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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. Christ upon a cross, Chrift upon a throne, Christ 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 expreffions of gratitude and attachment, which are unfpeakably fweet and ravishing to a ferious foul, appear to them in the light of enthusiasm and visionary 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 fharing with their Redeemer himfelf 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 apostle, between a believer's underftanding 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 66 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."

4. In the last place, From what has been faid, learn what is your most 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 manifested in the flesh." Think on this awful proof of divine juftice 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 yourfelves: and as you are now to commemorate his death, with a view to his fecond coming, think on that " day of salva"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 shall be more fully discovered; 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 mediatorial kingdom itfelf 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.

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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 subject 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 moft opposite and feemingly inconfiftent that can poffibly be conceived? the union of the moft diftant extremes of ftrength and weakness, glory and bafeness, honor and fhame?

In a fort of correfpondence and analogy to this great fubject itself, nothing can be more oppofite than the sentiments 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 bafenefs that is fhameful and contemptible. The Apostle

Paul often takes notice of this, that it was "to the Jews a "ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness;" and he often difcovers his own inviolable attachment to his Saviour, by an open profeffion of efteem for those circumftances in his character and appearance which a blinded world were most 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 cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift."

By the crofs of Chrift, in the New Teftament, we are fometimes to understand the sufferings of believers for Christ's fake; but more commonly, and I think, evidently in this place, it fignifies his humiliation in general, and particularly his crucifixion, to which circumstance our attention is directed, because it was the most base and ignominious of the whole. In this the apostle fays he would glory nay, he expreffes his abhorrence at the thought of glorying in any thing elfe: "God forbid that I fhould "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 diftinguifh 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 propofe, through divine affiftance, 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 Christian 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 apoftle's glorying only in the Saviour's crofs. What is this object in which the apostle fays he would glory? Very wonderful indeed. It is, that Jefus of Nazareth, the fon of Mary, was subjected to a long life of forrow, reproach, and contempt: That towards the clofe of it, he was arrefted, accufed, condemned as a malefactor; and after innumerable and unfpeakable indignities, was at last

nailed to a crofs, an engine of torture of the most cruel and painful kind, and fo fhameful, that it was a manner of punishment appropriated to the most detefted criminals. of the baseft rank. What is there here to glory in? and what does the apoftle mean by this expreffion? It means,

1. That he had a high esteem of it, as an event of the greatest moment, and an object worthy of the highest regard. We do not glory in common things, but in things of peculiar dignity and worth. It was not then in his view merely what it seemed. He did not confider it, furely, as the execution of a criminal; but faid, with the centurion on Mount Calvary, Truly "this was a righteous man;" Truly this was "the Son of God." He confidered it as the effect of the infinite love of God, who fent his only begotten Son to die for our fins. He confidered it as an infinite price paid for the pardon of our offences, as the only way of deliverance from guilt, as the fure and certain pledge of peace to an awakened confcience. In this view, how does it rife in his esteem? While others are difpofed to fcorn, pitying their madness, he is constrained to worship and adore. Think of it, Chriftians, how dif ferent were the fentiments of his infulting enemies and his mourning difciples, when he hung upon the cross. The one confider him as a guilty fufferer, the other as a loving Saviour. The hearts of the one were boiling with hatred, or filled with contempt; the hearts of the other were fwallowed up in admiration, or melted with love,

2. The apoftle's glorying in the cross, implied his having a ftrong, though humble confidence of his own relation to and intereft in it. I think it is impoffible to fepa. rate this from our idea of the apoftle's meaning. We do not glory or boaft of any thing in which we have no con. cern. A man of great genius, or uncommon worth, I may admire and honor, merely for the eminent qualities of which he is poffeffed, and I may do him all justice by commendation; but I am never difpofed to glory in him, nor have I any title to do it unless he is fomehow related to me but if I add, that he is my child, or he is my bro. ther, I may be truly faid to glory in him, or to boast of him, because the honor that is given to him, is, in fome VOL. I.

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