our strength in proportion to the sharpness of our sufferings?

:

And bleffed be God, many of our perfecuted brethren at this day have remarkably found this comfortable affiftance and fupport; though many likewife have fallen through fear and weakness, as it also happened in the primitive times. But where-ever this promife is not made good, it is (as I have formerly faid) by reason of fome fault and failing on our part. Either men were not fincere in the profeffion of the truth; and then, no wonder if, when tribulation and perfecution arifeth because of the word, they are offended, and fall off or elfe they were too confident of themselves, and did not seek God's grace and affiftance, and rely upon it as they ought; and thereupon God hath left them to themselves, (as he did Peter), to convince them of their own frailty and rash confidence; and yet, even in that case, when there is truth and fincerity at the bottom, there is no reafon to doubt, but that the goodness of God is fuch, as by fome means or other to give to such persons (as he did to Peter) the opportunity of recovering themfelves by repentance, and a more ftedfast resolution afterwards.

3. If we confider, in the laft place, that our Saviour bath affured us of a glorious and eternal reward of all our felf-denial and fufferings for him; a reward infinitely beyond the proportion of our fufferings, both in the degree and duration of it. Now, the clear discovery of this is peculiarly owing to the Chriftian religion, and the appearance of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, who bath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light, by the gospel.

And, as our bleffed Saviour hath affured us of this bleffed ftate of good men in another world; fo hath he likewife affured us, that greater degrees of this happiness fhall be the portion of those who fuffer for him and his truth: Matth. v. 10. 11. 12. Blessed are they which are perfecuted for righteoufnefs fake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Bleed are ye when men fhall revile you, and perfecute you, and shall fay all manner of evil against you falfely for my fake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven. And nothing furely can

be

be more reasonable, than to part with things of fmall value, for things infinitely greater and more confiderable; to forego the tranfient pleasures and enjoyments, and the imperfect felicities of this world, for the folid, and perfect, and perpetual happiness of a better life; and to exchange a fhort and miferable life, for eternal life and bleffednefs: in a word, to be content to be driven home, to be banished out of this world into our own native country, and to be violently thrust out of this vale of tears into those regions of blifs, where are joys unspeakable, and full of glory.

This confideration St. Paul tells us fupported the primitive Christians under their sharpest and heaviest sufferings, 2 Cor. iv. 16. 17. 18. For this caufe (fays he) we faint not; because our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are feen, but the things which are not feen: for the things which are feen, are temporal; but the things which are not Seen, are eternal. So that our fufferings bear no more proportion to the reward of them, than finite does to infinite, than temporal to eternal, between which there is no proportion.

All that now remains, is, to draw fome useful inferences from what hath been difcourfed concerning this great and difficult duty of felf-denial for the fake of Christ and his religion. And they fhall be these following.

1. To acknowledge the great goodness of God to us, that all these laws and commands, even the hardest and feverest of them, are so reasonable.

God, as he is our maker, and gave us our beings, hath an entire and fovereign right over us; and, by virtue of that right, might have impofed very hard things upon us; and this without the giving account to us of any of his matters, and without propounding any reward to us, fo vaftly difproportionable to our obedience to him. But, in giving laws to us, he hath not made ufe of this right. The most severe and rigorous commands of the gospel are fuch, that we fhall be infinitely gainers by our obedience to them. If we deny ourselves any thing in this world for Chrift and his religion, we

fhall

crown

fhall in the next be confidered for it to the utmost; not only far beyond what it can deserve, but beyond what we can conceive or imagine; for this perishing life, and the tranfitory trifles and enjoyments of it, we fhall receive a kingdom which cannot be fhaken, an incorruptible which fadeth not away, eternal in the heavens. For thefe are faithful fayings, and we fhall infallibly find them true, that if we fuffer with Chrift, we shall alfo reign with him; if we be perfecuted for righteousness fake, great Jhall be our reward in heaven: if we part with our temporal life, we fhall be made partakers of eternal life. He that is firmly perfuaded of the happiness of the next world, and believes the glory which hall then be revealed, hath no reafon to be fo much offended at the sufferings of this prefent time, fo long as he knows and believes, that these light afflictions, which are but for a moment, will work for him a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

