am not guilty. But, oh! his love said: Yes; I am guilty of all. When his Father bruised him with weights of mysterious agony, in the garden, and on the cross-when the infinite wrath of the infinite God was all summed up in a three hours' agony-when all that bowed down his blessed head, his shrinking humanity said, inwardly I never sinned-this wrath is not mine; I should not bear it. But, ah! his love said: Either I or my people must bear

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it ; I will bear it for them. Oh, believers! behold how he loved you. Surely this love was stronger than death. A deluge of wrath could not quench this love. Can you count the drops of the ocean? Then you may fathom the depths of his love to you. Can you measure the distance between the highest throne in heaven, and the lowest dungeon in hell? That is the measure of his love to you.

Some of you dare not believe in Jesus. Ah! is this the way you requite the love of the silent Lamb of God? He would not answer when he was accused. He would not murmur when condemned. When God poured wrath on him, he would not stand upon his Godhead purity, but consented to bear wrath, that every sinner looking to him may go free; and yet you will not look to this Lamb of God. Oh! you grieve him and crucify him afresh. 4. He was silent, because he sought his Father's glory. I have often tried to show you that it is more glorifying to God when sin is punished in his own Son, than when it is punished in the poor worms that committed it. If sinners bear their own sins, then they must suffer eternally, so that God's justice will never be satisfied. They will always have more to suffer, and God will never have full glory out of them. But when Christ suffers in the room of a sinner, then God is satisfied at once. He is infinitely glorified. Now, Christ knew this quite well. He came seeking his Father's glory: "I am come to do, not mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." Therefore it was he was dumb, that God might have more glory from the finished sufferings of his own Son, than from the eternal sufferings of sinners. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Therefore did he say: "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." Therefore did he hasten to go up to Jerusalem.

Speak to awakened. Some of you refuse to believe, lest you should tarnish the glory of God. You fear that it cannot be consistent with the glory of so pure and holy a God to receive you to pardon and peace. Are you wiser than Christ? Christ feared that God would lose some of his glory if sinners were allowed to bear their own sins, because infinite justice never could get enough of suffering out of them. Therefore was he dumb under the wrath of God, that justice might be fully satisfied out of his infinite sufferings. Be wise, I entreat of you; God is more glorified by your suffering in Christ, than by your own suffering in hell. It will be far more honoring to God if you will cleave to that bleeding, silent Lamb, than if you were to bear the wrath of God for ever and ever. Give glory to the Lord, before your feet stumble on the dark mountains.

III. The broken bread represents the silent sufferings of Christ.

This day, my friends, I set before you the plainest and simplest picture of the silent sufferings of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. In that night in which he was betrayed he took bread. Why bread? 1. Because of its plainness and commonness. He did not take silver, or gold, or jewels, to represent his body, but bread, plain bread, to show you that when he came to be a surety for sinners, he did not come in his original glory, with his Father's angels. He took not on him the nature of angels, he became man. 2. He chose bread, to show you that he was dumb, and opened not his mouth. When I break the bread it resists not, it complains not, it yields to my hand. So was it with Christ; he resisted not, complained not, he yielded to the hand of infinite justice. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Some of you believe not. You do not consent to take this silent Lamb as a sin-offering for your soul. Either you do not feel your need of him, or you have not faith to look to him. But if you do not truly look to him, be not so rash, so daring, so inconsistent as to take the bread and wine.

Some of you believe in the silent Lamb of God. You say, It was my sin that lay so heavy on his heart. My sins were the thorns that pierced his brow. My sins were the nails that pierced his hands and feet. My sins were the spear that pierced his heart. He loved me, and gave himself for me. Come, then, to the broken bread and poured-out wine, feed on them, appropriate Christ in them; and whilst you feed upon the em blems of the silent Lamb, do this in remembrance of Jesus. Dundee, 1837.-(Action Sermon.)

SERMON LXXXIV.

AS THE HART PANTETH.

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 0 God."-Ps. xlii., 1.

THESE are supposed to be the words of David when he fled from his son Absalom. He seems to have been wandering in some solitary wild on the side of Mount Hermon, the stream of Jordan flowing at his feet. David seems to have been full of pensive meditation, for his enemies reproached him daily, saying, "Where is thy God?" nay, even God seemed to forget him; all his waves and billows were going over him, when suddenly a deer bounded past him. It had been sore wounded by the archers, or pursued by some wild beast on the mountains of the leopards. Faint and