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things that Christ hath done and suffered are with him light matters, things of no weight at all.

Unbelievers not only set little by the glory and excellency of Christ, but they set nothing by these things. Notwithstanding all the shows and pretences which many natural men make of respect to Christ, by speaking honorably of Christ in their prayers, and in their common conversation, and by coming to sacraments, and attending other ordinances of Christ; yet indeed they do not set so much by all the glory and excellency of Christ, either the glory of his person, or the glory of his work as a Saviour, as they do by the smallest earthly enjoyment.

I proceed now to mention some evidences of the truth of this doctrine.

1. They never give Christ any honor on the account of this his glory and excellency. They may, and often do pay Christ an external and seeming respect; but they do not honor Christ in their hearts. They have no exalting thoughts of Christ, no inward respect or reverence towards him; they have indeed no honorable, respectful thoughts of Christ. All their outward worship is only feigned; none of it arises from any real honor or respect in their hearts towards Christ. It is either only for fashion's sake, and in compliance with custom, or else it is forced, and is what they are driven to by fear, as we read, Psalm lxvi. 3. "Through the greatness of thy pow er shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee." In the original it is, shall thine enemies lie unto thee, i. e. yield a feigned obedience. Through the greatness of Christ's power, and for fear of his wrath, his enemies, who have no respect or honor for him in their hearts, will lie to him, and make a show of respect when they have none.

An unbeliever is not sensible that Christ is worthy of any glory, and therefore does not at all seek the glory of Christ in any thing that he does; he does nothing that he does in religion, out of respect to Christ's glory, but wholly for other

ends; which shows that he sees not Christ to be worthy of any glory. Christ is set last and lowest in the heart of an unbeliever. He has high thoughts of other things; he has high thoughts of creature objects and earthly enjoyments, but mean and low thoughts of Christ. He has more honorable thoughts of that which is but mere dirt and dung, than he has of Jesus Christ.

The unbeliever shows the mean and contemptible thoughts that he has of Christ, in refusing to accept of him, and in shutting the door of his heart against him. Christ stands at the door and knocks, and sometimes stands many years knocking at the door of his heart, and he refuses to open to him. Now it certainly shows that mer. have a very mean thought of a person, when they shut him out of their doors. Unbelievers show the mean and dishonorable thoughts they have of Christ, in that they dare not trust him. They believe not what he says to be true; they will not trust the word of Christ, so far as the word of one of their honest neighbors, or of a servant whom they have found to be faithful. It also appears that they have no real honor for Christ in their hearts, in that they refuse to obey his commands. They do nothing that they do from a spirit of obedience to him; and that external obedience which they render, is but a forced, feigned obedience, and not from any respect to Christ's authority or worthiness to be obeyed.

2. They have no love to him on the account of his glory and excellency. If they did set any thing by all the glory and excellency of Christ, or if they saw any excellency or glory in in Christ, they would have some measure of love to Christ. But the truth is, they see no form or comeliness in Christ, and hence they have no love at all to Christ: An unbeliever never exercises one act of true love to Christ. All that he is told of the glory of Christ, of his divine perfections, of his holiness, his meekness, and grace, has no influence at all to draw forth any love. The display of these things doth no more draw forth love out of the heart of an unbeliever, than it draws forth love from the stones and rocks.

A natural man hath no love of benevolence towards Christ Notwithstanding all that is declared to him of the excellency of Christ, he has no good will towards Christ. He rejoices not in his glory and happiness; he would not care what became of Christ, if he could but escape hell. If Christ should be dethroned, or made miserable, or should cease to be, he has not so much good will to Christ, as would make him concern ed about it. And if the kingdom and interest of Christ in the world should go to ruin, it would be no wise grievous to the unbeliever, provided his own interest could be secure.

So also an unbeliever has no love of complacency in Jesus Christ for his excellency. He takes no delight in the view or consideration of any of that glory and excellency of Christ of which he is told. He is told that it is exceedingly beautiful and glorious; but he sees nothing entertaining in it; he takes no pleasure in the view of any thing that he can see in Christ The thoughts of the glory of Christ are nowise entertaining to him: He has no delight in the thoughts of it, or in any contemplations upon it. He takes delight in thinking of these and those earthly objects; but when he comes to turn his mind upon Jesus Christ, if ever he so does, this is to him a dry and barren subject; he finds nothing there to feed and delight his soul; no beauty or loveliness to please or gratify him.

