BY THE REV. GEORGE A. CALHOUN,

COVENTRY, CONNECTICUT.

THE STONE ROLLED FROM THE DOOR OF THE SEPULCHRE.

Who will roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

MARK XVI. 3.

THE chamber where a companion endured the pangs of death, and the spot where his remains were deposited, are places of peculiar interest to surviving friends. They are cherished in long and affectionate remembrance, and are visited with mournful pleasure. They call to recollection many sacred associations, on which the mind inclines to dwell, and with which the heart is disposed to sympathize. You see the widow, or the mother, repair to the grave of her beloved husband, or to the lonely place where reposes in silence the body of her affectionate child; there she stands in sober reflection, gazing on the green grass which waves over the sacred deposit, till nature finds a sad relief; then she slowly passes

away.

Contemplating these operations of sympathy with the dead, it is not strange, that the place where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb where his body was laid, have been considered as sacred by his friends, and by some employed in a superstitious and idolatrous manner. Calvary, and the tomb of Joseph, must have been places of peculiar interest to the disciples and early Christians. They doubtless often visited these places. And we are informed, that at the end of the Sabbath, immediately after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, resorted to the tomb of Joseph. In visiting the tomb at this period, their design was to embalm the body of Christ. Hence, an entrance into the sepulchre was neces sary; but they knew not how to accomplish it. A great stone had been placed at the door of the sepulchre; this stone had been sealed by the enemies of Christ, and a guard, as is supposed, of sixty men stationed around the tomb, to prevent the removal of Christ's body. While these pious females were on the way to the sepulchre, and were desirous of thus manifesting their respect and affection for their Lord, they saw in prospect a serious difficulty in the way of accomplishing their purpose. Hence they said one to another, "Who will roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" But when they arrived at the place, they found the difficulty re

moved. God had sent his angel from heaven, whose countenance was as lightning, whose raiment was as white as snow, whose descent was attended with an earthquake, and whose presence caused the keepers to become as dead men. This angel had rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre; and the body of Jesus, instead of needing sweet spices for its preservation, had burst asunder the iron bands of death, assumed a celestial and incorruptible nature, and departed from its place of confinement.

Prospective difficulties in the path of duty, persons often find removed, when they come to the place of meeting them.

Before illustrating and confirming this sentiment, I would observe, that we are not to be reckless of the moral consequences of our conduct; nor are we to be inattentive to difficulties in the way of discharging duty. Indeed, many persons err, and fail in accomplishing a good object, in consequence of not duly considering the obstacles in the way of its accomplishment. "A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself; but the simple pass on and are punished." In the way of accomplishing any great and good object there are difficulties which must be removed; there is a stone at the door of the sepulchre which must be rolled away. And there is often a failure in doing good because this fact is not recognized. And some of the most serious obstacles in the way of accomplishing a good design, result from the indiscretion of those who are in heart benevolent. They do not contemplate and shape their conduct in view of existing difficulties, and hence they are defeated and the more discerning embarrassed. If we look at the way in which the most useful succeed in their works of faith and labors of love, and the difficulties which they successfully encounter, we shall perceive, that not only the harinlessness of the dove is required, but the wisdom of the serpent. If we look at the example of Christ and the Apostles, we shall perceive, not only the necessity of action, but of caution in directing our conduct. And if we would serve our Lord and master faithfully and successfully, we must be in the exercise of all that discretion and prudence which shall enable us to discover what is fit to be done under existing circumstances. But in the path of duty there will be difficulties in prospect, which may appear to be insurmountable; and my design in this discourse is to encourage persons to go forward in the discharge of duty notwithstanding these apparent obstacles in the way. For prospective difficulties in the path of duty, persons often find removed, when they come to the place of meeting them.

This may be inferred,

I. From the experience of God's people. Abraham, in obeying a divine command, saw serious difficulties in prospect. God had promised to make of him a great nation-to bless those who blessed him, and curse those who cursed him-to multiply his posterity as the stars of heaven-and, by causing him to be the progenitor of the Messiah, to bless all the nations of the world in him. More

than ninety years of the patriarch's life had passed away ere the birth of Isaac, the son in whom all these precious promises centered. And after the child of promise had become a lad, God said to Abraham: "Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt-offering." How could that tender father bind his only son, whom he loved, lay him on the altar, take away his life, and see him a victim consumed with fire? And were his parental feelings overcome, how could the promise of a numerous nation be accomplished, and of a Messiah, in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed, as the descendant of Isaac? There were indeed difficulties in prospect. But Abraham staggered not at the promise, accounting that God was able to raise up Isaac, even from the dead. And notwithstanding the difficulties, he went forward in the path of duty. He took his beloved son and servants, and performed a journey of three days towards the place of the sacrifice. Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to the young men: Abide ye here, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son; and took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham, his father, and said, My father; and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide for himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they went both of them together. And they came to the place, which God had told him of; and Abraham built him an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And now he had arrived at the place of meeting the difficulty--it was a serious difficulty-now was the trying moment. And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. As he did this in obedience to God's command, all difficulties vanished. The stone was rolled away from the door of the sepulchre. The angel of God was there to stay the hand which was about to inflict the stroke of death. And Abraham was more richly blessed in consequence of this trial of his faith.

