Had he merely professed his belief that Jesus was an innocent man-that he had done nothing amiss or worthy of death, it would have been a great deal. Had he avowed that he thought him no impostor, but a true prophet, this would have been more than could have been expected, considering the circumstances in which both were placed. How hesitatingly and suspiciously did the two disciples, on the road to Emmaus, express themselves on this subject :- "We TRUSTED that it had been he that should have redeemed Israel." But this man

went far beyond this point in his profession. He addressed him as "Lord." The chief priests and rulers of the Jews spoke of him in the most contemptuous style-"this fellow” and "that deceiver." When Peter was challenged as one of his disciples, he said that he knew not "the man." The highest epithet that the disciples could give him after they had received a report of his resurrection was, "Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet mighty in word and deed." The thief addresses him now by that title which the apostles gave him after he had shown himself to them by infallible proofs. They could say, "the Lord is risen;" but they could not, like this thief, call him Lord, when he hung on the cross. Nor was this a mere title of respect. The cross was no place for complimentary or ceremonious language. In such circumstances, he would not have owned him at all, if he had not been persuaded that he was the Lord of all, of life and death, of heaven and hell. And as he addressed him as Lord, so he avowed his conviction that he was going to take possession of a kingdom. Wonderful faith! A dying man, a worm and no man, reproach of men and despised of the people, the lowest of the people, he addresses as Lord, and worships him. One whom he had seen arrayed in derision with the mock ensigns of royalty, and then stripped of them and led away to be crucified, whom he had heard taunted with his kingly claims, and in vain desired to come down from the cross to give a proof of their validity, he nevertheless saluted, in deep earnest, as a king; and while God had set up the right hand of his adversaries, made all his enemies to rejoice, shortened the days of his youth, covered him with shame, and profaned his crown by casting it to the ground,

he, strong in faith, staggered not, but, against hope, believed in hope, and avowed his confident assurance that he was about to ascend the throne of his kingdom. Verily, such faith as this had not been evinced from the days of the father of the faithful.

And then how superior do his conceptions of the nature of Christ's kingdom appear to have been! The Jews of that time had very gross and carnal notions of the reign of Messiah. They imagined that he would appear as a temporal and earthly monarch, emancipate them from the thraldom of a foreign yoke, and make the nations tributary to them. The disciples of Jesus had imbibed some of these prejudices, to which they clung pertinaciously, in spite of all the instructions of their Master; nor were they altogether weaned from this erroneous and fond conceit by his crucifixion, as appears from the question which they put to him after he was risen, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" How superior were the views which the converted thief acquired on this subject in a short time, to those of the disciples after they had for years listened to the spiritual doctrine, and contemplated the heavenly character of their Master. The prospect of his death was repugnant to all their ideas, and destructive of all their expectations of his kingly glory; and when they saw him led away to be crucified, their hopes died away within them. He owned him to be a king in the lowest step of his abasement, and believed that his cross was the pedestal by which he would mount to his throne in the highest heavens.

IV. Let us, in fine, consider this address as a prayer.

It was said of Saul of Tarsus, after his conversion, and as one mark of that change which he had undergone, "Behold, he prayeth!" He had never prayed aright before that period, though, as a strict Pharisee, he had no doubt often practised the external form. But this was probably the first time that ever the thief had engaged in the exercise-the first time in his life that he had offered to God the sacrifice of the lips. Prayer is not an employment reconcilable with the trade which he had followed. It is necessary for such persons to

banish the fear, and consequently to exclude the thought, of God. If that sacred name had come into his mouth, it would be in the form of hellish oaths or blasphemies. But now, behold he prayeth! and that in deep earnest. He prayed to Jesus, whom his fellow-criminal was blaspheming, invoked him as Lord, and begged of him the greatest favour which, as a dying man, he could ask. Criminals have often been seen praying on a scaffold, and they have earnestly begged for a pardon, or a respite, or some other boon from their judges; but this is the only instance in which a criminal was found supplicating and praying to his fellow-sufferer. And what was the petition which he presented? It was not for deliverance from death or for any temporal blessing. He did not even seriously prefer the request of his comrade, "Save thyself and us." He was perfectly resigned to his fate. He was willing to endure the punishment due to his crime by the laws of God and man, and to expiate, by his own death, the offence which he had done to society, while he who hung beside him expiated the sin which he had committed against heaven. Lord! I have no desire to live. It is good for me to be here. It is better for me to die with thee, than to reign with Cæsar. All my desire is to be with thee where thou art going; and O remember thy unworthy fellow-sufferer when thou art come into thy kingdom!' What unfeigned and contrite humility does this petition breathe! He prays as became one who felt and had confessed himself to be a great sinner, and who could have no possible claims but what were founded on the mere and unbought benignity of him whom he addressed. When the two sons of Zebedee requested to be permitted to sit, the one at the right and the other at the left hand of their Master in his kingdom, he asked them, "Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? or can ye be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?" Here was one who was drinking of his bitter cup, and baptized with his bloody baptism; but he had no such ambitious wish, and presumed to present no such arrogant request. His heart was not haughty; his eyes were not lofty; neither did he aspire to great things. A genuine convert, his heart was like that of a weaned child. All that he ventured

