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pofedly under it. And if our attachment to our great mafter is what it ought to be, we will chearfully follow him even without the camp, bearing his reproach.

4. In the last place, By what hath been faid, you may try your title to fit down at the Lord's table, and learn your employment there. This ordinance is a fenfible memorial of our Redeemer's crofs and paffion. It was on the crofs that his body was broken, and his blood fhed, for you. Are you then to commemorate it? You cannot do fo, either in au acceptable or profitable manner, unless you can join the apoftle in glorying in it. Have you feen any thing of the excellence and amiablenefs of this defpifed object? Nothing fo tasteless and infipid to the proud and felf-righteous; nothing fo delightful and refreshing to the broken in heart. Have you feen any thing of the glory of the true God, in the fufferings of Chrift? and can you fay with the apostle Paul, Heb. ii. 10. "It became "him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all “ things, in bringing many fons unto glory, to make the Captain of their falvation perfect through fufferings." Do you fee the glory of infinite mercy in the crofs? and are your hearts drawn with the cords of love to him who "loved you, and gave himfelf for you?" Have you expe rienced the fanctifying influence of the crofs? are your corruptions weakened and mortified by looking upon it? Is it your unfeigned defire, that they may be finally deftroyed by it ?

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To draw to a conclufion of the subject: I cannot point out your duty to you in a manner more fuited to this day's employment, or more proper for your after fecurity and comfort, than to turn the three reafons for glorying in the crofs into the form of exhortations.I befeech you, my beloved hearers, contemplate the glory of God in the cross of Chrift. See him, infinite in power, infinite in wifdom, infinite in holiness. You may fee a faint emblem of his glory in the book of nature; but you can only fee his transcendent majefty in the book of God. And may "he "who at first commanded the light to fhine out of dark"nefs, fhine in your hearts, to give you the light of the "knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus

"Chrift!"-Adore and apply the riches of divine grace. Let the convinced, fearful, trembling finner, fly to this atoning blood, reft his hope upon it, and be fecure.-And neglect not to use the cross of Chrift for mortifying your corruptions. Let your views of it now be lively and ftrong, and carry the fame impreffion away, to be your great prefervative from daily temptation. Make no image of the crofs in your houses; but let the remembrance of it be ever on your hearts. One lively view of this great object will cool the flames of unclean luft: one lively view of this great object will make the unjuft man quit his hold: one lively view of this tremendous object will make the angry man drop his weapon: nay, one look of mercy from a dying Saviour will make even the covetous man open his heart. In one word, believing views of the cross of Chrift will unite the Chriftian more and more to a reconciled God, will make his prefence comfortable, his worship delightful, and excite a humble longing for that time when we fhall fee him no more through the help of these elements, but as he is in himfelf, exalted on his throne, where his worship and fervice are everlasting.

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By whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world.

HE character of a fervant of God is fometimes de

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scribed in fcripture by particular difpofitions or inftances of obedience, and fometimes by a general view of the spirit that runs through the whole of his temper and carriage. Each of these ways has its own advantage and ufe. Each of them is to be found in its proper order in the holy fcriptures, and stands there as a proof of their fulness and perfection. The whole of this paffage, but particularly the last clause, upon which I am now to infift, is of the general kind, and, in the apoftle's own example, gives us a very comprehenfive view of what ought to be the temper and difpofition of every real Chriftian; "By "whom," that is, by Chrift crucified, or, "by which," that is to fay, by the cross of Chrift, "the world is cruci"fied unto me, and I unto the world."

This description will ferve, if carefully attended to, as a trial and touchstone of fincerity: and, in particular, will serve to distinguish real religion from fome of its most deceitful and plaufible counterfeits. At the fame time, it will furnish the fincere Chriftian with very important directions for his prefervation and improvement, by point

ing out the most fatal and dangerous rocks of temptation, which it is his intereft to avoid. Having explained the words in my difcourfe upon the former part of the verse, I now only obferve, that the propofition contained in them is "That the world is crucified to the believer, and he to "the world, by the crofs of Chrift." This naturally refolves itself into two parts, which I propofe to confider distinctly, viz.

I. What is the import of a believer's being crucified to the world, and the world to him.

II. What influence the cross of Chrift hath in producing this effect. Having done this, I will,

III. Make a practical improvement of the fubject.

I. FIRST, then, we are to confider the import of a believer's being crucified to the world, and the world to him. This feems to deserve the greater attention, that through the whole New Teftament, there is a direct oppofition stated between the world and the difciples of Chrift; an oppofition of character, an oppofition of intereft, and a continual conflict in confequence of both; John xv. 18, 19. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me "before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world "would love his own; but becaufe ye are not of the world, "but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the "world hateth you." In this paffage the world feems to be taken chiefly for the men of the world, or its inhabitants. It is, however, taken in a more extenfive fenfe in the two following: 1 John ii. 15. "Love not the world, "neither the things that are in the world. If any man "love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John v. 4. "For whatsoever is born of God, overcometh "the world and this is the victory that overcometh the "world, even our faith." Here, no doubt, it fignifies not only men, and our hopes or fears from them, but every thing in the prefent life that may be the object of carnal affection, of finful or undutiful attachment.

The expreffion in the text, "The world is crucified to "me" is figurative; but abundantly plain, and exceed. ingly ftrong. It might be confidered very extenfively,

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