SERM. XIII, ously bethink yourselves how the prefent state of your foul ftands, and how it is like to go with you for ever: here all found converfion begins, Pfal. cxix. 59.

Direct. 2. Confider feriously of that lamentable state, in which you came into the world; children of wrath by nature, under the curfe and condemnation of the law: fo that either your fiate must be changed, or you inevitably damned, John iii. 3.

Direct. 3. Confider the way and courfe you have taken fince you came into the world, proceeding from iniquity to iniquity. What command of God have you not violated a thousand times over? What fin is committed in the world, that you are not, one way or other, guilty of before God? How many fecret fins upon your score, unknown to the most intimate friend you have in the world? Either this guilt must be feparated from your fouls, or your fouls from God to all eternity.

Direct. 4. Think upon the fevere wrath of God due to every fin; 66 The wages of fin is death," Rom. vi, 23. And how into lerable the fulnefs of that wrath must be, when a few drops fprinkled upon the confcience in this world, is fo unfupportable, that hath made fome to chufe ftrangling, rather than life; and yet this wrath muft abide for ever upon you, if you get not intereft in Jefus Chrift, John iii. 36.

Direct. 5. Ponder well the happy ftate and condition they are in who have obtained pardon, and peace by Jefus Christ, Pfal. xxxii. 12. And feeing the grace of God is free, and you are fet under the means thereof; why may not you be as capable there of as others?

Direct. 6. Seriously confider the great uncertainty of your time, and precioufnefs of the opportunity of falvation, never to be recovered, when they are once paft, John ix. 4. let this pro voke you to lay hold upon thofe golden feasons whilft thy are yet with you; that you may not bewail your folly and madnes, when they are out of your reach.

Direct. 7. Affociate yourselves with ferious Chriftians; get into their acquaintance, and beg their affiftance; befeech them to pray for you; and fee that you reft not here, but be frequent. ly upon your knees, begging of the Lord a new heart, and a new ftate.

In conclufion of the whole, let me beferch and beg all the people of God, as upon my knees, to take heed, and beware, jeft by the carelefnefs and fcandal of their lives, they quench the weak defires beginning to kindle in the hearts of others. You know what the law of God awards for striking a woman with child, fo that her fruit go from her, Exod. xxi: 22, 23.

fhed not foul-blood, by stifling the hopeful defires of any after Christ.

Bleffed be God for Jefus Chrift, the defire of all nations.

********

SERMON

**

XIV.

Containing the fifth Motive to apply CHRIST, drawn from another excellent Title of CHRIST.

I COR. ii. 8. Which none of the princes of this world have known, for bad they known him, they would not bave crucified the Lord of glory.

IN

N this chapter, the apoftle difcourfes to the Corinthians, of the excellency of his miniftry, both to obviate the contempt which fome caft upon it for want of human ornaments, and to give the greater authority unto it among all: and whereas the fpiritual fimplicity of his miniftry laid it under the contempt of fome, he removes that several ways, by fhewing them,

Firft, That it was not fuitable to the defign and end of his miniftry, his aim being "to know nothing among them, fave Jefus Chrift, and him crucified," ver. 1, 2.

Secondly, Neither was it for the advantage of their fouls: it might indeed tickle their fancies, but could be no folid foundation to their faith and comfort, ver. 4, 5.

Thirdly, Though his discourses feemed jejune and dry to carnal hearers, yet they had a depth and excellency in them, which fpiritual and judicious Christians faw and acknowledged, ver. 6, 7.

Fourthly, Therefore this excellent wifdom which he preached far tranfcended all the natural witdom of this world; yea, the moft raised and improved understandings of those that were most renowned and admired in that age for wifdom, ver. 8. 66 which "none of the princes of this world knew."

In which words we have,

1. A negative proposition.

2. The proof of the propofition.

First, A negative propofition: None of the princes of this world knew that fpiritual wifdom which he taught. By princes of this world, or rather, principes feculi, the princes of that age, he means, as Cameron well notes, the learned Rabbi's, Scribes, and Pharifees, renowned for wisdom and learning a

SERM. XIV. mong them; and honoured, upon that account, as fo many princes: but he adds a diminutive term, which darkens all- glo. ry. They are but the princes of this world, utterly unacquainted with the wifdom of the other world. To which he adds,

Secondly, A clear and full proof; " For had they known it, "they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." In which words we find one of Chrift's glorious and royal titles, The Lord of glory upon which title will be my prefent difcourfe. The words being fitly rendered, and nothing of ambiguity in them, they give us this obfervation.

:

Doct. That Chrift crucified is the Lord of glory.

1

Great and excellent is the glory of Jefus Chrift, the fcriptures every where proclaim his glory; yea, we may observe a notable climax, or gradation, in those scriptures that speak of his glory. The prophet Ifaiah, fpeaking of him, calls him glorious; lla. iv. 2. In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious." John, fpeaking of his glory, rifes a step higher, and afcribeth to him a "glory, as of the only begotten Son of the "Father," John i. 14. i. e. a glory meet for, and becoming the Son of God: proper to him, and incommunicable to any other. The apostle James rifes yet higher, and doth not only call him glorious, or glorious as the only begotten of the Father; but the glory, James ii. 1. glory in the abftract; "My brethren, (faith

