dom of fqeech, in which he excels "how that "not many wife men after the fleth, not many 66 mighty, not many noble are called; but God "hath chofen the foolish things of the world to "confound the wife; and God hath chosen the "weak things of the world to confound the things "which are mighty; and the base things of "the world and the things which are despised "hath he chofen, yea, and the things which are not, to bring to nought the things that are." 1 Cor. i. 26. And to what end did he thus order matters in the propagation of his gospel? Even to this (as it follows)" that no flesh should glory in his prefence," but that "he who glorieth might glory in the Lord;" might value himself upon being a ferious fincere Christian, and upon nothing befides it.

46

Indeed it is enough to difparage all the fine fhews and appearances of this life, and to render us indifferent to all the charms of It, if we do but attentively confider that complete inftance of fuffering greatnefs and goodnefs, on which our faith and devotion ought this day to be employed. For onthis day they were all together with "the hand-writing of ordinances" Col. ii. 14. (the ceremonious obfervances of the law), blotted out, fullied, and defaced, and nailed by Chrift to his crofs, as the fcripture fpeaks; on which when he was lifted up, he did there crucify the world, and the things of is, eclipte the lustre, and deftroy the power, of all its empty vanities. Behold then our high-prieft, offering up the great facrifice required for the redemption of fouls! pouring out his blood on the altar of his cross, and N 2 there

thereby making an atonement for the fins of the whole world! Behold him, I fay, by the eye of faith, and you will acknowledge, that though there was never any fpectacle fo fad, yet neither was there ever any fo glorious, or fo worthy of being contemplated and admired by men and angels. Stript indeed he was of all outward comfort and fupports; furrounded he was with every thing that to human nature was grievous and yet, even in this depth of his humiliation, if we confider the mighty work he was accomplishing, we cannot but defpife all the vain pomps of life, in comparison of the fplendor of his fufferings. For then, even then, while he was hung on the crofs, was the great. captain of our falvation fighting our battles, and fubduing our enemies; then was he "leading captivity captive, fpoiling principalities and pow ers, making a fhew of them openly, and triumphing over them in himfelf;" Eph. iv. 8. Col. ii. 15. Then was he vanquishing death by his death, and opening for us a gate to life and immortality: Then, was he difarming fin of its fting, and hell. of its terrors; and procuring for us thofe fupplies: of grace, which might enable us to withstand the temptations of fenfe, and the wiles of the devil.

Surely the vain glories of this world, when compared with these real triumphs of the cross of: Chrift, muft lofe all their force and influence, and grow flat and infignificant in the eyes of a good Chriftian. Can we look up to him that was pierced, fee him ftretched on his crofs, enduring the pain, defpifing the fhame of it, and not look down with neglect and contempt on that fcene of fin and vanity which occationed thofe fufferings? Is it

poffible

poffible for us to " love the world, and the things that are in the world," 1 John ii. 15. while our eyes are fixed on him, who gave himself for fins, that he might deliver us from this prefent evil world," Gol. i. 4. that is, on purpofe that he might free us from the enchanting power of its empty delights and vain allurements? Thefe he taught us, by his doctrine and by his practice, by: his life and by his death, to undervalue; her chofe to be without them, and the perfection of his virtue confifted in overlooking and despifing them. We therefore, who profefs to be his fol lowers, muft certainly degenerate very far from that profeffion, when we eagerly purfue, greedily enjoy, and highly admire them,

Beloved, this our glorying is not good. I Cor. v. 6. But,

H. Secondly, It highly becomes us to "glory in the cross of Cerift," as I proposed in the second place to fhew. For fince by the alone merits of his cross we gain all the advantages of the Chrif tian difpenfation, are reconciled to God, and made capable of heaven and happiness, we can.... not but glory in that crofs, if indeed we value> ourselves upon our being Christians.

The cross of Chrift is the doctrine, to which all the other doctrines of the gofpel refer, and from which they derive all the efficacy and influence they have, towards purging our confciences from dead works; and therefore in that fingle article they are often all of them fummed up and comprized. "We preach Chrift crucified," fays St. Paul; 1 Cor. i. 23. as if that, and that alone,

were

were the fubject of all he wrote, and all he spoke : And again, "I determined to know nothing but Chrift, and him crucified;" 1 Cor. ii. 2. as if that were the great point of faving knowledge, to which those who learn, or who teach the religion of Chrift, fhould altogether apply themselves. Can we look upon it, under this view, and refrain from glorying in it? To this article of our faith the enemies of the gofpel have always taken the greatest exceptions; and in this therefore we ought to triumph moft, as being, fecure against their attacks, and defpifing their own objections and reafonings. The first preachers of our faith muft, in this cafe, be our patterns. They knew that "Chrift crucified" was "to the Jews a ftumbling-block;" Cor. i. 22. but did they therefore diffemble the fcandal of the crois for that very reafon? No! they boafted of it, they infifted upon it in all their applications to the unbelieving Jews, recorded in the Acts; [ Acts x. 39.] particularly Saint Peter omits no occafion of mentioning to them him "whom they flew, and hanged on a tree;" as an high reproach to his murderers indeed, but none at all to his difciples and followers.

Very fitly therefore has the church of England appointed that, after we have been "received "into the congregation of Christ's flock by bap"tifm, we fhould be figned with the fign of the "crofs, in token (as the speaks) that we should "not hearafter be afhamed to confefs the faith "of Christ crucified, but fhould manfully fight "under his banner againft fin, the world, and "the devil, and continue Chrift's faithful foldi

" ers

66 ers and fervants to our lives ends." A ceremony, whatever fault may have been found with it, is certainly very ancient, very innocent, and very fignificant too; as it fitly admonishes us, throughout the whole courfe of our Chriftian warfare, to look upon the crofs of Chrift as the proper badge of our profeffion, which we ought not to be afhamed, or afraid to own, whenever he, in whose service we are lifted, fhall call upon us to take it up, and follow him. But to proceed, I am to fhew.

Thirdly, by what methods, and in oppofition to what enemies of the cross of Chrift, we are obliged to glory in it.

1. Now the first step requifite towards our complying with this obligation is, frequently to meditate on the fufferings and death of Christ. We glory in nothing but what we esteem and value; and what we value much, we fhall be apt often and attentively to confider. We fhould therefore revolve often in our thoughts this great mystery of godliness, God manifeft in the

flefh, dying on the cross, to deftroy the works "of the devil:" Tim. iii. 16. We fhould turn it on all fides, and confider it, as the proper subject of our awe and wonder, our joy and pleafure, our gratitude and love; 'till we have warmed our hearts with a lively fenfe of the inestimable benefits conferred on us by the means of it. This the oftener we do, the better: But we cannot, without inexcufable negligence, omit doing it on fuch a day as this, fet apart by the church on purpofe to commemorate the paffion of our Lord. If we