to ask was, that Jesus would remember him when he came to his kingdom.

But though presented with the profoundest humility and expressive of the greatest submission, still this was a great request. O how much, my brethren, is included in these two words, addressed by a convinced sinner to the Saviour, "remember me!" The eternal salvation of a sinner hangs upon them. If he remembers him, all is well; if he forgets him, wo unto him, for it shall be ill with him. Had not Christ remembered and thought upon us in our low estate, and undertaken our cause, we would have been hopeless. Had he not remembered his people, and borne their names on his breastplate, when he approached God as the great high-priest to make reconciliation for iniquity, their guilt would have remained. Did he not remember them, when they are lying polluted in their blood, and say to them, "Live," they would die in their sins. Did he not continue to remember them, and pray for them, and help them by his Spirit, he that desires to have them as his prey would gain his object, and they would never see the kingdom of heaven. Had the penitent thief dropped out of the memory of Christ, he would have dropped into hell at death, along with his blaspheming companion; for “ thieves nor revilers shall inherit the kingdom of God.” How could he, an ignorant, lawless, God-despising, heaven-daring profligate, presume to lift up his eyes, or to apply at the gates of paradise, unless he had ground to believe that his gracious and merciful fellow-sufferer would remember him? But if he continued to think of him and own him, what might he not expect? In fine, this prayer was offered believingly as well as fervently. He believed that Jesus had the highest interest with the Father, who would not refuse any thing which should be craved by him who had laid down his life at his command; that he was about to be put in possession of all power in heaven and earth; and that this included authority to bestow its honours and rewards on whomsoever he would. And he believed that such was the grace, condescension, and compassion of the dying Redeemer, that he would not reject the application of a poor, convicted, condemned criminal, but wash him from his sins in his blood, and sanctify him by the power of his

nor

Spirit, and present him faultless before the throne of his glory with exceeding joy. Nor did he believe in vain, nor was the answer of his prayer long delayed or dubiously expressed; for Jesus instantly said to him, "Verily, I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

In reviewing this wonderful scene, a variety of reflections, all conducive to practical improvement, crowd upon the mind. Let us dwell a little on a few of them.

First, We have here an indisputable instance of real conversion. Examples of this change have occurred in every age, as to the genuineness of which we have no reasonable ground of doubt. But the case of the penitent thief is accompanied with evidence the most irresistible and convincing. Who can doubt that on the cross a sinner was converted from the evil of his ways, a soul saved from death, and a multitude of sins hid? When the Lord writeth up the people whom he hath formed for himself, he will count that this man was born again on Calvary. While I run over the credible marks of a saving change which he exhibited, let it be your employment, my brethren, to examine and see whether they are to be found in you also.

He confessed himself to be a sinner and worthy of death, when no creature exacted this confession, and when it could be of no earthly advantage to him. His heart was penetrated with a reverential fear of God, which made him not only refrain from offending him himself, but shudder at hearing what was offensive to him from the lips of another. He entertained just, and high, and honourable views of the Saviour. He looked to him on the cross, and placed all his hopes of salvation on his merciful remembrance of him. He prayed to him, and committed his soul to him, as the Lord of the invisible world. He gave every evidence which was in his power of the truth of his faith, repentance, and love. His hands and feet were immovably fixed to the tree. Nothing was left free to him but his heart and his tongue, and these he dedicated wholly to God and employed to the honour of Christ. His conduct corresponded to the inspired criterion, and verified it: " With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." He not only deplored his