When Moses was called of God to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, he saw many difficulties in prospect. "Behold," said he, "they will not believe me, nor harken to my voice." And when he was assured, that he would meet no embarrassment from that quarter, "Moses said, O, my Lord, I am not eloquent.... but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." But the difficulties which Moses saw in prospect were all removed, when he came to the places of meeting them

The spies, who were sent out to examine the land of Canaan, caused the children of Israel to tremble in view of difficulties in the way of possessing the promised land. They could not obey

God. "The people," said the spies, are strong, the cities are walled and very great, and we saw giants. And all the congregation wept and said, Would God we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in the wilderness !" But when Israel had gained an entrance into the land of promise-when at Jericho they arrived at the place of meeting the expected difficulties, they had nothing to do, but to encompass the city with rams' horns, and the strong walls were prostrated, and the sons of Anak were subdued. The stone was rolled away from the door of the sepulchre.

The Jews, in the days of Esther, were reduced to the greatest extremity. Their very existence, and that of the church, appeared to be on the eve of extermination. But they prayed and fasted-they went on in the path of duty-and when the period arrived for meeting their expected trial-the day appointed for their slaughter came; it was a day of joy and gladness. All difficulties vanished. There was no stone remaining at the door of the sepulchre.

The three pious Jews who were cast into the fiery furnace, were beset with difficulties. They must be guilty of idolatry and greatly offend God, or incur the wrath of the king, and suffer death. From the one or the other of them, there appeared to be no escape. But when the time arrived, the stone was rolled away from the door of the sepulchre. They pursued the path of duty, and we know not but the furnace heated one seven times more than it was wont to be, was as comfortable to them, as would have been the palace of the king. When Nebuchadnezzar asked them, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand?" They replied, "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, O king." And he did deliver them. When they came to the place of meeting the difficulty, they found it removed.

And so with regard to Daniel. He must neglect the duty of prayer and offend God, or be cast into the lion's den. "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." He obeyed God, and we know not but he was as joyful in the den of lions as he would have been an equal in the presence of monarchs.

Often did the Apostles and primitive Christians find prospective difficulties in the path of duty removed when they arrived at the place of meeting them. Prayer was a key which opened the doors of the prison, and set Peter at liberty. And Paul and Silas, in prison and in chains, were, at midnight, joyful and praising God. Were we to trace the history of churches, or of individual believers, time would fail us in exhibiting the many instances of the removal of difficulties when the period of meeting them arrived. The history of any one church will disclose the fact, that God has

done better for that church than was feared by its distrustful members. When seasons of darkness came, and scenes of trial were in prospect, and the day of calamity was apparently near at hand, then the clouds were scattered, the bow of promise was seen, and the sun of prosperity was resplendent. An examination of the history of a church of long continuance, in reference to this particular, might be deeply interesting and quite profitable, but we will rather refer to the personal experience of the believer.

The believer, ere he was born of the Spirit, was brought to feel his need of pardoning mercy, and of becoming reconciled to God; but he saw difficulties in the way. There was a stone at the door of the sepulchre which must be rolled away, and a guard of sixty men which must be overcome. The ridicule or displeasure of friends, self-denying duties demanded of Christ's followers, the want of that deep conviction of sin which was supposed to be essential, and the peculiar circumstances in which the individual was placed, each presented its difficulties. But most of all, the truth, that the sinner is dependent on God for a new heart, and that "God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy;" these sealed the stone and set the watch, that access could not be gained. You remember, my Christian friend, how you felt when you were under the strivings of the Holy Spirit. In the way of your becoming reconciled to God, and interested in the covenant of his love, there were apparently many and serious difficulties. You felt that some great thing must be effected before you could become a follower of Christ. But how was it, when the time arrived for meeting the difficulties? When you was willing to meet these apparent difficulties, did you find them? How was the sepulchre when you came there? At its door was there a stone sealed, and around it an armed band? No, the stone was rolled away, the keepers had become as dead men, and the body of Christ, for its preservation, needed not the application of sweet spices. All apparent difficulties were removed. The ridicule and displeasure of friends presented no obstacle in your way. The demand of duty was no hindrance. And did the want of deeper conviction of sin present a difficulty in your way? Did your dependence on the sovereign mercy and grace of God, keep you one moment from embracing the Saviour of sinners? Rather when you came to the place that is, when you were willing to yield yourself unreservedly into the hands of God, and in spirit say :

"Lo! glad I come; and thon, blest Lamb,

Shall take me to thee as I am;

Nothing but sin I thee can give,

Nothing but love shall I receive;"

did you not find all obstacles taken away, and wonder that you should have ever imagined their existence?

And let believers say what has been their experience on this subject since their hopeful conversion to God. When you con