Preached on Allsaints day.

SERMON LXXVIII.

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The encouragement to fuffer for CHRIST; and the danger of denying him.

SERM. LXXVIII {

2 TIM. II. 11, 12.

It is a faithful faying; for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him : if we fuffer, we frall alfo reign with him : if we deny him, he also will deny us.

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N the beginning of this chapter, St. Paul encourageth Timothy to continue stedfast in the profession of the gospel, notwithstanding the fufferings which attended it; ver. 1. "Thou therefore "_my fon, be strong in the grace which is in CHRIST " JESUS;" and ver. 3. "Thou therefore endure " hardship, as a good foldier of JESUS CHRIST." And to animate him in his resolution, he quotes a saying, which it seems was well known and firmly believed among Christians; a saying on the one hand full of encouragement to those who with patience and conftancy suffered for their religion; and on the other hand, full of terror to those who for fear of suffering denied it.

"It is a faithful saying." This is a preface used by this apostle, to introduce some remarkable sentence, of more than ordinary weight and concernment; 1 Tim, i. 15. "This is a faithful saying, and wor"thy of all acceptation, that CHRIST JESUS came "into

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" into the world to fave sinners;" and chap. iv. 8,9. SERM. " Godliness is profitable unto all things, having a " promise of the life that now is, and of that which " is to come. This is a faithful saying, and wor"thy of all acceptation." Titus. iii. 8. "This is " a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou " affirm constantly, that they which have believed " in God, might be careful to maintain good works." And here in the text, the fame preface is used to fignify the importance of the saying he was about to mention; "it is a faithful saying; if we be dead " with him, we shall also live with him: if we fuf" fer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, " he also will deny us."

The first two fentences are matter of encouragement to those who fuffer with CHRIST, and for him, and are the very fame in sense. "If we be dead with " him," that is, if we lay down our lives for the testimony of the truth, as he did, "we shall also live with him," that is, we shall in like manner be made partakers of immortality, as he is : " if we fuffer" or endure as he did, " we shall also reign with him" in glory.

The other sentence is matter of terror to those who deny him and his truth. "If we deny him, he also " will deny us;" to which is subjoined another faying much to the same sense; " if we believe not," εἰ ἀπισῶμεν, if we be unfaithful; " yet he remaineth "faithful, he cannot deny himself;" that is, he will be as good as his word, and make good that folemn threatning which he hath denounced against those, who shall for fear of fuffering deny him, and his truth.

The words being thus explained, I shall begin with the first part of this remarkable saying; " if we " be dead with him, we shall also live with him: if " we

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SERM. " we fuffer, we shall also reign with him." This, it

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seems, was a noted saying among Christians; and whether they had it by tradition of our SAVIOUR, or whether it was in familiar use among the apostles, as a very proper and powerful argument to keep Christians stedfast to their religion, I cannot determine. It is certain, that sayings to this sense are very frequent, especially in the epistles of St. Paul, Rom. vi. 5. "For if we have been planted together " in the likeness of his death; we shall be also in "the likeness of his refurrection." And verse 8. "Now if we be dead with CHRIST; we believe "that we shall also live with him." 2 Cor. iv. 10.

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Always bearing about in the body, the dying of "Our LORD JESUS; that the life alfo of JESUS " might be made manifeft in our body." And verse

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"For we which live, are always delivered unto " death for JESUS fake; that the life alfo of JESUS might be made manifeft in our mortal flesh." And Rom. viii. 17. "If fo be that we fuffer with " him, that we may be also glorified together." Phil. iii. 10, 11. "That I may know him, and the

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power of his refurrection, and the fellowship of his fufferings, being made conformable unto his death: " if by any means I might attain unto the refurrec"tion of the dead. 1 Pet. iv. 12, 13. "Beloved, " think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, " which is to try you, as though fome strange thing " happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye

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are partakers of CHRIST'S fufferings, that when "his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad alio " with exceeding joy."

You fee that the sense of this saying was in frequent ufe among the apoftles, as a powerful argument to encourage Chriftians to constancy in their religion, religion, notwithstanding the dangers and sufferings SERM.

which attended it. "This is a faithful saying: if

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we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: " if we fuffer, we shall also reign with him." And the force of this argument will best appear; by taking into confideration these two things;

I. What virtue there is in a firm belief and perfuafion of a blessed immortality in another world, to fupport and bear up mens spirits under the greatest sufferings for righteousness sake; and even to animate them, if God shall call them to it, to lay down their lives for their religion.

II. How it may be made out to be reasonable, for men to embrace and voluntarily to submit to present and grievous fufferings, in hopes of a future happiness and reward; concerning which we have not, nor perhaps are capable of having, the fame degree of certainty and assurance which we have of the evils and fufferings of this prefent life.

I. What virtue there is in a firm belief and persuasion of a blessed immortality in another world, to support and bear up mens spirits, under the greatest sufferings for righteousness sake: and even to animate them, if God shall call them to it, to lay down their lives for their religion.

If men do firmly believe that they shall change this temporal and miferable life for an endless state of happiness and glory, and that they shall meet with a reward of their sufferings infinitely beyond the proportion of them, both in the weight and duration of it; this must needs turn the scales on that fide, on which there is the greatest weight: and there is a sufficient ground for a firm belief of this. For if any thing can certainly be concluded from the providence of God, this may, that good men shall be happy

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SERM. happy one time or other: and because they are very LXXVIII. often great fufferers in this life; that there is another

state remains for them after this life, wherein they shall meet with a full reward of all their fufferings for righteousness sake.

But besides the reasonableness of this, from the confideration of GOD's providence, we have now a clear and express revelation of it; "life and im

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mortality being brought to light by the gospel." This St. John tells us is the great promise of the gospel, 1 John ii. 25. "This is the promise which he " hath promifed us; even eternal life." And this promise, our SAVIOUR most exprefly makes to those who suffer for him, Matt. v. 10, 11, 12. " Bleffed " are they which are perfecuted for righteousness "fake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed " are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute

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you, and say all manner of evil against you falsly " for my fake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for " great is your reward in heaven." Mark x. 29, 30. " Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath " left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or " mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my " fake and the gospel's; but he shall receive an " hundred fold now in this time, with persecutions," (that is, fo far as a state of persecution would admit) " and in the world to come eternal life."

And if fuch a perfuafion be firmly fixed in our minds; the faith of another world, and the assured hope of eternal life and happiness, must needs have a mighty force and efficacy upon the minds of fober and confiderate men; because there is no proportion between fuffering for a little while, and being unspeakably and eternally happy. So St. Paul tells us he calculated the matter, Rom. viii. 18. " I reckon " (fays