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fame liberty which the prophet Elifha allowed to ESR M. "Naaman. But what then (fays he) fhall I anfwer, LXVI. "to our SAVIOUR," faying, "whofoever denieth "me before men, him will I deny before my Father "which is in heaven?" His answer is, "That we

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may say, that whatsoever a fubject is compelled to " in obedience to his fovereign, and does it not in "order to his own mind, but the law of his coun"try, the action is not his, but his fovereign's; nor is it he that in this cafe denies CHRIST be"fore men, but his governor, and the laws of his country.

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But can any man, that in good earnest pays any degree of reverence to our bleffed SAVIOUR and his religion, think to baffle fuch plain words by fo frivolous an answer? There is no man doubts, but if the magiftrate fhould command men to deny CHRIST, he would be guilty of a great fin in fo doing but if "we must obey GOD rather than men,' and every man muft "give an account of himfelf to GOD;" how will this excufe him that denies CHRIST, or breaks any other commandment of GOD, upon the command of the magiftrate? And to put the matter out of all doubt, that our SAVIOUR forbids all that will be his difciples, upon pain of damnation, to deny him, though the magiftrate should command them to do fo; it is very obfervable, that in that very place, where he speaks of confeffing or denying him before men, he puts this very cafe of their being brought before kings and governors for confeffing him, Matt. x. 17. " Beware (fays he) of

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men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, "and they will fcourge you in their fynagogues; "and ye fhall be brought before governors and kings for my fake, for a teftimony against them VOL. V.

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and

SERM. and the Gentiles."

But what teftimony would LXVI. this be against them, if Chriftians were bound to deny CHRIST at their command? But our SAVIOUR

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goes on, and tells them how they ought to demean themselves, when they were brought before kings and governors, ver. 19. "But when they fhall deli"ver you up, take ye no thought how, or what ye "fhall fpeak; for it thall be given you in that very "hour what ye fhall fpeak." But what need of any fuch extraordinary affiftance in the cafe, if they had nothing to do, but to deny him, when they were required by the magiftrate to do it? And then (proceeding in the fame difcourfe) he bids them, ver. 28. "Not to fear them that can kill the body, "and after that have no more that they can do: that is, not to deny him, for fear of any temporal punishment or fuffering the magiftrate could inflict upon them;" but to fear" and obey "him, who " can destroy body and foul in hell." And upon this difcourfe our SAVIOUR Concludes, ver. 32, 33. "Whofoever therefore fhall confefs me before men, "him will I confefs 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 now can any thing be plainer, than that our SAVIOUR requires his difciples to make confeffion of him before kings and governors, and not to deny him for fear of any thing which they can do to them? But let us enquire a little farther, and fee how the apoftles, who received this precept from our SAVIQUR himself, did understand it. Acts iv. 18. we find Peter and John fummoned before the Jewish magiftrates, who " ftrictly commanded them "not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of "JESUS. But Peter and John anfwered and faid unto "them

" them, whether it be right in the fight of GOD, to SER M. "hearken unto you, more than unto God, judge,

ye." And when they still perfifted in their course, notwithstanding the command of the magistrate, and were called again before the council, chap. v. 28. and "the high priest asked them, faying, did we not "ftraitly command you, that you should not teach "in this name? and behold ye have filled Jerufalem "with your doctrine;" they return them again the same answer, ver. 29. "Then Peter and the other "apoftles answered and faid, we ought to obey GOD " rather than men."

And let any man now judge, whether our SAVIOUR did not oblige men to confefs him even before magistrates, and to obey him rather than men. And indeed, how can any man in reason think, that the great king and governor of the world fhould invest any man with a power to controul his authority, and to oblige men to disobey, and renounce him, "by "whom kings reign, and princes decree judgment? This is a thing fo unreasonable, that it can hardly be imagined, that any thing but downright malice against GoD and religion could prompt any man to advance fuch an affertion.

I should now have proceeded to the fourth and laft particular, which I proposed to speak to; namely, to vindicate the reasonablenefs of this precept of felf-denial and fuffering for CHRIST, which at first appearance may feem to be fo very harsh and difficult. But this, together with the application of this · discourse, shall be referved to another opportunity.

LXVI.

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SERMON LXVII.

Of felf-denial and fuffering for
CHRIST'S fake.

MATTH. XVI. 24.

Then faid JESUS unto his difciples, if any man will coms after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

SERM."
LXVII.

mon on

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HEN faid JESUs to his difciples," that is, upon occafion of his former difcourfe with The fe- them, concerning his approaching paffion, and that cond fer- he must shortly go up to Jerufalem, and there fuffer this text. many things of the elders and chief priests and fcribes, and at laft be put to death by them; "then "faid JESUS unto his difciples, if any man will come "after me;" that is, if any man will be my disciple, and undertake the profeffion of my religion; he must do it upon these terms of felf-denial and fuffering.

In the handling of thefe words, I proceeded in this method.

First, I confidered the way which our SAVIOUR here ufeth in making profelytes, and gaining men over to his religion. He offers no manner of force and violence to compel men to the profeffion of it; but fairly propofeth it to their confideration and choice, telling them plainly upon what terms they must be his difciples; if they like them, and be refolved to fubmit to them, well; if not, 'tis in vain to follow him any longer, for they "cannot be his "difciples." And to ufe any other way than this

to

LXVII.

to gain men over to religion, is contrary both to the SER M nature of man, who is a reasonable creature; and to the nature of religion, which, if it be not our free choice, cannot be religion.

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Secondly, I explained this duty or precept of selfdenial, expressed in these words," let him deny himfelf, and take up his crofs;" which phrase of taking up one's cross," is an allufion to the Roman custom, which was, that the malefactor that was to be crucified, was to take up his cross upon his shoulders, and to carry it to the place of execution.

Now for our clearer understanding of this precept of self-denial, I told you, that it is not to be extended to every thing that may properly be called by that name, but to be limited by the plain scope and intendment of our SAVIOUR'S difcourfe; and therefore I did in the

First place remove feveral things which are instanced in by fome, as intended and required by this precept. As,

1. That we should deny and renounce 'our own fense in matters of faith. But this I fhewed to be abfurd and impoffible; because if we do not believe what we fee, or will believe contrary to what we see, we destroy all certainty, there being no greater than that of fenfe. Befides, that the evidence of faith being less clear and certain than that of sense, it is contrary to the nature of affent, which is always fwayed and borne down by the greatest and cleareft evidence. So that we cannot affent to any thing in plain contradiction to the evidence of fenfe.

2. Others would comprehend under this precept, the denying of our reafon in matters of faith; which is in the next degree of abfurdity to the other; because no man can believe any thing, but upon fome reafon or

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