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power and energy attended his miniftrations; yet poverty, flander, and contempt were his continual portion; fo that he could fay, in the language of the prophet, "Reproach hath broken my heart :" and again, "The foxes "have holes, and the birds of the air have nefts; but the "Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Some of the ancients have reprefented the Saviour as of extraor dinary beauty of countenance and comelinefs of form, founded perhaps on a literal interpretation of that expreffion in the Pfalmift, Pfalm xlv. 2. "Thou art fairer than "the children of men; grace is poured into thy lips; "therefore God hath bleffed thee forever." Without being pofitive, I fhall only fay, that this does not correspond much with the other circumftances of his incarnation, And indeed fome have fuppofed directly the contrary, founding their opinion upon the language of the prophet Ifaiah, chap. lii. 14. "As many were aftonished at thee; (his vifage was fo marred more than any man, and his "form more than the fons of men);" as alfo, chap. liii. 2. "For he fhall grow up before him as a tender plant, and 66 as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor "comelinefs: and when we fhall fee him, there is no "beauty that we fhould defire him." Whatever be in this, it is beyond all queftion, that the whole course of his life, and particularly the remarkable conclufion of it, was one continued tract of fuffering and mortification.

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Does not this, Chriftians, bring a reproach upon worldly greatnefs, and ftain the pride of all human glory? Does it not fhow how little it is esteemed of God, and how little it is an evidence of his acceptance or approbation? What an influence muft this have upon the believer to crucify the world? How muft it endear to him a mean and defpifed, and reconcile him to a suffering state? With what propriety does the Chriftian, when he is baptized in the name of Chrift, renounce the world, its pomps, and its pleasures? Does not a fingle reflection on the defpifed ftate of our Redeemer, in the days of his flesh, make you patient under contempt, and extinguish the defire of applaufe? Have you any remaining uneafiness at seeing others getting before you in the career of ambiVOL. I. 3 H

tion, over-topping you with titles, eclipfing you with fplendor? Do you not now fee the propriety of the account given of the carriage of the apoftles, when the world and they were at variance, Acts v. 41. "And they de parted from the prefence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to fuffer fhame for his name." Whether do you now envy the conqueror or the fufferer, the prince or the martyr? Where ever there is a real Christian raised to opulence by the will of God, or furrounded with enfigns of dignity and honor, will not this confideration fill him with deep humility and felf-denial, and a holy jealoufy, left he fhould abuse his influence, or mifapply his talents? The highest honor of real ability is usefulness, the brightest ornament of worldly greatness is felf-abafement. All this fhews, in the clearest manner, how the cross of Chrift crucifies the world, by reversing every worldly maxim, and giving a new turn to the principles of honor and of fhame. This leads me to observe, 4. In the last place, That the cross of Chrift crucifies the world, by putting a quite different object of defire and affection in its room. Our limited powers can attend but to few things at once; and therefore, when any one acquires an intereft in our affections, it must comparatively weaken or destroy the interest of others, especially those of an oppofite or independent kind. Make a new bed to a river, and turn its ftream in that direction, and it will immediately dry up its former channel. Now, the cross of Chrift prefents to us an object of infinite importance, peace and reconciliation with God here, and everlasting happiness in his prefence hereafter. Can any worldly object be laid in the balance with these? What esteem or attention can it merit in comparison with these?

Whether we confider the end or the means of falvation, the cross of Chrift tends to fupplant the world, by im proving our views of and increafing our affection to both. It fhews the infinite importance of eternity and its confequences and what more proper to deliver us from an undue attachment to the things of time? Eternity, by its greatness, makes time itself to fhrink into a point, and annihilates all thofe little temporary diftinctions on which

worldly affection entirely depends. What doth it fignify to him that views eternity aright, whether he be for a few years in health or ficknefs, riches or poverty, on a throne or in a cottage? How immenfe, according to human measure, appears the difference between the poffeffions of fome perfons in the world and others! But of all the generations before us, who have now fallen afleep, how equal is the condition in this refpect! The monarch and the flave, when laid in the duft, fill nearly the fame space.

If we confider the means of religion, the crofs of Chrift applied by a convinced finner, opens to him fuch a profpect of the infinite unmerited love of God, and of this aftonishing expreffion of it, the death of his Son, as at once captivates the heart, and, if I may speak fo, occupies fo much room there, as leaves but little for any other object. How foon did it open the heart of the publican Zaccheus, and expel the spirit of covetoufnefs and extortion! Luke xix. 8. "And Zaccheus ftood, and faid unto the "Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by "falfe accufation, I reftore him fourfold." In how ftrong a manner does the apostle Paul exprefs his comparative esteem of the cross of Chrift! Phil. iii. 7, 8. " But what "things were gain to me, thofe I counted lofs for Chrift.

