SERM. other; and to believe without any reason, or againft reason, is to make faith unreasonable, and infidelity reafonable.

LXVII.

3. Others pretend, that by virtue of this precept, men ought to be content to renounce their own eternal happiness, and to be miferable for ever, for the glory of God, and the falvation of their brethren. But this I shewed cannot be a duty, for this plain reason; because if it were, there is no argument left powerful enough to perfuade a man to it. And as for the two fcripture instances alledged to this purpofe; Mofes his wish, of being "blotted out of the " book of life" for the people of Ifrael, fignifies no more than a temporal death; and St. Paul's, of being "accurfed from CHRIST for his brethren," is only an hyperbolical expreffion of his great paffion and zeal for the falvation of his countrymen, as is evident from the form of the expression, such as is commonly used to usher in an hyperbole; "I could "wish." And in the

Second place, I shewed positively, that the plain meaning of this precept of felf-denial is this, and nothing but this; that we should be willing to part with all our temporal interests and enjoyments, and even life itself for the fake of CHRIST and his religion. This is, " to deny ourselves." And then, that we should be willing to bear any temporal inconvenience and fuffering upon the fame account. This is "to " take up our cross." And this I fhewed from the instances which our SAVIOUR gives of felf-denial, whenever he had occafion to difcourse of it.

Thirdly, I confidered the strict and indispensable obligation of this precept of felf-denial, rather than to forsake CHRIST and his religion. Without this difpofition and resolution of mind we " cannot be

/

" his

LXVII.

し

" his disciples; and if we deny him before men; he SERM. " will also deny us before his Father which is in "heaven." And this confeffion of him and his truth we are to make before kings and governors, and notwithstanding their commands to the contrary, which are of no force against the laws and commands of GOD.

Thus far I have gone. There remains only the Fourth and last particular, which I propofed to speak to; viz. to vindicate the reasonableness of this felf-denial and fuffering for CHRIST, which at first appearance may seem to be so very difficult. And this precept cannot be thought unreasonable, if we take into confideration these three things.

I. That he, who requires this of us, hath himself given us the greatest example of felf-denial that ever was. The greatest in itself, in that he denied himself more, and suffered more grievous things, than it is possible for any of us to do: and such an example as, in the circumstances of it, is most apt and powerful to engage and oblige us to the imitation of it, because all his felf-denial and fufferings were for our fakes.

II. If we consider, that he hath promised all needful supplies of his grace, to enable us to the discharge of this difficult duty of felf-denial and fuffering, and to support and comfort us therein.

III. He hath assured us of a glorious reward of all our fufferings and felf-denial, beyond the proportion of them, both in the degree and duration of it. I shall go over these as briefly as I can.

I. If we confider, that he, who requires us thus to deny ourselves for him, hath given us the greatest example of felf-denial that ever was. Our SAVIOUR knowing how unwelcome this doctrine of felf-denial K 4

and

LXVII.

SER M- and fuffering must needs be to his disciples, and how hardly this precept would go down with them, to fweeten it a little, and take off the harshness of it, and to prepare their minds the better for it, he tells them first of his own fufferings, that by that means he might, in fome measure, reconcile their minds to it, when they faw that he required nothing of them but what he was ready to undergo himself, and to give them the example of it. And upon this occafion it was, that our Saviour acquaints them with the hard and difficult terms upon which they must be his disciples: ver. 21. the evangelist tells us, that

E

Jesus began to shew unto his disciples, how that "hemust go unto Jerufalem, and fuffer many things “ of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and " be killed. Then faid Jesus unto his disciples," that is, immediately upon this discourse of his own fufferings, as the fittest time for it, he takes the opportunity to tell them plainly of their own fufferings, and that unless they were prepared and refolved to deny themselves so far, as to fuffer all manner of perfecution for his fake and the profession of his religion, they could not be his disciples. “ If any man will

come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me," that is, let him reckon and refolve upon following that example of felf-denial and fuffering in which I will go before him. Now the confideration of this example of felf-denial and fuffering, which our SAVIOUR hath given us, hath great force in it to reconcile us to this difficult duty, and to shew the reasonableness of it.

1. In that he, who requires us thus to deny ourselves, hath himself in his own person, given us the greatest example of felf-denial that ever was. And, 2. Such

1

LXVII.

2. Such an example as, in all the circumstances of SERM. it, is most apt and powerful to engage and oblige us to the imitation of it; because all his felf-denial and sufferings were for our fakes.

1. He, who requires us thus to deny ourselves, hath himself in his own person given us the greatest example of felf-denial that ever was; in that he denied himself more, and fuffered more grievous things, than any of us can do. He bore the insupportable load of all the sins of mankind, and of the wrath and vengeance due to them.

66

66

"Never was forrow " like to his forrow, wherewith the Lord afflicted " him in the day of his fierce anger. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief; his visage was marred more than any man's, and his form more than the " fons of men." (i. e.) He underwent more affliction, and had more contempt poured upon him, than ever was upon any of the fons of men: and yet he endured all this with incredible patience and meekness, with the greatest evenness and constancy of mind, and with the most perfect fubmission and resignation of himself to the will of God, that can be imagined.

Such an example as this should be of great force to animate us with the like courage and resolution, in lesser dangers and difficulties. To see "the cap

66

66

tain of our salvation" going before us, and leading us on so bravely, and "made perfect by" greater sufferings" than we can ever be called to, or are any ways able to undergo, is no small argument and encouragement to us, to " take up our cross and " follow him." The confideration of the unknown sufferings of the Son of God, fo great as we cannot well conceive of them, should make all the afflictions and fufferings that can befal us, not only tolerable,

but

SERM. but easy to us. Upon this confideration it is, that LXVII. the apostle animates Christians to patience in their

}

christian course, notwithstanding all the hardships and sufferings that attended it, Heb. xii. 2. "Let us " run with patience the race which is set before us, " looking unto JESUS the author and finisher of our " faith, who endured the cross, and despised the "shame. For confider him, who endured such con"tradiction of sinners against himself, left ye also " be weary and faint in your minds."

And this example is more powerful for our encouragement, because therein we fee the world conquered to our hands, and all the terrors and temptations of it baffled and fubdued, and thereby a cheap and easy victory over it obtained for us. By this confideration, Our SAVIOUR endeavours to inspire his disciples with chearfulness and courage in this great conflict, John xvi. 33. "In the world ye shall have tribulation: " but be of good chear, I have overcome the world."

2. This example of our SAVIOUR is such as, in all the circumstances of it, is most apt and powerful to engage and oblige us to the imitation of it; be'cause all his felf-denial and sufferings were for our fakes in pity and kindness to us, and wholly for our benefit and advantage. We are apt to have their example in great regard, from whom we have received great kindness and mighty benefits. This pattern of felf-denial and fuffering, which our religion proposeth to us, is the example of one, whom we have reason to esteem, and love, and imitate, above any perfon in the world. It is the example of our LORD and master, of our fovereign and our SAVIOUR, of the founder of our religion, and of " the author and fi" nisher of our faith :" and furely such an example must needs carry authority with it, and command our imitation.