2. Seeing this is required of every Chriftian, to be always in a preparation and difpofition of mind to deny ourselves, and to take up our crofs; if we do in good earnest refolve to be Chriftians, we ought to fit down, and confider well with ourselves, what our religion will coft us, and whether we be content to come up to the price of it. If we value any thing in this world above Christ and his truth, we are not worthy of him. If it come to this, that we muft either renounce him and his religion, or quit our temporal interefts; if we be not ready to forego thefe, nay, and to part even with life itself, rather than to forfake him and his truth, we are not worthy of him. These are the terms of our Christianity; and therefore we are required in baptifm folemnly to renounce the world. And our Saviour, from this very confideration, infers, that all who take upon them the profeffion of his religion, fhould confider ferioufly beforehand, and count the cost of it: Luke xiv. 28... 31. 33. Which of you (fays he) intending to build a tower, fitteth not down firft, and counteth the coft, whether he bave fufficient to finish it? Or what king going to war against another king, fitteth not down firft, and confulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? So likewife, whofoever he be, that forsaketh not all he hath, he cannot be

my

difciple.

difciple. You fee the terms upon which we are Christians: we must always be prepared in the refolution of our minds, to deny ourselves, and take up our cross, though we are not actually put upon this trial.

3. What hath been faid is matter of great comfort and encouragement to all those who deny themselves, and fuffer upon fo good an account: of whom, God knows, there are too great a number at this day, in several parts of the world; fome under actual fufferings, fuch as cannot but move compaffion and horror in all that hear of them; others who are fled hither, and into other countries, for refuge and shelter from one of the fharpeft perfecutions that perhaps ever was, if all the circumftances of it be duly confidered. But not to enlarge upon fo unpleasant a theme, they who fuffer for the truth, and righteousness fake, have all the comfort and encouragement, that the best example, and the greatest and most glorious promises of God, can give. They have the best example in their view, Jefus the author and finisher of their faith; who endured the cross, and defpifed the fhame. So that how great and terrible foever their fufferings be, they do but tread in the steps of the Son of God, and of the best and holiest man that ever was; and he who is their great example in fuffering, will likewife be their fupport, and their exceeding great reward.

So that though fuffering for Chrift be accounted great felf-denial, and he is graciously pleafed fo to accept it, because, in denying things prefent and fenfible, for things future and invifible, we do not only declare our affection to him, but our great faith and confidence in him, by fhewing that we rely upon his word, and venture all upon the fecurity which he offers us in another world : yet, according to a right eftimate of things, and to those who walk by faith, and not by fight, this which we call felf-denial, is, in truth and reality, but a more commendable fort of felf-love; because we do herein molt effectually confult, and secure, and advance our own happiness.

4. and laftly, Since God hath been pleafed for fo long a time to excufe us from this hardest part of self-denial, let us not grudge to deny ourselves in leffer matters, for the fake of his truth and religion; to miss a good place,

ΟΙ

or to quit it upon that account : much less let us think much to renounce our vices, and to thwart our evil inclinations for his fake. As Naaman's fervant faid to him concerning the means prescribed by the Prophet for his cure, If he had bid thee do fome great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? how much more, when he hath only faid, Wash and be clean? fo, fince God impofeth no harder terms upon us, than repentance, and reformation of our lives, we should readily and thankfully fubmit to them.

This, I know, is difficult to fome, to mortify their earthly members, to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lufts of it; it is like cutting off a right hand, and plucking out a right eye. Some are fo ftrongly addicted to their lufts and vices, that they could with more ease defpife life in many cafes, than thus deny themselves. But, in truth, there is no more of felf-denial in it, than a man denies himself when he is mortally fick and wounded, in being content to be cured, and willing to be well. This is not at all to our temporal prejudice and inconvenience; and it directly conduceth to our eternal happiness: for there is no man that lives a holy and virtuous life, and in obedience to the laws of God, that can lightly receive any prejudice by it in this world. Since God doth not call us to fuffer, we should do fo much the more for him; fince he doth not put us to testify our love to him by laying down our lives for him, we fhould fhew it by a greater care to keep his commandments.

God was pleafed to exercife the firft Chriftians with great fufferings, and to try their love and conftancy to him and his truth in a very extraordinary manner, by severity and contempt; by the Spoiling of their goods, and the lofs of all things; by bonds and imprisonments; by cruel mockings and Scourgings; by the extremity of torments, and by refifting even unto blood; by being killed for his fake all the day long, and appointed as sheep for the flaughter. God was pleased to make their way to heaven very fharp and painful, and to hedge it in as it were with thorns on every fide; fo that they could not but through many tribulations enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Thus we ought all to be in a readiness and refolution to fubmit to this duty, if God fhould think fit at any