3. Unbelievers have no desires after the enjoyment of Christ. If they did set any thing by the glory and excellency of Christ, they would have some desires after him on account of that excellency; especially when he is offered to them, and is from time to time set forth as the proper object of their choice and desires. That which men prize, they are wont to desire, especially if it be represented to them as attainable, and as fit and suitable for them. But unbelievers have no desires after the enjoyment of Christ. They desire to be deliv ered from hell, but they desire not to enjoy Christ.

They have no idea of any happiness to be had in the enjoyment of Christ: They cannot conceive what happiness

there can be in beholding Christ and being with him, in seeing bis holiness, and contemplating his wonderful grace and dis vine glory. They have no relish for any such thing, nor ap petite after it.

4. They show that they set nothing by the glory and ex cellency of Christ, in that they seek not at all a conformity to that glory and excellency. A natural man may seek to be holy, but it is not for holiness' sake, it is only that he may escape. wrath. He has no desires after holiness, nor is it indeed ho, liness that he seeks, because he is all the while an enemy to holiness. A natural man has no desires to have his soul con formed to the glorious beauty and excellency of Christ, nor to have his image upon him.

If he in any degree prized or delighted in the excellencies of Christ, he would necessarily desire to be like him so far as he could. This we see in ourselves and in all men: When we see any qualifications in others that are pleasing to us, and that we set by, it is natural for us to endeavor to imitate them, and to seek to be in those things conformed to those persons, Hence men are apt to learn of those of whom they have a great esteem; they naturally fall into an imitation of their ways and manner of behavior. But natural men feel within themselves no disposition or inclination to learn of Christ, or to imitate him. Their tempers and dispositions remain quite contrary to Christ's, neither do they grow at all better or more conformed to Christ, but wax worse and worse. 2 Tim. iii. 13. "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse."

APPLICATION.

1. This doctrine may teach us the heinoushess of the sin of unbelief, as this sin sets all the glory and excellency of Christ at nought. It often appears strange to natural men, that unbelief should be spoken of as such a heinous and crying sin. They cannot see such evil in it. There are other sins which often trouble natural men's consciences, when this sin

of unbelief troubles them not at all, though it be that which brings far greater guilt upon them, than those sins about which they are more troubled.

This that has been now said may show why unbelief is spoken of as such a heinous sin, as it is, John iii. 18. and chap. xvi. 9, and 1 John v. 10. For thereby all the glory and excellency of Christ is set at nought, though it be so great, though it be infinite, though it be the glory of the godhead itself, and though it has been so gloriously manifested in what Christ has done and suffered. Natural men in their unbelief cast contempt on all this glory, and tread it under foot, as being nothing worth. Their unbelief treats the excellency of Christ as being of less value than the meanest earthly enjoyments.

II. This doctrine may convict natural men in four particulars.

1. Hereby you may be convinced of the greatness of your guilt. Consider how great and excellent that person is, whom you thus set at nought. Contempt of any person is heinous in proportion to the worthiness and dignity of the person contemned. Though we are but men, and worms of the dust, and very vile, sinful creatures; yet we take it grievously when we are despised. Consider how you yourselves are ready to resent it, when any of your neighbors seem to slight you, and set light by what you say and do, and to make no account of it, but to treat you as if you were good for nothing, or not worth minding. Do you take this well of your neighbors and equals, when you observe any thing of this nature? Áre you not ready to look upon it with resentment, to think very ill of it, and to judge that you have great cause to be offended?

But if it be such a crime to despise you and set you at hought, what is it to set at nought the eternal, infinitely glorious Son of God, in comparison with whom you, and all nations, are nothing and less than nothing, and vanity? You dislike it much to be contemned by your equals; but you would take it yet more grievously to be despised by your inferiors, by those. whom on every account you much excel.....What a crime is

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