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"Chrift!"-Adore and apply the riches of divine grace. Let the convinced, fearful, trembling finner, fly to this atoning blood, reft his hope upon it, and be fecure.-And neglect not to use the cross of Chrift for mortifying your corruptions. Let your views of it now be lively and ftrong, and carry the fame impreffion away, to be your great prefervative from daily temptation. Make no image of the cross in your houses; but let the remembrance of it be ever on your hearts. One lively view of this great object will cool the flames of unclean luft: one lively view of this great object will make the unjust man quit his hold: one lively view of this tremendous object will make the angry man drop his weapon: nay, one look of mercy from a dying Saviour will make even the covetous man open his heart. In one word, believing views of the cross of Chrift will unite the Chriftian more and more to a reconciled God, will make his prefence comfortable, his worship delightful, and excite a humble longing for that time when we shall fee him no more through the help of thefe elements, but as he is in himself, exalted on his throne, where his worship and service are everlafting.

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GALATIANS vi. 14. laft clause.

By whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world.

HE character of a fervant of God is fometimes defcribed in fcripture by particular difpofitions or inftances of obedience, and fometimes by a general view of the spirit that runs through the whole of his temper and carriage. Each of these ways has its own advantage and ufe. Each of them is to be found in its proper order in the holy fcriptures, and stands there as a proof of their fulness and perfection. The whole of this paffage, but particularly the laft claufe, upon which I am now to infift, is of the general kind, and, in the apoftle's own example, gives us a very comprehenfive view of what ought to be the temper and difpofition of every real Chriftian; "By "whom," that is, by Chrift crucified, or, by which,' that is to fay, by the crofs of Chrift, "the world is cruci"fied unto me, and I unto the world."

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This description will ferve, if carefully attended to, as a trial and touchftone of fincerity: and, in particular, will ferve to distinguish real religion from fome of its most deceitful and plausible counterfeits. At the fame time, it will furnish the fincere Chriftian with very important di rections for his prefervation and improvement, by pr

ing out the most fatal and dangerous rocks of temptation, which it is his intereft to avoid. Having explained the words in my difcourfe upon the former part of the verse, I now only obferve, that the propofition contained in them is "That the world is crucified to the believer, and he to "the world, by the cross of Chrift." This naturally refolves itself into two parts, which I propofe to confider diftinctly, viz.

I. What is the import of a believer's being crucified to the world, and the world to him.

II. What influence the crofs of Chrift hath in producing this effect. Having done this, I will,

III. Make a practical improvement of the fubject.

I. FIRST, then, we are to confider the import of a believer's being crucified to the world, and the world to him. This seems to deserve the greater attention, that through the whole New Testament, there is a direct oppofition ftated between the world and the difciples of Christ; an oppofition of character, an oppofition of intereft, and a continual conflict in confequence of both; John xv. 18, 19. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me "before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world "would love his own; but becaufe ye are not of the world, "but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the "world hateth you." In this paffage the world feems to be taken chiefly for the men of the world, or its inhabi

It is, however, taken in a more extenfive fenfe in the two following: 1 John ii. 15. "Love not the world, "neither the things that are in the world. If any man "love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John v. 4. "For whatsoever is born of God, overcometh "the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the "world, even our faith." Here, no doubt, it fignifies not only men, and our hopes or fears from them, but every thing in the prefent life that may be the object of carnal affection, of finful or undutiful attachment.

The expreffion in the text, "The world is crucified to "me" is figurative; but abundantly plain, and exceedingly ftrong. It might be confidered very extenfively,

and feveral things upon it may probably afterwards occur. Let it fuffice at prefent to make two obfervations. 1. This intimates the fincerity and heartinefs of the believer's oppofition to the world. It must be remembered, that crucifixion was a death the most painful and difgraceful that could poffibly be inflicted. When this image therefore, is borrowed, and applied to the believer's feparation from the world, it implies not only an indifference to it, but the most fovereign contempt of it, from the deepest and strongest conviction of its abfolute vanity. Nay, as no perfons were crucified, but who were hated as well as defpifed by their judges, to be crucified to the world, implies an unfeigned abhorrence of its pollution, and a dread of being enflaved by it.

2. The fame thing intimates the perpetuity and fixednefs of the Christian's oppofition to the world. Those who were crucified were devoted to deftruction, when they were nailed to the tree; they were not only tormented for a feafon, but fixed there till death concluded the fcene: fo I apprehend the apostle intended to fignify, by this expreffion, his final feparation from the world, without the leaft hope or defire of ever returning to it.

After taking this fhort and general view of the import of the expreffion, it will be neceffary more diftinctly and fully to confider what is implied in being crucified to the world. This ought to be done with the greater care, that it is at once an important and difficult duty. To be truly crucified to the world, I am afraid is exceeding rare; and even those who are fo in fincerity, upon the whole, are far from being fo in the degree that they ought to be. The punishment of crucifixion is a strong image, in one particular, of the believer's character. Though it was certain death, it was flow and lingering; fo worldliness, in many perfons, continues long vigorous, and dies very flowly.

There is another reafon for treating this fubject with care, that men are very apt to confider fuch expreffions as extravagant, and carrying matters an unreasonable length. Miftaking the nature of the duty, they are neither concerned themselves to practise it, nor will they allow that

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