It has not been à light concern to them, that he endured agonies, that he was rejected, reviled, fcourged and flain. He who fuffered these things was their best friend, their beloved Lord, and he fuffered for their fakes.In the glafs of his word, and by the light of his holy Spirit, he has been fet forth as cru-* cified before their eyes. And they have been crucified with him, and have had fellowship with him in his death. From hence they derive their indignation against fin, and their indifference to the world, which treated him thus. But now he is no more a man of forrows; his head, which was once crowned with thorns, is now crowned with glory; his face, which was defiled with spittle, shines like the fun; his hands, which were manacled, wield the fceptre of universal government; and, instead of being furrounded by infulting men, he is now encircled by adoring angels. Therefore they rejoice with joy unfpeakable, expecting foon to fee him as he is, and to be with him for ever, according to the gracious promises he has made them, and the tenor of his prevailing interceffion for them.

2. What

2. What an honour does his exaltation and glory, reflect upon his faithful followers ? The world that rejected him pays little regard to them. They are flighted, or scorned, or pitied, and, in proportion as they manifeft his fpirit, experience a degree of the treatment which he met with. They are accounted vifionaries or hypocrites. Many of them are great fufferers. And few of them, comparatively, are diftinguished among men by abilities, influence or wealth. They are pilgrims and ftrangers upon earth. Yet this God is their God. He who is worshipped by angels is not ashamed to call them brethren *. They are nearly related to him who fitteth upon the throne. And he is pleased to account them his portion, and his jewels. It doth not yet appear what they fhall be. But the day is coming when their mourning shall be ended, their characters vindicated, and they shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Lord. They shall ftand before him with confidence, and not be ashamed when he appears. Then fhall the difference between the righteous and the wicked be clearly difcerned. In that day the

Heb. ii. II

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righteous fhall fay, Lo, this is our God, we bave waited for him, and he will fave us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his falvation *. While the others, however once admired or feared by mortals, the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, no less than those of inferior rank, fhall tremble, fhall with in vain to conceal themselves, and shall fay to the mountains and rocks fall on us, and bide us from the face of him that fitteth upon the throne, for the great day of his wrath is come . In that hour, the striking defcription in the book of Wisdom (which, though apocryphal, is in this paffage quite confonant with the declarations of authentic fcripture) will affuredly be realized. Then fhall the righteous man ftand in great boldness before the face of fuch as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labours. When they fee it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and fhall be amazed at the ftrangeness of his falvation, fo far beyond all that they looked for. And they repenting, and groaning for anguish of fpirit, fhall fay within themselves, This was * Ifa. XXV. 9. + Rev. vi. 15, 16.

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he whom we had fometimes in derifion, and a proverb of reproach. We fools counted his life madness, and his end to be without honour. How is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the faints * !

3. We may well admire the condefcenfion of this great King, who humbleth himself even to notice the worship of heaven; that he should look upon the worship of finful men with acceptance, and permit fuch worms as we are to take his holy name upon our polluted lips. If we know ourselves, we must be confcious of fuch defects and defilement attending our beft fervices, as are fufficient to affect us with fhame and humiliation. What wanderings of imagination, what rifings of evil thoughts, what unavoidable though unallowed workings of self-complacence, mingle with our prayers and praises, and difturb us in our fecret retirements, in the public affembly, and even at the table of the Lord! I hope we know enough of this, to be sensible that we need forgiveness, not only for our pofitive tranfgreffions of his will, but for our fincereft, warmeft, and most enlarged attempts to render him the glory

* Wild. v. 1-5;

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due to his name! Yet we are incompetent and partial judges of ourselves; we know but little of the evil of our own hearts, and have but a flight fenfe of the malignity of that evil which is within our obfervation, But the Lord fearches the heart and the reins, to him all things are naked, without covering, open without concealment. He underftandeth our thoughts afar off, and beholdeth us exactly as we are. Our diflike of fin, is proportionable to our attainments in holiness, which are exceedingly fhort of the ftandard. But he is infinitely holy, and therefore evil is unspeakably hateful to him.

*

-How vile and abominable therefore must our fins appear in his view! Indeed, if he was strict to mark what is amifs, we could not stand a moment before him. Nor would it be agreeable to his majesty and purity to accept any services or prayers at our hands, if we prefumed to offer them in our own name. But now there is an atonement provided, and a way of accefs to a throne of grace, fprinkled with the blood which speaketh better things than the blood of Abel, Now that we have an Advocate, Interceffor, and High Prieft, to bear the iniquity of our * Heb. iv. 13.

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