fon; which no man can do; or, if he could, then faith would be unreasonable, and infidelity reafonable. So that this inftance likewife of felf-denial, to renounce and deny our own reason, as it is no where expreffed, fo it cannot reasonably be thought to be intended by our Saviour in this precept.

3dly, Nor doth this precept of felf-denial require men to be content to renounce their own eternal happinefs, and to be willing to be damned for the glory of God, and the good of their brethren. If this were the meaning of this precept, we might juftly fay, as the difciples did to our Saviour in another cafe, This is a hard faying, and who can bear it? The very thought of this is enough to make human nature to tremble at its very foundation. For the deepest principle that God hath planted in our nature, is, the defire of our own prefervation and happipinefs; and into this the force of all laws, and the reafon of all our duty, is at last refolved.

From whence it plainly follows, that it can be no man's duty in any cafe to renounce his own happiness, and to be content to be for ever miferable; because if once this be made a duty, there will be no argument left to perfuade any man to it. For the most powerful arguments that God ever used to perfuade men to any thing, are, the promise of eternal happiness, and the terror of everlasting torments. But if this were a man's duty, to be content to be miferable for ever, neither of thefe arguments would be of force fufficient to perfuade a man to it.

The first of thefe, namely, the promife of eternal happinefs, could fignify nothing to him that is to be eternally miferable; becaufe if he be to be fo, it is impoffible that he fhould ever have the benefit of that promife. And the threatening of eternal mifery could be no argument in this cafe; because the duty is juft as difficult as the argument is powerful; and no man can be moved to submit to any thing that is grievous and terrible, but by fomething that is more terrible for if it be not, it is the fame thing whether he submit to it or not: and then no man can be content to be eternally miscrable only for the fear of being fo; for this would be for a man to run himself upon that very inconvenience

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which he is fo much afraid of: and it is madness for a man to die for fear of death. Quis novus hic furor eft, ne moriare, mori ?

By this it plainly appears how unreasonable it is to imagine, that by this precept of felf-denial our Saviour fhould require men to renounce everlasting happiness, and to be content to be miferable for ever, upon any account whatfoever; because this were to fuppofe, that God hath imposed that upon us as a duty, to oblige us whereto there can be no argument offered that can be powerful enough. As for the glory of God, which is pretended to be the reafon, it is an impoffible fuppofition; because it cannot be for the glory of God, to make a creature for ever miferable, that fhall not by his wilful obftinacy and impenitence deferve to be fo. But this is only caft in to add weight.

The other reason of the good and falvation of our brethren, is the only confideration for which there is any manner of colour from fcripture; and two inftances are alledged to this purpofe, of two very excellent perfons, that feem to have defired this, and to have fubmitted to it: and therefore it is not fo unreasonable as we would make it, that our Saviour fhould injoin it as a duty. The inftances alledged are thefe. Mofes defired of God, that he might be blotted out of the book of life, rather than the people of Ifrael, whom he had conducted and governed fo long, fhould be destroyed. And, in the New Teftament, St. Paul tells us, that he could wish, that himself were accurfed from Chrift for his brethren; fo earneft a defire had he of their falvation.

But neither of thefe inftances are of force fufficient to overthrow the reasons of my former difcourfe: for the defire of Mofes amounts only to a fubmiffion to a temporal death, that his nation might be faved from a temporal ruin. For the expreffion of blotting out of the book of life, is of the fame importance with thofe phrafes fo frequently ufed in the Old Teftament, of blotting out from the face of the earth, and blotting out one's name from under heaven; which fignify no more than temporal death and deftruction: and then Mofes's wifh was reasonable and generous, and fignifics no more, but that he was willing, if God pleased, to die to fave the nation.

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As for St. Paul's wifh of being accurfed from Chrift, it is plainly an hyperbolical expreffion of his great affection to his countrymen the Jews, and his zeal for their falvation; which was fo great, that if it had been a thing reasonable and lawful, he could have wifhed the greatest evil to himself for their fakes: and therefore it is obfervable, that it is not a pofitive and abfolute wish, but expreffed in the ufual form of ufhering in an hyperbole, I could wish; just as we are wont to fay, when we would exprefs a thing to the height which is not fit nor intended to be done by us, "I could with so or so; "I could even afford to do this or that:" which kind of speeches no man takes for a ftrict and precife declaration of our minds, but for a figurative expreffion of a great paffion.