Yea, doubtlefs, and I count all things but lofs, for the "excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord: "for whom I have fuffered the lofs of all things, and do "count them but dung that I may win Chrift." This is the very fame difpofition with that which he expreffes in the text; and it differs no otherwife from that of every Christian, than that it is probable he had a particular view to his calling as a minifter and an apoftle. Captivated with a sense of his Redeemer's love, filled with a view of the glory of his crofs, and devoted to his fervice in the miniftry of the gospel, he renounces all worldly prospects, and fets at defiance every thing that might diftract his attention, or divide his care: "God forbid that I fhould "glory, fave in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift, by whom "the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world."

III. I proceed now, in the last place, to make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid. And as, upon this interesting subject, it is neceffary that I fhould fpeak with all ferioufnefs and fidelity, as well as at fome length, fo I moft earnestly befeech you, as you regard your prefent peace, your comfort in the hour of death, and the everlasting happiness of your fouls, to hear it with atten. tion and application.

1. I must take the opportunity to reprove the fin, and fhew the danger of those who are wedded to the world. I would willingly interrupt that comfort, and break that peace, which will end in perdition. For this purpose, and in order to make the reproof more diftinct and effectual, I fhall direct it feparately to the three following characters.

(1) To thofe whofe love of the world is so great, that they fcruple not to ufe, occafionally at leaft, if not habitually, finful means of getting or keeping poffeffion of it. This indeed opens to us a very extenfive field: it leads us to confider all the particular fins which an inordinate love of the world may produce, or increase. It is melancholy, my brethren, to think what contention and variance, nay what hatred and violence, even amongst the nearest relations, the divifion of worldly property occafions. What envy and grudging, what flander and evil-speaking, between perfon and perfon, between family and family! And even in the ordinary way of traffick, what art and diffimulation, what falfehood and equivocation, are to be found between man and man! But what I have chiefly in view is, to speak a few words to thofe who, in order to promote their worldly ends, have been guilty of direct difhonefty, and known injuftice. How many are there whofe confciences, if they would be faithful, must tell them, that they are now in poffeffion of the fruits of unlawful gain! Oh! the blindness of those deluded unhappy fouls! if an inordinate love of the world, however honeftly acquired, is not only finful, but defiractive of your eternal intereft; what fhall become of those who have trodden under foot the laws both of God and man, in order to obtain it? If an exceffive love of the most lawful

enjoyments, father and mother, wife and children, is inconfiftent with falvation; what muft become of thofe who have loved and followed the gain of unrighteoufnefs? what muft become of thofe who, to clothe their backs or feed their bellies, or gratify their pride, have not fcrupled to be guilty of breach of truft, or breach of promife, of open oppreffion, or fecret fraud? If every poor worldling must. ftand trembling upon the brink of eternity, when he fees all his painted fhadows ready to fink into everlafting darknefs; what horror must seize upon the dying finner, who is just about to surrender all his dear poffeffions to another, while his confcience is loaded with the guilt of fraud or perjury? and this he cannot leave behind him. Oh! my dear brethren, tremble at the thoughts of difhoneft gain; loathe it; return it; fhake your hands clear of it. It will imbitter your enjoyments: it will be a moth in your fubftance, a fire in your confciences on earth, and a hell to your fouls after the earth itself, and all that is therein, is burnt up.

(2) I would addrefs this reproof to thofe who are appa. rently more decent and regular; whom a fenfe of honor, or a defire of approbation of their fellow-creatures, preferves from groffer crimes, or whom perhaps natural conscience perfuades to take up the outward and ordinary part of religion as a form. Many fuch perfons are wedded to the world. Their thoughts are there, their delights are there, their hopes and expectations are only there. Bear with me, my brethren, in prefling this a little; and do not turn away, and refufe the charge. Worldliness is the reigning fin, and will be the eternal ruin of many perfons of better rank, to whofe converfation, a more liberal way of thinking, and a fenfe of decency, may give even an amiable appearance. I would befeech the attention of fuch perfons to what fhall now be faid; not from any disrespect to their state and fituation in civil life, God knoweth but from fidelity to their fouls. Confider, I pray you, the extreme danger of worldlinefs of mind. It is itself a great and aggravated fin, and is the parent of many others. It is a fin, where it hath dominion, inconfiftent with falvation. Here the words of the Lord Jesus :