terror to stalk before them, and who signalized themselves by exploits more than buman. The Christian has been preceded, in his career, by patriarchs, by prophets, by apostles, by martyrs, by those multitudes of the redeemed, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, Rev. v. 9. Those holy men have been called to wage war, with sin, as we are, to subdue our passions ; to form in their inner man, as we are, piety, charity, patience, the habit and the practice of every virtue. The Christian has been preceded, in his career, by Jesus Christ himself, the author and the finisher of the faith. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race which is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, Heb.

xii. 1, 2.

The hero of this world sometimes derives his glory, from the brilliancy of his achievements. But who has greater exploits to glory in than the Christian can display? To shake off the yoke of prejudice, to despise the maxims of men, to resist flesh and blood, to subdue passion, to brave death, to suffer martyrdom, to remain unmoved amidst the convulsions of dissolving nature, and, in the very wreck of a laboring universe, to be able to apply those exceeding great and precious promises, which God has spoken by the mouth of the prophet, Isa. liv. 10. The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on

thee. These, these are the atchievements of the Christian.

The hero of this world sometimes derives his glory, fom the benefits which he has procured to others, from the blessings with which he has enriched his country, from the slaves whose chains he has burst asunder, from the monsters of which he has purged the earth. Who is, in such respects as these, a greater benefactor to society than the Christian? He is, at once, its bulwark, its light, and its model.

The hero of this world sometimes derives his glory, from the acclamations which his exploits excite, and from the magnificence of the recompence with which his merits are to be crowned. But whence proceed the acclamations which inflate his pride? Does it belong to venal souls, to courtiers, to hireling panegyrists? Does it belong to persons of this description to distribute commendation and applause? Have they any thing like the idea of true glory? Extend, Christian, extend thy meditations, up to the greatness of the Supreme Being! Think of that adorable Intelligence, who unites in his essence all that deserves the name of great! Contemplate the Divinity surrounded with angels, with archangels, with the seraphim! Listen to the concerts which those blessed spirits compose, to the glory of his name! Behold them penetrated, ravished, transported with the divine beauties which are disclosed to their view; employing eternity in celebrating their excellency, and crying aloud, day and night, Holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory, Isa. vi. 3. Amen: blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever! Amen. Rev. vii. 12, Great and mar

vellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty! just and true are thy ways, thou king of saints! Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name! for thou only art holy, Rev. xv. 3, 4.

This Being, so worthy to be praised, and praised in a manner so worthy of him, he it is who has been preparing acclamations for the conquerors of the world. Yes, Christian combatant! after thou hast been treated as the filth of the world, and the offScouring of all things, 1 Cor. iv. 13. after thou shalt have mortified, subjected, crucified this flesh; after thou shalt have borne this cross, which was once to the Jews a stumbling block; and to the Greeks foolishness; and which is still to this day, foolishness and a stumbling block to those who ought to consider it as their highest glory to bear it; thou shalt be called forth in the presence of men and of angels; the great God shall distinguish thee amidst the innumerable company of the saints; he shall address thee in these words: Well done, good and faithful servant, Matt. xxv. 21. He will fulfil the promise which he this day is making to all who combat under the banner of the cross: To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, Rev. iii. 21.

Ah! glory of the hero of this world, profane panegyrics, inscriptions conceived in high swelling words of vanity, superb trophies, diadems, fitter to serve as an amusement to children, than to engage the attention of reasonable men! what have ye once to be compared with the acclamations, and with the crowns prepared for the Christian hero? I sacrifice, my brethren, to the standard prescribed to the duration of these exercises, the delicious meditations which this branch of my subject so copiously supplies; and all I farther request of you, is a moment's attention, while I endeavor to make

you sensible, that it is in the cross of Jesus Christ alone, we find every thing necessary to inspire these noble dispositions, in order to deduce this consequence, that in the cross of Jesus Christ alone the Christian must look for true glory; and in order to justify this sentiment of our apostle, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world! Under what aspect can you contemplate the cross of Christ, that does not dispose you to break off entirely with the world?

III. If we consider that cross in respect of its harmony with the whole contradiction which Jesus Christ endured upon earth, it has a powerful tendency to awaken in us the dispositions which St. Paul expresses, so as to say with him, the world is crucified unto me, and I am crucified unto the world. Our great Master finishes upon a cross, a life passed in contempt, in indigence, in mortification of the senses, in hunger, in thirst, in weariness, in separation from the world would it be becoming in a Christian to lull himself to sleep in the arms of indigence, to addict himself to the pleasures of sense, to suffer himself to be enchanted by the charms of voluptuousness, to breathe after nothing but ease, but convenience, but repose, but abundance? If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me, before it hated you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord, Jo. xv. 18, 20.

If we consider the cross of Christ, in relation to the sacrifice which is there offered up to divine justice, it has a powerful tendency to produce in us the dispositions expressed by St. Paul, so as to be able to say with him, The world is crucified unto

me, and I am crucified unto the world. That worldly life, those dissipations, those accumulated rebellions against the commands of heaven; that cupidity which engrosses us, and constitutes all our delight, in what is all this to terminate? Observe the tempests which it gathers around the head of those who give themselves up to criminal indulgence. Jesus Christ was perfectly exempt from sin, but he took ours upon himself, he bear them in his own body on the tree, 1 Pet. ii. 24 and it was for this end that he underwent, on that accursed tree, all those torments, which his divinity and his innocence enabled him to support, without sinking under the load. Behold in this, O sinner, the fearful doom which awaits thee. Yes, unless thou art crucified with Christ by faith, thou shalt be by the justice of God. And then all the fury of that justice shall be levelled at thy head, as it was at his. Then thou shalt be exposed, on a dying bed, to the dreadful conflicts which he endured in Gethsemane. Thou shalt shudder at the idea of that punishment which an avenging deity is preparing for thee. Thou shalt sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, when the eye is directed to the tribunal of justice, whither thou art going to be dragged. Nay more, thou shalt then be condemned to compensate, by the duration of thy punishment, what the weakness of thy nature renders thee incapable of supporting in respect of weight. Ages accumulated upon ages shall set no bounds to thy torments. Thou shalt be accursed of God through eternity, as Jesus Christ was in time: and that cross which thou refusedst to bear for a time, thou must bear for ever and ever.

If we consider the cross of Jesus Christ, with relation to the atrocious guilt of those who despise a sacrifice of such high value, we shall feel a powerful