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In the fecond place, We are to glory in the cross of Christ, by giving his death that rank in our eftimation, and that place in our affections, which its importance requires.

When we glory in any thing to an extraordinary degree, we prefer it to all others, we give it the chief place in our heart, and reft our happiness in a great measure upon it. And thus it becomes us to glory in the cross of Chrift; thus it becomes us to prefer it to all things, to give it the highest place in our heart, and to reft our eternal happiness on it alone. The manifeftation of the Son of God is, in all regards, the most wonderful of the divine works, and to us in particular is the most important event that diftinguishes the annals of time. His death upon the cross was the most splendid part of his mediatorial office; the most illuftrious inftance of his love to men, and the moft meritorious act of his obedience to God. By his death, the wrath of God was averted from the world, and the atonement requifite for the fins of men was made. By his death the glories of the Godhead fhone out with new luftre, the majesty of the moral law was not only sustained, but rendered illustrious, and a dignity was reflected on virtue which it had never known before. To his death we are indebted for the pardon of our fins, for adoption into the family of Heaven, and for our hopes of a happy immortality in the future world. His death upon the crofs quenched the fire of hell, and fet open the gate of heaven for a repenting world to enter in.

In the cross of Chrift, therefore, we do not glory aright, if we admire only the circle of virtue which fhone out in his fuffering ftate; if we admire only

the patience with which he fubmitted to all the appointments of Providence, the fortitude with which he encountered all the dangers of life, the magnanimity which induced him to forgive his enemies, the charity which prompted him to pray for those who had bound him to the accurfed tree, and that noble principle of love to mankind, the spring of all his undertakings as our Redeemer. This merit we must do more than admire; upon it we must rest as the ground of our acceptance with God, and the foundation of our title to eternal life. The blessed above ascribe their falvation not to their own righteousness, but to the merits of their Redeemer; "Unto him "that loved us," is the ftrain of their fong, " Unto "him that loved us unto the death, and washed us " from our fins in his own blood, be praise and honor and bleffing." "These are they," faid the angel to the Apoftle John, "who have come out "of great tribulation; they have washed their robes, "and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, "therefore are they before the throne."

Our virtues are infufficient to procure our acceptance with God, or merit a title to happiness in the life to come. Even man, in his ftate of innocence, could not pretend to have merit with his Creator. By the law of his nature he was bound to render obedience to that God from whom he received his being, and to whom he owed his preservation. The moral law was the law of his being. When he had done his beft, he did no more than was his duty. If man, then, in a state of innocence, could not claim the crown of heavenly glory, as the reward of perfonal merit, fhall man in a ftate of guilt pretend to have

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merit with a holy God, with whom evil cannot dwell, and who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity? Suppofing the day of judgment arrived, where is the man that durft face the tribunal of the Almighty, and demand one of the thrones of heaven upon the footing of personal righteousness? The most arrogant prefumption durft not aspire fo high. But, bleffed be God, that though we are unworthy, yet worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive bleffing, and honor, and praise, because he hath redeemed us by his blood, and hath given us a right to fit down with him upon his throne. To fallen man the cross is the tree of life; there grow the fruits which are for the healing of the nations; fruits, which if we take and eat, we shall live for ever.

In the third place, We are to glory in the cross of Chrift, by commemorating his death in the holy facrament.

Those events in which a nation glories the most, those events which reftored or fecured to them their liberties, from which they begin an æra of happy time, are commemorated with a laudable spirit of joy. A day is fet apart, that the memory of fuch glorious deeds may be tranfmitted down to pofterity, and that the names of thofe who diftinguished themselves on the occafion, as patriots or as heroes, may receive a just tribute of praise from all fucceeding times. Agreeably to this, the Christian church hath in all ages fet apart certain times to keep in remembrance this most important event, the death and paffion of our Redeemer. It was the commandment of our Lord himself; it was his commandment, given in that night in which he was betray

ed; it was his laft commandment to his difciples, "Do this in remembrance of me." And furely the disciple who loves his Lord, will be cautious how he difregards his dying charge. There are, indeed, persons in the world, who bear the Christian name, and who, notwithstanding, never join in this folemn ordinance. Although they were baptifed into the faith of Jefus, and have never publicly renounced Christianity, yet, instead of glorying in the crofs, they seem to be afhamed of it, and teftify plainly to the world, that they pay no regard to the dying charge of their Lord, and that they would blush to be seen at a communion-table. How fuch persons can reconcile their conduct to any fenfe of duty, to any idea of Chriftianity, is beyond my capacity to discover. Sure I am, if they have any confcience, if they have any reflection, if they have any feeling at all, it will interrupt their peace of mind in life, it will shut up the chief avenues to comfort in their last moments, and prevent that tranquillity and fulnefs of joy which is then the portion of the Chrif tian, to think that they have lived in the wilful neglect and contempt of an exprefs injunction of their Lord, and may have, in fome degree, incurred the guilt of those whom the apoftle declares to have trodden under foot the Son of God, and to have counted the blood of the covenant wherewith they might have been sanctified, an unholy thing.

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You fay you are unfit to approach the table of the Lord. Let me ask you, Are you fit to die? Do you think it more folemn, more awful, to witness a good confeffion at these tables, than to appear before the judgment-feat of God? Do you think, that they

ought to be received to the fociety of the bleffed above, who never joined themselves to the commu nion of the faints below? Do you think that Jefus will admit thofe to fit down with him on his throne in heaven, who were ashamed to fit down with him at his table on earth? What is, then, I befeech you, in the holy facrament, to banish any decent and good man from these tables? We fit down at the table of the Lord, to give thanks unto God for his ineftimable love in the redemption of the world; to exprefs our regard and gratitude to our Redeemer, who loved us unto the death; to unite ourfelves to all the faithful and the good, as being members of the fame body, and to bind ourselves by folemn vows to the practice of whatever is amiable and excellent and praife-worthy. And if there be any man fo void of gratitude and love to God his Creator, and to Jefus Chrift his Redeemer, as to be averfe to acknowledge the favours he has received; if there be any man fo dead to the feelings of the heart, to benevolence and love, as to have no bowels of love for his brethren of mankind; if there be any man fo loft to the sense of virtue, and to the beauty of holiness, as to fee no charms, to feel no attractions, in those things which are lovely, and pure, and honest, and of good report; then, indeed, he is unfit to fit down at the table of the Lord, he has neither portion nor lot in this matter; he is alfo unfit to join with Christians in any religious duty; nay, he is unfit to perform a decent part as a member of civil society.

I address these things to thofe who abfent themfelves from this ordinance, from a wilful difregard. To those who are restrained by their unhappy fears

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