impreffions of the fpeedy approach of natural death, who are filled with concern for their own deliverance from the power of the fecond death.

2. The crofs of Chrift crucifies the world to a believer, as it fhews him how little he deferves at the hand of God. Believers on the cross of Chrift fee him fanding in their room, and bearing the wrath of an offended God, which was their due. When this is not only profeffed with the mouth, but received into the heart, it gives a deep conviction of the evil of fin, and lays the finner proftrate in humility and felf-abafement. Muft not this greatly weaken and mortify all worldly affection, which takes its rife from pride and felf-fufficiency? It is, if I may speak fo, a fort of claim and demand upon Providence, as if fomething were due to us. Worldly perfons, in profperity, not only cleave to the world as their portion, but may be said to affert their title to it as their property. The fame inward difpofition may be difcovered by their carriage in the oppofite ftate.. When their schemes are broken, and their hopes blafted, by repeated disappointments, or when their poffeffions are taken from them by unexpected ftrokes, they relift and rebel with impatience and indignation, as if fome perfon had done them wrong.

But when men are fenfible that they deferve nothing at the hand of God, this mortifies their earthly defires, and puts their complaints to filence. See how Job expreffes himself after all his calamities, as fenfible that he had loft nothing of his own, chap. i. 21. "Naked came I out of

my mother's womb, and naked fhall I return thither; "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; bleffed "be the name of the Lord." Let me fpeak of this, my brethren, as a gracious difpofition, which, alas! is too often but weak, yet furely hath place in the heart of every child of God. Let me fuppofe him convinced, that he is unworthy of the leaft of all God's mercies; will he not keep his poffeffions the more loosely, and will he not quit his hold the more eafily? But where fhall we learn real felf-abalement fo well as from the crofs? where fhall we learn how little we deferve that is good, fo well as in that place which fhews we have indeed deferved every thing

that is evil? where fhall we learn to make moderate de mands of created mercies, but where we fee, that not only the creature, but life itself, was forfeited by our guilt? Let me fuppofe a condemned criminal carried, with ma ny others, to a fcaffold, there receiving a pardon, and witneffing, in the execution of others, what was the fentence of the law upon himfelf; will he, at this inflant, think you, be impatient or thankful? Will he be jealous of the honor or refpect paid to him? will he quarrel about the dignity or convenience of the place affigned to him ? No furely. Loft in the confideration of the fate he has escaped, and the favor he has received, he will pay little regard to matters of fmall comparative importance. Juft fo the Chriftian, placed by faith at the foot of the cross, deeply moved by a difcovery of the wrath of God, which he had deserved to fuffer to eternity, and taking an immediate view of what his Redeemer fuffered to deliver him from it, will be little thoughtful of the world, or any of its enjoyments.

3. The crofs of Chrift crucifies the world, by reverfing all worldly maxims, and fhewing of how light eftimation worldly greatness is in the fight of God. So long as worldly maxims prevail, and worldly greatnefs is in high efteem, the cross of Chrift is a defpifed object. But fo foon as this object acquires bulk and value in the believ er's eye, by being taken for what it really is, the world is difgraced in its turn. It pleafed God, in his infinite wif dom, for the falvation of finners, to fend his own Son into the world, in the human nature and as it was in itfelf a deep ftep of humiliation, for the Son of God to be found in fashion as a man; fo, even in this affumed nature, he was attended with every circumftance of mean. nels and bafenefs. No retinue of illuftrious minifters to ferve him; no fplendid or elegant apartment to receive him; but born of a mean woman, brought forth in a ftable, and laid in a manger. Memorable and inftructive history indeed! which fhall never be forgotten where the gofpel is preached. to the end of time.

Remeniber, my beloved hearers, though divine fweetnefs and benignity adorned his carriage, though divine

H

power and energy attended his ministrations; yet pover ty, flander, and contempt were his continual portion; so that he could fay, in the language of the prophet, "Re"proach hath broken my heart:" and again," The foxes. "have holes, and the birds of the air have nefis; but the "Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Some of the ancients have reprefented the Saviour as of extraordinary beauty of countenance and comelinefs of form, founded perhaps on a literal interpretation of that expreffion in the Pfalmift, Pfal. xlv. 2. "Thou art fairer than the chil"dren 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 correfpond 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 aftonied at thee; (his vifage was fo "marred more than any man, and his form more than the "fons of men);" as also, chap. liii. 2. "For he fhall grow "up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a "dry ground: he hath no form nor comelinefs: and when "we shall see him, there is no beauty that we fhould de"fire him." Whatever be in this, it is beyond all quef tion, that the whole courfe of his life, and particularly the remarkable conclufion of it, was one continued tract of fuffering and mortification.

Does not this, Christians, bring a reproach upon worldly greatness, and ftain the pride of all human glory? Does it not show 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 fuffering ftate? With what propriety does the Christian, 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 flate of our Redeemer, in the days of his flefh, make you patient under contempt, and extinguifh the defire of applaufe? Have you any remaining uneafinefs at feeing others getting before you in the career of ambition, over

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topping you with titles, eclipfing you with fplendor? Do you not now fee the propriety of the account given of the carriage of the apostles, when the world and they were at variance, Acts v. 41. "And they departed from the pre"fence 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? Whereever there is a real Chriftian 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 should abuse his influence, of mifapply his talents? The highest honor of real ability is usefulness, the brightest ornament of worldly greatness is self-abasement. All this fhews, in the clearest manner, how the cross of Chrift crucifies the world, by reverfing 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 crofs 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 muft comparatively weaken or deftroy the intereft of others, efpecially thofe 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 everlafting happinefs in his prefence hereafter. Can any worldly ob ject be laid in the balance with these? What efteem 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 improving our views of and increafing our affection to both. It fhews the infinite importance of eternity and its confe quences 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 those 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 meafure, 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 cross of Christ 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 fpeak 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 fpirit 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 aç"cufation, I restore him fourfold." In how firong a manner does the apostle Paul express his comparative esteem of the cross of Christ! 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 excelแ lency 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 exprefices in the text; and it differs no otherwife from that of every Chriltian, than that it is probable he had a particular view to his calling as a minifler and an apoftle. Captivated with a fenfe of his Redeemer's love, filled with a view of the glory of his cross, and devoted to his fervice in the miniftry of the gospel, he renounces all worldly profpects, 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." 4 C

VOL. I.