he), have not the faith of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the glory, "with respect of perfons ;" For the word Lord, which is in our tranflation, is a fupplement; Chrift is glory itself, yea, the glory emphatically fo ftiled; the glory of heaven; the glory of Sion; the glory of our fouls for ever. The author to the Hebrews goes yet higher, and calls him not fimply the glory, but "the "brightnefs of the Father's glory," Heb. i. 3. as though he fhould fay, the radiancy, sparkling, or beaming forth of his Fa ther's glory; the very fplendor, or refulgency of divine glory. O what a glorious Lord is our Lord Jefus Chrft! the bright, fparkling diamond of heaven; who fhines in glory there, above the glory of angels and faints, as the glory of the fun excels the leffer, twinkling ftars. When he appeared to Paul, Acts xxvi. 13. "I faw, faith he, a light from heaven above the bright"nefs of the fun, fhining round about me:" Needs must the glory of Chrift be unfpeakable, who reflects glory upon all that are with him, John xvii. 24. and stamps glory upon all that belong to him. His works on earth were glorious works, Luke xiii. 17. the purchased liberty of his people, a glorious liberty,

* Απαύγασμα της δόξης.

Rom. viii. 21. the church his myftical body, a glorious church, Eph. v. 27. the gospel which reveals him, is a glorious gospel, 1 Tim. i. II.

But, more particularly, let us confider the glory of Chrift, as it is distinguished into his, either,

1. Effential, or,

2. Mediatorial glory.

First, The effential glory of Chrift, which he hath as God from everlasting; which is unfpeakable and unconceivable glory: For (faith the apostle, Phil. ii. 6.)" He being in the form "of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God,” (i. e.) he had a peerage or equality with his Father in glory; John . 30. "I and my Father are one." And again, John xvi. 15. All things that the Father hath, are mine:" the fame name, the fame nature, the fame effential properties, the fame will, and the fame glory.

Secondly, The mediatorial glory of Chrift is exceeding great, This is proper to him, as the head of the church, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Of this glory the apoftle speaks, Phil. ii. 9, 10. "Wherefore God alfo hath exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name," &c. vñepu↓wot, exalted above all exaltation. Now the mediatorial glory of our Lord Jefus Chrift confifteth either,

66

ì.

1. In the fulness of grace inherent in him: or,

2. In the dignity and authority put upon him.

First, In the fulnels of grace inherent in him: The humanity of Chrift is filled with grace, as the fun with light: John 14. "Full of grace and truth." Never any creature was filled by the Spirit of grace, as the man Christ Jefus is filled; for "God gives not the Spirit to him by measure," John iii. 34. By reafon of this fulness of grace inherent in him, he is "faifer "than the children of men," Pfal. xlv. 2. excelling all the faints in fpiritual luftre and gracious excellencies.

Secondly, In the dignity and authority put upon him. He is crowned King in Sion; all power in heaven and earth is given unto him, Mat. xxviii. 18. he is a law-giver to the church, James iv. 12. all acts of worship are to be performed in his name; prayer, preaching, cenfures, facraments, all to be adminiftred in his name. Church-officers are commiffioned by him, Eph. iv. 11. The judgment of the world in the great day will be adminiftred by him; Mat. xxv. 31. "Then fhall "he fit upon the throne of his glory."

To conclude, Jefus Chrift fhall have glory and honour a VOL. II.

Y y

SERM. XIV. fcribed to him for evermore, by angels and faints, upon the account of his mediatorial work: this fome divines call his paffive glory, the glory which he is faid to receive from his redeemed ones. Rev. v. 8, 9, 10. "And when he had taken the book, "the four beafts, and the four and twenty elders, fell down be"fore the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden "vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the faints; and they fung a new fong, faying, Thou art worthy to take the "book, and to open the feals thereof: for thou waft flain, and "haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, "and tongue, and people, and nation," &c. And thus you fee, that our Lord Jefus Chrift is, upon all accounts, the Lord of glory. The ufes follow.

Inference 1.

How wonderful was the love of Chrift, the Lord of glory, to be fo abifed and humbled, as he was for us, vile and finful duft? It is aftonithing to conceive, that ever Jefus Chrift fhould ftrip himself of his robes of glory, to clothe himself with the mean garment of our flesh: O what a ftoop did he make, in his incarnation, for us! If the most magnificent monarch upon earth had been degraded into a toad; if the fun in the heavens had been turned into a wandering atom; if the most glorious angel in heaven had been transformed even into a fly; it had been nothing to the abafement of the Lord of glory. This act is every where celebrated in fcripture, as the great mystery, the aftonishing wonder of the whole world, 2 Tim. iii. 16. Phil. ii. 3. Rom. viii. 3. The Lord of glory looked not like himself, when he came in the habit of a man; Ifa. liii. 3. "We hid, as it were,

our faces from him :" Nay, rather like a worm, than a man; Pfal. xxii. 6. "A reproach of men, and defpifed of the people." The birds of the air, and beafts of the earth were here provided of better accomodations than the Lord of glory, Mat. viii, 20. Oftupendous abafement ! O love unspeakable! "Though "he was rich, yet for our fakes he became poor, that we through "his poverty might be rich," 2 Cor. viii. 9. He put off the crown of glory, to put on the crown of thorns: Quanto pro me vilior, tanto mihi charior, faid Bernard; The lower he humbled bimfelf for me, the dearer he fhall be to me.

Infer. 2. How transcendently glorious is the advancement of believers, by their union with the Lord of glory! This, alfo, is an admirable and aftonishing mystery; it is the highest dignity of which our nature is capable, to be hypoftatically united; and the greatest glory of which our perfons are capable, to be myfiically united to this Lord of glory; to be bone of his