EtISC..II.3 EXAMINED AND ESTABLISHED. 13 c world, by the death of Christ crucified to it, and the world crucified to us. Col. iii. 1. We should live as those, who are above, whose hearts are on high, where Christ is at the right-hand of God. Under:our carnality and earthly-mindedness, let us govern ourselves by these meditations. Let us remem- ber we are dead to sin. Under all our temptations to sin'; Rom. vi. 2. let us be upon our guard, remembering our being united to Christ; in his death and his life. Ifat any time we fall under doubts of the truth of our religion, let us look up to a risen Jesus. What better supports can we have under all our afflictions, sorrows, fears, weaknesses ? Rev. i. 18. 11e, who was dead, is alive, and lives for evermore. Amen. Under the ap- prehensions of death; 1 Cor. xv. 57. Thanks be to God, wbo givethus the victory over death and thegrave bya living Christ. O what a shame is it for professors of a dying and a risen Saviour to be dead- hearted in religion, which is our sublimest hope ; to be carnally minded, or to be afraid of death ? 6. If Jesus being dead, and being alive again is so great and important an article of our religion, and as it were the foundation on which it stands, then how wisely 'bath he ordered it in his gospel, that we should have a. constant memorial appointed us both of his death, and his resurrection? Of his death in the Lord's-supper; 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25. and of his resurrection in the Lord's- day; Rev. i. 10. it is the rising of Christ that gives a blessed name to this day; Acts xx. 7. John xx. 19, 26. 1 Cor. xvi. 2. On the first day of the week Christ ap- pears in his holy ordinances, and saith, Peace be unto you, as he did to the apostles. The primitive christians celebrated both these institu- tions on every first day of every week, that is, the chris- tian sabbath, and the Lord's- supper. We all agree to celebrate one of these, (viz.) his resurrection, every week on the first day; but how few are there that celebrate the memorial of his death in a constant attendance at the Lord's supper, in comparison of the multitudes who call themselves christians ? O let us take pleasure in these sacred memorials, and T 2
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