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fures more than lovers of God, ye fhall be flain all of you; "as a bowing wall fhall ye be, and as a tottering fence." Remember the mifery of those who die in an unconverted ftate: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Who can abide with devouring fire? Who "can dwell with everlasting burnings?" Admire the infinite grace of God through our Lord Jefus Chrift, and admire the infinite wisdom of God that hath laid help for you upon one who is "mighty to fave." May I not fay, that, on this folemn occafion, your Saviour speaks to you, not only in his word, but from his crofs? See the juftice of God in the cross of Chrift, and thence learn the evil of fin. See the power and wrath of God in the crofs of Chrift, and tremble at your own ftate. See the matchless love of God in the crofs of Chrift, and be perfuaded to return to him with weeping, with fupplication, and with mourning. Let the eye of faith be pointed at the dying Saviour, and say unto him, " O almighty fufferer, look down, look "down from thy triumphant infamy, pity and pierce this "hard heart with a fenfe of guilt and mifery. Thou haft "faid, that when thou fhouldft be lifted up from the earth, "thou wouldst draw all men unto thee: let this promife "be fulfilled to my experience. Draw me, we will run "after thee. Lord, take away my complicated guilt; "Lord, renew and pacify my unfanctified affections, form "me for thyself, that I may ferve thee here, and afterwards "fee thee as thou art!

3. From what hath been faid upon this fubject, you may examine your title to partake of the holy ordinance of the Lord's fupper; or, in other words, your right to the favor of God, and to eternal life. No difpofition more fuitable, none more necessary, at a communion-table, than a grateful and admiring sense of redeeming love. Not only the profane blafphemer, or the fcornful defpifer, is unfit to fit down at this feaft, but the self-righteous formalist who never faw himfelf undone. It is true, indeed, that when angels themselves are put to a fland, all our thoughts muft foon be loft and fwallowed up. But, my brethren, do you defire to look into it? Do you feel a fenfible pleasure and delight in this facred employment? Do you, in fome

measure, see the glory of divine grace, though you are not able to measure its dimenfions? There is no fubject so obfcure and unintelligible to those who are ftrangers to the power of religion, as the mystery of redeeming love; no fubject fo odious and diftafteful to thofe whofe minds are formed upon the maxims of the world, as the doctrine of falvation by grace. Chrift upon a crofs, Chrift upon a throne, Chrift the believer's rock and refuge, the fource of his ftrength, and the fource of his comfort, they are neither able to relifh nor comprehend. All the warm expreflions of gratitude and attachment, which are unfpeakably fweet and ravishing to a ferious foul, appear to them in the light of enthusiasm and vifionary folly. But as many as it hath pleafed God to blefs with an inward and perfonal conviction of their loft ftate by nature, will fee the greatest beauty in this plan of falvation, and will rather rejoice, than fhrink, at sharing with their Redeemer himself the contempt of the world. They will fay, with the apostle Paul, Gal. vi. 14. "God forbid that I fhould glory, fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift." There is a beautiful oppofition ftated by the fame apoftle, between a believer's understanding the love of Chrift, and yet being unable to fearch it to the bottom, in the following paffage, Eph. iii. 17, 18, 19. "That Chrift may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Chrift, which paffeth knowledge, that ye might be filled "with all the fulness of God."

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4. In the last place, From what has been faid, learn what is your moft proper employment at the Lord's table. Adore and contemplate the riches of redeeming grace, that great theme which " the angels defire to look into." Think, with humble amazement, on the boundless mercy of God, which reached even to you, and with the higheft thankfulness on the honor to which you are admitted, of receiving the fenfible pledges of his love. Dwell on this impenetrable mystery of "Immanuel God with us"God manifefted in the flesh." Think on this awful proof of divine justice and holiness, the wrath of God pour

ed out upon his own Son. Think on the perfection of that atonement which is made for the fins of the world. Rejoice in the fulness of that Saviour who is now made "head over all things to the church ;" and draw, by faith, from his fulness, every neceflary fupply to yourselves: and as you are now to commemorate his death, with a view to his fecond coming, think on that " day of falva"tion," when he fhall come " to be glorified in his faints, "and admired in all them that believe;" when you fhall enter in triumph into the holieft of all, where no doubt the mystery of redemption fhall be more fully difcovered; when faints and angels fhall jointly fing that new fong, Rev. v. 12. "Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to re"ceive power, and riches, and wifdom, and ftrength, and "honor, and glory, and bleffing;" when the whole plan of divine grace fhall be completed and clofed, and the me diatorial kingdom itself brought to a period; for "then "cometh the end, when he fhall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;" when confirmed angels, and redeemed finners, when the whole hoft of heaven fhall unite in one acclamation, "Hallelujah; for "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."

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But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

MY

ACTION SERMON.

Y brethren, we are this day met to keep up the remembrance of our Redeemer's fufferings and death in our room. We are to commemorate an event the most important, the most interefting, and the most aftonishing, that creation ever beheld. We are to contemplate a fubject the most wonderful and myfterious that ever was offered to the mind of man. The incarnation of the Son of God, the King of kings found in the form of a servant, and the Prince of life expiring on an accursed tree. What is this but the union of things the most opposite and feemingly inconfiftent that can poffibly be conceived? the union of the most diftant extremes of ftrength and weakness, glory and bafenefs, honor and fhame ?

In a fort of correspondence and analogy to this great fubject itself, nothing can be more oppofite than the fentiments formed by believers and unbelievers with regard to it. To the one it hath a dignity and majesty unspeakably amiable; to the other, it hath a meannefs and basenefs that is fhameful and contemptible. The Apofile

Paul often takes notice of this, that it was "to the Jews a "ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolifhnefs;" and he often difcovers his own inviolable attachment to his Saviour, by an open profeffion of esteem for those circumftances in his character and appearance which a blinded world were moft apt to treat with derifion and fcorn. This is particularly the cafe in the text, "But God for. "bid that I fhould glory, fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift."

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By the crofs of Chrift, in the New Teftament, we are fometimes to understand the fufferings of believers for Christ's fake; but more commonly, and I think, evidently in this place, it signifies his humiliation in general, and particularly his crucifixion, to which circumftance our attention is directed, because it was the moft bafe and ignominious of the whole. In this the apoftle fays he would glory nay, he expreffes his abhorrence at the thought of glorying in any thing elfe: "God forbid that I thould

glory fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift." Nothing can be more fuited to the employment of this day, and nothing more proper to diftinguish between the friends and the enemies of Chrift, than this, when carefully attended to; for the one will undoubtedly glory and the - other will as certainly be ashamed of his crofs.

In difcourfing further on this fubject, what I propose, through divine affistance, is,

I. To explain the import of the apoftle's glorying only in the Saviour's cross.

II. To fhew what good reafon every real Chriftian hath to glory in it.

And,

III. To make fome practical application of the fubject.

I. In the first place, then, let us explain the import of the apostle's glorying only in the Saviour's crofs. What is this object in which the apoftle fays he would glory? Very wonderful indeed. It is, that Jefus of Nazareth, the fon of Mary, was fubjected to a long life of forrow, reproach, and contempt: That towards the close of it, he was arrested, accufed, condemned as a malefactor; and after innumerable and unfpeakable indignities, was at laft

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