And thus I have done with the first thing I propofed for the explication of this precept or duty of felf-denial, which was, to remove fome forts of felf-denial, which by fome are frequently inftanced in, as intended by our Saviour in this precept. I proceed now to the

2. Second thing I propofed; which is, to declare pofitively, what that felf-denial is which our Saviour here intends. And it is plainly this, and nothing but this: That we should be willing to part with all earthly comforts and conveniences, to quit all our temporal interefts and enjoyments, and even life itself, for the fake of Chrift and his religion; this our Saviour means by denying ourselves: and then, which is much the fame with the other, that we fhould be willing to bear any temporal inconvenience and fuffering upon the fame account; this is to take up our cross, and follow him.

And that this is the full meaning of these two phrafes, of denying ourselves, and taking up our crofs, will clearly appear, by confidering the particular inftances which our Saviour gives of this felf-denial, whenever he hath occafion to speak of it; by which you will plainly fee, that thefe expreffions amount to no more than I have faid. Even here in the text, after our Saviour had told his difciples, that he that would come after him, must deny himSelf, and take up his cross; it follows immediately, For whofoever will fave his life, fhall lofe it; and whofoever will lofe his life for my fake, fhall find it. You fee here, P 3

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that he inftanceth in parting with our lives for him, as the highest piece of felf-denial which he requires. And he himself elsewhere tells us, that greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. Elsewhere he inftanceth in quitting our nearest relations for his fake, Luke xiv. 26. 27. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and fifters, yea, and his own life alfo, he cannot be my difciple: and whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my difciple.

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Which expreffions, of hating father, and mother, and other relations, and even life itself, are not to be underftood rigorously, and in an abfolute fenfe, but comparatively for it is an Hebrew manner of speech, to exprefs that abfolutely which is meant only comparatively. And fo our Saviour explains himself in a parallel text to this, Matth. x. 37. 38. He that loveth father and mother more than me, is not worthy of me; he that loveth fon or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me: and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. In another place our Saviour inftanceth in quitting our estates for his fake, Matth. xix. 29. Every one that fall forfake houses, or brethren, or fifters, or faiher, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's fake. By all which it appears, that this felfdenial which our Saviour here requires of his difciples, is to be extended no farther, than to a readiness and wilJingness, whenever God fhall call us to it, to quit all our temporal interefts and enjoyments, and even life itself, the dearest of all other, and to fubmit to any temporal inconvenience and fuffering, for his fake. And thus much for the explication of the precept here in the text. I proceed, in the

III. Third place, to confider the ftrict and indifpenfable obligation of this precept of felf-denial, and fuffering for Chrift and his truth, rather than to forfake and renounce them: If any man will come after me, or be my difciple, let him deny himself, and take up his crofs, and follow me; that is, Upon thefe terms he must be my difciple, in this manner he must follow me. And in the text I mentioned before, he declares again, that he that is not ready to quit all his relations, and even life itself, for his

fake,

fake, is not worthy of him, and cannot be his difciple; and whofoever doth not bear his cross, and come after him, cannot be his difciple. So that we cannot be the difciples of Christ, nor be worthy to be called by his name, if we be not ready thus to deny ourselves for his fake: and not only fo, but if, for fear of the crofs, or of any temporal fufferings, we fhould renounce and deny him, he threatens to deny us before his Father which is in heaven, i. e. to deprive us of eternal life, and to fentence us to everlasting mifery: Matth. x. 32.33. Whosoever shall confefs me before men, him will Iconfefs alfo before my Father which is in heaven. But whofoever fhall deny me before men, him will I alfo deny before my Father which is in heaven; and Mark viii. 38. Whofoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and finful generation, of him alfo fhall the Son of man be afbamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels; that is, when he cometh to judge the world, they shall not be able to stand in that judgment: for that by his being ashamed of them, is meant, that they shall be condemned by him, is plain from what goes before, y 36. 37. What shall it profit a man, if he Jhall gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul? or what shall aman give in exchange for his foul? and then it follows, Whofoever therefore shall be ashamed of me, and of my words.

But because fome have had the confidence to tell the world, that our Saviour doth not require thus much of Chriftians, but all that he obligeth us to, is to believe in him in our hearts, but not to make any outward profession of his religion, when the magiftrate forbids it, and we are in danger of fuffering for it; I fhall therefore briefly examine what is pretended for fo ftrange an affertion, and fo directly contrary to the whole tenor of the gofpel, and to the exprefs words of our Saviour.

The author of the book called the Leviathan tells us, that we are not only not bound to confefs Chrift, but we are obliged to deny him, in case the magistrate require us fo to do. His words are these : What if "the fovereign forbid us to believe in Chrift?" he anfwers, "Such forbidding is of no effect, because belief "and unbelief never follow mens commands. But "what (fays he) if we be commanded by our lawful

prince to say with our tongues we believe not, must

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